Dead Gorgeous

by Malorie Blackman

‘Please, kind sir, you’ll turn my head.’ Raye raised her hands to her cheeks and pretended to simper.

  ‘You’ll turn my stomach,’ Liam muttered.

  ‘Maybe we could still keep in touch after I leave tomorrow?’ asked Andrew.

  ‘I’d like that,’ said Raye.

  ‘So would I.’

  Liam watched them, unable to think of a single thing to say to make himself feel better. In fact, watching the two of them together was making him feel worse. Andrew and Raye had spoken about school and their friends and their exams and all the everyday, so-called mundane stuff that everyone took for granted. At that moment, Liam would’ve sold his soul to be alive for just one day like them. Did they have any idea how much he envied them? Of course not. They had no clue about him. They didn’t want one either.

  ‘We’d better turn back,’ said Raye. ‘Mum and Dad will be wondering where I am.’

  ‘Maybe we could take another walk this afternoon?’

  ‘Sorry, I’ve got to help out before dinner,’ said Raye.

  ‘After dinner then?’

  ‘I’ll try but I can’t guarantee anything.’

  ‘I really want to see you again before I leave tomorrow. You’re really something special, Raye.’

  ‘You’re laying it on just a bit too thick there!’ said Raye dryly.

  ‘I’ll spread it a bit thinner then,’ smiled Andrew.

  ‘I’d appreciate it!’

  ‘So would I!’ said Liam.

  Andrew walked at Raye’s side, both of them oblivious to Liam, who was walking on her other side.

  ‘Raye, don’t trust him,’ Liam tried again. ‘He’s a moron. He’s just setting you up.’

  Raye stopped and looked around. ‘You . . . did you hear something?’

  ‘No,’ Andrew replied.

  Raye shook her head and smiled. ‘Just the wind, I expect.’

  She started walking again. Andrew fell into step beside her. Liam didn’t. He watched them walk away from him. ‘No, it wasn’t the wind,’ he called after them.

  The wind had more of an effect on how things worked than Liam ever did. He rubbed both his hands over his face. What’d he ever done to deserve the existence he had now? When was this hellish ride he was on going to stop?

  29. Nova

  Nova chewed her bite of toasted bacon sandwich until it was no more than watery paste in her mouth, before she allowed herself to swallow. Eating this way took for ever but it made it slightly harder to bring it back up afterwards. Slightly. Food that was only moderately chewed was easier to coax upwards. But Nova had to eat like this because she didn’t want to vomit up her food, knowing that Liam could be somewhere watching or listening or both. It was humiliating enough knowing that he knew.

  Swallowing at last, Nova charily placed the last piece of bacon and toast in her mouth.

  ‘Nova, are you OK?’ Mum asked gently.

  Nova looked up from her plate, where she’d been carefully putting her knife and fork together so that they lined up exactly. Mum was giving her a studied look.

  ‘I’m fine, Mum.’ Nova immediately let go of the knife and fork.

  ‘It’s just that . . . you’re so particular with your food these days,’ Mum continued. ‘And Raye and the twins finished their breakfast ages ago.’

  Nova shrugged. ‘I’m just a slow eater.’

  ‘No baked beans or tomatoes today?’ asked Mum.

  Nova’s face began to burn. ‘Didn’t fancy them. Can I go now?’

  ‘Are you going to finish your orange juice?’

  Nova looked at the glass. ‘Better not. I mean, no, I’ve had enough.’

  ‘Off you go then,’ said Mum, gathering up the empty breakfast plate.

  Nova stood up and went off in search of Mr Jackman, oblivious to the searching look her mum gave her as she left.

  Twenty minutes later she hadn’t found Mr Jackman – but she had found the toilets on the second floor at the back of the hotel. She’d tried so hard to keep her breakfast down – deep breaths, trying to think of something else, closing her eyes as she walked past any of the toilets – but none of it did any good. It was as if there was a line from the toilet bowl to her stomach and the moment she ate, the line drew tight and taut and pulled at her until she had to give in and follow where it led. So here she was, back in her favourite toilet cubicle. And this time it was hard to throw up – and it hurt. She’d had no orange juice to smooth the way back up. The back of her throat felt like someone had taken a grater to it and her stomach was aching. Was her stomach empty? Without her usual colourful starter, Nova couldn’t tell. She retched again and her whole head was seized by a vice-like spasm so intense that her hands immediately flew to her temples. Flushing the toilet, Nova put down the lid and sat down. She closed her eyes in despair. She really hadn’t wanted to be sick this morning. But her little ploys and variations in her eating routine hadn’t made the slightest bit of difference. With a sigh she unlocked the door and went out.

