‘He is ill Megan,’ said Kirsty. ‘But it’s his mind that’s ill isn’t it?’
Megan nodded. ‘He’s got some tablets to calm him down until he sees a counsellor,’ she said.
‘I’m glad,’ replied Kirsty. ‘Talking to someone will help, but it can take a long time and it’s not a magic cure.’
‘The doctor said Dad may have to wait several months to see a counsellor,’ said Megan.
‘That’s a long time to wait,’ said Kirsty, ‘but in the meantime, I’ll see what I can do to help you.’
No more was said about her dad, but somehow Megan believed that Kirsty would indeed find a way to help, even though she had no idea what kind of help that would be.
When the pizzas arrived, they were huge and tasted wonderful, but Megan noticed that Kirsty kept looking at her watch. ‘Do you have to go back soon?’ asked Megan.
‘No,’ smiled Kirsty, ‘but my cousin Beth said she might be here about now. She’s just moved back to York from New Zealand and I haven’t seen her since she got back.’
Megan looked surprised. ‘Most people move from here to New Zealand, not the other way round.’
‘It didn’t work out,’ said Kirsty. ‘Beth missed her family and her daughter Rosa couldn’t settle at school, so when her husband lost his job over there, they decided to come back. Oh, there she is,’ she said, waving frantically across the café.
‘Beth! Beth!’ she shouted. ‘Over here!’
A woman about Kirsty’s age with short curly black hair rushed forward. Flinging herself enthusiastically at Kirsty, she hugged her with loud squeals. Her face looked a bit like Kirsty’s, but she was much bigger.
Following quietly behind Beth was a tall thin girl with black curly hair tied back in a ponytail like Megan’s. She looked at the floor, as if she was embarrassed at such a noisy reunion. ‘Rosa! I hardly recognised you,’ said Kirsty as she hugged the reluctant girl. ‘You look so grown up all of a sudden.’
Rosa smiled politely but Megan thought she looked uncomfortable.
‘This is my friend Megan,’ said Kirsty, pulling two more chairs to the table.
‘Hello,’ said Beth warmly as she sat down. ‘This is my daughter Rosa.’
Rosa smiled. ‘Hi,’ she whispered shyly.
‘Hi,’ said Megan.
Beth was as chatty as Kirsty. She spent the next few minutes describing all the details of their delayed flight from New Zealand, before deciding she’d better order some food.
‘What do you want to eat Rosa?’ asked Beth.
‘You know what I want,’ said Rosa abruptly.
‘What’s wrong with you Rosa?’ asked Kirsty. ‘You don’t look very happy today.’
‘She’s mad at me because I won’t buy her a phone,’ said Beth in a loud voice. ‘I’ll just go to the ladies before I order. Do you need to go as well Rosa?’
Rosa looked embarrassed. ‘No Mum. I can go on my own you know!’
‘OK Miss independent,’ said Beth as she left the table.
‘I’ll come with you,’ said Kirsty. ‘Get another menu for Rosa will you Megan.’
Megan took a menu from a nearby shelf and passed it to Rosa. ‘Thanks,’ said Rosa smiling, ‘but I don’t need it. I always have cheese and tomato pizza.’
‘So do I,’ said Megan.
Rosa put the menu down and turned to face Megan. ‘Can I ask you something?’
‘Sure,’ said Megan.
‘Have you got your own phone?’ she asked.
‘No. My dad won’t let me have one,’ said Megan.
Rosa looked surprised. ‘Really?’ she said. ‘In New Zealand, I was the only girl in my class who didn’t have a phone.’
‘Everyone’s got them here too,’ said Megan. ‘Except me.’
‘Mum says I have to wait ‘til I’m thirteen,’ said Rosa, ‘but loads of girls get them when they’re ten or eleven and I’m twelve.’
Megan was surprised that Rosa was only twelve, because she was so tall.
‘I’m twelve as well,’ said Megan. ‘The girls in my class send messages and photos to each other on their phones all the time.’
‘Do they lie about their age to get on the chat sites?’ asked Rosa knowingly.
‘Yeah. They just say they’re thirteen or even older,’ said Megan.
