Hollow Pike (7 page)

As she scurried up the stairs, she thought she saw Kitty catch sight of her and give a trace of a smile, although she couldn’t be sure. Lis made a vow to go say ‘hi’ after
she’d used the loo.

The main bathroom was occupied, presumably by a livid Laura and her groupie, Nasima. A queue of annoyed girls had formed outside the door, the boldest demanding that they hurry up. Lis slid past
and quietly slipped through a dark doorway, leading into what she hoped was the master bedroom. These identikit houses always had at least one en suite bathroom.

Out of respect for Danny’s mum and dad, she crept across the plush carpet on tiptoe, not bothering to switch on the light in case the line of desperate girls made a run for the spare
toilet. She quickly located the shower room and flicked the light switch.

A body lay on the bed.

Lis yelped, almost falling backwards into the lavatory. The form on the bed sat up swiftly, pulling a pillow from its head.

Danny stared at her from across the room. ‘Oh, it’s just you,’ he said wearily.

‘Sorry. There’s a massive queue. I thought there might be an en suite in here . . .’

He ran a hand through his thick hair. For Danny, the party was over. Lis knew the feeling. She’d learned on her fourteenth birthday that it’s always more fun to be a guest than a
host.

‘No, it’s cool.’ He grinned. ‘I thought Laura had caught me.’

Lis snorted. ‘You noticed?’

‘Well, yeah. She and Nasima have been following me all night. It’s quite hard
not
to notice when you’re being stalked.’

She slid down the wall and crossed her legs on the floor. Warmed by the glow from the shower room, Danny looked even more delicious.
There should be laws about boys being so attractive
,
mused Lis, suddenly realising they were alone in a room with a sumptuous king-size bed. She felt her cheeks flush and prayed it didn’t show in the dim light. She forced her nervous mouth to
say something. ‘You don’t fancy Laura, then? She’s stunning and she’s clearly into you.’

Danny leaned back on the bed, resting on his elbows. ‘Not really. She’s, like, really, really pretty and stuff, but she’s a bit scary.’

‘No, really?’ Sarcasm rolled off Lis’s tongue. She mentally checked herself. This was a dangerous game. No matter how much she fancied Danny, this could all get back to
Laura.

‘Plus, Cam is still madly in love with her,’ Danny went on.

She sat up straighter. ‘Seriously? I didn’t even know they’d been an item.’

Danny nodded. ‘Yeah. She wanted to keep it quiet for some reason. He still likes her, so I’m staying well clear.’

‘Fair enough. Bros before hos!’ As soon as the words were out, Lis dearly wished she hadn’t said them, but Danny laughed, revealing a beautiful smile. Lis beamed back.

‘So what about you? Do you like Hollow Pike so far?’ he asked.

She sighed and leaned her head back against the wall. Aside from her chats with Sarah, this felt like the first real conversation she’d had since arriving in the leafy town. ‘Well,
I’ve barely slept a wink because I’ve been having horrific nightmares, and then I crawl out of bed to go to school and hang out with a group of girls I don’t really like, so
it’s not been a great start, no. Oh, and it hasn’t stopped raining.’ She had no idea why she was telling him these intimate details, but she couldn’t stop herself. There was
something about Danny that made her feel like she could be herself, be real.

‘Well, that’s no good!’ He grinned. ‘You know, sometimes I’m not that keen on all my friends either. Don’t tell anyone . . . it can be our little
secret!’

‘Then why hang out with them?’ she asked curiously.

‘It’s just easier.’

‘Easier than what?’

‘Easier than before. Back when I was Daniel, and not Danny, school used to be fairly rubbish. I’m not going to use the “B” word, but it was pretty crap. Then I joined the
rugby team and all of a sudden I’m cool or something . . . I’m not going to argue, am I?’

Lis chuckled. ‘Sell-out!’

‘Totally!’ He smiled once more. ‘But it’s true. I’m not going to complain that people aren’t giving me grief any more. Anyway, you’re one to talk
– how are you finding being Laura’s newest minion?’

He was dead right – she was no better than he was. She
did
relish the status Laura brought her, while at the same time being fully aware of what a bitch her friend could be.
‘Tell you what: I’ll ditch Laura if you ditch Cam!’

