in the doorway. “You dropped this, Danny.” She holds up Buster, wiggling him in the air tauntingly.
Danny buries his face further into my shoulder.
Jules takes Buster and passes it to Danny. “Danny, you want to tell me what happened?”
“I told you. We were playing and he got scared,” Heather says.
“Why don’t we let Danny speak?” There’s an edge to Jules’s voice.
I rub the back of Danny’s head. “Danny? You want to show me what scared you?”
He shakes his head vehemently.
Mum sighs in exasperation and glances about the half-finished room. She has no patience for this kind of thing.
“I’ll get Danny cleaned up.” I move past Heather, who turns to follow.
“Heather? Why don’t you stay and help us?” Jules suggests.
“But I want to make Danny feel better,” Heather says, looking up at me with her big brown eyes. I usually melt at that look, but there is something sly in those eyes, something that makes me want to push her away.
“I think Danny might need some time to get cleaned up, Hev. Go help mummy.”
Something flashes in her eyes, it looks suspiciously like anger, but I turn away, ignoring the spike of adrenaline. I hold Danny close and climb the stairs.
Danny is sitting on my bed clutching Buster.
“So, wanna tell me what scared you?”
“There was a voice.”
“Ahuh.”
“There was a voice in the wardrobe in the smelly room. Heather was talking to it.”
I can’t help it. I get a chill down my spine.
“Heather was talking to the wardrobe?”
He looks up and nods and then catches his bottom lip in his teeth. “It was talking back.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. I recall my first day here, the giggle that I was sure I had heard coming from that same armoire.
“Did you see who she was talking to?” I feel stupid even asking this, but I have to know.
He shakes his head. “The door was open. I couldn’t see inside.”
I exhale in relief and resist the urge to laugh at myself. I don’t want Danny to think I’m making fun of him. Heather has an imaginary friend. My friend Karen has a sister who has one, she makes a croaky voice when she plays with him. He’s called Jeremy. I can understand how this may have frightened Danny, but I can’t have him having nightmares about that damn armoire. There is only one thing to do.
“Come on.” I hold out my hand and he doesn’t question. He takes it.
We pad past the staircase and down the dim corridor. I don’t know what it is about this side of the house, but is always seems darker. No wonder Danny’s imagination is working overtime. The door to the room is ajar and I push it open and lead Danny in. He resists a little, but I give him a reassuring look and he relaxes.
I can’t help it. I hesitate before grasping the handle on the armoire. It’s silly, I know, there are no such things as ghosts or monsters, but a tremor passes through me anyway. Danny is still holding my other hand and his grip tightens.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Look. One. Two. Three.” I yank open the door. There is a face staring back at me. I scream.
Danny screams.
We look at each other and we laugh.
It’s a mirror, just an old mirror stuck to the back of the armoire.
“Well, there you go,” I say.
“There you go,” Danny says.
I close the door and give him a squeeze. “Come on, let’s play in the garden.”
We leave the room, closing the door firmly behind us.
11
GEMMA
Only two more weeks until I start college. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the law saying that I had to study for another two years, I’d be getting a job. I want to start my own business someday selling novelty jewellery, but I guess if I have to study then Art and Design is a good topic to have under my belt. Mum insisted I take another A-level too, something more practical. I decided on Biology simply because it comes easy to me.
I’m not looking forward to starting the new college. Aside from the travel, there’s
Danny buries his face further into my shoulder.
Jules takes Buster and passes it to Danny. “Danny, you want to tell me what happened?”
“I told you. We were playing and he got scared,” Heather says.
“Why don’t we let Danny speak?” There’s an edge to Jules’s voice.
I rub the back of Danny’s head. “Danny? You want to show me what scared you?”
He shakes his head vehemently.
Mum sighs in exasperation and glances about the half-finished room. She has no patience for this kind of thing.
“I’ll get Danny cleaned up.” I move past Heather, who turns to follow.
“Heather? Why don’t you stay and help us?” Jules suggests.
“But I want to make Danny feel better,” Heather says, looking up at me with her big brown eyes. I usually melt at that look, but there is something sly in those eyes, something that makes me want to push her away.
“I think Danny might need some time to get cleaned up, Hev. Go help mummy.”
Something flashes in her eyes, it looks suspiciously like anger, but I turn away, ignoring the spike of adrenaline. I hold Danny close and climb the stairs.
Danny is sitting on my bed clutching Buster.
“So, wanna tell me what scared you?”
“There was a voice.”
“Ahuh.”
“There was a voice in the wardrobe in the smelly room. Heather was talking to it.”
I can’t help it. I get a chill down my spine.
“Heather was talking to the wardrobe?”
He looks up and nods and then catches his bottom lip in his teeth. “It was talking back.”
The hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention. I recall my first day here, the giggle that I was sure I had heard coming from that same armoire.
“Did you see who she was talking to?” I feel stupid even asking this, but I have to know.
He shakes his head. “The door was open. I couldn’t see inside.”
I exhale in relief and resist the urge to laugh at myself. I don’t want Danny to think I’m making fun of him. Heather has an imaginary friend. My friend Karen has a sister who has one, she makes a croaky voice when she plays with him. He’s called Jeremy. I can understand how this may have frightened Danny, but I can’t have him having nightmares about that damn armoire. There is only one thing to do.
“Come on.” I hold out my hand and he doesn’t question. He takes it.
We pad past the staircase and down the dim corridor. I don’t know what it is about this side of the house, but is always seems darker. No wonder Danny’s imagination is working overtime. The door to the room is ajar and I push it open and lead Danny in. He resists a little, but I give him a reassuring look and he relaxes.
I can’t help it. I hesitate before grasping the handle on the armoire. It’s silly, I know, there are no such things as ghosts or monsters, but a tremor passes through me anyway. Danny is still holding my other hand and his grip tightens.
“It’s okay, sweetie. Look. One. Two. Three.” I yank open the door. There is a face staring back at me. I scream.
Danny screams.
We look at each other and we laugh.
It’s a mirror, just an old mirror stuck to the back of the armoire.
“Well, there you go,” I say.
“There you go,” Danny says.
I close the door and give him a squeeze. “Come on, let’s play in the garden.”
We leave the room, closing the door firmly behind us.
11
GEMMA
Only two more weeks until I start college. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the law saying that I had to study for another two years, I’d be getting a job. I want to start my own business someday selling novelty jewellery, but I guess if I have to study then Art and Design is a good topic to have under my belt. Mum insisted I take another A-level too, something more practical. I decided on Biology simply because it comes easy to me.
I’m not looking forward to starting the new college. Aside from the travel, there’s
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