The Alien in the Garage and Other Stories (7 page)

There it was. The stuff she wanted.

Body Lotion. With Self-Tanning Agent.

She popped it into her basket. Then she moved aisles, and found some fancy bubble bath for Auntie Sandra, and a lipstick for Katie.

It wasn't just that she wanted a reason for her “secret shopping”. She really did want to thank her auntie and cousin for this holiday. Really, she wanted her family
and
friends to be pleased.

She went to the checkout, and stood behind people buying sunscreen and sprays for wasp stings.

The price of her three items used up nearly all that was left of her holiday money.

To do the final bit, she had to move like lightning.

She was going to an Internet café she had spotted next door to the town's museum.

Once in the café, she booked fifteen minutes on the Net and searched for “Spain”, “Marbella”, “e- cards” and “postcards”. There were hundreds of results, but she went for the first one. There was no time to lose.

Her screen quickly filled with images – sunburnt tourists standing by ancient gleaming white monuments, floral gardens bursting with colour. And beaches. Lots and lots of sun-drenched beaches.

With a pang of envy, Emma thought about what it would be like really to be there.

She chose the first image she found that had “Marbella” underneath it – an image of a gorgeous sunset of pink and blue and charcoal grey, enveloping a tropical-looking beach and cool rippling sea.

Once the site had her card ready, she rattled off a message.

Hi Amber!!!

Having a luvvly time in gorgeous sunshine. Great villa and great beach. We've done so much - tell u when I get back!! Say hi to Lauren (and Georgia…)

Cu soon!!!!

Luv

Emma xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That was all she had time for.

She hammered in Amber's e-mail address, then moved the cursor to “Send”.

Once the card had gone, she logged off and ran as fast as she could back to the tearoom in the main street. Her shoulder bag felt heavier with her purchases from the pharmacy hidden inside.

She found Katie, Mum and Auntie Sandra waiting for her on the terrace, already surrounded by afternoon tea.

“Where did you get to?” Mum demanded.

“I went to e-mail Amber.” Emma thought she might as well tell the truth about that, at least. She noticed Katie give her a funny look.

“You'll be
seeing
Amber next week.” Mum gave Emma a look, then slid a plate over to her. “I saved you an iced bun.”

“Cheers.” Emma took the sticky cake and bit into it. Her face wore a grin of triumph.

The next day, before leaving, Emma gave Katie and Auntie Sandra their presents.

“Oh.” Auntie Sandra smiled broadly. “Love.” She gave Emma the sloppiest of kisses.

“I'm so going to miss you.” Katie gave Emma a big hug, and whispered her final farewell into Emma's ear. “Even if you are a bit weird sometimes.”

When they got home, there was an envelope addressed to Emma on the mat.

“Must have come by hand,” Mum said. She looked round, looking slightly hassled. “That reminds me, I ought to go and get the post from Auntie May.”

Auntie May was a lady down the road, who'd been looking after the house for them and taking their mail in while they were away.

“Will you be OK for a bit?” Mum asked.

Emma nodded.

Once the front door had closed behind Mum, Emma ran up to her bedroom.

She would be all right, for a short time. Auntie May always offered tea, and would want to know all about their holiday. Mum wouldn't be back just yet.

Leaving her envelope until later, Emma opened the soapbag she had taken as part of her luggage. The body lotion was inside, wrapped in her face flannel.

She read the instructions on the bottle quickly.

Apply daily… Wash hands thoroughly after applying.

Emma opened the bottle, squeezed out some of the creamy white lotion and started to apply it to her face, arms and the backs of her hands.

It was just like sun lotion really. Although… She sniffed and frowned. It did have an odd smell. She'd need to put perfume or something on to disguise it.

Once the lotion was drying, Emma sat on her bed and ripped open the envelope.

It was a party invitation, written in Georgia's handwriting in red ink that looked like blood.