‘Not that easy.’

‘Tell me about it. The whole popularity contest thing. It’s all crap. Why do we do it to ourselves?’ She stood to leave, almost disappointed with him, and hating herself a
little at the same time. Neither feeling outweighed the urge to crawl into his arms.

A commotion outside the bedroom turned both their heads.

‘Who let the circus in?’ came a cruel screech, unmistakeably Laura. ‘Where did you park your broomstick?’

Danny bounced off the bed and headed for the landing, closely followed by Lis. They stepped out into a small congregation of classmates gathering to see a face-off between Laura and Kitty
Monroe, who had seemingly forced Laura out of the bathroom.

Lis caught Laura’s eye, very aware that she’d just emerged from a dark bedroom with Danny. Laura looked momentarily puzzled before turning back to Kitty.

‘Well? Who let
you
in?’ Laura repeated.

‘I invited her,’ offered Danny. ‘We have English together. Back off, Riggsy.’

Kitty smiled innocently at Laura. ‘Excuse me, I’m going to use the bathroom now if you’d be so kind as to move aside.’

Laura purposefully stretched her arms across the door frame. ‘I’m sorry, Kitty. There’s a no-dyke policy in this toilet.’

Lis groaned and tried to move forwards, but Nasima stopped her.

‘Don’t get involved,’ she whispered. ‘It’s funnier to just watch.’ She flipped open her mobile and started filming the altercation.

Kitty again smiled sweetly, although with the thick, black make-up, her grin had a twisted, manic edge to it. ‘Laura, I’m not the one who’s just come out of the toilet with
another girl.’

Some members of the audience dared to giggle. Laura’s deathly glare soon shut them up. She moved closer to Kitty, invading her personal space.

‘Oh, I’m sorry, Kitty. I know how much you want me and everything, but I’m not a dirty lesbian like you. You’ll have to stick with that gypo, Delilah.’

For the first time, it seemed that Laura’s blow had hit Kitty. She gave Laura a short shove that sent Laura stumbling back amidst gasps from the crowd.

‘Laura, cut it out, please!’ Danny pleaded.

But Kitty was on the offensive now. ‘Laura, I wouldn’t go near you if you were the last girl, no,
human
, on the planet. You’re rancid. Toxic. Poisonous. People might be
scared of me, but they
loathe
you.’

Laura flushed a deep red colour, scrambling for a comeback, but Kitty continued. ‘If you don’t believe me, ask anyone. They talk about you more than they talk about me and
that’s saying something. Ask Lis London. Better still, ask Danny!’

At that, Laura flew into a wild rage, expletives tearing from her lips. Her hands tugged at Kitty’s hair, grasping her head and swinging her body into the wall. Danny shot forward, but it
was impossible to intervene as Kitty responded by grabbing Laura’s face in one big hand and pushing her down to the floor. Lis thought she saw Laura spit at her rival before slapping her
squarely on the side of the head.

Kitty fought like a wildcat, scratching at Laura’s hair and face, although Laura seemed to be the tougher fighter, curling her hands into fists and striking at Kitty’s torso. Danny,
and now Bobsy, stepped across the girls, trying to pull them apart, but it was no use as Kitty bombarded Laura with slaps.

Lis saw too late what was going to happen. As Laura advanced on Kitty, the top of the stairs grew dangerously close. Sure enough, Laura launched another frenzied attack and both girls teetered
over the top stair. The following fall, rather than a television-style tumble, was more of a cringe-worthy bounce down the stairs for both girls. The pair rolled to an embarrassing halt,
Laura’s underwear clearly on show to the entire party.

Jack and Delilah ran from the lounge into the hallway.

‘Bitch!’ yelled Delilah when she realised what had happened, her voice the only sound other than the music as everyone else stared in stunned silence.

‘Nice one, Riggsy!’ Cameron’s shout broke the silence.

A throaty scream exploded from Laura as she stood. Blood gushed from a split lip and she inadvertently smeared it across her face with the back of her hand. Without any further comment she
marched out through the front door, a bewildered Harry trotting close behind.

Lis and Danny raced down the stairs to where Kitty was now sitting, her concerned friends at her side. Giggling and whispering, observers returned to the party, delighted with the night’s
entertainment.

