Music and Lies (George and Finn Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

opened the door for me to leave. She seemed keen to be rid of me.
    Fine. I wasn’t going to hang around where I wasn’t wanted.
     
    Even walking across the clearing in the dark was a bit scary. I didn’t see anyone I recognised, although I glimpsed a few figures, one of whom might have been Cami. I didn’t use the phone torch because no one else was using one and I didn’t want to look like a loser, but after I’d twisted my ankle twice (and it was still sore from falling off the drainpipe yesterday) and walked too far to the left I was beginning to wish I had. I switched it on as soon as I was across the little wooden bridge and out of sight.
    I set off up the narrow, twisting path, trying to avoid the tree roots that were determined to trip me up. If I concentrated on that at least I didn’t have to think about being out here on my own. After a while the moon came out from behind the clouds. That helped a bit, the light filtering down through gaps in the trees. It was easier to walk by the light of that than struggle with my phone.
    It felt like at least an hour had passed, although it was probably only twenty minutes, when my stupid phone began to show one flickering bar of reception. Yay! Maybe this was going to work after all. I’d been wondering if Becky had just sent me up here to get me out of the way.
    I stopped to catch my breath and look around. I’d thought I’d heard footsteps behind me once or twice, but each time I turned to look and listen there was nothing. Now I heard a faint shifting of leaves, and then the almost-silence of the forest returned. It was probably some small animal out hunting, a fox maybe, or a rat. Eeuw. I wished I hadn’t thought of that.
    The trees didn’t lean in so close here and I could make out the ghostly paleness of the new ferns and bracken, glowing eerily in the moonlight. I was actually high enough to look back over the treetops to the clearing far below. I could see the line of vans and the huddle of tents. The rest of the clearing was just shadows.
    I thought I heard some voices from far below, shouts even, but when I tried to listen properly there was nothing. I’d probably imagined it. Being alone out here was starting to do my head in.
    I began to key in a message for Mum. I wasn’t going to lie about where I was, I just wouldn’t explain. All fine. Started on biol. I bit my lip, wondering what else to say. Nothing about Dad or Janice, obviously. I didn’t often mention them to Mum. Relations between my parents weren’t as dire as some of my friends’ folks, but I didn’t like to push it. Bit tired will get early night. George x . There, that should do. I’d even used punctuation, like she nagged me to. I pressed send and waited for the little flashing symbol to show the message had gone.
    Then I heard a noise. Not an animal rustle or voices from far below, but a soft, regular noise, close at hand, almost certainly footsteps. I swung around, my heart beating erratically, pointing my phone as though it was a weapon.
    ‘Who’s there?’ said a voice, low and angry.
    I opened my mouth but no sound came out. A figure was coming down the path towards me, tall with a beanie hat pulled low.
    The figure stopped and a voice said, ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
    It was Finn. I felt weak with relief. Finn wasn’t a stranger, he was all right. Wasn’t he?
    He said again, sharply, ‘I said, what are you doing here?’
    I glared at him, hoping he could see my expression in the darkness. ‘I’m sending a text message. Not that it has anything to do with you.’
    ‘You’ve come all the way up here to do that?’
    ‘Becky said I needed to go up to higher ground.’
    ‘You’d be much better going up the east side of the valley, behind the bothy. I can get reception fifty metres beyond there, no problem.’
    ‘Well, thanks. I’ll remember that next time.’ I felt stupid, but it was Becky who had suggested I come up here.
    ‘You coming back down?’