Текст книги "Finding Sky"

Автор книги: Joss Stirling

Соавторы: Joss Stirling
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‘No, you were great!’ She didn’t sound very certain. ‘Zed had it coming. Just you’d better get good at hiding when you see him coming; he’s not going to be pleased you ripped into him in front of his mates.’

I hid my face in my hands. ‘I did, didn’t I?’

‘Yeah, you did. He isn’t used to girls criticizing him

–they’re usual y too much in awe. You know he’s the hottest date in Wrickenridge, right?’

‘Yeah, wel , I wouldn’t date him if he were the last breath of air on the planet.’

‘Ouch, that’s harsh!’

‘No, it’s fair.’

Tina patted my arm consolingly. ‘I wouldn’t worry.

He’d never look at you in a mil ion years.’

After that conversation, I watched the hal ways like a commando in enemy territory so I could take cover if I saw Zed coming. At least I now had a group of friends to hide amongst should he decide to retaliate with some choice sneers for my outburst. First was Obi Tina, of course, but Zoe, who would fit the role of a slightly wicked Catwoman with her sense of humour, along with the original Elasto-man Nelson were also now part of my gang. They stood up for me against the Vampire Brides, Sheena and Co., who continued to pick on me, partly I think because they sensed I was vulnerable. VBs have this thing for drawing blood. Word must have gone round about the scene in the car park, with people coming to the understandable conclusion that I had a streak of insanity. Tina, Zoe, and Nelson were al that stood between me and a fringe life with the misfits. I could picture them in my head, my three defenders, arms folded, standing as a shield between me and al harm, cloaks rippling in the breeze, cue swel ing heroic music … and cut.

I real y had to get out more. These daydreams were invading every part of my life.

On the last Friday in September, I received some unwelcome news from Tina on our way to school in her car.

‘We all have to show up to play soccer, boys and girls?’ I asked her, horrified by the notion.

‘Yeah, it’s a junior year tradition before first snowfal so that means first Monday in October. It’s supposed to build team spirit or something.’ Tina blew a bubble with her gum and let it pop. ‘As wel as show up any hidden talent to the coach. I personal y think Mr Joe is behind it—you must realize by now he’s the power behind the throne in the school. He likes the chance to pretend he’s a coach.’

She didn’t seem too bothered by the prospect, not like I was.

‘This is worse than dental surgery.’ I hugged my arms defensively across my chest.

‘Why? I thought you Brits loved soccer. We’re al expecting great things from you.’

‘I suck at sports.’

Tina laughed. ‘Too bad.’

After pleading with my dad for him to explain the offside rule, I realized that I was heading for another disaster. But there was no escape. The whole year group—al one hundred of us—were told to report to the coaches out on the bleachers on Monday. The computer had selected a random col ection of names to make up the teams. Mr Joe, in a misguided attempt at making the English girl feel at home in her national sport, crowned me captain of team B, which meant we were the first to play against A. And guess who was their captain?

‘OK, Zed, you win the toss.’ Mr Joe tucked the coin away and blew his whistle. He had real y entered into the spirit of the game, even having one of those little notebook-thingies in his top pocket. ‘It’s fifteen minutes each way. Good luck!’ He patted me on the shoulder in passing. ‘Now’s your chance to shine, Sky. Do England proud!’

I was sure this place was going to crop up in my nightmares from here on: rows upon rows of people watching from the bleachers and me without a clue what to do. It was like those dreams where you go out naked.

Major humiliation. Duffy started begging for mercy on my internal soundtrack.

‘OK, captain.’ Nelson grinned at me. ‘Where do you want us?’

The only position I knew wel were centre forward and goalie. I put Nelson up front and myself in goal.

‘Are you sure,’ asked Sheena. ‘Aren’t you, like, a bit short for a defender?’

‘No, it’s fine. I’m best back here.’ Out of harm’s way, I meant. ‘The rest of you … um … share out the other positions—do what you do best.’

After kick off, I found that I had seriously miscalculated. I’d forgotten that when the opposition are captained by a player who makes minced meat of your defensive line—half of whom had as shaky a grasp of the game as I—then the goalie suddenly has a very busy time indeed.