“
Please come to my barbeque. My place. Saturday. From 4pm.
”

Twenty minutes later, Emma heard Mum come in downstairs.

“You all right, love?” she called up to Emma. “Got the mail. All bills. Fine thing to come back to…”

Emma got up from the bed and looked in the mirror.

She'd gone orange.

She looked like a tangerine.

“You've caught the sun, haven't you?” Emma's Mum said at tea, over their fish fingers and peas. She frowned. “Funny. We had rotten weather most days.”

For the next week, Emma went on putting the lotion on each day.

She was sick of it by the day of the barbeque. It really stank, and she was such a weird colour. She could have been the daughter of that checkout woman.

She'd kept out of Mum's way as much as possible, in case she guessed.

But everything had to look right.

Shortly before leaving for the barbeque, Emma put on a white top. She really wanted the other girls to see this tan. Not that they'd have much trouble.

Finally, she dug out the three boxes of
bonbones
.

This was it. Tonight was make or break time.

“Hey!” Amber came running across the lawn to Emma as soon as she entered Georgia's garden. “Did you have a good trip? Oh wow! You've got such a cool tan!” She embraced Emma, then frowned. “What's that smell?”

“New deodorant,” Emma said quickly. “I'm going to change it.”

“I got your card,” Amber went on. “It was a good idea to send an e-card. You had Internet out there, then?”

“Yeah.” Emma held out a paper bag. It had no logo on it. Nothing to show where the chocolates had come from. “I brought you these back.”

“Oh, wow!” Amber opened the bag. “Thank you!” She turned. Burgers were grilling on the barbeque, and there were drinks and crisps on a table in Georgia's parents' garden tent. Emma could see several of the class.

“Come on over!” Amber grabbed Emma's hand. “Georgia and Lauren are over there. Tell us all about it! Georgia will be
so
jealous!”

“Jealous?” Emma asked.

“Well, didn't you know?” Amber grinned. “She's having this barbeque as a treat, ‘cause her safari holiday had to be
cancelled!
Her Dad's work...They couldn't go! I saw her just after...” She stared at the clouds of smoke coming from the barbeque. “I think Georgia could be making that herself!”

“We went to the beach most days,” Emma told the girls. “It was dead nice. Monday we did the Old Town – and the walls. The Moors built them, you know.” She'd done her homework. That day, she had been back to the library, retraced the site where she had found the villa, and found out what were all the places to go and things to do nearby. “We saw the gardens, and one day we had a boat cruise. And then there was the villa, with its panoramic views, and every modern convenience.” She thought maybe she should have put some of this into her own words. “Oh yeah – and another day we went on a trip. To Tangier.”

Georgia was looking more and more put out with every second that passed, and was viciously eating a veggieburger.

“And we flew back Sunday,” Emma finished. “It was
so
good.” She smiled sweetly at Georgia.

“You've got a really good tan,” Lauren said.

“And look what she got me.” Amber showed off her
bonbones
. “All the way from Spain.”

“I've got some for you too, Lauren,” Emma said. “And you, Georgia. I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten you. On my holiday.”

Finishing her burger, Georgia looked ready to choke.

Glowing with glee and her fake tan, Emma smiled to herself.

“All right, darling?” Georgia's Mum had appeared and was beaming for no apparent reason. “Look who's here!”

Georgia turned, and her face lit up.

“Poppy!” She moved over to hug the new arrival. “Hi! Oh, I haven't seen you for
ages
!” She addressed the other girls. “This is my friend Poppy. From Pony Club.” She ushered her friend over to the other girls. “This is Emma.”

Emma looked at the new arrival.

And her blood ran cold.

Standing as close as she had the week before, looking as mean as she had on the seafront at Littlecombe, the red-haired girl stared back at Emma.

Jack was beginning to wish he'd never come.

It had seemed like such a cool idea. He himself had suggested it.

