The Shadow House(69)

‘Some avocado and cottage cheese, and one of those big packets of puree. She had a whole bottle of milk right before her nap, too. And I’ve just changed her.’

‘Perfect, thank you. She probably won’t want this, then, but I’ll give it a try.’ I draped the cloth over my shoulder and pulled down my top, trying to encourage Kara to latch on, but she arched away and carried on screaming. ‘Oh, love, come on.’ I stood up again and patted her on the back. ‘What’s the matter, huh?’ Eventually, I managed to quieten her down with a silicone spatula from the kitchen. Teething can go fuck itself, I thought as I watched Kara chomp miserably on the end. ‘Has Ollie been okay?’

Jenny’s face twitched. ‘Um …’

I froze. ‘Oh god, what did he do?’

‘No, it’s nothing he did. He’s been perfectly pleasant. Lovely manners, your boy.’

I grimaced; sarcasm, surely.

‘But …’ Jenny’s eyes drifted to Ollie’s bedroom door.

‘Did something happen?’

‘Yes.’ Jenny nodded. ‘I think it’s safe to say that something has definitely happened.’


‘Ollie?’ I tapped lightly on his door. Kara writhed in my arms, apparently confused about whether she wanted to be held or put down. ‘Ollie, can I come in?’

No answer.

Jenny stood silently behind me, her brows knotted with concern.

I knocked again, then pushed the door open. Ollie was slouched at the pillow end of his bed, a miserable expression on his face. At the other end, Violet sat in a tight ball, head down with both knees pulled to her chest. She glanced up when I walked in, regarding me briefly with red-rimmed eyes before dropping her head again. Her blue hair spilled over her arms like water.

‘Hey, you two,’ I said warily. ‘What’s going on?’

Neither replied.

Jenny edged into the room behind me and stood in the corner with her arms folded.

‘Violet? Does your mum know you’re here?’

Violet made a little hiccuping sound and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her shirt.

Hitching Kara up on my hip, I picked my way over to the bed, trying to step on as few clothes or snack wrappers as possible. Kara squirmed again, pushing against my chest. ‘Aren’t you guys going to the party?’

‘No,’ Ollie snarled.

‘Why not?’

‘We’re just not.’

‘Go on, Oliver,’ said Jenny, giving him an encouraging nod. ‘Tell her what you told me.’

My gaze landed on each of them in turn. ‘Okay,’ I said. ‘Seriously, what’s happening?’

After a long pause, Jenny sighed. ‘Someone has been leaving things at Violet’s house. Sort of like gifts, but not very pleasant.’

My whole body went cold. ‘What?’

‘She found a dead possum in a box on her bed. And then a Barbie doll was left at the door. It had blue hair and was, um, mutilated in some way. I think there was a threatening note, too.’

‘And Vi’s mum thinks I did it,’ Ollie said, his voice quavering. ‘She think I’m some kind of psycho.’

‘Layla has forbidden the two of them from seeing one another.’

‘But it wasn’t me, I swear it wasn’t.’ Ollie’s face was flushed with indignation.

‘Violet?’ My pulse throbbed in my temples. ‘Is that true?’

Violet lifted her head from her knees and nodded. Without her cool glasses and black eyeliner, she looked extremely young. ‘Mum says Ollie’s a bad influence. She thinks he’s going to hurt me, but she’s wrong.’

‘She hates me,’ said Ollie, turning his face away. ‘Everyone does. It’s just like school all over again.’

‘No, honey, no one hates you.’ I plopped Kara down on the floor and pushed my fingertips into the corners of my eyes. My heart ached; my head felt too full. ‘This is all just a … stupid misunderstanding. Someone’s idea of a joke.’

‘A joke?’ Violet glared at me. ‘Are you laughing, then? Did you think it was funny when you got boxes?’

I went still.

‘You’ve had them too, haven’t you? Ollie told me.’

‘That’s what they were, right, Mum?’ Ollie said. ‘Those boxes you had in the kitchen the other day?’

I looked down at the floor. Kara looked up at me expectantly as if to say, Well? I could feel Jenny watching me too, waiting for an explanation, but I didn’t know what to say or where to begin.

‘You know the story, don’t you?’ whispered Violet. ‘The witch? The one who takes kids? First the bones, then the doll, then the blood. Things arrive, and then she takes you.’

‘Well, yes, but it’s not—’

‘She’s coming, isn’t she? Or they, the monsters or whatever the hell is in that forest. Something is coming for us. For me and Ollie. Just like it came for the kid on the farm.’

‘No, Violet, there is no witch,’ I said, clinging to the one solid fact I had. ‘It’s just a stupid story.’

‘It’s not stupid!’ Violet let out a growl of frustration. ‘Why doesn’t anyone believe us?’

‘I believe you,’ said Jenny from the corner.