scattered tiny rainbow-lights across the room.
‘That's Rob, and that's Gail,’ said Sheila, flopping onto the bed. ‘This is
Emma,
everyone.’
Rob gave me a sort of salute – a gangly, dark-haired boy in a flapping black trenchcoat. Gail was heavy-set with crimson hair, wearing a black corset-type dress with dramatically flowing sleeves. She nodded at me. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi.’ I hugged my elbow, feeling stupidly trendy in my flared jeans and tight brown top. I sank down on the floor beside Sheila's desk.
Suddenly I saw that there were four cardboard boxes stacked against the wall. Every one of them had a black and white poster of Abby taped to the front. MISSING: ABIGAIL RYZNER, known as ‘Abby’ . I looked quickly away.
‘Should we wait for—?’ started Rob.
Sheila's earrings rattled as she shook her head. ‘No, he said he might be late. Let's just get started.’
Gail drew a notebook out of her bag, opening it to a page with lots of writing. She cleared her throat, not looking at me. ‘Um – right, Emma. What did Abby say when she first saw you?’
For a second my brain felt completely out of step. I took a breath. ‘Um – well, you know, we said hello … it wasn't anything important.’
Sheila rolled her eyes. ‘You can't
know
it wasn't important. Come on, what exactly did you say?’
So I struggled to recall exactly what we had said, and Gail scribbled down all the banal stuff about
how'syour mum, how are your brothers.
It had been such a nothing conversation, so why did I feel like they were taking my clothes off?
‘What did you talk about on the bus?’ asked Rob. He had a scattering of acne, and dark eyes that squinted at me like I was a theorem he was trying to work out.
I looked down, picking at a bit of carpet fluff. ‘Um … she said that she was getting ready to start GM-ing, or whatever it's called, and that her game was going to be more exciting or something … she showed me this book, the
Monster Manual …
’ Gail wrote it all down without commenting, the black lace of her sleeves making a spider-web pattern against her arm.
Against my will, my eyes were drawn to the four boxes again. Feeling sick, I jerked my gaze away, looking instead at the D&D books bulging in Sheila's bookshelf. She had the
Monster Manual,
too.
Sheila's eyes were narrow blue slits, sneering at every word I said. ‘What was in her knapsack?’ she barked.
I felt my face redden as I glanced at her. ‘You already know that from the re-enactment—’
‘Remind us, will you?’
‘Fine!’ My voice wavered. ‘There was the box with the necklace in it, and the book – and I think a bottle of Pepsi—’
Her nose jabbed at me like a pointing finger. ‘You
think
? Can't you even
try
to remember?’
‘I
am
—’
‘Look, let's go on to something else,’ broke in Rob,tapping his fingers on the thigh of his jeans. ‘What sort of mood was Abby in? Did she seem upset or anything?’
Sheila flopped back against the headboard with her arms across her chest. ‘Probably she was fine until Emma here told her to piss off. Right, Emma?’
A prickling burned my throat. ‘We were
both
upset; it wasn't like—’
Gail looked up from her notebook. ‘Yeah, but do you think the stuff with you was all that was upsetting her? Or was there something else?’
I looked away, trying not to think of the cautiously happy look on Abby's face when she first caught sight of me. I could feel them all watching me. ‘It was just
– the stuff with me, I guess,’ I managed finally. Sheila's mouth twisted. ‘Yeah, what a total surprise. Right, next question. Did you—’
‘Look, forget it! This is – I mean, maybe I should just go.’ I started to scramble up, grabbing blindly at my handbag.
‘No, wait!’ Gail held her hand up. ‘Come on
,
Sheila, leave off, will you? She's trying to help us, at least.’
Sheila snorted and looked away.
‘OK?’ said Gail to me.
My heart thudded as I sank slowly back down
‘That's Rob, and that's Gail,’ said Sheila, flopping onto the bed. ‘This is
Emma,
everyone.’
Rob gave me a sort of salute – a gangly, dark-haired boy in a flapping black trenchcoat. Gail was heavy-set with crimson hair, wearing a black corset-type dress with dramatically flowing sleeves. She nodded at me. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi.’ I hugged my elbow, feeling stupidly trendy in my flared jeans and tight brown top. I sank down on the floor beside Sheila's desk.
Suddenly I saw that there were four cardboard boxes stacked against the wall. Every one of them had a black and white poster of Abby taped to the front. MISSING: ABIGAIL RYZNER, known as ‘Abby’ . I looked quickly away.
‘Should we wait for—?’ started Rob.
Sheila's earrings rattled as she shook her head. ‘No, he said he might be late. Let's just get started.’
Gail drew a notebook out of her bag, opening it to a page with lots of writing. She cleared her throat, not looking at me. ‘Um – right, Emma. What did Abby say when she first saw you?’
For a second my brain felt completely out of step. I took a breath. ‘Um – well, you know, we said hello … it wasn't anything important.’
Sheila rolled her eyes. ‘You can't
know
it wasn't important. Come on, what exactly did you say?’
So I struggled to recall exactly what we had said, and Gail scribbled down all the banal stuff about
how'syour mum, how are your brothers.
It had been such a nothing conversation, so why did I feel like they were taking my clothes off?
‘What did you talk about on the bus?’ asked Rob. He had a scattering of acne, and dark eyes that squinted at me like I was a theorem he was trying to work out.
I looked down, picking at a bit of carpet fluff. ‘Um … she said that she was getting ready to start GM-ing, or whatever it's called, and that her game was going to be more exciting or something … she showed me this book, the
Monster Manual …
’ Gail wrote it all down without commenting, the black lace of her sleeves making a spider-web pattern against her arm.
Against my will, my eyes were drawn to the four boxes again. Feeling sick, I jerked my gaze away, looking instead at the D&D books bulging in Sheila's bookshelf. She had the
Monster Manual,
too.
Sheila's eyes were narrow blue slits, sneering at every word I said. ‘What was in her knapsack?’ she barked.
I felt my face redden as I glanced at her. ‘You already know that from the re-enactment—’
‘Remind us, will you?’
‘Fine!’ My voice wavered. ‘There was the box with the necklace in it, and the book – and I think a bottle of Pepsi—’
Her nose jabbed at me like a pointing finger. ‘You
think
? Can't you even
try
to remember?’
‘I
am
—’
‘Look, let's go on to something else,’ broke in Rob,tapping his fingers on the thigh of his jeans. ‘What sort of mood was Abby in? Did she seem upset or anything?’
Sheila flopped back against the headboard with her arms across her chest. ‘Probably she was fine until Emma here told her to piss off. Right, Emma?’
A prickling burned my throat. ‘We were
both
upset; it wasn't like—’
Gail looked up from her notebook. ‘Yeah, but do you think the stuff with you was all that was upsetting her? Or was there something else?’
I looked away, trying not to think of the cautiously happy look on Abby's face when she first caught sight of me. I could feel them all watching me. ‘It was just
– the stuff with me, I guess,’ I managed finally. Sheila's mouth twisted. ‘Yeah, what a total surprise. Right, next question. Did you—’
‘Look, forget it! This is – I mean, maybe I should just go.’ I started to scramble up, grabbing blindly at my handbag.
‘No, wait!’ Gail held her hand up. ‘Come on
,
Sheila, leave off, will you? She's trying to help us, at least.’
Sheila snorted and looked away.
‘OK?’ said Gail to me.
My heart thudded as I sank slowly back down
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