“Let's take the tent,” he had said to Elliott enthusiastically. “And camp out, one night. No parents. No worries.” And Elliott had agreed.

Now that they were there, Jack wasn't sure it had been such a good plan after all.

He certainly wasn't sure that it had been right to bring Sam, his little brother. Sam was a bit young to be doing things like that. But once Sam had heard of the planned trip, there had been no holding him back. After hours of
I want to come too
, it had seemed easier to say yes.

So there they were. The three of them. In the tent.

It was a good tent. Orange in colour. Big enough to hold the three of them quite comfortably – even taking into account a big boy like Elliott. Quite warm and cosy, and well-lit by the battery-operated camping lantern. It was a tent in which Jack had slept quite happily many times, on family camping holidays.

But Jack was quickly discovering that camping out was very different when there were no adults around. The tent seemed different somehow. Slightly…lonely, in spite of Elliott and Sam being there. And slightly… spooky.

Was it just homesickness? Was he just missing the warmth and security of his own bed? Or was it also something else?

Could it have been…fear?

He knew that Sam was feeling it too. He looked at his brother, who was sitting nearby, his woolly hat pulled down over his forehead. Below the hat, his small, round face had the expression of one who was trying very hard to be brave, but starting to fail in the attempt. He looked like a frightened little gnome.

This was definitely not a trip for Sam.

It would have been easier if Elliott hadn't been doing his “tough guy” act, going on and on about how great it was to be camping out.

“Just us out here,” he had said, shortly after they had put the tent up. “Us, against the rest of the world.” He had paused, dramatically. “Surviving.”

Elliott came out with a lot of stuff like that. He got it partly from Scouts and partly from watching all the survival challenge programmes on TV.

It was around that time that Jack had started to see Sam looking the way he did now.

Jack also wished Elliott wouldn't tease Sam. Elliott was a good mate really, but he did like taking the mickey out of people. Jack had seen him grinning when he had seen that Sam's sleeping bag had bunny rabbits on it. And when he had seen that Sam had brought a teddy.

Jack hoped that Elliott would remember that this was the first time that Sam had been out at night on his own, away from Mum and Dad.

It was getting darker outside. Soon, their only light would come from the lantern.

Jack shivered slightly.

“Cold?” Elliott looked at his friend.

“No,” Jack said quickly.

“Or…” Elliott grinned. “You scared?”

Jack quickly shook his head. He wasn't going to have Elliott thinking he was afraid.

Elliott looked at Sam.

“How about you?”

“No.” Sam's voice came out slightly squeaky.

“Nothing to be scared of.” Elliott paused, then smiled, rather slyly. “Not ‘til later. When it gets
really
dark.”

Jack saw Sam's eyes widen. He quickly interrupted.

“Any more food?” He knew that question would distract Elliott.

“Think so…” Elliott had taken the bait. He reached for the rucksack and rummaged in it to see what was left of the picnic they had brought. “Few sandwiches. And a couple of apples....” He fished out a cheese sandwich that Jack and Sam's Mum had carefully wrapped in plastic film. He held it out to Jack in a rather grubby hand. “Want one?”

“Thanks.” Jack took the sandwich and took a small bite. Eating would take his mind off things…for a bit.

“Have you got a drink?” Sam asked timidly.

“Yeah…” Elliott reached into the rucksack again and found a carton of orange juice.

“I'll do it for you,” Jack offered. He took the drink from Elliott, removed the attached straw and poked it into the carton for Sam. He handed the drink to his little brother.

“Thank you,” Sam said. Quietly, he took the drink.

Elliott took one of the apples and crunched it noisily.

They ate and drank for a few moments in silence.

Elliott looked up at the roof of the tent, in the direction of the sky.

“Be getting darker soon,” he said.

Sam started looking uncomfortable again. Seeing this, Elliott was unable to resist teasing him further.

“Darker…” He assumed his spookiest expression, straight from the horror films he got his big brother to let him watch. “And ghostlier. And scarier…”

Sam turned worriedly towards Jack.

