‘It’s not fair, you always blame—’

‘What’s going on with those marks, in your room? What have you been doing?’

‘What marks?’

‘Don’t give me that, Maude. I’ve had enough of this.’ Nell began to walk down the stairs, still holding Maude’s diary ‘This isn’t our house and even if it was you can’t just – vandalise it—’

‘I’m not doing anything!’ Maude backed away, on the verge of tears, her rage and frustration a near physical thing, and Nell felt her own temper rising in response. ‘You always blame me and it’s not fair—’

‘You need to tell me what you’ve been up to—’

‘That’s mine.’ Maude’s voice grew shrill. ‘You’re not supposed to touch my stuff—’

‘Well, what else am I supposed to do’ – Nell’s voice rose in response – ‘when you won’t talk to me?’ She took another step, heedless, at first, of the footsteps behind her. Then the hall lights wavered and Maude looked up past her and gasped. Nell turned to look up at the first floor landing, but the lights flickered once more and died. In the sudden darkness, the footsteps stopped. Nell took a breath, and behind her on the stair someone took hold of her T-shirt, bunching the fabric together tightly between her shoulder blades, and pulled.

As she fell, she heard Maude scream.

Chapter 18

18

She couldn’t breathe.

Her wrist ached and there was a vicious pain dancing around her ribs. She couldn’t – breathe. Panic flooded in.

‘Nell?’ Maude sounded unbearably young, and very, very afraid. ‘Nell?’

She forced herself onto her hands and knees, gasping, trying to calm down. She was winded, that was all, and – and – she took in a long shuddering breath, then another.

‘Are you OK?’

‘Yes.’ Her voice was hoarse. She cleared her throat and tried once more. ‘I’m fine, Maudie.’ Gradually, her eyes became accustomed to the dark, and she could just make her out, a shadowy figure in front of the door. But hadn’t she been closer? Behind her on the stairs? Nell wasn’t sure.

‘Who’s there?’

Nell lifted her head, listened. ‘No one,’ she said, getting slowly to her feet, ‘there’s no one there.’ She could smell some-thing, hot metal, burning wire. ‘We’ve blown a fuse, that’s all.’ She was dizzy, her lips were wet.

‘It hurts,’ said Maude, brushing past her in the dark, and Nell followed her into the kitchen. But when she spoke again she was somehow behind her once more, back in the hall, by the door. ‘It really hurts, Nell.’

‘Yes. OK. Give me a minute.’

*

Nell fumbled with the fuse box, her fingers stiff and clumsy. After a stuttering hesitation, the lights came on.

‘Nell?’