Rosa looked across the café as her mother and Kirsty burst out of the door marked Toilets, laughing hysterically. ‘They’re very embarrassing when they get together aren’t they?’ she said.
Megan grimaced. ‘Look how everyone’s staring at them.’
Rosa smiled. ‘I should have brought my headphones.’
The girls watched as Kirsty and Beth went up to the cabinet where the desserts were displayed and stood for several minutes, drooling over the contents.
‘What school do you go to?’ asked Megan after a while.
‘I haven’t started yet,’ said Rosa, ‘but I’m going to York Academy next week.’
‘I go there,’ gasped Megan. ‘Will you be in Year Eight?’
‘Yeah. Is that your Year?’ said Rosa excitedly.
Megan nodded. ‘You might be in my form,’ she said smiling, ‘but if not I’ll look out for you at break.’
‘I’m glad I met you,’ said Rosa. ‘It’s a bit scary starting a new school mid-year, when everyone’s already made friends.’
‘I haven’t made any special friends yet,’ said Megan, ‘so I’ll be your first friend.’
Rosa grinned broadly ‘We’ll be the only ones without a phone,’ she said, ‘but at least there are two of us.’
They spent another hour in the café, as Beth and Kirsty had a lot to talk about. But Rosa and Megan didn’t mind. They sat together and chatted about school and music and clothes and it made Megan feel like a normal girl again. She couldn’t remember exactly when she had become her father’s carer, but that’s what she felt like now.
When it was time to leave, Kirsty and Beth said a loud farewell outside the café and Megan arranged to meet up with Rosa at school.
There was a new spring in Megan’s step as she walked back to the car with Kirsty.
‘You seemed to get on well with Rosa,’ said Kirsty.
‘Yeah,’ said Megan. ‘’We’re going to meet up at school.’
Kirsty smiled. She climbed into the car and put on the radio. ‘I love music,’ she said.
Megan suddenly realised that she felt happy. She wished the day with Kirsty, Beth and Rosa would last forever, but the nearer they got to Oakton, the more Megan’s happiness began to fade away and by the time they arrived at Megan’s house, her happiness had almost disappeared.
Megan was relieved that Paul seemed in a good mood when he opened the door and to Megan’s surprise, he invited Kirsty in for a cup of coffee. Megan was nervous. She began to worry that Kirsty would tell her dad what she had said about him. But Kirsty seemed very relaxed as Paul started to tell her about all the shops he worked in when he was an electrician in York.
‘Why don’t you try on your new clothes to show your dad,’ suggested Kirsty as they drank their coffee.
When Megan took her bags upstairs, she could hear Kirsty and her dad laughing and chatting and she prayed that Kirsty would somehow be able to help.
‘What do you think Paul?’ asked Kirsty, when Megan appeared a few minutes later in some of her new clothes.
Paul gasped. ‘You look just like your…’ he hesitated before continuing, ‘I mean you look so grown up,’ he said sadly.
Kirsty laughed. ‘No Paul. She doesn’t look grown up. She looks just like a lovely girl of twelve should look.’
‘You mean I’ve been dressing her like a little girl,’ replied Paul smiling.
‘You said it,’ said Kirsty.
‘You look really nice Megan,’ said her dad. And that made Mega
n feel better than she had felt in a long time.
Megan couldn’t wait to get to school the following week. She was hoping that Rosa would be in her form, but when she didn’t appear at registration, Megan was bitterly disappointed. When it was time for the mid-morning break, Megan dashed to the back of the school gym, where she had arranged to meet Rosa. It was very busy round the back of the gym, but to Megan’s great relief, Rosa appeared soon after she arrived. She was with a group of girls from one of the other Year Eight classes. Rosa left them as soon as she saw Megan and they greeted each other like long lost friends.
‘I’ve been asked if I’d like a buddy to help me settle in,’ said Rosa, as they walked together round the grounds.
‘They always do that with new people,’ said Megan. ‘Who have you got?’
Rosa smiled. ‘I asked if you could do it, because you are already my friend,’ she said. ‘Is that OK?’
Megan was delighted. ‘Course it is,’ she said.
