the
insect’s feet as it scuttled over to the hole in the far corner of the room. That
hot, rank wind blew again, gusting up the stone steps that disappeared into the darkness
beneath the cottage floor. Then, as though giant lungs were hidden down there somewhere,
the wind turned and sucked back down the stairwell.
Tom was still standing in the other room, clinging so tightly to the edge of his
desk that his knuckles were white. The knuckles he had, anyway – one of his fingers
was missing, a shiny patch of scar tissue in the gap.
The insect gathered up its coat, and scurried down the steps.
There was the sound of a door opening, a stronger smell of sour air and then a flash
of light, and the door banged closed.
Tom sagged against his desk in relief. ‘Gone!’
It was Dad jerking on the handbrake that woke Amelia up. Her forehead bumped against
the car window, and she suddenly realised three things: her neck was stiff, her mouth
tasted like plastic and they were there .
Great.
She peeled long strands of red hair off her cheeks where she’d slept on them, and
undid her seatbelt.
Dad was already out of the car, bouncing along the gravel driveway in the thin grey
light of the extreme early morning. It was chilly, grim and silent but Dad flung
his arms out in delight like he wanted to give the place a hug. Like he hadn’t just
driven all through the night to get here. Like he didn’t have two kids in the back
of the car who wished he’d just get back in and drive them straight home again.
‘Come on guys!’ Dad beamed back at them. ‘Isn’t this fantastic?’
James unfolded himself from the car, his long legs getting tangled in all the chip
packets, headphone cords, plastic bags, jumpers and blankets in the back seat with
them.
‘Fantastic,’ James muttered. ‘Fantastically old. Fantastically ugly …’
Mum ignored him, and got out of the front passenger seat, but Amelia thought he had
a point.
When their parents had told Amelia and James they were going to leave the city and
move out to live in a big hotel by the sea, in a little country town nobody had ever
heard of before, it had sounded …
‘Fantastically mental,’ James grumbled on.
But Dad was sure it would be a huge adventure.
‘Just imagine,’ he’d said. ‘Mum and I will both be working from home – we’ll get
to be with you guys all the time. No more afterschool care. No more vacation care.
And we’ll have so much space! Acres of lawn and gardens and bush, and right next
to the beach! In fact …’
Here Dad looked at Amelia and said those magic words that had convinced her it would
all be worth it. Worth moving school, leaving friends and giving up gym. Worth selling
the flat where she’d lived ever since she was born, with neighbours she’d known her
whole life.
‘Amelia, there will be so much space, you’ll be able to get a puppy.’
‘Once we’re settled in,’ Mum had added quickly.
Now they were here, though, Amelia wasn’t sure a puppy would be enough. Maybe not
even eight puppies would be worth this .
The hotel was a huge, old-fashioned white building, with vine-covered pillars and
a roof edged with iron lace over the grand entrance. It was built on the end of a
headland, and seemed to be floating in the sky. All around was the sound of the sea,
waves exploding on the rocks far, far below. Tall cliffs fell away on all sides,
and maybe it could have been kind of lovely, but somehow the whole place felt wrong
to Amelia.
Obviously, she wasn’t some silly, superstitious little kid who believed in ghosts
or any of that nonsense but … if ever ghosts did exist, this was exactly the sort
of place they would be.
Amelia looked around her, trying to ignore the chill prickling over her skin. The
hotel must have once been beautiful, but now it was a mass of peeling paint, cracked
window panes, spider webs and abandoned wasps’ nests.
The grounds were huge and badly overgrown. The garden beds were so shaggy, they
insect’s feet as it scuttled over to the hole in the far corner of the room. That
hot, rank wind blew again, gusting up the stone steps that disappeared into the darkness
beneath the cottage floor. Then, as though giant lungs were hidden down there somewhere,
the wind turned and sucked back down the stairwell.
Tom was still standing in the other room, clinging so tightly to the edge of his
desk that his knuckles were white. The knuckles he had, anyway – one of his fingers
was missing, a shiny patch of scar tissue in the gap.
The insect gathered up its coat, and scurried down the steps.
There was the sound of a door opening, a stronger smell of sour air and then a flash
of light, and the door banged closed.
Tom sagged against his desk in relief. ‘Gone!’
It was Dad jerking on the handbrake that woke Amelia up. Her forehead bumped against
the car window, and she suddenly realised three things: her neck was stiff, her mouth
tasted like plastic and they were there .
Great.
She peeled long strands of red hair off her cheeks where she’d slept on them, and
undid her seatbelt.
Dad was already out of the car, bouncing along the gravel driveway in the thin grey
light of the extreme early morning. It was chilly, grim and silent but Dad flung
his arms out in delight like he wanted to give the place a hug. Like he hadn’t just
driven all through the night to get here. Like he didn’t have two kids in the back
of the car who wished he’d just get back in and drive them straight home again.
‘Come on guys!’ Dad beamed back at them. ‘Isn’t this fantastic?’
James unfolded himself from the car, his long legs getting tangled in all the chip
packets, headphone cords, plastic bags, jumpers and blankets in the back seat with
them.
‘Fantastic,’ James muttered. ‘Fantastically old. Fantastically ugly …’
Mum ignored him, and got out of the front passenger seat, but Amelia thought he had
a point.
When their parents had told Amelia and James they were going to leave the city and
move out to live in a big hotel by the sea, in a little country town nobody had ever
heard of before, it had sounded …
‘Fantastically mental,’ James grumbled on.
But Dad was sure it would be a huge adventure.
‘Just imagine,’ he’d said. ‘Mum and I will both be working from home – we’ll get
to be with you guys all the time. No more afterschool care. No more vacation care.
And we’ll have so much space! Acres of lawn and gardens and bush, and right next
to the beach! In fact …’
Here Dad looked at Amelia and said those magic words that had convinced her it would
all be worth it. Worth moving school, leaving friends and giving up gym. Worth selling
the flat where she’d lived ever since she was born, with neighbours she’d known her
whole life.
‘Amelia, there will be so much space, you’ll be able to get a puppy.’
‘Once we’re settled in,’ Mum had added quickly.
Now they were here, though, Amelia wasn’t sure a puppy would be enough. Maybe not
even eight puppies would be worth this .
The hotel was a huge, old-fashioned white building, with vine-covered pillars and
a roof edged with iron lace over the grand entrance. It was built on the end of a
headland, and seemed to be floating in the sky. All around was the sound of the sea,
waves exploding on the rocks far, far below. Tall cliffs fell away on all sides,
and maybe it could have been kind of lovely, but somehow the whole place felt wrong
to Amelia.
Obviously, she wasn’t some silly, superstitious little kid who believed in ghosts
or any of that nonsense but … if ever ghosts did exist, this was exactly the sort
of place they would be.
Amelia looked around her, trying to ignore the chill prickling over her skin. The
hotel must have once been beautiful, but now it was a mass of peeling paint, cracked
window panes, spider webs and abandoned wasps’ nests.
The grounds were huge and badly overgrown. The garden beds were so shaggy, they
Similar Books