  Liam was leaning against the wall, looking straight ahead. At Nova’s gasp, he turned to face her. ‘You OK?’ Stupid question! Nova scowled at him. ‘Yeah, all right. It was!’ Liam agreed, reading her mind.

  ‘What’re you doing in here? If watching me heave is the highlight of your day, then you need to get a life!’ Nova could’ve bitten her tongue off. ‘Sorry. I didn’t mean —’

  ‘Watching you upchuck is not the be-all and end-all of my existence, no,’ Liam interrupted calmly. ‘Would it do any good to tell you I think you’re nuts?’

  ‘No!’

  ‘How about if I asked you to stop before you do some serious damage to yourself?’

  ‘I’m trying. Now can we drop the subject?’ Nova said brusquely.

  Liam shook his head, but he did as she asked. ‘There’s something else that needs sorting out. You need to warn your sister about Andrew.’

  ‘Who’s Andrew? And why do I need to warn Raye about him?’

  ‘He’s one of the guests here,’ said Liam. ‘He and his parents arrived yesterday. But Andrew was on the phone betting one of his friends that he can get Raye to snog him before he leaves tomorrow and you need to tell her.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because Andrew’s a low-life creep. You don’t want your sister kissing someone like that, do you?’

  ‘I don’t care who my sister goes around kissing,’ Nova told him, rinsing out her mouth over one of the wash basins.

  ‘But Andrew only wants to kiss her for a bet. I tried to warn her yesterday but she wouldn’t listen.’

  ‘You tried to warn Raye? Is that when she saw you?’ said Nova.

  ‘Only briefly. A few seconds. And she didn’t believe a word. All I did was cheese her off, I think,’ said Liam.

  ‘So you didn’t tell her you were a ghost?’

  ‘Of course not.’

  Nova wondered at the feeling of intense relief that flooded through her. Why had she suddenly felt so anxious when she’d heard that Liam had tried to talk to Raye? Nova dismissed her worries. She was just concerned about Liam, that was all. Raye would freak if she thought there was a real, live ghost in the hotel.

  ‘Nova, you have to do something. Once Andrew’s got what he wants, he’ll have a good laugh at Raye behind her back,’ said Liam earnestly. ‘Now, I know you wouldn’t want that to happen.’

  Nova straightened up. ‘You’re more bent out of shape about it than I am. Besides, I’ve got something more important to do. I’ve got to find Mr Jackman.’

  ‘Raye needs our help.’

  ‘So does Mr Jackman.’

  ‘Never mind my— I mean, Mr Jackman,’ said Liam.

  ‘I know he’s your brother so you can stop calling him Mr Jackman,’ said Nova.

  ‘You two did have a cosy little talk, didn’t you?’ Liam said bitterly.

  ‘He only wants to help you. I can’t understand why you’re so dead against that,’ said Nova, bewildered.

  ‘Well, he can’t help.’

&nb
sp; ‘He can if you’ll let him,’ said Nova.

  ‘He can’t do anything any more. He’s gone,’ said Liam reluctantly.

  ‘What d’you mean? What did you do to him?’

  ‘You need to talk to your dad, not me,’ snapped Liam. ‘And after that you can help me give Andrew Stanley what’s coming to him.’

  30. Andrew

  They were almost back at the hotel and Andrew was sorry. He’d enjoyed his walk with Raye far more than he’d thought possible. He risked a quick look at her as they continued their easy pace, then deliberately looked away. He tried to turn his mind back to the job in hand. How best to get a kiss? But the bet made him feel uneasy at best and guilty at worse. Still, a wager was a wager and he couldn’t back out now. And even if he lied and said he had kissed her, Andrew would still know the truth. He’d still know he’d failed, and Andrew didn’t like to fail.

  ‘I really like you, Rainbow,’ he said.

  Raye turned to face him, a ready smile on her face. ‘I know! I’ve got something for you.’

  ‘Oh yes?’