We were 5–0 down after ten minutes. My team began making mutinous noises. If the strikers on Zed’s team had left me alone for a moment, I would have dug a hole in the goal and hidden in it.

At half time we were a mammoth nine goals behind. I’d let in ten, but Nelson had achieved a miracle and scored once. My team gathered round me, the spirit of the lynch mob in the air.

‘Tactics?’ sneered Sheena.

Invite a meteor to fal on the pitch, obliterating my goal? Drop dead from plague? Stop it, Sky: this wasn’t helping.

‘Um … wel —wel done, Nelson, great goal. Let’s have more of those, please.’

‘That’s it? Your tactics? More goals, please? ’

Sheena inspected her nails. ‘Sheesh, look, I broke one. Do you think they’d let me retire injured?’

‘I don’t play footbal —I mean soccer—back home.

I didn’t want to be captain. Sorry.’ I gave a pathetic shrug.

‘This is so humiliating,’ grumbled Neil, who until then had always been quite nice to me. ‘Mr Joe promised you’d be great.’

I was beginning to feel a lot like crying. ‘Then he was wrong, wasn’t he? Expecting me to be good at footbal is like expecting al Welsh people to be able to sing.’ My team looked blank. OK, so they hadn’t heard of Wales. ‘Just stop letting so many of them past you with the bal and then I wouldn’t have to save so many.’

‘Save!’ Sheena shrieked with derision. ‘You’ve not saved a single one. And if you do, I’l eat my sneakers.’

The whistle blew for the second half. I trekked up field to my goal, only to be stopped by Zed. ‘What now?’ I snapped. ‘Gonna rub it in some more that I’m rubbish? No need, my team’s done that already.’

He looked over my head. ‘No, Sky, I was going to tel you that you’re down that end this half.’

Sheesh, I was going to cry. I scrubbed my wrist over my eyes and pivoted on the spot to set off for the other end of the pitch. I had to run the gauntlet of mocking faces.

I blinked. Zed’s team were al surrounded by the raspberry pink glow of amusement. Mine had a charcoal grey aura shot through with red. Was I real y seeing this—or imagining it? Stop it!

Sometimes I’m such a nutcase.

The massacre—sorry, game—continued until it was

embarrassing

for

everyone,

even

the

spectators. I’d not managed to save a thing. Then Sheena brought Zed down in the box and I was facing a penalty. The jeers and laughter from the stands grew louder as al realized that a classic high school moment was in the making: Zed, the best player in the year, was facing the talent-chal enged foreigner.

‘Go on, Sky, you can do it!’ yel ed Tina from the bleachers.

No, I couldn’t, but there spoke a true friend.

I stood in the centre of my wretched goal and faced Zed. To my astonishment, he wasn’t gloating; if anything, he looked a bit sorry for me—that’s how pathetic I was. He placed the bal careful y on the spot and glanced up at me.

Dive to your left.

His voice in my head again. I was certifiable. I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear my brain.

Zed held my gaze. Dive to your left.

What the hel : I was now so far gone I was hal ucinating. I had no hope of stopping the bal , so I could at least make a flamboyant, if hopelessly unnecessary, dive. Maybe I’d knock myself out on the post—let’s think on the bright side.

Zed ran up, kicked, and I spreadeagled myself sideways to the left.

Ooof! The bal struck me square in the stomach. I curled round it in agony.

An enormous cheer went up—even from Zed’s team mates.

‘I can’t believe it—she saved it!’ yelped Tina, doing a celebratory dance with Zoe.

A hand appeared in front of my eyes.

‘Are you OK?’

Zed.

‘I saved it.’

‘Yeah, we saw.’ He cracked a smile and pul ed me up.

‘Did you help me?’

‘Now why would I do that?’ He turned his back, reverting to the rude Zed of our first acquaintance.

Great.

Thank you very much, O mighty one.

Spurred on by irritation, I’d acted on instinct and sent the thought the same way I’d heard his voice. It was as if I’d taken a plank of wood to his head. Zed spun round, reeling, to stare at me—I couldn’t tel if he was horrified or amazed. I froze, momentarily stunned, as if I’d just brushed against a live electric fence. I clamped down on the shriek of emotion shooting through me. He hadn’t heard my sarcasm, had he? That was just … just impossible.

