I tensed up. I was probably the only person in class who hated it when the teacher put on a film, purely because I couldn’t see out of the window. From my seat I normally had a good view of the entrance and of any ghosts drawn to the school.
“Taylor, are you with us?”
“Yes, Miss.” I dragged my eyes away from the tiny slice of car park revealed by the pulled blind. Justin remained absent. I shifted my chair so I would have a good view of the classroom door. If he came in, I’d spot him.
Halfway through the lesson I gave up. Justin wasn’t coming. I shifted my attention to the screen. Juliet had just discovered Romeo’s true name. I sighed and reached for my pencil, knocking my notebook onto the floor as I did so.
Mrs Pickard glared pointedly and I bent over to pick it up. In the darkness beneath the table across from us, James and Tamsin were holding hands.
“I'm back.” I dropped my bag in the hall. Not one teacher had given us homework and we’d spent the day watching films or reading quietly. During break nervous energy overspilled into fights and races around the quad. Tamsin had gone home at lunchtime. I’d considered following her, hoping Justin might be lingering at her house, but I’d shelved that idea. Hannah needed me to be in school for at least one full day and I still had time to find him, at least for now.
Dad rolled out of his office, his face grave. “Hannah’s mum called. She said there’s a kid from your class gone missing.” His face told me what he thought of Hannah’s mum calling him. He liked her as much as I did.
“Is she worried?” I sat on the stairs so I could be at his level.
“I think she just wanted to gossip.” Dad pushed his chair closer. “It’s that boy you were in trouble with last week, isn’t it? Are you OK?”
“I didn’t even like him.” I shrugged.
“Sometimes that makes it worse.” Dad pressed forward. “Do you feel... guilty?”
“Why would I?”
Dad cleared his throat. “No reason.” His eyes froze on my white glove. “You didn’t tell me your condition had returned.”
I shoved my hand behind my back. “It was yesterday.”
“Still.” His chair pinned me to the stairs as he reached for my arm.
I snatched it out of reach. “Do you really need a sample?”
Dad dropped his hand. “No, that’s not it. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”
“I’m fine, Dad.” I tried on a smile. “Hannah’s coming over later.”
He glanced at my gloved hand again. “You aren’t… going out?” Out after a killer. He hated saying it and didn’t believe it anyway.
“Not yet.” There was a loose thread on my glove from all my picking. I tugged at it, avoiding his eyes.
“Good.” He glided back, gave me some room. “I have to do a bit of work – a teleconference with the bank. They want to talk about diversifying the mutual fund we got with your mum’s life insurance. And I need to check on our stocks and shares, make sure her family money is still working as hard as it can.” He rubbed his hands through his hair and glanced at his office. “We’re fine financially, but my research has thrown up a couple of ideas I want to run with, so I’m going to set some wheels in motion with the patent office. Anyway, when I’m off the phone, I thought I might take you out… and Hannah of course. We could go down the river. I know you usually prefer to stay in, but it’s such a nice day.”
Was it? I’d spent the whole journey home watching for Justin and keeping an eye out for other restless dead. I looked out the window and saw the sun streaming through Mum’s ivy in a lacework of green and gold.
I closed my hand around the Mark on my fist. Normally I’d argue to stay in and order a pizza and it was true that I didn’t want to risk getting a second Mark, but I’d seen Justin hanging out at the river before. He hadn’t been at school, so I’d have to start looking further afield.
“OK, Dad.” I smiled at him. “We’ll go out.”
“We will?” For a moment surprise made his face comical. Then he grinned. “You can push me from Hammersmith Bridge and I’ll feed you guys at the Blue Anchor. What do you think?”
“Sounds great, Dad.” I remembered that there was a good view from the tables there. I could sit and keep watch while I ate. “I’ll call Hannah.” I jumped to my feet and Dad’s arms pumped purposefully as he rolled towards his office.
“I’ll be as quick as I can,” he called over his shoulder. “It’ll be great to have a date with my favourite girls.”
I sniggered. “Right.” I ran upstairs already pulling off my uniform and his wistful tones trailed me up the stairs.
“It’s been such a long time.”
11
NO SIGN OF JUSTIN
My burger was growing cold and I was half listening to Hannah and Dad talking about school, half watching out of the pub window. There had been no sign of Justin. Dad grunted irritably and placed his pint meaningfully on the table.
“Are we keeping you from something, Taylor?” he snapped.
Hannah laughed uncomfortably. “She’s always like this, Mr Oh, I think it’s her eczema. It’s distracting when it’s bad.”
“How many times have I asked you to call me Gabriel?” Dad reached for her hand, squeezed it and withdrew. “Oh was Emma’s name, she wanted me to take it when we got married, a family tradition. Now when people say it, well… it reminds me what I’ve lost.”
“Sorry.” Hannah looked mortified. “I can call you Gabriel. It’s a nice name.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” Dad took a drink of his beer. “If we can just stick with Gabriel, or even Gabe, from here on out…”
“Of course.” Hannah looked at me, panic stricken.
“You’re right, Dad, it is a nice day.” I tried to focus on his face as I changed the subject, but my eyes kept slipping to the walkway outside. Was that man in jeans and a jumper really dressed for the weather? Was that woman casting a shadow?
Dad sighed and rolled his eyes at Hannah. “It’s just like being with her mum, she never gave me her full attention either. I started to feel like the most boring man alive. And now she’s older, with the glove and that hair, it’s easy to think I’m out with Emma.”
“The glove? Did Taylor’s mum have eczema too?” Hannah frowned at my hand.
“I’m sure she’s told you.” Dad smiled at my friend. “Emma shared Taylor’s condition.”
“No.” Hannah twisted her drink so that it made wet circles on the wooden table top. “She never said.”
“Oh.” Dad cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, that’s her glove Taylor wears.” It was his turn to change the subject. “Is that a rowing team at the bar?”
Hannah gave me a final glower, before leaning to look. “Oh yes. Tay, check out the muscles.”
“Muscles?” I grabbed gladly at the change in direction. “Where?”
But my gaze never reached the bar. There was an old man in one corner. He had been slumped over an empty pint glass since we came in. As I watched, a waitress emerged from the kitchen area and started clearing away empties. She had a smile and a word for every customer, but not this guy. He nodded at her when she picked up his drink, but she didn’t even acknowledge him.
My heart started to sink. The corner in which he sat was shadowy and I hadn’t seen him looking at us, but still…