Unspeakable (17 page)

We ride out to a small copse to take the photos. When we get there, Jasmine is restless. She tugs at her top, then asks if she can go home and change. I shake my head. Jasmine’s wearing a necklace that Owen bought her. She adores it, but I think it looks a bit cheap. I make something up about it catching the light and ask her to take it off, putting it in my pocket.

I position Jasmine against a tree trunk, then gather up her mass of curls and draw them across one shoulder, where they spill down in glorious waves. I lay two fingers on the bottom of her chin, feel a small thrill at the touch of her skin beneath mine, and tilt it upwards, so she’s looking towards the light.

Jasmine’s eyes flicker down to meet mine and she smiles a smile that makes my heart falter. I point up and her gaze follows. I position the camera, frame the shot, and take a second to look at her. The sunlight darts across Jasmine’s face
and her eyes shine with the reflection of leaves above. She is stunning.

Jasmine notices I’ve paused. ‘Is it OK? Am I doing it right?’

Perfect. You’re perfect
.

I keep taking shots until Jasmine yawns and says, ‘Are we done yet? Can we get an ice cream now?’

I hold up a finger and pull my mobile out to take an instant shot of her. Jasmine leans in close, her breath whispering past my cheek. She gasps. ‘Megan! You … I don’t know what to say! You’ve made me look … I’m … I look great!’

You’re beautiful. I didn’t ‘make’ you look anything
.

We detour through the village to get ice creams, then amble back to Jasmine’s.

‘So I won’t see you tomorrow,’ she says. ‘The day after, though?’

I nod and wave, keeping the smile on my face until I’ve turned round. So Owen wins tomorrow. What am I supposed to do? I hate having to share Jasmine. I hate that she makes me feel like this, but I can’t say or do anything about it.

My head’s all muddled, and it’s a good evening for walking, so I wander around, keeping a constant eye out for Luke. The way I feel right now, I’d rather see Sadie than him, and that’s saying something.

It’s dark when I remember that I’ve still got Jasmine’s necklace in my pocket. Owen will probably be annoyed if she’s not wearing it tomorrow. Maybe I should keep it? No. That’s horrible. What’s wrong with me? Anyway, if I take it back it’s a good excuse to see her again.

I’m almost at Jasmine’s when the quiet road is pierced by a scream. Jasmine! My stomach lurches and I sprint to her house. When I get there, she’s standing inside, the front door open, looking at something on the step. What is it? I can’t see. It’s too dark. Is she hurt? What should I do?

Jasmine’s illuminated by a pool of light inside the house. She looks up at me, unsure for a moment. ‘Megan? What are you … Why are you here?’ I take a step towards her. Jasmine steps back, closes the door a little. What’s the matter with her?

‘Why are you here, Megan?’ she shouts, tears rolling down her face.

I reach into my pocket and pull out the necklace.

Jasmine squints through the night, then nods slowly. ‘Have you seen this?’ She gestures at the doorstep with a shaking hand.

I move towards her, then cover my mouth, swallowing the urge to vomit. It’s a dead cat. I think its neck is broken. It’s mangy. Probably a stray.

Jasmine is wailing, her hands clamped around the door to stop herself from falling. ‘Who could do this? Why? What have they got against me?’

I shake my head.
I don’t know. Oh, God, Jasmine. I don’t know
.

Jasmine holds out a note. I have to lean over the cat to take it:

I DON’T WANT TO HURT YOU. I DIDN’T WANT TO HURT THE CAT EITHER, BUT LOOK WHAT HAPPENED.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Where are your parents?
I write.

Jasmine just stares at my message. I touch her arm. She looks at me, but doesn’t see me. She shudders, then seems to come back. ‘They’re … um … Where are they? They’ve taken Lily to the cinema.’

How did you find the cat?

‘I … er …’ Jasmine closes her eyes. Opens them again. ‘Someone rang the doorbell, but there was no one here.’

They must’ve known her family were out. How did they know? Were they watching her? Are they still watching now? I glance up and down the road, but there’s no one around. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle.

I’ll stay with you until they’re back
, I write.
Can you get me a bin bag? I’ll sort it out
. I smile, try to look calm, but I feel sick and
shaky. Why does someone have it in for my best friend? And if they can kill a cat, what else are they capable of?

After I’ve cleaned up, I go through the house, switching on lights, the TV and the radio. Jasmine tries to call Eleni, but her mobile’s off. I make her tea, stroke her hair, but I can tell she just wants her mum.

