Sharon Stevens

Prologue

Sarah watched as they lowered her coffin into the ground. She stood in the bell tower, looking down over the small cemetery, watching the mourners gathered under their umbrellas. Her eyes flitted over those gathered.

“Looking for someone?” the grey-suited man with the red shirt came and stood next to her.

“My sister, Mandy. I thought she might try for today.”

They stood silently as different people came forward to throw white roses onto her coffin. Sarah smiled as James stepped forward.

“He remembered,” she said.

“What did who remember?” her companion asked.

“James. He was my best friend. I have always hated black, and he wore red. I bet Mrs Hare hates him right now.”

Her eyes moved again to the old Mrs Hare, who stood beside a couple holding a tiny baby.

Sarah swallowed hard as the emotion threatened to overcome her. “They’ll look after him, won’t they?”

“Who are you talking about?” he asked.

“My baby, Liam. Tina’s holding him. She’s stood next to Mrs Hare.”

The warden moved closer to her and squinted his eyes. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see a baby.” He looked at her with sympathy in his eyes. “But I’m sure he’ll be fine.”

Sarah stared at him momentarily, not understanding why he couldn’t see Liam. She opened her mouth to say something, but then she remembered. Her hand wandered to her neck to grab the key, but it wasn’t there. She’d hidden it. She’d protected them.

She cleared her throat. “I’m sure you’re right.”

They both stood in silence, watching the mourners leave the graveside. James was the last to leave. Sarah took a deep breath and moved closer to the warden. “OK, it’s over. Let’s go. I know what happens if I stay.”

He looked at her strangely, and Sarah bit her lips at her careless words. She couldn’t afford to be discovered now. She held out her hand, and he took hold of it.

“Hold on tight,” he muttered. A set of red wings appeared out of his back. He touched the stained-glass window, and it seemed to melt away.

He wrapped an arm around her, and they took off into the air. Sailing over the cemetery, neither noticed the young girl standing alone by the grave. She stepped forward and let go of the rose. As the rose hit the coffin containing her sister, a soft breeze fluttered overhead, and the young girl watched as a large red feather fluttered side to side before finally coming to rest amongst the bed of white roses.

Chapter 1

Nine months later

The air is still warm outside with a light breeze, which whisks up the autumn leaves into whirlpools as I walk past. It’s eerily quiet. It’s not yet six o’clock, but everyone has deserted the streets. It’s that strange time of day when it’s not quite dark, so the light lingers, creating strange shadows. Evidence of the Others becomes more apparent each day. There’s another empty house with boarded-up windows at the end of our street. Cars lie abandoned, windscreens smashed, tyres slashed. Barbed wire fences with gates have appeared around people’s homes. CCTV is everywhere. Monitoring. Watching.

The crash of a bin toppling over stops me from crossing the road. A lone figure stoops to pick it up, and I freeze. No one is supposed to be out now. I’m supposed to be on my own. I retreat into the shadows, hoping they won’t spot me. They stand up, and my eyes widen in surprise. I take in the running clothes, the lean, athletic figure, the curly hair. I move out of the shadows, and straight away, his head turns towards me.

“Mandy? Mandy Moore, is that you?”

Pleased that he recognised me, I opened my mouth to speak and then cringed as a strange high-pitched “Yes” came out of my mouth. I turn to walk away, pulling my hood up over my head. I can’t do this. I can’t do people, especially him.

“Hey, wait. It’s good to see you. How’ve you been?”

Cheeks blazing, I stop and turn to him. He’s even taller now than when I last saw him. A big smile covers his face as he jogs towards me. A shiver runs through me. I needed to remember the effect he had on me.

“Hi, James. It’s been a long time. I thought you’d moved away.”

He stops a short distance from me, and I sigh in relief. At least he remembered not to get too close.

“I did, but it didn’t work out. Things got a bit heated between dad and me. So, I moved back here. ”

I nodded. James’ relationship with his dad had always been rocky. He had often ranted at Sarah about him. It had got worse when his dad remarried and had two more children. Sarah used to help James babysit, but this stopped when she got pregnant with Liam. They didn’t think she was an appropriate role model for their precious little ones.

“I’m staying with my aunt for now. She’s been good about not making me go to one of those protected camps. I suppose I’ve done OK, considering I'll be nineteen soon. It’s weird, huh, what’s happening?” James asks.

I nod my head again. “Even though Sarah wasn’t eighteen, I think the Others tried to take her, and maybe she was one of the early ones.”

“It’s a possibility. Have you seen any? The Others, I mean?”

