The Shadow House(32)

Amy looked up, meeting my gaze head-on, and I had the distinct impression she’d been waiting for me to notice her. I smiled, but she didn’t smile back. I tilted my head quizzically. Amy continued to eyeball me. Her expression was intense, almost pleading. She looked like she was trying to tell me something. And then my view was blocked by Violet suddenly appearing in front of her sister. Bending down, Violet whispered something in Amy’s ear. Amy’s face fell. Slowly, she stood up and shuffled away with her head down. The small, lonely shape of her made me feel sad.

‘Well, that was awkward,’ said Layla, striding over with Mariko and Shannon in tow.

‘She’s a nightmare, that woman,’ said Shannon. ‘Always ready with a spanner to throw.’

‘Just because she was here first, she thinks she owns the joint,’ Mariko huffed. ‘If she hates other people that much, she should just go live in a cave. She’d be much happier, I’m sure.’

I smiled. ‘It’s okay, I’m sure she means well.’

‘You don’t have to be nice, everyone knows Maggie is awful,’ said Layla.

‘And totally not our friend,’ Mariko added. ‘We’ve already told her she can’t play with us.’

‘Good to know,’ I said, laughing. ‘Hey, Layla, is Amy okay? I think she and Violet might have had a row or something. She was just sitting over there a minute ago looking pretty upset.’

‘Oh, jeez,’ Layla sighed. ‘Where did they go, did you see? Never mind, I’ll go find them. Ugh, there’s always something. See you girls later.’

‘Yeah, I gotta run, too.’ Shannon checked her watch. ‘Why don’t you stop by later, Alex? I’ve got heaps of old baby clothes, some of them might fit Kara. We’ll go through the bag, maybe pour ourselves a cheeky sundowner.’

I beamed. ‘Sounds good.’

After finally managing to successfully feed Kara, I readjusted my top and lifted her onto my shoulder. The atmosphere felt less hostile than it had before. I wasn’t unwelcome. Maggie would just have to get used to me. I still had plenty of time left on my lease; at some point I would muster the courage to ask Layla if she’d like to collaborate, she would almost certainly say yes, and then I would become as much a permanent fixture at Pine Ridge as the witch and her monsters. (See, I could make village jokes, too.)

Patting Kara on the back, I stood up and wandered over to one of the sign-up sheets. Food Prep. Sure, why not? I was handy enough in the kitchen. I imagined happy smells and bubbling pots, Bublé playing on the stereo. Not quite real Christmas, but close enough.

Grabbing a pencil, I jotted my name down. And I didn’t even care when, seconds later, Maggie elbowed past me and, with three brutal strokes of her own pencil, scratched out her name on the Food Prep list and signed up for Decorations instead.





ALEX





13


As I wheeled Kara out of the community hall, I spotted Ollie and Violet with the usual gang, loitering on the road with their bikes and skateboards. They looked shifty; but then groups of teens always looked suspicious to me. It was the chimp-like movement they retained from early childhood paired with their growing bulk. They needed to move to expend energy, but their bodies had become long, wide and hefty; they still wanted to run and climb and show off, but they were too big for the playground. Watching them was an exercise in anticipation, like winding a jack-in-the-box and waiting for the surprise.

‘You’ll never be that big, will you, baby?’ I whispered to Kara, clicking her straps into place. ‘Promise me you won’t.’ She raised her eyebrows and squealed, slapping her thighs in emphasis. I interpreted the squeal as her solemn oath and kissed her on the cheek.

‘Alex.’

I turned around. Kit was striding over the gravel towards me, squinting against the sun. My spine fizzed a little. How was he doing that?

‘Listen,’ he said when he reached me. ‘I’m so sorry about what happened in there. It wasn’t an attack on you personally, it was just Maggie being Maggie. You okay?’ His brow wrinkled adorably with concern.

‘It’s fine. I won’t expect any pitchforks at my door.’

Kit laughed. ‘No, please don’t.’

A breeze purled around us, lifting the hairs on my arms and tickling the back of my neck. ‘The meeting was interesting. What was with the hand signals? Spontaneous game of Rock Paper Scissors?’

Kit laughed. ‘I guess it does look a bit bizarre if you’re not used to it. It’s just a way to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard.’

‘Like the conch in Lord of the Flies?’

‘Kind of. Less symbolic, though.’

‘And more effective.’

‘You’d hope.’ He grinned and my stomach flipped. ‘I’ll walk you through it properly at some point, so you can join in and have your say.’

Blushing, I looked away, towards the kids on the road. They were now bunched up in a huddle, looking at something Violet was holding in her hand. She was smiling; Ollie was laughing. Us against the world. I felt a pang of nostalgia. At fourteen, my friends had been my whole universe. It had been a long time since I’d felt that kind of freedom.

‘I was just about to take my paddleboard down there,’ Kit said, assuming incorrectly that I was looking at the water. ‘I’ve got a spare one if you’d like to join me?’