Midnight at Mount Emily by Low Ying Ping

Author:Low Ying Ping
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Epigram Books
Published: 2019-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

chapter twelve

Patsy, Elena and Maggie stood in front of the imposing gates of Wilkie Road Children’s Home while the two teenage boys stared at them with interest. One was short, fair, and had a badly pockmarked face. The other was dark, with intricate tattoos running up and down his exposed arms.

“Since when did Kelvin have three girlfriends?” the short boy snickered.

The tattooed boy shoved him roughly. “Did I say you could talk?” he growled.

The short boy lowered his head but still sniggered quietly.

“Kelvin’s not here,” the tattooed boy said politely enough.

“When will he be back?” Elena asked boldly.

The boy shrugged. “He keeps to himself. Doesn’t talk to us much.”

“Okay… Um, thanks,” Patsy said, taking a step back and gesturing to her friends to copy her retreat.

The girls walked along Upper Wilkie Road back towards Mount Emily Park. Patsy turned once and saw the short boy pointing at them and laughing. She turned back and quickened her steps, urging her friends to do the same.

“Gosh, that wasn’t pleasant,” Maggie gasped when they were a safe distance away.

“Awful,” Patsy agreed. She had noticed the boys had been looking Elena and Maggie (in Joyce’s body) up and down. No, it had not been a good idea for three teenage girls, especially two such beauties as Elena and Joyce, to be traipsing up to the children’s home and asking to see a boy they barely knew. “Where shall we go now?”

“Let’s wait a bit,” Elena said. “Maybe he’ll come back.”

They turned into Mount Emily Park and strolled aimlessly through the greenery. It was just past 2pm. A number of students were still emerging from Mount Em, for Maggie had run out earlier the moment the bell had rung and met up with Patsy and Elena.

“This is nice,” Elena sighed. They had stopped slightly further down the hill, but were still high enough to see the view of their school below. Elena put a hand on her waist and leant her body to the left in a deep stretch.

It was a cloudy afternoon and a cool breeze was rippling through the air. Patsy breathed in deeply. She was wearing a sleeveless blouse that Maggie had picked out from Joyce’s wardrobe and the wind that caressed her bare skin felt so soothing. Was it her imagination or did the air somehow feel fresher in the past? She realised she could see the exact spot where she had met Wu Ji in 2017. Remembering how he had looked at her with his teasing smile and how she had run away from him after dropping that bombshell about Raine, her heart felt a sudden pang. Tomorrow they would prevent Joyce from meeting her future husband. Then what? She couldn’t hide in 1989 forever.

Elena was leaning to her right now. She held her stretch for several seconds, then bobbed upright with a yelp.

“What’s wrong?” Maggie asked.

“There!” Elena said, pointing to the left. The trees were more densely packed towards the edge of the park, making it hard for Patsy to make out what had grabbed Elena’s attention.

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