‘I’m not supposed to say.’ Maude looked anxious, suddenly. ‘There was a big meeting at school and – we’re supposed to be moving on.’ The phrase didn’t sound natural, and Kym had the impression that it was something Maude had heard, probably more than once. ‘I’m going back, though, in September.’

She didn’t sound too happy about that and Kym could imagine why; she felt an unexpected rush of sympathy. ‘You’re lucky, to have all this to yourself,’ she said, looking around the attic. ‘It’s – cool.’

‘It’s not ours, though,’ said Maude.

‘It is for now.’

Maude thought for a moment. And Kym had the sense that the kid was trying to come to some sort of decision. ‘Do you want to see something really cool?’ she said.

Chapter 14

14

‘It’s good, isn’t it?’

The problem was there was no overhead lighting, so they’d had to clear the trunk, pull it into position underneath the beam and then Kym had climbed onto it. Standing on her toes, she’d even attempted to take a few pictures.

‘Kym?’

‘What?’

‘No one else knows about them.’ Maude frowned. ‘I mean, I don’t think anyone else knows about them.’

‘You haven’t told your – Nell or your dad?’

‘No.’

‘Why not?’

‘Dunno. It’s my room, not theirs. And they’re all weird with me now. Like they can’t leave me alone, and – I just want something for myself. That’s all right, isn’t it?’

Kym sat next to Maude on the bed, scrolling through the pictures. She’d thought there was only one mark on the beam at first, some workman carving his initials MM, bold and crude, and not much to get excited over. But he’d repeated it over and over again, then, further along, she’d noticed another design, more abstract this time.

‘That one looks like a flower,’ said Maude.

‘Yes.’ It was simple enough, a circle, and inside the circle six narrow ellipses, petals. Kym looked up at the ceiling again. It was dark outside now, properly dark, and the lamps up here weren’t really strong enough, but there were definitely more.

‘You have to promise not to tell.’

Kym looked down at her, almost amused. ‘Do I?’

‘Please.’

‘Why?’

‘I told you,’ said Maude, ‘they’ll get all weird and there’s no need, I was reading about—’ She stopped mid-sentence. ‘Did you hear that?’ she said.

Someone was knocking at the door.

*

The sound was muffled at first, but once they’d climbed back down the ladder it was clearer, more distinct. Someone thumping on the front door with the side of their fist, over and over again.

‘Is something wrong?’ Maude asked as she followed Kym along the landing.

‘I don’t know.’