by Laura Wood
“You thought Miss Susan was your mother… but she’s actually your … aunt?” Ingrid said, dazed.
“Correct,” I agreed.
“But your mother is Miss Susan’s identical twin?” Kip murmured.
“Right again,” I said.
“But she’s…” Ingrid trailed off.
“Dead,” I said quietly. “That’s right.”
“Woah,” Kip said again.
“I think we’d better stop going in circles,” I said, helpfully, settling back into the sofa. The three of us were in the drawing room and I’d spent the last hour filling Kip and Ingrid in on all the gory details I had been holding back for months.
“So this is why you’ve been acting so funny,” Ingrid said. “Why didn’t you just tell us?”
“I don’t know,” I said twisting my hands. “I should have told you. It would have been better not to deal with it by myself, I realize that now. But I was just too scared and confused…” It was my turn to trail off, but Kip and Ingrid both nodded understandingly.
“And so this is all the stuff your mum left with you?” Kip pointed to the items from the envelope that I had laid out for them to see on the drawing room floor.
“Yes,” I said, glancing down at the receipt and the card with the long number on it. The necklace was still around my neck, and I rested my hand against the silver charm.
“So what does it mean?” Kip asked. “‘For Emergencies 09325691502763902751’?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head. “Miss Susan – Elaine – my aunt … didn’t know either. I think it must be some kind of code.”
“That’s SO WEIRD!” Kip exclaimed. “What ARE you going to call Miss Susan now?”
I shrugged. I still wasn’t sure what the answer was, and there was definitely a lot more for me and Miss Susan to talk about. Ingrid had picked up the card and was staring at it closely. “What is it, Ing?” I asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing…” Ingrid said. “I was just thinking. Could it be a phone number?”
“A phone number?” I said with a frown, a feeling of excitement growing in my tummy. “Isn’t it a bit long?”
“Yes, maybe.” Ingrid sighed. “I just thought because it says ‘for emergencies’, you know.”
I jumped to my feet. “Well, it’s about the only thing I haven’t tried. Let’s give it a go!” I pointed to the telephone on the table nearby. It took a long time to dial the big string of numbers on the old-fashioned phone, but eventually I had done it. I cradled the receiver to my ear and there was a long silence on the other end of the line. “I don’t think anything’s happening,” I said, disappointed. Just then the phone gave two short sharp rings.
“Sal’s Shoe Shop,” said a woman who picked up the other end of the phone.
“Oh, yes… Hello,” I stuttered. “Um, I wonder if you can help me?”
“Can I please take your order details?” the woman chirped.
I almost dropped the phone. “My – my order details?” I repeated, dazed.
“This is Sal’s Shoe Shop,” the woman repeated. “Please can I take your order details.”
Sal’s Shoe Shop. Why did that sound so familiar? And then I remembered: the receipt! “Pass me the receipt!” I hissed, covering the mouthpiece of the phone with my hand. Kip and Ingrid skittered across the floor, in a race to grab it. Kip just about won, and he sprinted back and pressed it into my hand.
“Er, hello,” I said into the telephone. “I have a receipt for a pair of pink trainers, size six?”
There was another pause.
“Thank you for your call,” said the woman briskly. “Your order has been logged.”
And with that the phone went dead.
“What was that all about?” Kip asked.
“I have no idea,” I said, “but I think we’d better try and find out.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Wood won the inaugural Montegrappa Scholastic Prize for New Children’s Writing with her first novel, Poppy Pym and the Pharaoh’s Curse. Since then, she has been shortlisted for the Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Award and is currently working on more books in the Poppy Pym series. Laura has recently completed her PhD in English Literature at the University of Warwick. She loves Georgette Heyer novels, Fred Astaire films, travelling to far-flung places, recipe books, cosy woollen jumpers, crisp autumn leaves, new stationery, salted caramel, dogs, and drinking lashings of ginger beer.
Like I said, if you haven’t read my second book you really definitely should.
Look at all of these great reviews!
“FIVE STARS (that shine like Lucas Quest’s beautiful shiny teeth)”
Official pick of the Lucas Quest Fan Club.
“It made me laugh until I threw up.”
BoBo the Clown
“This book is even better than the first one” a character who wasn’t in the first book.
(It’s spooky and silver and you will totally LOVE it!)
Love, Poppy xx
Scholastic Children’s Books
An imprint of Scholastic Ltd
Euston House, 24 Eversholt Street, London, NW1 1DB, UK
Registered office: Westfield Road, Southam, Warwickshire, CV47 0RA
SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.
First published in the UK by Scholastic Ltd, 2017
Text copyright © Laura Wood, 2017
Illustration copyright © Beatrice Bencivenni, 2017
The right of Laura Wood and Beatrice Bencivenni to be identified as the author and illustrator of this work has been asserted by them.
ISBN 978 1407 18018 2
A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved.
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without prior written permission of Scholastic Limited.
Printed by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
Papers used by Scholastic Children’s Books are made from wood grown in sustainable forests.
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
www.scholastic.co.uk