family, and see if they can help us.’
‘But––’
‘You know everyone around here, Kate. Are there any people called Eades still living in theneighbourhood?’
‘Mmmm, yeah,’ she said, not very enthusiastically. ‘But I’m not sure that––’
‘Where do they live?’ I asked.
I jumped down from the wall, but Kate didn’t move.
‘Come on,’ I said, getting excited. ‘Why aren’t you coming?’
‘Well, you see––’
I grabbed her arm. ‘Don’t worry, Kate,’ I said. ‘I’ll do all the talking if you want. You can just show me the way, and be there for moral support. I like doing this kind of thing.’
Kate looked like she was going to say something, and then she changed her mind. She gave a big shrug and a sigh.
‘Whatever,’ she said. ‘No matter what I say, I know you’re going to go ahead with this. We might as well just get it over with.’
I walked beside her as Kate slowly led the way towards the village. She didn’t say anything, butI was too excited to care.
‘There,’ she said finally, pointing at a small house. ‘That’s where the only Eades family I know lives, but––’
I knew that if I hesitated, Kate would find a reason to back out, so I opened the gate and marched up to the door of the house. As I knocked, Kate sidled up and stood beside me. She looked kind of edgy, like she was getting ready to make a quick escape.
I knocked again, and a second later the door was open and a stunning blonde girl was standing there in pyjamas.
‘What do you two losers want?’ she asked.
Cathy?
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.
‘It had better be good,’ said Cathy. ‘I’m totally exhausted. Do you have any idea how tiring the flight from Dubai is? Even in first class, it’s totally impossible to get any sleep.’
I stood there like an idiot. How had weended up talking to Cathy – the meanest, most horrible bully in the history of the world? I looked at Kate, but her head was down, and she was examining her shoes like they contained the hidden secrets of the universe.
I remembered the summer when Kate and I first met. Back then, she was all weird and sullen and sad and lonely. Back then, Cathy had spent her time calling Kate names and being mean to her. (Back then, Lily used to be friends with Cathy, but luckily she started to hang out with Kate and me, and she got sense in the end.)
I couldn’t stop staring at Cathy. Even though she claimed to be tired, she looked like she’d just walked out of a beauty salon. Her hair was perfect, and her pyjamas looked like something you could easily wear to the Oscars. I have to admit that people who look as perfect as that scare me a bit.
I knew this was a terrible mistake, and I was getting ready to walk away, but then I saw thatKate wasn’t moving. She looked cross and upset, but kind of determined too. She caught my eye and gave a small nod, which I guessed meant that she wanted me to continue – so I did.
‘Er, hi Cathy,’ I said. ‘Kate and I would like to talk to you about one of your ancestors.’
Cathy’s eyes opened wide, becoming even bigger and bluer and more amazing as they did so.
I kept talking. ‘You see there’s this girl called Daisy, well she’s not a girl any more, she must be an ancient old lady by now, but she used to be a girl and she used to live in Seacove years and years ago, and …’
Cathy gave a pretty yawn, holding perfectly manicured fingers over her mouth. The sleeve of her pyjama top slipped down, so I got a good view of her golden, suntanned arm.
‘Is this story actually going somewhere?’ she said. ‘Or are you just exercising your lungs? I’m just wondering, because unlike you, I actuallyhave a life, and I’d like to get on with it.’
And then I knew that this was never, ever going to work. Even if she knew anything about George Eades, Cathy was too mean and horrible to share it with us. She’d just use it to taunt and annoy us.
‘Oooops,’ I said.
‘But––’
‘You know everyone around here, Kate. Are there any people called Eades still living in theneighbourhood?’
‘Mmmm, yeah,’ she said, not very enthusiastically. ‘But I’m not sure that––’
‘Where do they live?’ I asked.
I jumped down from the wall, but Kate didn’t move.
‘Come on,’ I said, getting excited. ‘Why aren’t you coming?’
‘Well, you see––’
I grabbed her arm. ‘Don’t worry, Kate,’ I said. ‘I’ll do all the talking if you want. You can just show me the way, and be there for moral support. I like doing this kind of thing.’
Kate looked like she was going to say something, and then she changed her mind. She gave a big shrug and a sigh.
‘Whatever,’ she said. ‘No matter what I say, I know you’re going to go ahead with this. We might as well just get it over with.’
I walked beside her as Kate slowly led the way towards the village. She didn’t say anything, butI was too excited to care.
‘There,’ she said finally, pointing at a small house. ‘That’s where the only Eades family I know lives, but––’
I knew that if I hesitated, Kate would find a reason to back out, so I opened the gate and marched up to the door of the house. As I knocked, Kate sidled up and stood beside me. She looked kind of edgy, like she was getting ready to make a quick escape.
I knocked again, and a second later the door was open and a stunning blonde girl was standing there in pyjamas.
‘What do you two losers want?’ she asked.
Cathy?
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.
‘It had better be good,’ said Cathy. ‘I’m totally exhausted. Do you have any idea how tiring the flight from Dubai is? Even in first class, it’s totally impossible to get any sleep.’
I stood there like an idiot. How had weended up talking to Cathy – the meanest, most horrible bully in the history of the world? I looked at Kate, but her head was down, and she was examining her shoes like they contained the hidden secrets of the universe.
I remembered the summer when Kate and I first met. Back then, she was all weird and sullen and sad and lonely. Back then, Cathy had spent her time calling Kate names and being mean to her. (Back then, Lily used to be friends with Cathy, but luckily she started to hang out with Kate and me, and she got sense in the end.)
I couldn’t stop staring at Cathy. Even though she claimed to be tired, she looked like she’d just walked out of a beauty salon. Her hair was perfect, and her pyjamas looked like something you could easily wear to the Oscars. I have to admit that people who look as perfect as that scare me a bit.
I knew this was a terrible mistake, and I was getting ready to walk away, but then I saw thatKate wasn’t moving. She looked cross and upset, but kind of determined too. She caught my eye and gave a small nod, which I guessed meant that she wanted me to continue – so I did.
‘Er, hi Cathy,’ I said. ‘Kate and I would like to talk to you about one of your ancestors.’
Cathy’s eyes opened wide, becoming even bigger and bluer and more amazing as they did so.
I kept talking. ‘You see there’s this girl called Daisy, well she’s not a girl any more, she must be an ancient old lady by now, but she used to be a girl and she used to live in Seacove years and years ago, and …’
Cathy gave a pretty yawn, holding perfectly manicured fingers over her mouth. The sleeve of her pyjama top slipped down, so I got a good view of her golden, suntanned arm.
‘Is this story actually going somewhere?’ she said. ‘Or are you just exercising your lungs? I’m just wondering, because unlike you, I actuallyhave a life, and I’d like to get on with it.’
And then I knew that this was never, ever going to work. Even if she knew anything about George Eades, Cathy was too mean and horrible to share it with us. She’d just use it to taunt and annoy us.
‘Oooops,’ I said.
Similar Books