I shake my head. “Some kids have gone missing, so everyone’s on lockdown. I’m only out because it’s quiet, and I said I’d get some matches for Liam’s birthday cake. Besides, I’m fifteen, not eighteen. You’re the one who needs to be staying safe.”

James laughs dismissively. “I’d like to see them try. Martial arts champion, remember?”

I smile. I do remember. James looks at his watch. He loses his smile.

“It’s nearly curfew. I need to get moving. I’m trying to find my aunt’s dog, Toto. He’s run off again.”

“That’s not good.”

James shakes his head. “He does it all the time. He’ll turn up.” He starts running backwards, away from me. “It’s good to see you, Mandy. See you around.”

I wave and watch as he runs down the street, my heart slowly returning to a normal rhythm. I thought I’d overcome my crush on him, but obviously not. I turn around and start walking, picking up my pace. The street lamps have begun to flicker on. I need to get to the post office quickly.

Something small scurries across the path, and I lose my footing, toppling into the hedge. As I get back onto my feet, the cause of my fall plonks himself in the middle of the road and lies down, panting.

“Toto?” I call out to the west highland terrier looking at me. He barks in response and tilts his head to one side as if to study me. “Come here, boy. James is looking for you.”

The noise of an army truck roaring down the road startles me. It doesn’t affect Toto, though. He sees the truck, looks at me, and then lays his head down on his paws.

My heart jumps into my throat, my feet freezing me in place. The gap closes between the truck and Toto. “Move, Toto,” I scream, but he doesn’t move.

I’m running. The truck’s horn blasts through the silent streets as I scoop Toto into my arms. A rush of warm air envelopes us as the truck speeds past, and the street becomes quiet once more.

I’m shaking. I lower myself to the floor before my legs give out on me. Toto wriggles in my arms, and I let him go. He sits facing me.

“You silly dog. Did you not see the large truck?”

His head tilts to one side. He has a collar on with something hanging down from it. I finger the collar, capturing the items hanging down – a tiny white feather and a key. Toto’s tongue licks my face. I jerk my head away and fall back onto my hands, the sensation of being touched catching me unaware. Familiar panic grips me.

I focus on Toto while trying to get my breathing back under control.

“Sorry, Toto. I don’t particularly appreciate being touched, even by someone as cute as you. Long story, OK?”

It’s not a long story. Something terrible happened to me when I was little that no one talks about. However, it means that I have a fear of being touched. I can touch others so long as I’m wearing my gloves, but they can’t touch me.

“Right, so we need to find James, and I need to get those matches for Liam’s birthday cake from the Post Office. I hope that we might bump into him as we go. What do you think?”

He barks at me in response and sets off down the street, pausing for me to catch up. Seems like Toto approves of the idea. The Post Office is on the next street. We’re lucky it hasn’t closed. The guy who owned it disappeared a while back, became an Other, and then died shortly after. Someone else came and took over the business. Tina says she’s nice; then again, she sees the good in everyone, including me.

The small parade of shops is lit up with harsh white lights. They boarded the betting shop when it got raided last week. It’s covered in graffiti already. The coffee shop and hairdressers are closed, but the flower shop is still open; I don’t know why. Most shops close early these days to allow the workers to get home before curfew.

Toto bounds away from me and runs up to a mound of rags on the ground by the bins. He goes mad, barking and running until the mound moves, and I recognise the rough voice of Grumpy Man.

“Be still, Toto.”

Immediately, Toto lies down. I would, too. Grumpy Man has always scared me. Sarah used to laugh at me, but nothing seemed to bother her. Her voice echoes in my head, “He won’t hurt you. He’s just homeless and cross at what life has given him.”

Cross is an understatement. I’m surprised the Others haven’t got him yet, but maybe his smell puts them off. He sits up, and his blankets fall away from him. His musty stench reaches me, and I look away so he doesn’t see me wrinkling up my nose. Tangled, long silver hair falls across his wizened face. His unkempt beard covers the rest of it. He’s filthy. Do-gooders often approach him with clean clothes, but it doesn’t do any good. He never seems to wear anything other than a brown holey jumper and a stained pair of grey trousers.

Toto’s barking again. I’d never noticed Grumpy Man interact with a dog before, but I rarely go out. It’s too risky. Someone might try to touch me. I reach the edge of the bins when Grumpy Man’s voice reaches me.

“Girl.”

I put my head down and keep walking. I don’t want to stop. I should try to get Toto back, but that would mean getting close to Grumpy Man, and I can’t do that.

“Stop.”

My feet stop by themselves, and I look at Grumpy Man. I don’t want to. His grey eyes bore into me, and the hairs on the back of my neck jumped to attention.

“Toto tells me you saved him.”

My forehead is crinkling up as I try to understand how Toto can have told him, but my mouth is moving.

