at that light and thought, Ruen was right . Sometimes bad people need bad things to happen to them otherwise the bad things just go on and on and on.
I don’t think I’ve ever done any of the things Ruen tells me to do, so I don’t really know why I told Anya who he was when he asked me to. Sometimes his friends will come up to me and ask me to do things too, like steal from Mum’s purse so I can buy her a Mother’s Day card, or, once, one of them spent a long time plotting out how I can get back at our neighbours for breaking our window. I told them all to go away and leave me alone. I allowed Ruen to study me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a brain and will just follow what he says like I’m a stupid donkey or something.
Plus, I know what happened to Mum. I don’t think Ruen realises this, and I don’t tell him. But sometimes, when she gets sad, I see some demons surrounding her and talking to her, and the more they talk to her the sadder she gets. I tell them under my breath to get out. Usually, they just laugh at me.
I am very scared that they’ll keep talking to Mum and she’ll just keep taking tablets and never wake up. I want to tell this to Anya, but I’m not sure what she’ll make of it.
Still, when Anya arrives at our front door, I am really pleased. I’ve made her onions on toast with a glass of milk and set it all on the table like she’s a guest. Auntie Bev is really smiley. She wags her finger at me and says:
‘He looks like a right wee Chaplin today, doesn’t he?’
Anya looks at my clothes and says, ‘What a lovely suit, Alex, and the bow tie’s a nice touch, too.’
‘Alex dresses himself,’ I hear Bev whisper to Anya. ‘I found a whole wardrobe of stuff left over from the old man who lived here before. I think he’s supplementing his clothes with these old suits. I’m taking him to the shops tomorrow.’
Him , I think. It’s rude for them to talk about me as if I’m not even here. I look at Auntie Bev’s silver shower rail in the doorway and try to pull my head up, but I can hardly reach it. I climb up on the sofa then on to the lamp table beside it. I hold on to the door frame and lift my foot up over the bar to hang like a bat, the way Auntie Bev did.
‘Alex?’
I can see Auntie Bev and Anya but they’re upside down. Our dinner table looks like it’s floating and the blue chair looks like it’s stuck to the ceiling and everything looks so different I start to laugh.
Anya steps forward and holds my shoulders. ‘Careful,’ she says, slipping my feet off the bar and catching me as I drop slightly. Then she turns me the right way up and I feel dizzy.
‘Well done!’ she says. ‘That’s not easy to do, you know. Though maybe it’s best if you warn me next time. Don’t want you falling on your noggin.’ She ruffles my hair and I feel surprised that no one’s yelled at me. Anya sits down at the table, waiting for me.
‘I’ll just be in here while you have your chat, is that OK?’ Auntie Bev tells Anya in a loud voice, pointing at the kitchen.
Anya nods. ‘By all means. Are you making something nice?’
Auntie Bev ducks back out of the kitchen and wrinkles her nose. ‘I’d love to, but all my sister has in the cupboards is ketchup and’ – she glances at me – ‘what the mice left behind.’
‘You could make a nice risotto out of that, surely?’ says Anya, though her face looks disgusted.
Auntie Bev presses her hand against her forehead and then crosses herself quickly. ‘We’ll go to M&S,’ she tells me, then gives Anya the thumbs-up.
‘What’s risotto?’ I ask Anya.
‘Haven’t you had risotto before?’
I sit down at the table and shake my head.
‘It’s like rice,’ she says.
‘Rice?’
She looks at me with her face all blank then says, ‘You’ve not had rice either?’
I shake my head. Mum says she only has sixty quid a week for all the bills, and the way I go through sketchpads and cans of dog food for Woof we’re
I don’t think I’ve ever done any of the things Ruen tells me to do, so I don’t really know why I told Anya who he was when he asked me to. Sometimes his friends will come up to me and ask me to do things too, like steal from Mum’s purse so I can buy her a Mother’s Day card, or, once, one of them spent a long time plotting out how I can get back at our neighbours for breaking our window. I told them all to go away and leave me alone. I allowed Ruen to study me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a brain and will just follow what he says like I’m a stupid donkey or something.
Plus, I know what happened to Mum. I don’t think Ruen realises this, and I don’t tell him. But sometimes, when she gets sad, I see some demons surrounding her and talking to her, and the more they talk to her the sadder she gets. I tell them under my breath to get out. Usually, they just laugh at me.
I am very scared that they’ll keep talking to Mum and she’ll just keep taking tablets and never wake up. I want to tell this to Anya, but I’m not sure what she’ll make of it.
Still, when Anya arrives at our front door, I am really pleased. I’ve made her onions on toast with a glass of milk and set it all on the table like she’s a guest. Auntie Bev is really smiley. She wags her finger at me and says:
‘He looks like a right wee Chaplin today, doesn’t he?’
Anya looks at my clothes and says, ‘What a lovely suit, Alex, and the bow tie’s a nice touch, too.’
‘Alex dresses himself,’ I hear Bev whisper to Anya. ‘I found a whole wardrobe of stuff left over from the old man who lived here before. I think he’s supplementing his clothes with these old suits. I’m taking him to the shops tomorrow.’
Him , I think. It’s rude for them to talk about me as if I’m not even here. I look at Auntie Bev’s silver shower rail in the doorway and try to pull my head up, but I can hardly reach it. I climb up on the sofa then on to the lamp table beside it. I hold on to the door frame and lift my foot up over the bar to hang like a bat, the way Auntie Bev did.
‘Alex?’
I can see Auntie Bev and Anya but they’re upside down. Our dinner table looks like it’s floating and the blue chair looks like it’s stuck to the ceiling and everything looks so different I start to laugh.
Anya steps forward and holds my shoulders. ‘Careful,’ she says, slipping my feet off the bar and catching me as I drop slightly. Then she turns me the right way up and I feel dizzy.
‘Well done!’ she says. ‘That’s not easy to do, you know. Though maybe it’s best if you warn me next time. Don’t want you falling on your noggin.’ She ruffles my hair and I feel surprised that no one’s yelled at me. Anya sits down at the table, waiting for me.
‘I’ll just be in here while you have your chat, is that OK?’ Auntie Bev tells Anya in a loud voice, pointing at the kitchen.
Anya nods. ‘By all means. Are you making something nice?’
Auntie Bev ducks back out of the kitchen and wrinkles her nose. ‘I’d love to, but all my sister has in the cupboards is ketchup and’ – she glances at me – ‘what the mice left behind.’
‘You could make a nice risotto out of that, surely?’ says Anya, though her face looks disgusted.
Auntie Bev presses her hand against her forehead and then crosses herself quickly. ‘We’ll go to M&S,’ she tells me, then gives Anya the thumbs-up.
‘What’s risotto?’ I ask Anya.
‘Haven’t you had risotto before?’
I sit down at the table and shake my head.
‘It’s like rice,’ she says.
‘Rice?’
She looks at me with her face all blank then says, ‘You’ve not had rice either?’
I shake my head. Mum says she only has sixty quid a week for all the bills, and the way I go through sketchpads and cans of dog food for Woof we’re
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