by Katy Cannon
No, thank you. Far too complicated.
So I figured I’d explore the uni a bit while she worked, maybe find some people to chat to. Hopefully something would show up to help with my plan to escape to attend my theatre course next week. If Mabel was going to be working a lot, that could help…
Or maybe I’d just study Alice’s dossier again, to try to get the answers for the next lot of questions. It wasn’t like there was really a whole lot of information in the thing, just the basics. But it sounded like Alice, and that was what I needed most. I’d spent less than a day with her and, even though I’d tried to pay attention, I was already starting to forget the details. Her expressions, her way of speaking, how she fiddled with her hair. Even holding on to her accent – which wasn’t very different to mine, before I’d spent a few weeks in America – was a struggle.
Reading something she’d written helped. Which gave me an idea.
Pulling my phone from my pocket I tapped out a quick message to Alice as I followed Mabel up the narrow staircase and into a long corridor lined with closed doors, each with a small brass nameplate.
How’s Italy? I typed, then waited to see it was delivered. No blue tick to tell me it had been read, though, so I shoved the phone back in my pocket. She’d get it eventually, then we could chat. Even text chat would be better than nothing, and we’d agreed it was important we stay in close contact while we were pretending to be each other.
“Here we are.” Mabel stopped in front of one of the many doors and slipped a key into the lock. “My home away from home.”
Mabel’s office felt a lot like her flat. There were books everywhere, especially on the big wooden desk under the window. There was an armchair in the corner, and a fish tank on one of the shelves. I peered closer at it. Were those starfish?
Catching me looking, Mabel smiled. “Your dad gave them to me, in case you hadn’t guessed.”
I hadn’t but I probably should have done.
Mabel shifted a stack of books off the armchair and motioned for me to sit. “I just need to go and speak with a colleague of mine for a moment. Will you be OK here on your own?”
“Yeah, of course.” I waved my phone at her. “I wanted to check Instagram anyway.”
Alice had refused point blank to take over my Instagram account while she was pretending to be me, which was probably for the best. I doubted she’d keep up my carefully chosen palette anyway. Although it would be nice to share some photos of Italy to show off my supposed summer there… Maybe I’d work on her again when she was a bit more settled in. I didn’t want to lose my audience.
And in the meantime, at least I could check my notifications.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Mabel said, and then with the same flustered, flapping movements she used around me, she left. The door stayed half open behind her.
Maybe it wasn’t just Alice’s visit making her nervous. Maybe she was just like that?
I’d barely scrolled through half my social-media updates when there was a sharp knock on the door. Whoever it was clearly had no manners because they didn’t wait to be asked in.
“Professor Jennings? Tim said he saw you sneaking in. My dad sent me to ask—” The boy in the doorway stopped, blinked, then pointed a stack of papers at me. “OK, you’re not Professor Jennings.”
“You don’t say.” I met his gaze and stared back at him. He looked about my age, and kind of cute in a geeky way, with thick-rimmed tortoiseshell glasses and black hair flopping over one eye. Not my type, but I could imagine him being Alice’s.
“So? Who are you?” He didn’t stop long enough to let me answer, just kept looking at me like I was a puzzle to solve. “You’re too young to be a student, and Professor Jennings doesn’t have kids. A niece, maybe? Goddaughter?”
“I’m Alice Wright.” The name came off my tongue more smoothly than I’d thought it would. “Mabel’s a … friend of my dad’s and I’m staying with her for the summer.”
Easy. I was great at this acting thing.
“You’re not Alice.” The boy was pointing an accusatory finger at me this time. “I know Alice Wright, and you’re definitely not her.”
Oh hell.
Before I could come up with an explanation, Mabel bustled back in. “Hal! I see you already found Alice. Wait, you two know each other, don’t you? I’m sure your dad said—”
“Absolutely!” I jumped in, hoping Hal would go along with my lie. “Actually, Hal was just offering to give me a tour of the university. Weren’t you?” I stared at him, hard, and willed him to say the right thing.
