Goodbye Ruby Tuesday by A. L. Michael Page B

leave Nanny’s.’ Esme looked uncomfortable for a brief moment, but took off her glasses to clean them on the bottom of her t-shirt, ‘Doesn’t matter anyway, we’re here now.’
    Evie wasn’t really sure how to handle this information, and decided the best course of action was to make Esme love her new home. She’d known living with Linda had never been the best of times; the woman had always been a pushy, loud drunk. But she’d managed to raise Mollie, who was sweet and kind and loving. Whatever she’d done, Evie had assumed Esme felt loved at home. But maybe they’d all been waiting for an escape. Ruby included. She’d got her escape, and then she’d passed it on to them. And Evie wasn’t going to waste it.
    ‘Well, seeing as your mum’s got her first shift at the new branch, I think you and I should properly look at this place and see what it needs to make it a home. What do you think?’
    An hour or so passed with them walking around, Esme intent with her little notebook and pen, scribbling down every idea. A patchwork bedspread, a beanbag, plates with sunflowers on them. Anything they could think of to make it ‘theirs’. Things they didn’t even know existed.
    They walked into Mollie and Esme’s room, looking at the tatty brown wardrobe up against the wall in disappointment.
    ‘It’s really ugly,’ Esme twitched her nose.
    ‘Maybe we could paint it? Put some flowers on it?’ Even Evie was doubtful, unable to visualise the awful cupboard being anything other than old-fashioned and vile. ‘What if we moved it over by the window? It’ll be out of the way at least.’
    Esme shrugged, and together they started to push the huge thing across the floor. It squeaked as it scratched the floorboards and Evie winced, worried about the state of the wood. There less than a day and they were damaging things.
    ‘Evie! Evie!’ The little girl pointed as she did a little hop of excitement, pausing to push her glasses up. ‘Look, look!’
    Where the cupboard had been was a doorway, small with a wooden panelled door. It looked like something out of Alice in Wonderland, and Evie had to bend to reach the brass doorknob.
    Please don’t be full of dead bodies, please, please,
Evie closed her eyes briefly, then twisted the handle, pushing the door open firmly. The room was normal, apart from its low ceiling and small door. Esme walked through comfortably, her little face lit up in wonder. At the far end of the room was a long window, and Esme peered down to the courtyard where the car was parked.
    ‘A secret room!’ She clapped her hands.
    ‘Better than that, Ez –
your
secret room!’ Evie squeezed her little shoulders, ‘You don’t have to share with your mum any more, you’ve got a room of your own!’
    Esme launched herself at Evie in a rare show of affection. So often Esme seemed otherworldly, strangely aware for a ten-year-old, like she was too smart for all these silly emotional adults. But now she was just a kid who had a real home.
    ‘Thank you for bringing us here,’ she mumbled, her hands clamped around Evie’s waist. ‘I’m sad Ruby died but I’m glad we get to be here. It’s like you’re my godmother and Ruby’s my fairy godmother.’
    Evie didn’t like to point out that if Ruby had lived to be an honorary auntie, she would have been the one who gave Ez terrible advice about boys, taught her how to smoke without Mollie knowing, and generally would have caused trouble. But still, the idea made Evie smile – Ruby Tuesday in her sparkly green corset, red hair gleaming as she waved her wand and granted wishes. Glinda the Good Witch, and Ruby the Rebel Fairy. It was a nice picture.
    She grabbed Esme’s hand, ‘Well I may only be your
boring, regular
godmother, but I think we should go down to Camden Market and buy lots of beautiful things to make your secret room truly special.’
    Esme grinned, then faltered, ‘But that might be expensive and Mum says–’
    Evie held up her hand,