Shattered by Teri Terry Page A

of cold water over the room.
    Madison follows me to my room after dinner in a total black mood.
    She flops down on my bed.
    ‘I really can’t believe this.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘That that witch has to pick this Sunday, my only one off in an entire month, to come for a stupid lunch. And all must attend . Some of us might have lives of our own. Things to do.’
    ‘Like what?’
    She scowls furiously, but her face wars between that and the edge of a smile.
    ‘Finley?’
    She nods. ‘Yep. He finally asked me out this afternoon; we were going to meet in town, go out for lunch, and whatever. And now—’
    ‘Whatever? What is whatever ?’
    ‘What does it matter? I’ve tried to call but no one is answering. He’s going to think I’m coming up with an excuse to get out of it. He’ll never believe we’re not allowed to miss this stupid lunch. It’s this stupid house. None of the others are like this.’
    ‘Is it Stella’s mother coming for lunch? The Juvenile Control Officer for all of England that you told me about?’
    She nods. ‘Every few months or so she comes. Stella never refers to her as “mother”, but that’s who it is: Astrid Connor, the smiling assassin.’
    ‘What do you mean?’
    ‘Oh, you’ll find out soon enough.’ She sighs tragically. ‘I can’t believe this is happening to me.’
    ‘I told you so.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘That Finley really likes you.’
    ‘Maybe.’ She smiles then it falls away. ‘Not that it’ll matter after tomorrow.’
    ‘Call again tomorrow, tell him you’ll meet him later. It’ll be fine.’
    ‘Sure it will: I bet he’ll just go off with some other girl.’
    ‘I doubt it!’
    ‘What makes you so wise in the ways of guys, anyhow?’
    I don’t answer.
    ‘Okay, I’ve told you mine; now tell me yours. Is there someone? There is, isn’t there. Tell me!’
    I can feel the shadow cross my face. ‘There was.’
    ‘What happened? Did you stand him up and then he went off and—’
    ‘No.’ I fling a pillow at her. ‘No, because he really cared so he wouldn’t be so daft. Just like Finley really cares.’
    ‘So why aren’t you together then? If the path of true love is really all forgiving like that, where is he? Why did you leave him behind? Why didn’t he follow you to Keswick?’
    ‘He couldn’t, that’s all,’ I say, and refuse to say more. Eventually Madison sees I’m really upset, apologises and leaves.
    I sigh and turn the lights off, get into bed and pull the blankets around me. If Ben really loved me…shouldn’t that survive everything? Shouldn’t he still feel the same way, deep down inside, even though Lorders have wiped all memory of me from his mind?
    It is romantic nonsense to think so. A wave of sadness creeps over me, bit by bit, so deep that it feels as if heavy weights are holding me still, that I’m paralysed. Later I hear a light tap on my door: Stella? But my eyes stay shut when it opens, my body unmoving, breathing deep, unable to reach out or say anything. Moments later it shuts again and footsteps retreat.
    Underlying the grief, an uneasy sense of disquiet remains. Tomorrow, I meet my grandmother .
    What would she do if she knew I was here? Would she be happy to have her long lost granddaughter back, or is she Lorder through and through?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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    ‘There are a few new faces here today, I see.’ She smiles, and her eyes twinkle behind glasses that look a little like mine. ‘I’m Astrid Connor, and your lovely house mother here is my daughter. Bet she didn’t tell you.’ She looks at Stella and then smiles again. ‘Daughters!’ she says, and shakes her head. Like the last photo I saw of her, her hair is silvery grey, swept up. She wears ordinary clothes, nothing says Lorder in how she looks or acts, but there is something about her. The hackles are raised on the back of my neck. Every eye is drawn forwards. Some people you don’t want to turn your back on.
    Stella clears her throat. ‘There are three new