Chapters (68)
- Cover
- Praise for
- PART ONE
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- NETWORK RAIL SAFETY UPGRADES TOO LATE FOR “OUR ALICE”
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- PART TWO
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- PART THREE
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- THREE MONTHS LATER
- Dedication
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- BY LESLEY KARA
- About the Author
- What’s next onyour reading list?
Heather Langton nudges my elbow. “You okay, Lizzie?” she whispers.
I nod, tight-lipped. It’s nice of her to ask, but I wish she wouldn’t. All I want is for this to be over so we can go back inside. I’ve been dreading it all week. I know these rituals are supposed to be important, but I’ll be relieved when they’re all over.
At last, Mr. Davis clears his throat and asks for hush. He tells us that Mr. Baines, the gardener, and Alice’s father are now going to plant the tree. The last few murmurs peter out as Mr. Baines holds the sapling in place and Mr. Dawson picks up the shovel. The sun glints off the shiny metal.
Now all we can hear is the sound of the shovel slicing into the mound of soil and the soil falling into the hole. It makes me remember the day Alice was buried and, for one hideous moment, I imagine her hand thrusting up through the soil, her finger pointing straight at me. The shock of it makes me flinch violently and the girls standing near me shuffle quickly out of the way, as if they think I’m about to have a seizure.
Wouldn’t that be a nightmare? Having another seizure while Alice’s memorial tree is being planted. I can just imagine what Melissa and Bethany and some of the others would say if that happened. They’d say I was spoiling Alice’s day on purpose, that I was hogging all the attention and making it about me.
Please God, don’t let me have a seizure today. Not while Alice’s dad is here, planting her tree.
When the tree has been firmed in and the two men stand back, Mr. Davis gives a speech, similar to the one he gave at Alice’s memorial service, but shorter. He says that while the tree is growing there will be a mesh guard around it, to protect it while it’s still young and delicate. We should avoid getting too close to the tree until it is established, he says, but that as long as we are careful and respectful, this section of the school garden will be a place to visit and feel close to Alice.
A shiver runs down my spine at this last mention of her name and I have the weirdest sensation that she is standing right behind me, that I can feel her icy breath on the back of my neck, and I know that as long as I live, Alice will always be with me. Always weighing on my conscience. I don’t need a special tree to remember her by.