Chocolate Box Girls: Coco Caramel by Cathy Cassidy

Seddon stops. He pulls Caramel towards him, catching hold of her
halter, and drags the little girl to her feet. I watch the three of them walk away, up
towards the house, the stable yard.
    Whatever I imagined when I tried to picture
Caramel’s new life, it wasn’t this. There is no laughing, freckle-faced boy,
no carrot treats or apple slices. And Seddon is exactly as Lawrie Marshall described him
– a horrible, horrible bully. Well, it takes one to know one, I suppose.
    I lean against a tree, trying to gather my
wits. Should I call the RSPCA? Would they believe me? Would they think it was serious
enough to take Caramel away fromhere, or would they just give Seddon a
warning? What if he told them it was all lies?
    Maybe ringing Jean and Roy at Woodlands
would be better. They would hate to think that Caramel was being badly treated – maybe
they could take her back again? I frown. Seddon has paid good money for Caramel, so I
don’t imagine he would be willing to let her go.
    I can’t risk leaving Caramel here – I
have to get her out, no matter what.
    A plan begins to unfurl in my mind. I sink
down on to a fallen log, taking the little mobile I was given for my twelfth birthday
and clicking on to Cherry’s number. After three rings, my stepsister answers.
    ‘It’s me – Coco,’ I say,
huddling into my jacket. ‘Are you alone? Can you talk? Because I need a favour.
And it has to be a secret!’
    ‘Coco? Yes, I’m in my room,
but … what d’you mean? Where are you? What secret? And … why
me?’
    I roll my eyes. ‘You’re the only
one who takes me seriously in this family,’ I explain. ‘Look … I
need you to cover for me. I wouldn’t ask, but it’s
really
important. Life and death.’
    ‘
What?
’ Cherry gasps.
    ‘Chill out,’ I say.
‘I’m fine. But I need you to tell Mum and Paddy that I rang, and that
I’m staying over with Sarah.’
    ‘Aren’t you with her?’
    ‘Obviously not,’ I say.
‘Look, if you can just tell Mum –’
    ‘What is going on? Where
are
you? And where are you staying tonight, if you’re not coming home and you’re
not with Sarah?’
    ‘I will be coming home,’ I sigh.
‘I promise. But it will be very late, and I don’t want Mum to worry.
I’ll sleep in the gypsy caravan. I will explain everything when I see you. You
have to trust me, Cherry, OK?’
    ‘Oh, Coco!’ she says. ‘Are
you in trouble?’
    ‘No, no, I’m fine,’ I
insist. ‘Honestly. I’ll explain everything tomorrow. Will you cover for me,
Cherry, please?’
    There is a silence, and then I hear her
sigh.
    ‘Do you promise me you’re not in
any kind of trouble?’ she asks.
    ‘I’m fine,’ I insist.
‘It’s no big deal, honestly, and I really will explain everything when I see
you … please, Cherry?’
    I can just picture my stepsister’s face,
trying to balance concern with sisterly support and failing miserably.
    ‘OK,’ she says reluctantly.
‘I’ll tell Dad and Charlotte that you’re staying with Sarah tonight.
But … Coco? Whatever you’re up to, be careful. OK?’
    ‘I will,’ I promise.
‘Thanks, Cherry!’
    I click to disconnect the call, then ring
Sarah to make sure she will cover for me too if Mum should call her place to check.
That’s unlikely – Sarah and I often sleep over at each other’s houses, so
it’s no big deal – but I need to be sure. I tell her I am on a secret mission
against animal cruelty, and that I will explain everything at school on Monday. Sarah
offers to come and help, and I am tempted to let her, but then she remembers that her
bike has a flat tyre.
    ‘I could ask Dad for a lift?’
she suggests. I tell her to forget it – asking for lifts after dark to the middle of
nowhere would be way too suspicious.
    ‘Sure?’ she presses. ‘I
could bring a flask of soup. And blankets. And torches!’
    I wish I had all of those things. I wish I
had a friend to sit beside me in the woods as the night sky darkensand
the cold seeps into