over to pet her, but Dizzy bared her teeth and darted back into the bushes. “Suit yourself then. I was only going to stroke you.” She was talking to cats now, like Claudia.
She glanced back at the trees again. But this time something was missing – as if someone had reached down with a giant hand and plucked an object out of the scene. Her mind spun. What was it – what had changed? Then she realised the tree that looked like a man had gone and now there was a gap where it had been.
For a few seconds, she couldn’t pull her eyes away. Then she ran.
When Laney got home she decided to tell her dad that she’d been expelled from training. Then he wouldn’t be shocked when Frogley spoke to him the next day.
“Well, you know I was never that keen on the idea anyway,” he said. “Being a close member of a tribe does funny things to people. They forget who they really are – where the tribe ends and they begin. Who was it that got you into trouble?”
“Jessie Weir,” said Laney.
“Oh yes, I know her mum. She’s had a hard time since her husband went. Aren’t you about the same age as Jessie?”
Laney didn’t want to talk about Jessie. “Yeah, about the same. Dad, did you know there are some ruined buildings at the bottom of Faymere Lake?”
Mr Rivers blinked. “Yes, I knew. Did you go down there?” His voice sounded odd.
“We all did. We were practising underwater flying. I never realised the lake was so deep.” Footsteps came down the stairs and Kim walked in before she could ask any more.
“Laney, you need to get to bed. It’s school tomorrow,” said Kim. “Here, I’ve filled in the form about your geography field trip.”
“Thanks.” Laney took the form.
“Where are you going on this field trip?” said her dad, slipping back into his normal tone.
“To the river – we’re collecting soil samples and stuff,” said Laney. “Last year they got people to go into the water but this year we can’t because of the flood. They think it might be too deep.”
“Perhaps your teacher can figure out why it suddenly flooded here when there’s never been a problem before,” said Kim. “The council doesn’t seem to have a clue. I feel sorry for Simon living down on Silverbrook Close. If the river bursts its banks again he’ll be one of the first to be flooded.”
Laney decided to leave them to their conversation and started to go up the stairs. As she reached the top, she heard her dad say in a low voice, “That’s another good reason to think about moving away from Skellmore. We don’t want to be caught out by a flood like that again.”
Laney heard Kim sigh, and then came the rustle of her dad’s newspaper, as if that meant an end tothe discussion. She shut her bedroom door behind her, glad to get away from all the secrets floating round the downstairs room.
The end of September slipped closer, but the sun stayed bright and the leaves on the trees grew as thick and green as they did in midsummer. Laney wondered if she should go and talk to Gwen about the moving tree roots in Hobbin Forest and her suspicions about Stingwood. It had been nearly a month since her accident with the Spirit Smoke – surely Gwen would have forgiven her by now.
But when at last she went over to Gnarlwood Lane, she found Stingwood striding up Gwen’s front path. He went into the house and came out an hour later, pausing to look around and scowling as if he suspected that someone was spying on him. Laney stayed hidden behind the hedge and was too nervous to knock on the door even after he’d gone. Every time she passed Gwen’s house after that there was strange-coloured smoke wafting from the trumpet-shaped flowers on the roof. Laney felt like the smoke was a Do Not Disturb sign.
She spent most afternoons Myrical hunting after school or trying to follow Stingwood. She watched him at his house in Gillforth and tracked him to the edge of Hobbin Forest, but once he entered the wood she could
She glanced back at the trees again. But this time something was missing – as if someone had reached down with a giant hand and plucked an object out of the scene. Her mind spun. What was it – what had changed? Then she realised the tree that looked like a man had gone and now there was a gap where it had been.
For a few seconds, she couldn’t pull her eyes away. Then she ran.
When Laney got home she decided to tell her dad that she’d been expelled from training. Then he wouldn’t be shocked when Frogley spoke to him the next day.
“Well, you know I was never that keen on the idea anyway,” he said. “Being a close member of a tribe does funny things to people. They forget who they really are – where the tribe ends and they begin. Who was it that got you into trouble?”
“Jessie Weir,” said Laney.
“Oh yes, I know her mum. She’s had a hard time since her husband went. Aren’t you about the same age as Jessie?”
Laney didn’t want to talk about Jessie. “Yeah, about the same. Dad, did you know there are some ruined buildings at the bottom of Faymere Lake?”
Mr Rivers blinked. “Yes, I knew. Did you go down there?” His voice sounded odd.
“We all did. We were practising underwater flying. I never realised the lake was so deep.” Footsteps came down the stairs and Kim walked in before she could ask any more.
“Laney, you need to get to bed. It’s school tomorrow,” said Kim. “Here, I’ve filled in the form about your geography field trip.”
“Thanks.” Laney took the form.
“Where are you going on this field trip?” said her dad, slipping back into his normal tone.
“To the river – we’re collecting soil samples and stuff,” said Laney. “Last year they got people to go into the water but this year we can’t because of the flood. They think it might be too deep.”
“Perhaps your teacher can figure out why it suddenly flooded here when there’s never been a problem before,” said Kim. “The council doesn’t seem to have a clue. I feel sorry for Simon living down on Silverbrook Close. If the river bursts its banks again he’ll be one of the first to be flooded.”
Laney decided to leave them to their conversation and started to go up the stairs. As she reached the top, she heard her dad say in a low voice, “That’s another good reason to think about moving away from Skellmore. We don’t want to be caught out by a flood like that again.”
Laney heard Kim sigh, and then came the rustle of her dad’s newspaper, as if that meant an end tothe discussion. She shut her bedroom door behind her, glad to get away from all the secrets floating round the downstairs room.
The end of September slipped closer, but the sun stayed bright and the leaves on the trees grew as thick and green as they did in midsummer. Laney wondered if she should go and talk to Gwen about the moving tree roots in Hobbin Forest and her suspicions about Stingwood. It had been nearly a month since her accident with the Spirit Smoke – surely Gwen would have forgiven her by now.
But when at last she went over to Gnarlwood Lane, she found Stingwood striding up Gwen’s front path. He went into the house and came out an hour later, pausing to look around and scowling as if he suspected that someone was spying on him. Laney stayed hidden behind the hedge and was too nervous to knock on the door even after he’d gone. Every time she passed Gwen’s house after that there was strange-coloured smoke wafting from the trumpet-shaped flowers on the roof. Laney felt like the smoke was a Do Not Disturb sign.
She spent most afternoons Myrical hunting after school or trying to follow Stingwood. She watched him at his house in Gillforth and tracked him to the edge of Hobbin Forest, but once he entered the wood she could
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