  Raye dug into her jacket pocket and removed a gift wrapped package about fifteen centimetres square. ‘Happy birthday! I didn’t have time to go shopping but I thought you might like this.’

  Andrew took the package from Raye’s open hand. ‘You didn’t have to do this, you know.’

  ‘That’s why I did it!’ smiled Raye. ‘Well? Aren’t you going to open it?’

  Andrew tore off the wrapping paper – and stared.

  ‘D’you like it?’ Raye asked anxiously. ‘I did it myself.’

  ‘Raye, I love it.’ Andrew couldn’t take his eyes off the present.

  ‘I thought you would,’ Raye grinned.

  It was a pencil drawing of Andrew’s face. Raye was a gifted artist but for some reason she had trouble drawing faces unless it was of people she cared about. Landscapes and still-life pictures were a doddle. And so was the human body. But not faces. But she’d drawn Andrew’s face with a slight, amused smile crinkling up his eyes and curving his lips. She’d been up most of the night doing it and it was definitely one of the best drawings she’d ever done.

  Andrew finally looked up, his eyes strangely bright and almost sad.

  ‘Happy birthday, Andrew,’ said Raye again. And she kissed him.

  31. Nova

  ‘Dad, where’s Mr Jackman? I’ve been looking for him everywhere,’ Nova asked.

  ‘Mr Jackman has left the building,’ Dad announced.

  ‘What d’you mean?’

  ‘I mean I told him to leave and he had sense enough not to argue.’

  ‘Dad, you didn’t!’ Nova said, aghast.

  ‘Nova, I did.’ Dad turned to answer the ringing phone, missing the best of Nova’s scowl.

  Nova ran to the kitchen, then into the lounge in search of Mum. When at last she found her, Mum was chatting with Lorna, one of the two regular hotel cleaners.

  ‘Mum, d’you know what Dad did?’ Nova interrupted. ‘He chucked Mr Jackman out, that’s what!’

  ‘Sorry, Lorna,’ Mum apologized. ‘Nova’s manners seem to have disappeared.’

  ‘Mum, this is important. Mr Jackman has gone!’

  ‘Quite right too!’

  ‘What?’ Nova couldn’t believe her ears.

  ‘You heard me,’ said Mum evenly. ‘Mr Jackman had no business creeping around our hotel in the early hours of the morning, he had no business keeping you up so late for a chat about nonsense and he certainly had no business being in our wine cellar.’

  ‘But that’s not fair. He was only trying to find another way into the tunnels,’ Nova pleaded.

  ‘That’s no excuse and you know it – and so did Mr Jackman.’

  ‘How long ago did he leave?’

  ‘I don’t know. First thing this morning, I guess. If I’d had my way, he would’ve been out on his ear about two seconds after your dad found him in the wine cellar, but your dad persuaded me to let him stay until this morning.’

  So it was too late to go after him. What was Nova supposed to do now? She went out of the lounge to stand in the hallway. Dad was still on the phone, taking a booking.

  ‘Are you ready to help me with Raye now?’ asked Liam, appearing beside Nova.

  ‘No!’ Nova said with belligerence. ‘And why didn’t you come and tell me that Dad had kicked your brother out?’

  ‘Who d’you think woke up your dad in the first place so he’d find you and Josh?’ asked Liam.

  ‘You did what?’

  ‘It wasn’t easy either. I had to make enough noise to wake . . . me . . . before your dad even opened one eye!’

  ‘How could you?’ Nova stormed at him. ‘Josh is your own brother. He only wanted to find your body.’

  ‘Who asked him to? I didn’t.’ Liam glared back. ‘I reckoned he’d outworn his welcome and luckily I wasn’t the only one who thought so.’

  ‘What kind of brother are you?’ Nova asked, aghast.

  Liam’s expression gave her frostbite. ‘Nova, even I’m not exactly sure where my body is. And I don’t see your dad letting Josh dig around the hotel grounds for the next couple of years trying to find me, do you?’

  ‘That’s not the point,’ Nova began.

  ‘That’s exactly the point. I meant what I said about Josh not wasting his life on me. Two wasted lives in our family ought to be enough for anyone.’

  ‘Two?’

  ‘Yeah, me and my dad. I’m not going to let —’ Liam suddenly shut up.

  ‘What?’

