breathe again. For a few seconds I looked up at the clouds and panted, disorientated by the wide open space. A glanceto my left and right revealed nothing – it was as if she’d been swallowed up into the atmosphere. She couldn’t be real – the way she moved, her speed and the fact that she kept disappearing in front of my eyes.
A noise suddenly made me start. Someone clearing their throat. I turned around slowly and froze. The girl was less than two metres away, filling a jug from an outdoor tap. I was rooted to the spot. She was definitely flesh and blood, not some phantom of my mind. I stared for about thirty seconds and she finally looked up and watched me without blinking.
I came to my senses. With my hand outstretched, the pendant sitting squarely in the middle of my palm, I walked towards her. ‘I think this is yours.’
‘Is it?’ she asked playfully. ‘I didn’t drop anything.’
‘You called at my house, but you didn’t wait for the money …’
Her oval eyes half closed. ‘Did we speak?’
This was stupid. I felt as tongue-tied as if she was an adult and me a child. ‘I wasn’t … no, we didn’t speak. My mum answered the door. You talked to her.’
The water overflowed from the jug and splashed her feet, but she didn’t turn off the tap. ‘Then how do you know it was me?’
‘The st … stall,’ I faltered. ‘I recognized the pendant from your jewellery stall.’
Her lips curled in a slight smile. ‘I don’t have any pieces like that.’
My face turned brick red. ‘Well … my mum described you, and then I saw you here and put two and two together and …’
‘Followed me,’ she finished.
This was crazy. I was beginning to look like the stalker instead of her. And it was impossible to gauge her tone, whether there was an edge to it or not. ‘So it isn’t yours then?’ I challenged.
‘Let me look.’
As she took the pendant her fingers touched mine and it felt as if an electric shock had passed through me. I actually took a step back, my heart racing, but she appeared completely unmoved. She frowned and threw it back at me. ‘I’m not sure.’
This was going nowhere, but I refused to crawl back to Nat and Hannah in defeat. I tried to stop my voice from wavering and resolutely faced her.
‘Were you in Hillside Street last week?’
She finally turned off the flow of water, kicked off both her ballet pumps and gracefully brushed the grass with her toes. ‘I don’t remember.’
‘You must remember.’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘What’s the problem anyway? You should keep the pendant.’
‘I don’t want to keep it,’ I fumed, and tried to pass it to her again, but this time she refused to take it.
I stared at her mutinously, but her expression softened and she began to laugh gently. After another minute ofconfusion I started to laugh too, suddenly realizing how ridiculous I must appear, charging after her with all kinds of strange accusations.
‘Sorry we got off to a bad start,’ I apologized. ‘I didn’t want you to lose out on a sale, that’s all.’
‘Do you like the pendant?’
‘It’s lovely,’ I admitted.
She tilted her head to one side and looked at me from underneath her lashes. ‘You should keep it then, Katy.’
‘You know my name?’
She still seemed to be laughing. ‘I know lots about you.’
I frowned. ‘But I don’t know anything about you.’
She was closer now and I could feel her breath on my face. Her lips parted and moved inaudibly. There was no sound, and yet I could hear her. She was saying the same phrase over and over again and I couldn’t tear myself away.
A hand on my shoulder made me flinch. ‘Katy!’ Nat exclaimed. ‘We’ve been looking all over for you.’
Hannah jumped in. ‘Why did you disappear?’
I could see them both looking at me and then back at the girl. She smiled, batted her eyelids and gave me a friendly wave.
‘Everything OK?’ Hannah asked.
I nodded and, linking arms with Hannah
A noise suddenly made me start. Someone clearing their throat. I turned around slowly and froze. The girl was less than two metres away, filling a jug from an outdoor tap. I was rooted to the spot. She was definitely flesh and blood, not some phantom of my mind. I stared for about thirty seconds and she finally looked up and watched me without blinking.
I came to my senses. With my hand outstretched, the pendant sitting squarely in the middle of my palm, I walked towards her. ‘I think this is yours.’
‘Is it?’ she asked playfully. ‘I didn’t drop anything.’
‘You called at my house, but you didn’t wait for the money …’
Her oval eyes half closed. ‘Did we speak?’
This was stupid. I felt as tongue-tied as if she was an adult and me a child. ‘I wasn’t … no, we didn’t speak. My mum answered the door. You talked to her.’
The water overflowed from the jug and splashed her feet, but she didn’t turn off the tap. ‘Then how do you know it was me?’
‘The st … stall,’ I faltered. ‘I recognized the pendant from your jewellery stall.’
Her lips curled in a slight smile. ‘I don’t have any pieces like that.’
My face turned brick red. ‘Well … my mum described you, and then I saw you here and put two and two together and …’
‘Followed me,’ she finished.
This was crazy. I was beginning to look like the stalker instead of her. And it was impossible to gauge her tone, whether there was an edge to it or not. ‘So it isn’t yours then?’ I challenged.
‘Let me look.’
As she took the pendant her fingers touched mine and it felt as if an electric shock had passed through me. I actually took a step back, my heart racing, but she appeared completely unmoved. She frowned and threw it back at me. ‘I’m not sure.’
This was going nowhere, but I refused to crawl back to Nat and Hannah in defeat. I tried to stop my voice from wavering and resolutely faced her.
‘Were you in Hillside Street last week?’
She finally turned off the flow of water, kicked off both her ballet pumps and gracefully brushed the grass with her toes. ‘I don’t remember.’
‘You must remember.’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘What’s the problem anyway? You should keep the pendant.’
‘I don’t want to keep it,’ I fumed, and tried to pass it to her again, but this time she refused to take it.
I stared at her mutinously, but her expression softened and she began to laugh gently. After another minute ofconfusion I started to laugh too, suddenly realizing how ridiculous I must appear, charging after her with all kinds of strange accusations.
‘Sorry we got off to a bad start,’ I apologized. ‘I didn’t want you to lose out on a sale, that’s all.’
‘Do you like the pendant?’
‘It’s lovely,’ I admitted.
She tilted her head to one side and looked at me from underneath her lashes. ‘You should keep it then, Katy.’
‘You know my name?’
She still seemed to be laughing. ‘I know lots about you.’
I frowned. ‘But I don’t know anything about you.’
She was closer now and I could feel her breath on my face. Her lips parted and moved inaudibly. There was no sound, and yet I could hear her. She was saying the same phrase over and over again and I couldn’t tear myself away.
A hand on my shoulder made me flinch. ‘Katy!’ Nat exclaimed. ‘We’ve been looking all over for you.’
Hannah jumped in. ‘Why did you disappear?’
I could see them both looking at me and then back at the girl. She smiled, batted her eyelids and gave me a friendly wave.
‘Everything OK?’ Hannah asked.
I nodded and, linking arms with Hannah
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