Mr Joe jogged between us, blowing his little whistle. ‘Wel done, Sky. I knew you had it in you.

Only one minute to go—get the bal back in play.’

We stil lost. 25–1.

In the girls’ changing room, I played with my shoelaces thoughtful y, not real y having the desire to get started on the shower with so many people around. Quite a few girls came over to say something about my performance on the pitch, most finding my fluke save off Zed Benedict a cause of great hilarity. That one act seemed to wipe out my tragic performance in goal. Sheena’s friends were ribbing her that she’d have to eat barbecued sneaker for dinner.

Tina pounced on me from behind and slapped me on the back. ‘You showed Zed, girl! He’l never live down you saving that kick.’

‘Maybe.’

But what had that al been about—his voice in my head? I real y felt as if he was speaking to me—

telepathy, wasn’t it cal ed? I didn’t believe in that freaky stuff. Like the colours. I was—what was the word my psychiatrist had used—projecting. Yeah, projecting.

‘So, you think they’l pick me for the team?’ I joked, trying not to let Tina see my distraction.

‘Yeah, you’re a sure thing—when Hel freezes over. But maybe the athletics coach might come knocking. You move like lightning when you want. I’ve never seen anyone run off the pitch so fast.’ She crammed her track gear in her sports bag.

‘Something going on between you and Zed I should know about? More than that hate-at-first-sight stuff?’

‘No.’ I slipped off my trainers.

‘He didn’t seem pissed that you saved the penalty.

He was staring at you al through the other matches.’

‘Was he? I didn’t notice.’ I am such a liar.

‘Maybe he likes you now.’

‘Does not.’

‘Does too. What are we: in first grade?’

‘I don’t know—I never was.’

‘That explains it. You’ve got a lot of infantile behaviour to catch up on.’ She shoved me towards the showers. ‘Hurry up. I want to get home before I’m due to graduate.’

The next few days at s

chool I suffered under the

minor celebrity status my lucky save earned me.

Nelson thought it hilarious and never lost an opportunity to make the most of my notoriety.

‘Make way, citizens of Wrickenridge, for the hottest new property in women’s soccer!’ He jogged backwards in front of me as Tina, Zoe, and I headed for Science.

‘Nelson, please,’ I mumbled, aware of the laughter around us.

Tina did better: she dug him in the ribs with one of her talons. ‘Give it a rest, Nelson.’

‘You her agent, Tin girl?’

‘Yeah, and she ain’t giving you an interview.’

‘You’re a hard woman.’

‘You’ve got that right. Now back off.’

‘I’m already gone.’ Nelson turned and ran to his class.

‘That boy is a major league pain in the butt,’

pronounced Tina.

‘He thinks he’s funny,’ I offered.

‘He is—about half the time,’ said Zoe, curling a lock of her dead straight hair round a finger thoughtful y. ‘I always figured he gets at Tina because he likes her so much.’

‘Repeat that and die,’ warned Tina.

‘He’s had a thing for you since fourth grade and you know it.’

‘I don’t want to hear this. Not listening.’ Tina flapped Zoe away.

Zoe considered she’d won that exchange so dropped the subject. ‘So, Sky, you gonna come and watch the school basebal team today? We’re playing Aspen.’

‘If I do, wil one of you explain what’s going on?’

Zoe groaned. ‘Don’t tel me—you don’t know the rules of basebal . Where you been living al your life?

Under a rock?’

I laughed. ‘Nope. Richmond.’

Tina elbowed Zoe to get her to lay off. ‘Sure, we’l fil you in, Sky. Basebal ’s fun.’

Zoe gave Tina an arch look. ‘Zed’s on the team, you know.’

I pretended interest in a leaflet pinned to the notice board outside the lab. ‘I could’ve guessed.’

‘An extra reason for coming along.’

‘Is it?’ I replied airily.

‘That’s what they’re saying.’

‘I would’ve thought it a reason for giving it a miss.’

Zoe giggled. ‘I’m more of an Yves girl myself—

those cute little glasses and studious air gets me every time. He’s like a hot Harry Potter.’

