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Back Gone Save as PDF
Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. Acknowledgements
  75. Reading Group Questions
  76. Read More
  77. I

Bloom clasped her hands together as though praying. ‘It’s a very strong characteristic, in my experience. The type of quality people look for when employing air-traffic controllers, for instance, people who need to remain calm in a crisis. Would you say you’re like that?’

Seraphine liked the idea of being calm in a crisis. ‘I suppose.’

‘Other than your recent experience with Mr Shaw, when was the last time something really upset you?’

She couldn’t think of an example. ‘I don’t know. I don’t really cry. They tried to stop me going on the Art trip at school, which made me angry, but Mum spoke to them and sorted it all out.’

‘So you’re going now?’

‘No. They wouldn’t let me while I’m not in school. But it’s been cancelled now.’

Dr Bloom’s eyebrows rose ever so slightly and then reset themselves. ‘And now no one is going?’

Seraphine nodded. ‘Mum spoke to them, and now it’s not happening.’ If she couldn’t go, why should the rest of her class? She was the best artist by far.

‘You said you don’t really cry. What did you mean?’

‘Well, Mum cried for a week when the dog died. She’s a bit of a drama queen.’

‘Were you upset about the dog dying?’

Seraphine thought about it. ‘He’d had a good life.’

‘You didn’t miss him?’

‘I didn’t miss taking him for walks in the rain or having to feed him every night. Although I suppose my pocket money went down as a result of losing those jobs, so that was annoying.’

Bloom nodded and smiled for the first time. ‘Seraphine, I think you may possess some of the qualities of these outstanding teens. And, if it’s OK with you, I’d like to spend our next few sessions exploring whether that’s the case. Will you have a think about that for me before we meet again?’

Seraphine left the room feeling a little taller. I knew I was special, she thought as she walked out of the building and into the sunshine, I knew it. She was starting to like this psychologist. Dr Augusta Bloom might be the first person she had met who deserved her respect.

15

The train home was quiet. Bloom placed her handbag on the seat beside her and circled her shoulders. Jameson had been right to insist they look into Lana’s disappearance. There was definitely something odd going on.

But the extra workload was exhausting. Bloom could happily sit in a room of people and say not a single word, but the thoughts in her head were rarely quiet. It was the curse of the introvert to think, rethink and ponder every aspect of every experience. An additional case simply added to the noise.