Beware! Killer Tomatoes by Jeremy Strong

Author:Jeremy Strong
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2008-11-03T05:00:00+00:00

dad or a mum, except Sophie, and she’s got three dads – one proper and two stepdads.’

‘Well, my parents aren’t going to split up,’ I said staunchly

‘They won’t bother to ask you,’ snorted Maisie. ‘Don’t be so stupid.’

‘I’m not stupid!’

‘Keep your voice down. I don’t want anyone to hear.’

‘Oh, right? Why not? And don’t say “because”. Why can’t anyone hear what Little Miss Smartypants Alien has to say?’

Maisie scowled back. ‘You won’t tell?’

‘Cross my heart or die from a fart. OK?’

‘My dad’s gone – a few months ago. One day he was there and the next day he wasn’t. Neither of them said a word. They never told me. So now I’m not telling them anything either. I don’t speak to Mum. Haven’t spoken to her for ages.’

‘You’re crazy!’

‘Not.’

‘Are. How long have you been keeping that up?’

‘Seven months. Mum thinks there’s something wrong with me and that’s why I’m here. They keep trying to get me to speak, but I won’t.’

‘You can’t not speak forever.’

‘Can if I want.’ Maisie sulked for a bit. ‘Anyway’ she eventually murmured, ‘it’s gone on so long I can’t just start again. If Mum knows I could have spoken all this time she’ll be furious.’

‘No, she won’t.’

‘Will. When my mum’s cross she’s like a tiger on fire.’

‘A tiger on fire?’ I repeated, puzzled.

‘You’d be cross if you were a tiger and you were on fire, wouldn’t you?’ said Maisie. ‘And tigers are dangerous, so a tiger on fire would be really, REALLY dangerous. Stop laughing, it’s not funny.’

I tried to look serious. ‘Are you going to stay silent for the rest of your life?’

‘No, stupid, only until I’m eighteen and then I can leave home.’

‘Eighteen! Maisie, that’s – um, ten, nine years from now! You’re mad.’

‘And you can get stuffed!’ she swore. She jumped up, flounced across the ward, grabbed a very surprised Cathy from the desk and dragged her from the room.

‘Get stuffed yourself,’ I muttered. But she’d gone. Girls – they’re always trouble.

I didn’t have much time to think about it though, because shortly after that Acne-Man came over with some news.

‘There’s a visitor for you tomorrow. A man phoned and asked if it would be all right and I said yes, you wouldn’t be going anywhere.’ He grinned at me and went on. ‘He seemed to think it was important and he needed to speak to you. He’s an inspector, he said. Probably going to arrest you.’

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