I laughed as Zoe expected, but my mind was working over-time. Was everyone speculating about Zed and me? Why? We were the least likely pairing in the school. Just because he helped me up in front of the year and stared at me for the rest of the afternoon …

‘Look who it is!’ crowed Tina, elbowing me in the ribs.

Enemy at twelve o’clock: Zed was just leaving the lab, in conversation with another boy. I tried my commando camouflage technique, hiding behind Tina.

‘Hi, Zed,’ said Zoe in a falsely girly voice.

I withered with embarrassment. It made us sound like a bunch of groupies.

‘Oh, hi.’ Zed’s gaze skimmed us, then scooted back to me, just visible between Tina and the wal .

Letting his friend go on ahead, he stopped in front of us. ‘I didn’t get a chance to congratulate you, Sky.

You made an awesome save.’

Damn him—he was laughing at me.

‘Yeah, I thought it pretty unbelievable,’ I said ironical y.

‘I’m tel ing everyone you got lucky.’ Zed tweaked the strap of my bag back on to my shoulder.

My stomach did a flip. The gesture felt almost territorial. And what was this? Zed Benedict being nice to me.

‘And I say I had a little help.’ I gave him my hardest stare. What was his game? Had he real y told me what to do? It was driving me mad not knowing what was real and what I had imagined.

‘You’re rumbled, Zed: we al know you didn’t bend the bal like you usual y do.’ Tina gave me a worried smile. She hadn’t missed the casual way he’d touched my bag strap.

Zed held up his hands in surrender. ‘I was just lul ing Sky into a false sense of security. Next time I won’t be so easy on her.’

Zoe hooted, enjoying the flirtatious undercurrents to the conversation even if Tina and I weren’t. ‘No way. Zed Benedict, you built up this image of the meanest guy in the year and now we know you’re a sucker for little blondes looking al dewy-eyed and defenceless.’

‘Zoe!’ I protested, her remark too close to the bunny stuff for comfort. ‘Don’t make me out to be dumb.’

‘Miss Congeniality shows her temper! I knew you had to have one somewhere,’ said Zoe, fascinated by my prickly response.

‘You’d be like that if you had to live with looking like I do. No one takes me seriously.’

My temper only rose a notch when al three of them snorted with laughter. ‘So I’m a joke, am I?’

‘Sorry, Sky.’ Tina held up a hand to prevent me storming off. ‘It’s just that you looked so fierce when you said that … ’

‘Yeah, real y scary,’ agreed Zoe, struggling not to laugh. ‘Like Bambi with an Uzi.’

‘And, just so you’re clear, none of us think you’re dumb,’ said Tina. ‘Do we?’

‘Definitely not,’ Zoe chipped in.

‘But I have to agree with Zoe,’ Zed said, suppressing a grin. ‘You don’t do mean as wel as me. Maybe I should give you lessons. Be careful, won’t you?’ He brushed his hand lightly down my arm and walked off, leaving my insides doing a little tap dance.

‘Man, that’s one cute butt,’ sighed Zoe, enjoying the rear view.

‘Don’t talk about his butt,’ I said crossly. That set them off again. ‘And stop laughing at me!’ Had he been warning me again?

‘We’l try, but it’s hard when you say things like that.’ Tina nudged me. ‘Tel us it’s your butt to protect, then we’l stop looking, won’t we, Zoe?’

‘Wel , I might look but I’l stop saying stuff.’ Zoe grinned, ignoring the rest of the class filing into the lab. Teasing me was far more enjoyable than anything the Biology teacher could offer.

‘It’s not my butt,’ I ground out.

‘But I think it could be yours. He’s definitely circling you.’ Zoe shouldered her bag.

Tina stood back to let Zoe go in, then dropped her voice. ‘We were just joking, Sky, but, seriously, I get the impression Zed’s up to something. I’ve never seen him act so, wel , so nice around a girl.’

I glanced down the corridor to check he’d real y gone. ‘You noticed?’

‘Hard to miss. Last time you were both together, you almost drew blood.’

‘Yeah, but he’s stil Mr Arrogant.’

‘And then some.’ She tugged my bag strap to make her point. ‘He’s always kept his distance before. I wish he would now. He’s not your type.’

I frowned. ‘So what is my type?’

‘Another Bambi, I guess.’ She smiled at my groan.