We try to watch something on TV, but Jasmine’s not following it. She doesn’t even flinch when a celebrity lies in a bath of maggots for charity.

The second the door opens, Jasmine launches herself at Eleni, weeping.

‘What on earth …?’ Eleni asks, instantly enfolding Jasmine in her arms.

Between sobs, Jasmine explains what happened. Eleni reels off a furious string of Greek. Arthur sinks on to the sofa, cradling his head in his hands. Lily is sent to bed, though she doesn’t give in without a fight. ‘You can’t make me go. I want to stay here with Jasmine.’ She plonks herself on Jasmine’s lap and throws her little arms around Jasmine’s neck. Eleni gently pulls her away and takes her upstairs, leaving Jasmine, Arthur and me in shocked silence.

‘We’re calling the police,’ Eleni announces when she returns. ‘You should’ve told us sooner, Jasmine. This person has been in our house, in your room!’

‘I thought it was just someone from school mucking around,’ Jasmine says. ‘I didn’t realise they’d go this far.’

‘Well, it’s not going any further. I’m calling them right now.’

‘Mum?’ Jasmine asks. ‘You’re not going to make us move
again, are you?’ She glances at me, and my heart breaks a little. ‘I don’t want to leave!’

Eleni and Arthur exchange a look. ‘That’s not up for discussion tonight,’ Arthur says. ‘One thing at a time.’

I can’t look at Jasmine any more. She’s devastated. I’m devastated. I can’t even think about what would happen if she left.

Over an hour later, a police officer arrives. He takes a statement, but seems pretty disinterested. ‘These types of incidents are usually kids playing pranks,’ he says. ‘I’ll look into it, but I’m fairly confident they’ll soon get bored.’

He gives Jasmine what he thinks is a reassuring smile. Patronising git!

Eleni stands abruptly. ‘Well, thank you for your time, Officer,’ she says in a clipped tone. ‘I think we could all do with some rest now.’ She ushers him to the door, then slams it behind him.

Jasmine and I leave her ranting to Arthur, alternating between Greek and English so fast it’s hard to catch any of what she’s saying.

I should go
, I write.
Text me if you need anything
.

Jasmine nods and leans in for a hug. I clutch her tightly, holding on for longer than I should, but tonight, she doesn’t seem to notice.

I lie awake. Tomorrow will not be a good day. The eleventh of July: Hana’s birthday. Except she won’t be turning sixteen. I can’t get my head around that. When we were kids, Hana thought it gave her the right to win any argument. If she knew she was losing, she’d come back with: ‘You have to listen to me –
I’m the oldest!’ Not any more. She’ll stay fifteen for ever, and in a few days, I’ll be a year older than her, instead of a few days younger.

When I wake the next morning, there’s a few seconds of blissful ignorance before it clicks. Then a wave of grief rolls over me and I turn on to my front so I can cry into my pillow. I think about Hana’s last letter. Was she angry? Probably. I can guess what it said. I wish I’d found it sooner. If Sadie had just showed up five minutes later … What’s the point, though? It’s gone. I’ll never know what she was thinking.

Mum clatters around in the kitchen. ‘Megan!’ she yells. ‘I’m off soon. You coming down?’

Of course, she’s completely forgotten what day it is. Not so easy for Hana’s parents, wherever they are. I imagine them in their new house, silently staring at each other across the breakfast table. Hana’s mum is probably twisting her wedding ring around her finger. She always does that when she’s stressed. I wish they’d kept in touch, after they moved. I miss them.

I wipe the tears from my face and get up. I try not to be mad with Mum. Why would she remember? It’s not like it’s my birthday.

I think about the parties that Hana and I had when we were kids: racing through tunnels or diving into ball pits at the play centre, splashing in the pirate ship or whizzing down flumes at the swimming pool, stuffing ourselves with doughnuts and screaming on rides at the theme park. By the time I get to the kitchen, I manage to muster a smile for Mum.

She is simultaneously wolfing down toast and applying
eyeshadow. ‘I’m guessing you’re heading over to Jasmine’s today?’

I nod, grab some junk mail and write:
We’re going to make camping plans!

It’s sweltering outside and the sky is cloudless. It’s too hot to cycle to Jasmine’s so I walk. Slowly. Within minutes, my clothes are clinging to me.