At lunchtime, they met up again in the school café where Megan gave Rosa some advice on the best things to eat. They managed to find an empty table, but it wasn’t long before Fern and Abbey from Megan’s form came to sit with them. They had never wanted to sit with Megan before and Megan had taken a dislike to them, because they had once teased her about the colour of her hair.
Fern stared at Rosa. ‘You’re new, aren’t you?’ she said abruptly.
Rosa nodded.
‘What year are you in?’ asked Abbey, opening her sandwich.
‘Year Eight,’ said Rosa.
‘You look too tall for Year Eight,’ said Fern coldly.
‘You look like a freaky giant sitting next to little Megan!’ laughed Abbey.
Rosa looked upset. She said nothing but Megan was angry.
‘So what if Rosa is tall. We’re all different,’ said Megan. ‘It’s what someone’s like as a person that really matters,’ she added.
‘Only trying to be friendly,’ said Abbey. ‘Come on Fern, if these freaks don’t want to be our friends we’ll sit somewhere else.’
‘Thanks for sticking up for me,’ said Rosa after they’d gone, ‘but I hope you’re not going to lose your friends because of me.’
‘They’re not my friends,’ said Megan. ‘They never have been and I’m glad they won’t bother us again.’
Rosa looked up as a small boy sat down at the end of the table holding a bag of crisps.
‘You’re the new girl in my form, aren’t you?’ he said to Rosa.
Megan sighed. It was going to be a long lunchtime.
‘I’m Ben,’ he said, ‘but they call me The Face because I’m good at pulling faces.’
Rosa laughed. ‘This is my friend Megan.’
‘Hi Megan,’ he said warmly. ‘Do either of you want this bag of crisps? I’ve just bought the wrong flavour and they’re yukky.’ He pulled such a funny face that both Rosa and Megan burst out laughing as they declined his offer. ‘See you later then,’ he said, as he got up and left.
‘I think you’ve got a boyfriend Rosa,’ said Megan.
‘No, I think you have!’ said Rosa. ‘He’s far too short for me.’
Megan laughed. It was so good to have a friend to share things with, but there were things she couldn’t really tell Rosa about at the moment and maybe she never would. When she was with Rosa she felt like she was in another world. She felt like an ordinary twelve-year-old girl and she didn’t want anything to spoil that feeling.
Ryan was the only person who knew about her problems and she began to wonder when she would be seeing him again.
‘What are you thinking about?’ asked Rosa. ‘Have those girls upset you?’
‘No. I’m OK,’ said Megan quickly. ‘Let’s go and find where your next lesson is.’
11
Tom
Several days later Megan got back from school to find her dad just finishing a conversation on the phone. ‘That was Andy,’ he told her. ‘He’s asked me if I’ll help him with the electrics at his new house this weekend and I’ve said I will.’
Megan was delighted. ‘That’s great Dad.’
‘If it’s OK with Bill, you can stay at his house for the day, whilst I’m at Andy’s,’ said Paul. ‘I don’t want to leave you in the house all day on your own.’
‘That’s fine with me,’ said Megan, trying not to sound too keen. She knew this would be a good opportunity to visit Irene with Ryan and she couldn’t believe her luck.
When the day came for Paul to go to Andy’s house he seemed very nervous. Megan knew what a big thing it was for him to go to work after being so long at home, but he soon calmed down when Andy arrived to pick him up.
Paul watched from Andy’s car as Megan made her way to Bill’s house. He wanted to make sure she was OK before he left.
When Ryan opened the door, he looked on edge.
‘Is something wrong?’ asked Megan as they went into the lounge.
‘No but I’ve got something to tell you,’ he said.
Bill followed them into the room. ‘Just make yourself at home Megan,’ he said warmly.
‘I’ll go and put the kettle on.’
Ryan waited for Bill to leave the room before he spoke. ‘You were right Megan,’ he said. ‘The police are looking for Joe Hawkins. They want him for questioning.’
Megan looked surprised. ‘How do you know?’
‘Ray came round to see Bill last night,’ said Ryan. ‘He was really upset. He said the police had been to his garage asking if he knew where Joe was, but no-one’s seen him. He’s gone to ground. Just disappeared.’