‘I mean someone who wil be gentle. I can see you going for romance, long walks, roses—that kinda thing.’

‘And Zed’s not that?’

‘You don’t need me to tel you that. For a girl with a tough shel , that’d be OK, but you’re more a marshmal ow, aren’t you?’

Was I? ‘Maybe. I don’t know what I’m like real y.’

‘You’l be careful?’

That’s what Zed had said. ‘I don’t know what to think. He can’t expect me to fal for him after the way he’s treated me.’

‘Just you remember that.’

‘I don’t know he’s after me.’

Tina glanced at her watch and tugged me into class. ‘Don’t you?’

I was fast learning that Wrickenridge High School was obsessed by sport. I’m not even thinking of the absurdity of cheerleading; it went much deeper than a weird desire to wear short skirts and shake pompoms. For one, we were al expected to turn out to support our team even if we didn’t play. It was so unlike England—I didn’t know if my sixth form col ege even had a team.

‘OK, so basebal is about how fast you can get a team out and then how many runs you can score when you’re in?’ I repeated, helping myself to a generous handful of popcorn. Zoe’s father, manning the refreshment stand run by the PTA, had given us an extra large serving and treated us to drinks. ‘You swap over once three men are out.’

Tina settled her shades over her eyes and stretched out her legs. It was cool at this altitude but the sun was real y powerful. ‘That’s it.’

‘And they choose to wear these peculiar uniforms because …?’ I thought even Zed struggled to make the basebal strip of long white shorts look cool. They resembled teens gathered for a bizarre kind of pyjama party.

‘Tradition, I guess.’

‘Protection,’ countered Zoe—she turned out to be a bit of a basebal fanatic. Had her own catcher’s glove and everything. ‘Need to cover the skin if you slide for home.’

The teams were mil ing about. Aspen had just annihilated our batsman and were now up for their inning.

‘And Zed’s our best player?’

‘He could be. He’s a bit erratic. Drives Coach mad.’ Zoe popped her soda. ‘Al his brothers, apart from my lovely Yves, were in the team when they were at Wrickenridge, but none of them went on for a sports scholarship. Coach Carter is trying to persuade Zed—his last chance at a Benedict—but he can’t get Zed to commit.’

‘Hmm.’ I watched Zed run his fingers over the bal .

His face was stern with concentration but somehow distant as if he was hearing a strain of music no one else could. His first pitch beat the batsman by miles.

The spectators screamed their approval.

‘He’s on form,’ noted Zoe.

‘Hi, girls!’ Nelson jumped down beside Tina, goosing her in passing.

‘Sheesh, Nelson, you made me spil my popcorn!’

she proested.

‘I’l help you pick it up,’ he offered, eyeing her lap.

‘You won’t.’ She brushed the kernels off her legs quickly.

‘You’re spoiling my fun.’

‘Now that makes me feel a lot better.’

Nelson sighed dramatical y, then settled back to watch the match. Since our conversation in the music room, I’d felt a lot of sympathy for Nelson and hoped his long term play to gain Tina’s affection would succeed. She wasn’t giving him much encouragement.

‘Zed’s in the zone today,’ he remarked as the first man struck out.

‘Yeah.’ Tina absentmindedly offered him a handful of popcorn, too absorbed in the game to remember she was cross with him.

‘He keeps looking up at this section of the bleachers between pitches, doesn’t he?’ Nelson took a gulp from her can.

‘I wonder why,’ Zoe said innocently, before spoiling the effect with a giggle.

‘He doesn’t even know I’m here.’ I blushed as I realized I had as good as claimed to be the reason for his interest.

Nelson crossed his legs alongside Tina’s. ‘He knows, sweet thing, he knows.’

‘Hold it a moment.’ Zoe took a picture of me with her phone. ‘I wanna capture this for posterity. The girl who caught the attention of the mighty Zed. Al us locals have struck out with him.’ She showed me the image for my approval; she’d used an app to add a crown but I stil looked just a little better than on my school ID. ‘He only dates girls from out of town. I think that’s one of the exes down there, Hannah something, cheer captain of the Aspen team.’

I felt a total y irrational curl of jealousy. The girl had glorious legs from here to her armpits and a river of sleek auburn hair—the absolute opposite to me.