“And then…” Elliott shrank his voice to a whisper. “Who knows what might be waiting for us…out there… in the night!”

Sam grabbed his elder brother in panic.

“Elliott!” Jack had had enough of this. Elliott took this sort of thing too far, so that it stopped being funny. “Just leave him, will you?”

Elliott returned to his apple, grinning mischievously to himself.

Sam was still looking rather scared. Jack patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.

They continued their picnic.

Jack was still trying hard not to show it, but deep down, he was just as scared as Sam. It was getting very dark outside the tent now. And somehow…he felt chilly, even though they had chosen a warm night to camp out.

He looked at his watch.

There were hours to go until morning.

And eventually, they would all have to go to sleep. Out there alone. In the tent.

They would no longer know what might be about to happen to them.

The worst thing was that Elliott was right. It would be getting darker. And more frightening.

And how could they know, if anything were lurking out there in the night?

Waiting for them?

Time had passed.

The night was now at its darkest.

Only the lantern now lit the tent.

“Snap!” Elliott yelled – a bit too loudly, Jack thought.

Elliott had won again. He reached out and triumphantly gathered up the remaining cards.

The game was over.

It was Jack who had found the cards, buried deep in the rucksack. The game had been a good way to pass the time – and a good way to take his mind away from the darkening world outside the tent.

Snap was the only card game that Sam knew.

“Shall we play again?” Jack suggested eagerly.

Elliott yawned.

“I'm bored with that.” He looked at his watch. “I'm tired.”

Jack caught Sam's eye. They were both tired too, to tell the truth.

But neither of them was in any hurry to go to sleep.

“Bit early for bed, isn't it?” Jack asked. He made it sound like it would be a far more grown-up thing to stay up longer, knowing that this would appeal to Elliott.

Elliott shrugged.

“I guess… What shall we do, then?”

Jack struggled to think of some other way to pass the time.

“Hey. I know…” Elliott grinned. He had remembered the conversation earlier…and how easily he had been able to scare Sam. And it would be even easier to do so…now it was darker. “We could do what we do on Scout camp about this time. When it gets
really
dark, and we're all in the tent, like this.” He paused mysteriously.

“What's that?” Sam asked timidly.

“We could…” Elliott paused again, and whispered his next words. “Tell a ghost story!”

Jack and Sam exchanged uneasy glances.

They didn't want to show it…but they were feeling nervous enough already.

And tales of ghosts wouldn't make them feel any better.

“I don't know…” Jack started.

“What's up?” Elliott gave a crafty grin. “You
are
scared, aren't you?”

“No,” Jack said quickly.

“Well, then.” Elliott smirked.

Jack hesitated.

The last thing he wanted in the world right now was a ghost story.

But if it meant losing face…and admitting he was scared…

Looking at Sam, he saw that his younger brother was thinking exactly the same.

He decided to compromise.

“Tell you what,” he said awkwardly. “Let's get into our sleeping bags now.” It would be cosier, and more reassuring, to be in the sleeping bags' warmth and comfort. It would probably be better for Sam as well. “Then…” he went on reluctantly. “You can tell us a story if you want.”

A minute or so later, they were ready, sitting up in their sleeping bags. Sam sat there rather anxiously, surrounded by his bunnies. Jack had given his little brother his teddy, for extra comfort, and Sam was hugging it tightly.

Jack and Sam looked on expectantly.

Elliott was ready.

He hesitated for a moment before he began, enjoying their attention. Elliott loved an audience.

“It was a night just like this,” he began quietly. “Dark…and spooky…and mysterious. And there was a group of people…out on a camping trip…”

Jack and Sam looked uneasy.

“Yeah,” Elliott agreed. “Just like us. Out in a tent… with no one else near for miles around. Or…” He adopted his frightening look, and stared at Sam. “Was there?”