I knock on Jasmine’s door and wait for someone to answer, feeling the usual flicker of excitement at seeing her again. But when Jasmine opens it, her face is downcast, her shoulders drooping. ‘Hi,’ she says in a sad, low voice.

I stare blankly.

Jasmine points inside and starts to head down the corridor. I grab her arm to make her look at me, frowning as questions dart through my mind. She just shrugs.

I feel it as soon as I step into the house. An atmosphere. I stop. My instinct is to leave. I don’t want to barge into the middle of something.

Eleni appears from the kitchen. Everything about her face is pulled tight – her brow, lips, eyes. Her cheeks are coloured with two crimson circles. ‘Hi, Megan. How are you?’ she asks.

‘She’ll be pretty annoyed when I tell her how ridiculous you’re being!’ Jasmine snaps.

I step back, towards the door. Eleni sees me and shoots Jasmine a stern look. ‘Will you just calm down? You’re making Megan feel awkward.’

‘I’m sorry, Megan, but she’s being so unreasonable.’

Eleni throws her hands into the air. ‘I won’t apologise, Jasmine. I’m just not comfortable with it.’

I’m backed against the wall. I’m still not sure what’s going on.

Jasmine swings round. ‘She wants us to cancel the camping trip! She wants to ruin your whole birthday!’

‘
Theé mou
! Stop being so dramatic! I’m just asking you to choose something else to celebrate your birthday, Megan. Given everything that’s happened recently, with these strange notes and threats, I’d rather Jasmine stayed here.’

‘That makes no sense! Whoever sent those notes knows that I live here! But nobody knows that Megan and I are going camping. How could they possibly find me?’

Eleni puts one hand on her hip and starts to wave the other at Jasmine. ‘There’s someone leaving dead cats on our doorstep and you expect me to let you camp in a field on your own?
Óchi
. No way.’

Jasmine’s dad walks down the stairs with slow, measured steps. At the bottom, he stoops his lean body to avoid hitting the ceiling, then smiles at me, as if to say:
this is normal for them
.

‘What do you think, Arthur?’ Eleni demands.

‘I’ve told you what I think,’ he replies in his quiet, patient way.

‘Then I don’t want to hear it again.’

Jasmine senses an advantage and presses it. ‘Dad, please. We won’t be far from the main road. If anything happens, you could be with us in twenty minutes. I’ll have my mobile and I’ll check in with Mum as often as she wants.’

Arthur considers for a moment.

‘Pleeeeaaaase?’ Jasmine begs.

Arthur looks at Eleni and gestures towards the kitchen. She follows, but she’s shaking her head and folding her arms as if nothing will change her mind.

I hold my breath as I catch snippets of what Jasmine’s dad is saying. ‘Under a lot of stress … deserves a break … policeman didn’t seem to think …’

When Eleni returns, her lips are pursed. ‘Fine,’ she agrees. Jasmine squeals. ‘But one night, not two. And I want you to be in regular phone contact.’

As Eleni sweeps out of the room, Arthur receives a stony look. ‘You know I won’t sleep a wink while they’re away,’ she says in a stilted voice.

‘Come on, Megan,’ Jasmine shrieks, grabbing my hand and dragging me upstairs. ‘We’ve got planning to do!’

When I get home, Mum has left a note to say she’s gone to Southampton for a night out. I’ve been left to fend for myself as far as dinner goes. There isn’t much in the house, but I don’t have enough cash to buy anything, so I use a knife to chip out a pizza box that’s stuck to the back of the freezer.

As the house fills with the smell of melting cheese, I set myself up for a night on the sofa. I’m glad Mum’s gone out. I know she sometimes feels lonely, even when I’m with her. It must be nice to talk to someone she can actually have a conversation with.

I stay up to make sure she gets home OK. It’s kind of funny
that the teenager is waiting up for the mum, but as the clock inches towards one, I start to lose my sense of humour.

I’ve just turned the TV off, ready to give up and go to bed, when the door crashes open, slamming into the wall behind it. I hear a giggle, followed by, ‘Shhhh!’

I freeze. Who’s she talking to? Please let her be talking to herself. She hasn’t brought someone back, has she?

Oh God. She has. She really has.

There’s another giggle, then a revolting wet sound as they snog in the hallway. Gross. Can’t they see the living room light is on?

I get up, hoping to sneak past while they’re distracted. But they stumble towards me, blocking my way. Mum and this man are pressed up against each other. They stink of booze.

This is wrong. So very wrong. I can’t take any more of this. What do I do?