Cheerleading, which I thought utterly ridiculous, was in her interpretation very sexy. I just hoped Zed hadn’t noticed.

Of course he had. He was male, wasn’t he? And he was welcome to her.

Tina, Nelson, and Zoe were stil debating my love life while I was lost in my green-eyed haze.

‘Being English means she’s probably exotic enough for Zed’s taste. Not from boring old Wrickenridge,’ speculated Tina.

That was the first time anyone had implied that being English was an advantage. I’d been trying to blend but maybe difference was a good thing?

‘I think it’d be better if he left Sky alone,’ said Nelson, revealing his protective streak. Now I’d come to know him better I was considering recasting him as Doctor Defence.

Tina nodded. ‘Yeah, we’d better gang up against him, keep her out of his way.’

Zoe poked her with her programme. ‘What? And spoil the fun? Just think—Zed dating a girl from Wrickenridge—it’d be the most exciting thing to happen here since the Gold Rush.’

‘And you’re not prone to exaggeration,’ said Tina, deadpan.

‘Never!’

‘Excuse me, guys, I am here, you know. It’s nice of you to plan my love life or lack of it for me, but maybe I have an opinion,’ I said, half amused, half exasperated by them.

Tina offered me her popcorn. ‘And that is?’

‘Actual y, I haven’t a clue—but I’m working my way to an answer. As I said to you before, Zed and me—

that’s not going to happen. I don’t even like him.’

Zoe rol ed her eyes at me. ‘Sky, you don’t need to like a guy like that. You just need to date him—once or twice would do it. It’d set your reputation up for the rest of your life.’

‘What? Use him?’

‘Oh yeah.’

‘Zoe, that’s sick.’

‘I know. I’m great, aren’t I?’

Excitement in the crowd built as a second player struck out.

Zoe leapt to her feet and did a little victory jig. ‘If nothing else, that boy is hot, hot, hot! Coach is going to kil himself if he can’t get him to try for a scholarship.’

Nelson whistled. ‘He must: he’s too good to waste his talent.’

But then something changed. I could see it in the shift of expression on Zed’s face. His distant look faded, leaving him somehow more present, more like everyone else. His pitching went from remarkable to just very good. The next batter managed to hit him almost out of the diamond. The Wrickenridge students groaned.

‘He always does this,’ complained Zoe, ‘gets so far then backs away. He had Aspen beat and now

…!’

And now they were fighting back. Zed shrugged and relinquished the pitching spot to a team mate, leaving him the honour of finishing off Aspen.

He could have done it. I knew that in my bones.

Zed could have fried them but he chose to back off.

Like Zoe said, it was maddening.

‘Why does he do that?’ I wondered out loud.

‘Do what?’ Tina crumpled up the programme and chucked it in the bin. ‘Draw back from the kil you mean?’

I nodded.

‘He loses interest. Maybe his heart’s just not in it.

The teachers are always tel ing him he’s too arrogant to work on his inconsistency.’

‘Maybe.’

But I wasn’t so sure. He stil played wel , but I’m sure there was an extra edge he wasn’t showing anyone. He was purposely keeping his play slightly blunted. I wanted to know why.

Wrickenridge beat Aspen but the man of the match went to a player in the visiting side. Zed melted away into the crowd around the captains, not seeking any attention. He accepted an enthusiastic hug from Hannah of the long legs but swiftly detached and moved on to shake hands with the opposing team. I knew about playing just to be a part of something—

that was what an orchestra was about, not the individuals—but yet his unwil ingness to stand out struck me as odd. He could have been the soloist, but he settled for second fiddle.

‘Drive you home?’ offered Tina. ‘I’m giving Zoe and Nelson a lift.’

The others lived at the other end of town from me and she was always picking me up and dropping me off. And with only two seats, it was more than a squeeze—it was il egal. Besides, it might not do her any harm as she would drop Zoe first and then be alone with Nelson …

‘It’s OK. I’d like to walk. I’m going to pick up some groceries for Sal y.’

‘OK. See you tomorrow.’