Megan wondered if her dad and Bill had told the police that it was Joe in the shed.
‘I bet he’s hiding in the woods somewhere,’ said Ryan. ‘He goes running there doesn’t he?’
‘Yes. He was there on the day of the fire.’ said Megan.
Ryan looked surprised, like he’d had a lightbulb moment. ‘It could have been Joe’s cigarette that started the fire,’ he exclaimed. ‘There was an empty cigarette packet on the path by the watchtower. He could have been smoking, when he was taking the stolen goods away. He just stubs the cigarettes out on the ground. We saw him doing that at the Hall. If he didn’t put his cigarette out properly, then whoosh, the woods would catch fire.’
Megan was now catching up with Ryan’s thinking. ‘Do you think that was Joe’s cigarette packet in Sarah’s Frog-Eyed Sprite? I bet they drive to work together now they both work at the Hall.’
Ryan was becoming more and more animated as they spoke. ‘Yes, it must be his. Remember how Kirsty pushed the packet back into his pocket. It all makes perfect sense now.’
Megan was still thinking it all through, but Ryan was convinced he was right. ‘Just think about it Megan. The watchtower’s a perfect place to hide stolen stuff, until you’re ready to sell it on. He stole the key so no-one else could get in there.’
‘Apart from the cat,’ said Megan lightly.
Their conversation stopped abruptly when Bill came in with some tea and a plate of cakes, followed closely by Skippy. ‘I bought these chocolate cakes especially for you Megan,’ he said, as he put them on a table. They used to be your favourites, when you were a little girl.’
‘Thanks Uncle Bill. They still are,’ said Megan, ‘but we’d better make sure Skippy doesn’t eat these like she did the biscuits.’
Skippy wagged her tail as Bill threw her a piece of cake. ‘That’s it Skippy. No more,’ he said firmly, as she gobbled it up.
‘We were just talking about Joe Hawkins,’ said Ryan.
Bill looked uncomfortable. ‘He’s a hot head,’ he muttered angrily.
Megan was curious. ‘How do you know him Uncle Bill?’ she asked.
‘I was working at Rays Garage when Sarah married Joe,’ said Bill.
‘What do you mean, he’s
a hot head?’ asked Ryan.
‘He used to be in the army,’ said Bill. ‘I think he’d seen some action in the Far East that messed his mind up.’
Bill shook his head gravely before continuing. ‘The same thing happened after both the First and Second World Wars. Men who’d seen fighting were like different people when they got home.’
‘How were they different?’ asked Megan.
‘They were on a short fuse,’ explained Bill. ‘They’d lose their tempers the minute something went wrong and then spend days not talking. The memories of what they saw would never go away you see.’
‘Didn’t anyone try to help them?’ asked Ryan.
‘Oh, there was none of this fancy counselling stuff in those days,’ said Bill, ‘and I’m not sure it’s much better for our soldiers now,’ he added.
‘Did Joe get any help?’ asked Megan.
‘I’ve no idea,’ replied Bill. ‘He’d left the army by the time he met Sarah. He was out of work when they got married, so Ray set him on at his garage as an apprentice. He worked there with me for a while, but I couldn’t cope with him. He would fly into a rage if things didn’t go right and he thought he could just do what he wanted. I felt sorry for him, but when he got into a fight with one of the customers Ray fired him.’
Bill looked upset and took a large gulp of his tea before abruptly changing the subject.
‘Why don’t you take Skippy for a walk,’ he suggested. ‘It’s stopped raining at last.’
‘Good idea,’ said Ryan.
‘Oh, by the way,’ said Bill suddenly. ‘Did you hear about the big cat that’s been sighted in Oakton woods. It was on the news last night. They think it’s a cougar or a puma or something like that. A woman saw it last week, when she was walking her dog and now a second person has seen it as well.’
Megan’s face went pale.
‘Did they say it was dangerous?’ asked Ryan.
‘Well it’s obvious you wouldn’t want to come face-to-face with a big cat, would you Ryan?’ said Bill. ‘They’re killers. Of course it’s dangerous. You just have to keep away from the woods until they catch it, that’s all.’
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