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Back When I Was Ten Save as PDF
Chapters (79)
  1. Cover
  2. WHEN I WAS TEN
  3. Dedication page
  4. Epigraph page
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. PART TWO
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. PART THREE
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. 58
  67. 59
  68. 60
  69. 61
  70. 62
  71. 63
  72. 64
  73. 65
  74. 66
  75. 67
  76. 68
  77. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  78. WHEN I WAS TEN
  79. Also by Fiona Cummins

Spiders of all kinds lived in the shed. She had seen them last weekend when her father had sent her to fetch the weed killer. Black spiders with shiny backs imprinted with markings that looked like skulls. Pale spiders with jointed, oversized legs. Brown spiders, gorging on insects and covered in fine hairs.

She hated them all.

As quickly as she could, Sara whipped her top over her head and threw it on the floor, her senses aflame, imagining an army marching across her back, seeking out the crevices of her body.

In the secrecy of the night, she was plagued by what she couldn’t see. She bent her arms behind her, trying to reach up between her shoulder blades, slapping at her skin in a frenzy.

She screamed again and again until her throat was swollen and she was reduced to nothing more than the sound of her fear.

Sara only stopped screaming when a spider crawled across her face, its legs exploring the dark opening of her mouth, and she collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.

35

Shannon didn’t see him coming. She didn’t stand a chance.

Her cheek was resting on Kit’s shoulder, her eyes shut. She had never been so close to a boy before. The smell and feel of him made her feel dizzy, even though she’d consumed nothing more than a plastic cup of fruit punch. They shuffled together, still awkward with each other, finding their way.

She wondered what it would be like to kiss him, and whether it might happen that night and if it was true what the girls at school said, that boys used their tongues like a washing machine spin cycle instead of the chaste kisses she’d experienced from relatives.

‘Shall we go outside in a bit?’ His breath was warm against her ear, flipping her stomach.

She didn’t want to betray her nervousness by looking at him, so she nodded, and he pulled her into him until the length of her body was pressed against his, no space between them.

The music changed to an up-tempo song, but neither of them moved, enjoying the sensation of teenage discovery.

The first indication that something was amiss was the muttering that undulated across the dance floor like a murmuration of birds.

Shannon still had her eyes closed, inhaling Kit’s cheap deodorant. She leaned into the solid shape of his chest, honed by years of swim training, a rare lightness inside her.

Beneath the music, she caught the rustle of many voices, handing observations to the next person and the next person and the next.

She opened her eyes.

The second indication was her awareness of space, that other students were backing away from them until Shannon and Kit were standing alone in the centre of the disco, lights playing across their faces.