The cars were queuing to get out of the car park. I stood back as the Aspen bus drew out, taking a wide swing to clear the corner. I then set off, leaving the crowds behind. The further I walked, the quieter it became. Mrs Hoffman scurried past, heading down the hil —Judge Merciless on a mission, shining slightly with a self-righteous blue. I rubbed my eyes and thankful y she went back to normal. She waved but fortunately was on the other side of the street so I did not have to stop and chat. Kingsley the mechanic drove by in his truck and tooted his horn.

In the store, Leanne, the sturdily built assistant who I had got to know over the past few weeks since the dil sauce episode, gril ed me for a replay of the match as she packed my shopping. It continual y surprised me how much local people cared about the fortunes of the school team. They treated it like Man U, not a bunch of teenage amateurs.

‘How you finding school?’ Leanne packed the eggs away careful y on top of the bag.

‘It’s good.’ I grabbed a new graphic novel from the rack and tossed it into the basket. My parents made a point of despising them, which was probably why I liked them so much.

‘I’ve been hearing nice things about you, Sky.

You’ve a reputation for being very sweet. Mrs Hoffman has taken quite a shine to you.’

Yeah, a blue shine according to my batty brain.

‘Oh, wel , she’s … she’s … ’

‘Unstoppable. Like a heat-seeking missile. But it’s better to be on her good side than her bad,’ Leanne said sagely then ushered me out. ‘You should head back before it gets dark, you hear?’

Shadows stretched across the road like big ink stains seeping into the ground. I felt cold in my light jacket and increased my pace. Wrickenridge was always vulnerable to the sudden changes of weather, the reality of life in the mountains. It was like living next door to our old neighbour in Richmond who had been a particularly cantankerous old man. I’d never known when his mood would change—one moment bathing me in grandfatherly sunny smiles, the next spitting out a hail of insults. Just now a light fal of sleet began to fal , splatting the pavement with coin-sized patches of slush, making it slippery underfoot.

As I turned down a quiet street, I heard someone approaching at a run behind me. It was probably just a jogger but stil I couldn’t help the nervous leap in my pulse. In London, I would have been real y worried; but Wrickenridge just didn’t feel the kind of place for a mugger to hang out. I clutched the handles of the shopping bag, planning to use it as a weapon just in case.

‘Sky!’ A hand landed on my shoulder. I swung the bag with a yelp—only to find Zed behind me. He caught the bag before it hit him.

‘You almost gave me a heart attack!’ I pressed my hand to my chest.

‘Sorry. I thought I told you that you should take care walking home alone after dark.’

‘You mean some boy might jump out and give me the scare of my life?’

He gave a flicker of a smile, reminding me of his alter ego, Wolfman. ‘You never know. Al kinds of odd people in the mountains.’

‘Wel , you’ve certainly proved your point.’

The smile became a grin. ‘Here, let me take that.’

He eased the bag from my fingers. ‘I’l walk you home.’

What was this? Had he had a character transplant? ‘No need.’

‘I want to.’

‘And you always get your way?’

‘Nearly always.’

We walked on for a little while. I cast around for safe topics but everything I thought of sounded lame.

I was uncomfortable in such close proximity to him after al my wild imaginings about him—I never knew if he was going to maul me or play nice.

He broke the silence first. ‘So when were you going to tel me you’re a savant?’

How’s that for a conversation stopper? ‘A what?’

He halted me under a street lamp. Flurries of sleet slid through the pool of light then winked out in the darkness. He turned up the col ar of my jacket.

‘You must realize how amazing it is.’ His eyes fixed on mine—their colour intriguing, unusual to one of his Hispanic appearance. I’d tag them as borderline between blue and green. The colour of the Eyrie River on a sunny day.

Stil , I couldn’t understand the expression they held now. ‘How amazing is what?’

He laughed; the sound rumbled deep in his chest.

‘I see. You’re punishing me for being a jackass. But you have to understand that I didn’t know it was you. I thought I was warning some ditzy stranger to prevent her being knifed.’

I pushed his hands off my col ar. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘I had this premonition a few nights before we met at the ghost town—you get them too?’

This conversation was beyond weird. I shook my head.

‘You running down the street in the dark—a knife

–screams—blood. I had to warn you—just in case it would do any good.’

O-K. I thought I had problems but he was seriously disturbed. I had to get away from him. ‘Um … Zed, thanks for worrying about me but I’d better get back now.’