Huxley Sparks and the Book of Secrets by Suzy K. Quinn

Author:Suzy K. Quinn [Quinn, Suzy K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Action & Adventure, Animals, Boys, Fairies, Fantasy, Friendship, Germany, Magic, wolves, Young Adult
ISBN: 9781785633317
Publisher: Eye Books
Published: 2022-08-12T04:00:00+00:00

Click, Click

No way …

Mrs LaVey is back in Merchenheft? She’s supposed to be in Strasbourg until tomorrow.

My ears tingle and I hear Mrs LaVey’s warbling voice.

‘Violet? Wait here by the clothing. I’ll be with you shortly.’

Mrs LaVey marches towards the glamoured part of the shop, holding shopping bags in black-gloved hands. Her red cape is fastened at the neck with a glittery crystal button.

Oh no.

Mrs LaVey can’t see me here. She can’t know I can see glamoured stuff.

I dart behind the floating tent, then crawl underneath just as Mrs LaVey passes. I make it out the other side without her seeing me, and sneak out into the main store.

Phew. That was close.

‘Huxley?’

‘Arg!’ I give an embarrassing scream as Nana appears next to me.

‘What are you making that silly noise for, Huxley?’ Nana takes my arm. ‘I’ve found you the perfect jacket.’ She leads me across the store and lifts a fur-trimmed, snow-white ski jacket from the rail. There are hot pink lines around the pockets.

‘No thanks, Nana,’ I say. ‘It’s a little too flamboyant.’

‘What’s wrong with flamboyant?’ asks Nana, smoothing the fur. ‘You’ll look like Roger Moore. Don’t you want to look like Roger Moore?’

‘Who?’ I ask.

‘He was the best James Bond there ever was,’ says Nana, clutching her hands to her chest.

‘Oh.’ I pick up a camouflage jacket with black sleeves. ‘This is more my generation. It’s very cool. Look at all the pockets.’

‘The colour is so boring, Huxley,’ says Nana. ‘What about daffodil yellow? To bring out your lovely brown eyes? Just try it. All the girls will love you in this colour. Or the boys. I know you have to be open-minded these days.’

Nana bundles me into the yellow coat, which is decorated with white and green splatters. ‘A handsome boy like you. Your hair just needs a little bit of smoothing down. To show off that interesting blond patch.’

‘Nana, I’d really rather not—’

Too late, Nana takes a pot of coconut oil from her handbag and slaps it on my wavy black hair. Then she whips out a comb and starts flattening and shaping. ‘There.’ She stands back to admire her work. ‘Very smart. Like a young James Brown, before it all went wrong for him. Now let’s try something in sunset peach.’

As Nana heads to another rack, I feel a shove in my back and stumble forward.

‘Oi,’ says a gruff, low voice. ‘Twinkle Sparkle. Smile for the camera.’

I turn to see Bronco snapping a picture of me on his camera phone.

‘Nice jacket, Twinkle Sparkle,’ he snorts. ‘You and that old woman could be twins.’

I have to admit, in this yellow coat with my hair smoothed down, Nana and I do look similar.

‘My grandmother has a name,’ I say. ‘She’s called Jocelyn. And delete that picture. It’s an invasion of privacy.’

‘Listen to how you talk,’ snorts Bronco. ‘Who do you think you are? Prince William?’

‘It’s called a good vocabulary,’ I say.

‘Are you calling me thick?’ says Bronco.

‘Probably.’

Bronco turns bright red. ‘You think you’re better than everyone. Let’s see how good you are with your nose smashed into your face.

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