“Uh, yeah. I guess I was.” There was a confused line between his eyebrows, but he’d gone along with it. I unclenched my jaw, just a little.
“Oh, brilliant!” Mabel said. “Because I think I’m going to be stuck here a little longer than I thought. Just text me when you’re on your way back, Alice, and I’ll meet you out front so we can head home together.” Then she frowned again. “Wait, is that what your dad would say?”
“Absolutely.” I edged towards the doorway, more than ready to make my escape. “Word for word. I’ll see you later!”
Grabbing Hal’s hand, I dragged him out of the door behind me, letting it bang shut after us. All the air in my lungs whooshed out with relief.
“Mind telling me what all that was about? And, uh, maybe let go of my hand?”
I dropped his hand quickly. Super embarrassing. “We should find somewhere to talk that isn’t the middle of a corridor. It’s kind of a long story.”
Hal looked at me like he was assessing my crazy level. I tried to look sane.
“OK,” he said, after a moment. “Um, did you really want the tour?”
“I’d rather have an iced coffee,” I said, with a bright smile. “Does this place have a coffee shop?”
“Uh, yeah. I think there’s one in the quad.” He started down the corridor, the opposite way to where I’d come in, and I followed, thinking hard. Just because Hal hadn’t told Mabel I wasn’t Alice, didn’t mean he wouldn’t later. Unless I could convince him to go along with my act.
That was going to take more than acting. That was going to take diplomacy. And I’d never been very good at that.
“So let me get this straight,” Hal said, his hands wrapped round his drink. “Alice is in Italy pretending to be you, and you’re here in London pretending to be Alice.”
I glanced around the courtyard, making sure that none of the other people sitting outside the coffee shop in the sunshine were listening. Luckily they all seemed more interested in their own conversations. Which was their loss, really. Ours was far better. “That’s about it.”
Hal shook his head, like he was a disappointed head teacher rather than a, what, fourteen-year-old guy? “I just can’t see the Alice Wright I know skipping off to Italy and lying to everyone. Especially not her dad. It’s just so … irresponsible. And Alice, well, isn’t. She’s kind and thoughtful and…” He looked down at the table and shrugged. “I just can’t see it.”
Hmm. Seemed to me he thought very highly of our Alice… “Alice said … what was it? Right. Death or glory, think of the story.”
That made him laugh. “OK, that sounds a lot more like Jon than Alice.”
“Jon? Who’s Jon? She said it was something her dad used to say.”
Hal gave me a sideways look. “Alice’s dad is Jon. Didn’t you two prepare for this charade at all?”
I winced. “It was kind of a last-minute decision. We only had the flight to figure everything out. And then Alice sent me this dossier, but it’s hard to remember it all.” Hal was looking suspicious again. Like he thought I’d forced Alice into the swap – when technically, it was actually her idea. “I’m pretty sure she mentioned you though… Remind me, how do you two know each other?”
Best way to get information out of someone – pretend you already know the answer. Works with teachers, parents, and definitely with boys who have a crush. And I was almost certain that Hal had a big one
on Alice.
The suspicion on Hal’s face was replaced by something else. “Alice talked about me? Or wrote about me? What did she say?”
Definitely a crush. “Oh, you know. Usual stuff. Tell me how you guys met and it might jog my memory…”
“Oh, my dad used to work with Alice’s dad at the university up in Cambridge. Although my dad’s biochemistry, not marine biology. Anyway, we met at their first university family function after they moved there a couple of years ago. Then my stupid parents got divorced and Dad moved down to Queen Anne’s last September. I haven’t seen Alice since.”
“Well, now her dad’s dating Mabel, I bet you’ll be seeing a lot more of her.” Apart from the fact I was supposed to be putting Mabel off. But Hal didn’t need to know that.
“You’ll tell her I’m here?” Hal asked eagerly.