‘Kitty, are you OK?’ Lis reached down to the taller girl.

‘Yeah, I think so.’ She checked herself for wounds. ‘God, what a total bitch!’

‘Well that’s hardly headline news,’ commented Jack in a shy voice.

‘Let’s go, this party was a bad idea.’ Kitty hauled her lanky frame up.

Danny shrugged his shoulders as if the whole thing had somehow been his fault. ‘I’m so sorry, Kitty.’

‘You don’t have to apologise for Laura Rigg,’ Delilah stated simply. ‘She’s her parents’ fault. They should have drowned her at birth.’

Kitty and Jack were already at the door.

‘Wait!’ Lis said, her heart in her mouth. ‘I wanna come with you.’

Kitty turned back, a smile on her lips. ‘Really? Defecting so soon? What would Laura have to say about that?’

‘I . . . I don’t care.’

‘I think you do. We’ll be in touch.’ Kitty blew her a kiss and swept out of the front door. Delilah followed, leaving Lis on the stairs with Danny, but wishing more than
anything that she could depart with Team Kitty. Lis couldn’t ignore it any more, there was . . .
something
about them and she wanted a piece of it. As she watched the trio walk away
into the night, they seemed so . . .
free
. Lis didn’t want to be on Laura Rigg’s leash for a second longer.

Aftermath

By the following Monday morning, the novelty of a new start in Hollow Pike had completely worn off and Lis felt school-sick. She’d lain in bed well past her alarm and was
now running considerably late. She toyed with the idea of trying to convince Sarah she was ill, but knew her sister would only call upon her to make the mature, adult choice as to whether she was
well enough to attend school, and then she’d only end up feeling guilty if she stayed home.

Cornflakes formed a dry, pulpy mass in her mouth, impossible to swallow.

Sarah shrewdly regarded her across the kitchen table as she fed Lis’s little nephew, Logan. ‘What’s up, kiddo?’

‘Nothing.’ Automatic response.

‘Don’t believe you . . .’ Her sister smiled.

‘I’m fine. It’s just early.’

‘Is it school?’

‘Nope.’

‘That Laura girl?’

Yes. ‘Nope.’

‘Your teacher . . . Mr Gray, is it?’

Lis let herself laugh. Sarah wasn’t going to let it go. ‘Good lord, Sarah, everything is fine! Mr Gray is lovely! Satisfied?’

‘He seems nice . . . quite a looker too! Maybe I’ll bob along to his adult Spanish classes . . .’

‘If you do, I’ll emancipate myself from you!’ Lis grinned. Sarah guffawed loudly as Lis ditched her soggy cereal in the sink and turned the tap on, squashing the cornflakes
down the plughole.

After a second of processing the image before her, she took a step back. ‘Sarah?’ she said.

‘What?’

‘Look at this.’

Sarah heaved Logan onto her hip and shuffled over to the sink. ‘What is it? And please don’t put food down the sink, the drains get blocked.’

‘OK, but look.’ Lis motioned at the gurgling water.

‘I’m looking. There’s nothing there.’

‘The water is going down the plughole the wrong way! It should be going anti-clockwise.’

Sarah looked at her with sisterly disdain. ‘Ha! That’s an old wives’ tale. Or maybe it’s magic!’

Lis’s head snapped up at that. ‘What?’

‘You know – the whole Hollow Pike witch thang.’

‘Did you just say
thang
?’

‘Yeah, I’m still down with the kids.’ Sarah winked. ‘When Max and I first moved here, we went on this witch tour one Halloween. It’s true, you know, there were
witches in Hollow Pike. The town’s supposed to be cursed or something.’

‘But years and years ago, right?’

‘Well, obviously. The tour was so naff, it was hilarious. We should go on it this year.’

Lis had dismissed Harry and Laura’s talk as nonsense, but coming from her sister, the witchcraft legends were suddenly real. And fascinating. Sarah left the kitchen with Logan, leaving Lis
to ponder the swirling water, spinning the wrong way down the drain.

Lis had missed the bus by a mile, so Max kindly offered to drop her at school and now the silver Transit van pulled up outside the main gates. She breathed deeply, adoring the
smell of the van: varnish and wood chips.