can see the purple mound on the boy’s head though, oozing in places, but also now crusted with black.
‘I’m going to make you disappear,’ I inform him. Like I know exactly how to do that or something.
For a little bit, the boy just stares. Then, in a voice that sounds all puffed up and confident, he says, ‘You won’t get away with it.’
It’s only the way he squeaks at the end of the sentence that makes me wonder if I’ve made the boy precalm. I should have chosen better words. The boy might be just a test, but that doesn’t mean I want to scare him.
‘I didn’t mean to –’
‘You can’t just kill me, you know.’
Kill .
The word is nowhere in the Books but I somehow know what it means. At least, I’m pretty sure kill is a really, really prenice thing to do to someone.
‘Nathan Quigley’s my big brother and he could get you really bad if he wanted. He’s probably going to anyway because of what you did.’
The boy – who must be Dennis – looks at the pieces scattered on the floor. ‘He’s definitely going to get me for taking his device.’
‘Wait,’ I tell Dennis. I try to touch him, just on the arm or whatever, but as soon as I go closer he shoves me off. ‘I don’t want anything prenice to happen. I only want you to go away. It’s what Dot wants.’
‘So that’s why you wrecked my brother’s device?’
‘I didn’t wreck anything.’
Dennis holds up the only part of the device that’s still in one piece. The transparent strap, all mangled and dented. ‘Yeah, right.’
‘It was making a noise. I couldn’t stop it.’
‘This noise?’ Dennis makes a sound then, exactly the same one the device was making when I smashed it. I’m nodding but shushing him at the same time.
‘It was ringing. That’s how it sounds.’
I know , I think. I’ve heard the noise before. But at the time it panicked me, and now it panics me thinking about how I might know what a ringing device sounds like. What a device even is.
Dennis’s eyebrows and eyes squish together. ‘You’ll have to pay to get it fixed.’
I guess I look as blank as I feel, because then Dennis asks, ‘How come you don’t know anything about anything?’
He scans the hut, at the butterflies hovering around the window frame and the ones carved into the ceiling, the portrait of Dot on the wall, the bed, the furniture and the row of coloured sungarb hanging in the wardrobe.
‘Is everyone at Club Naturelle like you?’
‘Club Naturelle?’
Dennis rolls his eyes. ‘Don’t you even know where you are?’
‘I know where I am. The same place I’ve been since Dot created me.’
‘Aren’t you on holidays or something?’
Dennis touches the spot on his head carefully with his fingers and pulls a face. ‘You can’t just stay here the whole time.’
‘Here’s all there is.’
To myself, I add, See, Dot? See how faithful I am?
‘You think this is the only place in the whole entire world?’ Dennis says.
I nod, even though I’m not entirely sure what the whole entire world is.
‘Okay,’ he continues. ‘So where’s the gate leading out of here go then?’
‘There’s no gate.’
I shouldn’t know what a gate is. The word gate shouldn’t even exist.
‘There is so a gate.’
Obviously, he wants me to know all about it. ‘Pretty pathetic. It took me about one second to guess the passcode. Nathan’s internet friends didn’t think he could get in here. But guess what? I got in and I’m only nine, so there!’
Dennis’s standing right in front of the open shutters. If anyone walked past right now, they’d see him.
‘You … um … what?’
Dennis beams. ‘It was so easy! Now I’ve done it, Nathe’s going to know I’m not a little kid anymore. He’s going to let me hang out with him from now on, for sure.’
I’m shaking my head when Dennis reaches for the door.
‘Anyway, think whatever you want. I’m going. My mum is probably mad by now. And I want to get back to Nathe and
‘I’m going to make you disappear,’ I inform him. Like I know exactly how to do that or something.
For a little bit, the boy just stares. Then, in a voice that sounds all puffed up and confident, he says, ‘You won’t get away with it.’
It’s only the way he squeaks at the end of the sentence that makes me wonder if I’ve made the boy precalm. I should have chosen better words. The boy might be just a test, but that doesn’t mean I want to scare him.
‘I didn’t mean to –’
‘You can’t just kill me, you know.’
Kill .
The word is nowhere in the Books but I somehow know what it means. At least, I’m pretty sure kill is a really, really prenice thing to do to someone.
‘Nathan Quigley’s my big brother and he could get you really bad if he wanted. He’s probably going to anyway because of what you did.’
The boy – who must be Dennis – looks at the pieces scattered on the floor. ‘He’s definitely going to get me for taking his device.’
‘Wait,’ I tell Dennis. I try to touch him, just on the arm or whatever, but as soon as I go closer he shoves me off. ‘I don’t want anything prenice to happen. I only want you to go away. It’s what Dot wants.’
‘So that’s why you wrecked my brother’s device?’
‘I didn’t wreck anything.’
Dennis holds up the only part of the device that’s still in one piece. The transparent strap, all mangled and dented. ‘Yeah, right.’
‘It was making a noise. I couldn’t stop it.’
‘This noise?’ Dennis makes a sound then, exactly the same one the device was making when I smashed it. I’m nodding but shushing him at the same time.
‘It was ringing. That’s how it sounds.’
I know , I think. I’ve heard the noise before. But at the time it panicked me, and now it panics me thinking about how I might know what a ringing device sounds like. What a device even is.
Dennis’s eyebrows and eyes squish together. ‘You’ll have to pay to get it fixed.’
I guess I look as blank as I feel, because then Dennis asks, ‘How come you don’t know anything about anything?’
He scans the hut, at the butterflies hovering around the window frame and the ones carved into the ceiling, the portrait of Dot on the wall, the bed, the furniture and the row of coloured sungarb hanging in the wardrobe.
‘Is everyone at Club Naturelle like you?’
‘Club Naturelle?’
Dennis rolls his eyes. ‘Don’t you even know where you are?’
‘I know where I am. The same place I’ve been since Dot created me.’
‘Aren’t you on holidays or something?’
Dennis touches the spot on his head carefully with his fingers and pulls a face. ‘You can’t just stay here the whole time.’
‘Here’s all there is.’
To myself, I add, See, Dot? See how faithful I am?
‘You think this is the only place in the whole entire world?’ Dennis says.
I nod, even though I’m not entirely sure what the whole entire world is.
‘Okay,’ he continues. ‘So where’s the gate leading out of here go then?’
‘There’s no gate.’
I shouldn’t know what a gate is. The word gate shouldn’t even exist.
‘There is so a gate.’
Obviously, he wants me to know all about it. ‘Pretty pathetic. It took me about one second to guess the passcode. Nathan’s internet friends didn’t think he could get in here. But guess what? I got in and I’m only nine, so there!’
Dennis’s standing right in front of the open shutters. If anyone walked past right now, they’d see him.
‘You … um … what?’
Dennis beams. ‘It was so easy! Now I’ve done it, Nathe’s going to know I’m not a little kid anymore. He’s going to let me hang out with him from now on, for sure.’
I’m shaking my head when Dennis reaches for the door.
‘Anyway, think whatever you want. I’m going. My mum is probably mad by now. And I want to get back to Nathe and
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