Blood Sisters(41)

Then I realize I’ve had my phone on silent all day. Fishing it out of my bag, I find a text from the college. Asking me to ring one of my students. Clive Black. There are also several more missed calls from the number I don’t recognize.

This is silly, I tell myself. Maybe it’s just a sales scam. Forcing myself to face my fears, I call the number.

A gruff voice answers. ‘Hello?’

‘Hello? Did you call me just now?’

‘Not me, love.’ There’s a throaty laugh. ‘Not unless my missus has gone all posh.’ There’s noise in the background. Some shouting. Maybe a television.

‘Well, someone rang me from this number,’ I say, more firmly this time.

‘There’s a lot of people what use this phone, love. Could be any of us.’

‘Is this a pub?’

There’s a loud chortle. ‘Wish it were. This is a call phone in prison. D Hut, HMP Archville, to be precise. Tell you what, you sound like a nice kind of girl. Why don’t you come round and we’ll give you a good time.’

I slam down the phone. The prefix code is clear enough. I don’t know why it hadn’t registered before. It’s my prison.

My stalker – whoever it is – has got hold of my number.





29


June 2001


Ali


‘South-west set for heatwave,’ declared the headlines.

Vanessa and Kitty had been spending hours in Kitty’s bedroom, their noses pressed against the window, watching Crispin swimming in his heated pool after school. I could just about see him from mine, too.

Sometimes, I fleetingly wondered what it would be like to swim next to him in the sea instead of Robin, whose white gangly body was almost girl-like. Why was I drawn to Crispin, I asked myself, when he was clearly not my type? Then again, what was my type? I needed to work hard. Boys could come later. That’s what Mum had always said.

Then one Saturday afternoon, Kitty came running in, her face flushed and her long hair untied and blowing all over the place. She was closely followed by Vanessa. ‘Have you heard? Crispin’s parents are having a party! There’s going to be cocktails and a real disco. He’s being allowed to ask some friends. Vanessa’s mother says that most of the road is going. Are you and Mum? Can you take us too?’

David laughed. ‘We’re not part of their social group.’ He and Mum were both teachers. (She taught art; he taught maths.) It was how they’d met. It had been two years after my father died, and Mum had then married David a year after that. Crispin’s mother didn’t work. His dad was ‘something in advertising’.

‘But we want to go, we want to go,’ chanted Kitty and Vanessa.

‘You’re too young, princess.’

‘It’s not fair.’

‘Why don’t you stay at home and finish off your craft badge for Guides? You’ve still got some catching up to do, haven’t you, Kitty?’

My sister pouted. ‘I’ve gone off knitting.’

‘I’ve got an invitation.’ The words come out of my mouth before I can take them back.

‘You!’ They all turned to look at me.

I went beetroot. ‘Yes.’

Kitty put her hands on her hips. ‘How come?’ ‘Crispin asked me.’

It was true. He’d invited a smattering of

sixth-formers – including me, to my surprise. I hadn’t been intending to go. Parties weren’t my thing. But the jealous look on my sister’s face was worth the last-minute change of mind.

If I’d known what was to come, I’d have ripped up the invitation into tiny pieces.

‘Heard you were going to the party too,’ said Robin casually.

We were walking back home from the bus stop. Kitty and Vanessa, as usual, were dragging along behind, sniggering and making silly comments. My stepsister seemed to have got it into her head that there was something between Robin and me. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. It was actually because I didn’t fancy him that I was able to talk so naturally. And I was sure he felt the same.

Parties certainly weren’t high up on our agenda. So I was a bit surprised by the ‘too’ part of his question.

I looked at him in surprise. ‘Are you going, then?’ ‘Thought I might as well.’ He spoke with what seemed like studied carelessness. Perhaps he was taking someone with him.

‘Watch out!’

For a minute, I thought Robin was talking to me. Then I realized his warning was directed at Kitty and Vanessa. They’d crept up beside us and were now about to dash across the road – despite the fact that a lorry was steaming round the corner.

I lunged forward and caught my sister’s sleeve just in time. ‘You know you’re not meant to cross without me,’ I said. Fear made my voice shake with anger. Mum and David would never forgive me if something happened to my sister. Hold her hand, they always said. Usually, I managed to do so. But Kitty had a mind of her own.

‘We were fine,’ said Vanessa sulkily. ‘We’re not babies, you know.’

‘It’s a nasty road.’ Robin’s voice was calm as always. ‘Why don’t you keep your nose out of other people’s businesses.’

How rude! But Vanessa was like that. She could also be very charming when she wanted. I’d seen her in action.