Sam squeezed the teddy tightly.

After a pause, Elliott went on with his story.

“They made themselves a meal. Cooked it over the campfire. Then, darkness fell. A terrible darkness. So dark, they couldn't see a thing. They settled down for the night.”

Sam and Jack looked back at him.

“An hour passed,” Elliott went on. “Maybe two. Then, one of the campers…the youngest one…” He looked straight at Sam, who shrank down into the sleeping bag. “He woke up…to hear…
something
… approaching the tent.”

Sam's eyes widened.

“Something…” Elliott went on, “…
big
. He heard the sound as it came…slowly…and menacingly… towards him.” He opened his mouth wide to increase the dramatic effect. “This was no human being. This was something altogether…” He allowed a scary expression to enter his eyes. “Different!”

Sam swallowed.

“He lay there,” Elliott went on, “for what seemed like forever, until the beast, whatever it was, was right outside the tent. Then!”

He gasped.

Sam was starting to shake.

“He saw…” Elliott's voice shrank to a whisper. “
The tent-flap starting to open!
”

Sam blinked wildly.

“And suddenly…” Elliott continued. “Suddenly…”

All at once, he shot out a hand and grabbed Sam. “ROAR!”

Sam shrieked and disappeared into the sleeping bag.

Elliott burst out laughing.

“Elliott!” Annoyed, Jack aimed a swipe at Elliott, who dodged, laughing all the while.

“Had you going!” Elliott's face was red from laughing so hard.

Jack looked concernedly at Sam, who was emerging from his hiding place, also looking rather red in the face.

“Right, that's it!” Jack had had enough of all this talk about ghosts and monsters. It wasn't making him feel much better than Sam. “We're going to sleep!” He flung himself down into a sleeping position.

“Suit yourself,” Elliott said, rather grumpily. He'd thought it was quite a good joke. He couldn't see why Jack and Sam didn't want to share it. This camping trip was no fun.

“Hey.” The voice was Sam's.

Jack sat up again, and he and Elliott looked at Sam.

“Isn't it…” Sam gulped. “Isn't it getting darker in here?”

Jack and Elliott exchanged glances.

Then they looked around the tent.

Sam was right.

It was.

Slowly, they all looked at the lantern, their only source of light.

The light was starting to fade.

All around them, the tent was being cast into shadows. The farthest corners, which had been brightly lit a short time before, were now dark and gloomy. The centre, where they sat, was shrouded in a dimmer, yellow light, a less powerful light – a light that was flickering.

And shadows were beginning to creep across their faces.

“It's happening!” Sam's voice was quiet, but terrified. “Darkness falling! Just like Elliott said!”

“Don't be stupid!” Jack came back sharply.

“It is!” Sam cried desperately. “Just like in the story!”

Jack looked around the tent in sudden fear.

He had already had to face the darkness falling outside the tent.

Now, there was darkness to face within.

For a moment, they stared at one another in horror.

Then, Jack looked at the lantern, and realised.

He made a sudden grab for it.

“You didn't change the batteries!” He glared at Elliott. “I thought you said you were going to put new ones in!”

“I thought you did!” Elliott snapped back.

“Oh, well, that's great, that is!” Jack glowered. “Out here in the dark, you getting us all spooked, and now we're going to have no light!”

“I thought you said you weren't scared!” Elliott retorted.

For a moment, they continued to stare at the fading light.

“We'll have to put it out,” Elliott said eventually. He had quickly reassumed his position as the one who always knew what to do. “Put it out before we go to sleep. In case we need it in the night. We can't risk leaving it on and having it go out on us when we need it.”

Jack frowned. This was brilliant. All of them shaken up by Elliott's stupid clowning…and now no light.

But Elliott was right…unfortunately.

They'd have to put the light out.

“Better get on with it then,” he said reluctantly.

Slowly, the three of them settled down into their sleeping bags. Jack was the last.