“Oh no, it was nothing. I just got Toto out of the road.” My hand goes to my mouth. Why am I talking to him?

Grumpy Man stares at me, his head tilting to one side just as Toto’s did earlier. Goosebumps race to join the hairs standing to attention. A strange sensation builds in the pit of my stomach, and my legs move me closer to Grumpy Man. His hand raises, and he’s going to touch me.

Panic surges through me, and it breaks the spell. I move backwards dragging my eyes away from Grumpy Man.

“I need to go. Matches, I need matches.” The words tumble out of my mouth as I stumble away from him.

His laughing follows me. “Get home, girl. I’ll get Toto back to James. You shouldn’t be out wandering alone. Strange people out on the streets at night.”

I stumble through the doors to the Post Office and head straight to the counter where a brown-haired woman sits reading a magazine. She looks up.

“Hi, hon. What can I get you? You’re lucky. I was just about to close up.”

I look over my shoulder and shiver as Grumpy Man stares back at me through the window. I snap my head around.

“Just some matches, please.”

“Sure thing. Hey, are you OK? You look a little shaken up.” She places the matches on the counter, and I hand over the money.

“Oh, I’m fine.” I sneak another look over my shoulder, but Grumpy Man’s gone. The tension in my shoulders eases a little.

“It’s getting creepier out there each day. Two more eighteen-year-olds disappeared last night, they said.” She places the change on the counter.

“Really? That’s terrible.” I move away, but her following sentence stops me.

“You’re Sarah’s sister, aren’t you?”

I hesitate. Before all the issues started with the Others and the disappearing kids, I had gotten used to people talking about me as I walked past. There were plenty of reasons. Two children whom their mother abandoned - one child has a freaky touching issue, and the other got into trouble as soon as she could walk and talk. Add into that a teenage pregnancy and a death, not forgetting the gossip percolating around this small town, and there was plenty to keep them going.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot, but the pair of you do so much look like your mother.”

I stop mid-stride and face her. My eyes widen. No one ever mentions our mother. It’s like she’s a taboo subject.

“She and Tina were my best friends in school. We lost touch when I moved to Manchester. It shocked me to hear what happened. I still find it hard to believe she abandoned you. She loved you both so much.”

My mouth is dry. Strange tears prickle at my eyes, but I blink them away. According to Mrs Hare, my mother is the worst person ever to walk this earth. She hates that Tina, her daughter, took me and Sarah into their home. Even knowing that Tina had been friends with my mother is news—so many secrets.

“I didn’t know she had friends. No one talks about her much.” I mumble and turn to leave. I hate the look of pity appearing on the woman’s face.

“No, wait. The reason I mentioned your mother is that I found something.”

The woman has dropped to her knees behind the counter and is fumbling with something. She stands up and places a brown parcel, about the size of an extensive dictionary, onto the counter.

“I’ve been sorting things out and found this at the bottom of the non-collected section. It won’t mean much to the average person, but I noticed this. Look.”

She pushes the parcel closer to me, and I peer at where she’s placed her finger. A shiver passes through me.

Maisy Keyes

Sunflower Cottage

Thruport

SM4 1LU

“That’s my sister Sarah’s handwriting.” There’s a quiver in my voice. Sarah had always kept secrets. What was this one?

“Really? Oh wow. I noticed the name. Your mum used it as a pseudonym, the address, too.” The woman taps her hand against the counter.

“A pseudonym? What did she need a pseudonym for? And how did Sarah know about it?”

“I can’t answer that, I’m afraid. As kids, we used to pretend that we were spies. That name and address were the ones that Kate, your mum, always used. It gave me quite a shock seeing that after all these years. But anyway, I was going to give it to Tina, but you’re here now. You can take it with you.” She pushes the parcel towards me.

“Oh.” I hadn’t been expecting that. “Are you sure? Is that allowed?” My hands hover over the parcel. I want it now. I’m curious to know what secrets it holds.

“I thought it belonged to your mother, but you recognise the writing as your sisters. Either way, neither of them will come to claim it, so as far as I can tell, it’s yours.”

“Right then. Thank you, sorry, I don’t know your name.”

“It’s Claire. And you’re welcome. Wish your nephew a happy first birthday for me. You need something to celebrate after the year you’ve had.”

I pick up the parcel and hug it to my chest. My hands itch to open it immediately, but too many cameras watch everything. I want to be the one to know this parcel’s secrets, not anyone else. I can wait ten more minutes.

I leave the post office and look around. Grumpy Man has moved over to the far side of the square and is talking to the flower shop lady, who is finally closing her shop. The lights in the post office turn off. I need to hurry. It’s almost curfew.