I twisted away from her and snapped her bracelet (by accident – it was her fault for grabbing me so viciously, and anyway, I’ve got fresh goat injuries) and started yelling at her to keep her nails out of my flesh and she was screaming back that she deserves respect and then Mum came in and started shouting at both of us and then I realised that the lights were getting brighter and brighter and brighter. I thought they’d pop for sure. We all looked up and went silent. And then they went back to normal.

Mum got over it quickest. ‘Get to the table and not another word from the pair of you. We’re eating now.’

Then Lily went back to her normal self too. ‘I don’t want your sweaty stew!’

‘Lily, it’s exactly the same one I made last week. You liked it then.’

‘It’s made with pure sweat!’

‘Mum,’ I said, ‘can Lily stop being in charge while you’re out? I was only with Sam, and she’s acting like she owns me.’

That caused another volcanic eruption, and Lily stormed upstairs. As she went, the light above the stairs flickered, and I swear it went a pinky colour.

Mum sighed. ‘She just wants to feel like she’s got a bit of control somewhere. Bullying is complicated, Alfie. It does things to you that can’t easily be undone.’

‘Well maybe I’d understand better if you actually told me what happened to her,’ I snapped. ‘Why’s it such a big secret?’ Mum pursed her lips together but didn’t say anything because right then the kettle randomly switched itself on.

I think the thing from the box has followed me home.

11

Frustrated Energy

25th July, 4.00 p.m.

The last day of term. Sam and I have just walked from the school bus full of supercharged zip. The whole summer holidays are here: aeons of time for what’s shaping up into a mega investigation.

‘Hey, the giant guinea pigs are real animals,’ Sam told me, rubbing his hands together with immense satisfaction. ‘They’re called capybara. They’re the size of a small pig.’

‘Waaay! Imagine that stampede! Spitting frogs are real too, I’m sure of it. But listen,’ I said, making fast mini-skids in some gravel with my shoes. ‘This morning, when I was getting milk out of the fridge, the whole thing convulsed.’

‘Fridges are always juddering. It’s just the compressor—’

‘No – this was really radical rattling. It was practically rocking.’

Sam screwed up his eyes doubtfully. ‘What did your mum say when it did that?’

‘She didn’t see it.’

He snorted. ‘It’s pointless repeating what we did yesterday.’

‘I’m telling you, it’s definitely in the house with me. We just need to get stealthier. We’ll sit still in my room till the creature gets bored and comes out.’