“Absolutely. She’ll be thrilled that we’re hanging out, I’m sure.”
“We’re hanging out, now?” Hal raised his eyebrows. “Like, again?”
“Well, as you pointed out, Alice and I haven’t had time to iron out all the kinks in our plan. Someone who can vouch for me as Alice could be invaluable…”
“It does sound like you’re going to need some help,” Hal conceded.
Bingo. “So you’ll help me?”
“I didn’t say that,” Hal hedged, but it was too late.
“You implied it. It would be rude not to help me now.”
“Rude?”
I nodded emphatically. “Absolutely. I’m a lost soul, wandering the streets of London. More than that, I’m a friend of a friend. You should totally give me your number so we can make plans. It’s, like, your friend obligation to help me.”
“Friend obligation? I thought you just met Alice. You didn’t even remember her dad’s name.”
“I spent ten whole hours on a flight with her. Plus, you know, agreed to swap summers with her. If that doesn’t make us friends, I don’t know what does.”
“It definitely doesn’t make it any less insane,” Hal mumbled.
“Maybe not. But you’re going to help me anyway, right?” Time to bring out my best card. “I know Alice would really, really appreciate it if you did.”
Hal sighed. I knew that sigh. That was a sigh of giving in to my overwhelming persistence. I’d heard it plenty of times before from other people, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever been quite so relieved by the sound.
“One condition,” Hal said, holding up a finger. “You have to tell me your real name.”
I glanced around again to make sure no one was listening, then leaned in across the table and whispered. “Willa Andrews. But you have to call me Alice, whenever anyone else might hear. Deal?”
“Deal.” He sounded resigned. “But I’m almost certain I’m going to regret this.”
WILLA: How’s Italy?
WILLA: Never mind Italy. Why the hell didn’t you warn me about Hal?
ALICE: The gelato is amazing. As long as you don’t eat it too quick. And Hal who?
ALICE: Hang on. Hal Asato? Dad’s friend’s son?
ALICE: What’s he doing in London?
ALICE: Wait, they moved there, right? After the divorce. How could I forget that?
ALICE: Oh my God, Willa.
ALICE: This is a disaster!
ALICE: You have to stay away from him. He’ll definitely know you’re not me.
ALICE: Oh God, does he know Mabel too? Why didn’t I think of that?
ALICE: Has he told her? What’s happening?!?!
ALICE: WILLA!!
WILLA: OK, chill. All dealt with. I’ve filled him in on our swap and he’s on our side.
WILLA: Well, he won’t tell Mabel anyway.
WILLA: I think he thinks it’s kind of funny. Or insane.
WILLA: Maybe both.
ALICE: He’s not wrong…
ALICE: It’s really OK?
WILLA: It’s fine.
WILLA: You can stop hyperventilating now.
WILLA: Actually, I think he has a crush on you.
ALICE: Don’t be ridiculous.
WILLA: It’s kind of cute.
WILLA: So, tell me about Italy?
ALICE: OK. But settle in, because there’s lot to tell. And then I want to hear all about London…
The next morning, as I dug through Willa’s clothes to try to find something more ‘me’, I realized my mistake.
I wasn’t Being More Willa if I played it safe with the outfits, activities and conversations. If I wanted to experience Willa’s confidence and self-assurance, I had to act as if I already had them.
Willa had got me to tell her all about my mum dying and my dad sending me to stay with his new girlfriend within hours of meeting me – and that was before you got into the whole swapping summer thing. She’d definitely have asked Luca or Antonio why they were living with Sofia by now.
Willa would have wanted to do more than just eat ice cream in Tusello – she’d have made friends with the locals and probably found herself invited to some party or other.
And most of all, she’d wear whatever she wanted to wear – and she wouldn’t worry if anyone else thought it looked stupid.
Since I didn’t have the courage (yet) to ask Luca about his family, or the Italian to get invited to parties, I decided to start my Be More Willa campaign with today’s outfit.