  Liam pointed behind Nova. She spun round to see Dad, Miss Dawn and Miss Eve all watching her with a great deal of interest and, on Dad’s part, concern.

  ‘Nova, if you’re going to crack up, could you do it in a less public place?’ Dad frowned.

  ‘I’m not cracking up. I’m talking to . . . I mean, I’m working on a new play and I was just trying out my lines.’

  Miss Dawn and Miss Eve exchanged a look. Nova surreptitiously beckoned to Liam, then pointed to the front door.

  ‘Where’re you going?’ Dad called after her.

  ‘For a walk,’ Nova replied.

  Out she went, looking round to see if Liam was following her, but he’d disappeared again. When she reached the bottom of the steps, he reappeared in front of her.

  ‘I can’t get used to you doing that!’ Nova complained.

  ‘One of the few perks I get,’ Liam told her ruefully.

  ‘Don’t change the subject! You were telling me why you wanted to get rid of your brother so badly.’

  ‘I’ve already told you. I’m not saying anything else. Now, are you going to help me stop Andrew from making a fool of your sister or not?’

  For the life of her, Nova couldn’t understand Liam’s attitude. What was his problem? He kept going on about how much he hated being stuck at the hotel, but he wouldn’t do a thing to get away from it. All his brother – and Nova for that matter – wanted to do was give him what he wanted, a proper burial so he could rest in peace. Move on or up or out or whatever it was that ghosts in his position did. So why was he so against it?

  ‘You’re getting worked up over nothing. Andrew doesn’t stand a chance of succeeding,’ Nova said at last, deciding to put Liam out of his obvious misery.

  ‘What d’you mean?’

  ‘With my dad around, Andrew won’t get the chance to so much as pucker up.’

  ‘Don’t you believe it. I know what boys like Andrew are like. There’s no way he’s going to back out of a dare now.’

  ‘And what are boys like Andrew like?’ asked Nova curiously. ‘A bit like you perhaps?’

  ‘You’re jealous of Raye. That’s what this is all about, isn’t it?’ Liam said icily.

  ‘And you’re jealous of Andrew. What’s the matter? Afraid Andrew will get to kiss Raye and you won’t?’

  ‘That has nothing to do with it,’ Liam insisted furiously. ‘I don’t understand you at all. Raye’s your sister.’

  ‘So what?’


  ‘So if Andrew wants to hurt and humiliate your sister, you’ve got no problem with that? She’s got it coming to her. Is that it?’

  Nova glared at Liam. ‘I never said that.’

  ‘It’s obviously what you think, though.’

  ‘Don’t tell me what I do or don’t think!’

  ‘Don’t take your sister for granted,’ Liam said softly. ‘That was my mistake with my brother. I thought we had all the time in the world and we had no time at all.’

  ‘Fine! Right! OK! I’ll go and tell her,’ said Nova. ‘Happy now?’ She marched back into the hotel, leaving Liam behind.

  Happy now . . . Liam shook his head. Happy now? He couldn’t even remember what happy felt like.

  32. Rainbow

  Rainbow sprayed herself with more jasmine perfume – a Christmas present from her mum and dad – and smiled at herself in the mirror. Andrew had really liked his birthday present, and been surprised by it too. Rainbow could tell. And they’d made plans to go for another walk after dinner. He really was lovely. Rainbow smiled as she remembered how taken aback he’d been when she’d kissed him. It was only a friendly birthday kiss on the cheek, but the look on his face! Raye’s smile faded. He didn’t think she was too fast or forward, did he? No! He’d liked it, Raye was sure of that. What a shame he was leaving tomorrow, but maybe they could keep in touch? E-mail or text message each other regularly?

  The single tap at her bedroom door brought Raye out of her daydream. The door opened immediately before Raye could even speak. And in walked Nova. Raye groaned. That’s all she needed, Nova hanging around while she was trying to get to know Andrew better.

  ‘Did I say you could come in?’ snapped Raye, throwing her perfume bottle back down on her dressing table. It clattered onto its side and began to roll slowly forward. She pushed it back impatiently.

  ‘No, but you didn’t say I couldn’t either,’ Nova pointed out.

  ‘Well, I’m telling you now. Out!’

  ‘But I’ve got something important to tell you,’ Nova protested.

  ‘Out!’

  ‘It’s about one of the guests here,’ Nova began. ‘Andrew someone.’