I purposefully chose the brightest, flashiest bra in the drawer and, when it didn’t fit (obviously) I stuffed the cups with a couple of spare socks to make it look less empty. Next, I chose a bright red top and a white, tiered skirt that I would never normally have worn.
When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself, as I parted my hair on the wrong side and pulled it into a low plait that hung over one shoulder. (I didn’t attempt the Dutch braid Willa had done for me on the plane, but it looked pretty good anyway.)
Very Willa.
I skipped down the stairs to the kitchen, only to bump into Antonio coming out the other way, carrying a bag full of apples. Three of them went rolling across the floor.
“Sorry!” I dropped to my knees, my face probably the colour of Willa’s top, and tried to gather up the apples. My first opportunity to talk to Antonio with Willa’s confidence, and I ruined it.
“Don’t worry about it.” Antonio kneeled beside me, reaching under a cabinet to try to retrieve the last apple.
“I’ll get it.” I shuffled closer, and my hand brushed against his as I stretched out my fingers. My cheeks got hotter. Antonio, of course, was completely unaffected.
Finally, my hand closed round the apple and I pulled it out. I held it in my palm as I started to get up from the floor, and he reached to take it from me.
Which was when it happened. The most embarrassing moment of my life to date.
As I leaned forwards, my top moved forwards too. And so did Willa’s stupid bra.
The socks I’d stuffed it with tumbled to the ground.
My face burning, I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from crying.
Antonio had dropped the apple again in the effort of trying not to laugh. He bent over to pick it up, and I heard a muffled snicker from him as he did so. Apparently my humiliation was just too funny.
I could feel my chest tightening as my breath grew shallow. I couldn’t lose it now, though. I had to be Willa.
So what would Willa do?
The answer pinged into my head instantly. She’d carry on as if nothing had happened. She wouldn’t let herself care.
So neither would I.
It took all my courage – and several deep breaths – but then, as casually as I could, I picked up the socks, clutched them in my hand so tightly you couldn’t even see them, and stood up.
“Enjoy the apples,” I said, looking straight at Antonio. (OK, I was actually looking somewhere over his left shoulder, but it was a start!) And then I walked, slowly, past him and out of the front door. I didn’t let myself run until I was sure he couldn’t see.
I stashed the socks behind a plant
pot by the door, and headed out to explore more of the farm. By the time I bumped into Mattias coming along the path with a goat beside him, my cheeks were probably more fuchsia than flame red, which was a start.
“Are you looking for Luca?” he asked.
“Uh, yes.” I hadn’t been, but it seemed as good an idea as any.
“I think he was headed to the stables.” Mattias jerked his head towards the wooden structures just beside the path.
“Great. Thanks.” I gave him what I suspected was an unconvincing smile. I’d never liked horses, not since an unfortunate riding party for a friend’s birthday when we were eight. One of the horses had smelled the mints in my pocket and chewed halfway through my jacket to get them – and taken a chomp of my elbow too.
I’d avoided horses ever since. Until now.
Because now, Luca had appeared in the door of the barn next to the stables and was waving at me, and Mattias was smiling indulgently, waiting for me to run and join him.
Did Willa like horses? I had no idea. But I couldn’t rule out the possibility that she’d been riding in gymkhanas since she was three and her dad had told Sofia and her family all about it.
I’d used up pretty much all my courage dealing with the bra incident, but it seemed I was going to have to find some more.
“You didn’t mention the horses in your list of animals.” I gazed nervously at the stables as I approached.
Luca glanced back at me as he made his way inside, a bucket in hand. “They’re not horses. And believe me, they’re going to be a lot more scared of you than you are of them.”
“I’m not scared,” I lied. “Just … cautious.”
Luca didn’t answer that.
Warily, I stepped forwards, following him into the stables. The scent of the hay and the animals sent me straight back to that eighth birthday party.