No Angel by Kathy Lee

Author:Kathy Lee
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scripture Union England and Wales
Published: 2011-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

13

Don’t bet on it

The next day Dad came over, bringing some of Zack’s clothes and CDs and things. Zack hadn’t brought much with him. He said he’d had to leave in a hurry, but when I asked him why, he wouldn’t say.

Zack had been with us for a week now. It still felt strange having him there, but I was slowly getting used to it. He lived in a different time frame from Mum and me, sleeping most of the day since he didn’t have to go to school, and staying awake till the early hours.

‘You remind me of that hamster we used to have,’ Mum said to him. ‘Harry, we called him.’

The name ‘Harry’ took me by surprise. Instantly I thought about Harry Graham, and I could feel my face going red. Was this love?

‘Harry the hamster,’ Mum went on. ‘He used to sleep all day and then run around late at night.’

Zack pretended to be deeply hurt. ‘How can you say that? I’m nothing like him. I’m not round, fat and hairy, with a face full of food.’

‘You do have a face full of food, usually,’ I pointed out.

‘Not sunflower seeds and bits of hay though.’

Zack seemed happier than he used to be, and less moody. Sometimes he was quite talkative. He couldn’t bring himself to call my mother ‘Mum’, like he used to years ago, but he solved this by calling her ‘Julie.’ Mum didn’t mind what he called her, as long as he talked to her.

But, when Dad arrived, he clammed up again. He didn’t even thank Dad for bringing his things. He gave yes/no answers to Dad’s questions, or didn’t answer at all. After a few minutes he retreated upstairs and started playing his music at top volume, like a wall of sound to separate him from everyone else.

Dad made a despairing face. ‘I shouldn’t have brought those CDs,’ he said. ‘Sorry.’

I went upstairs and thumped on his bedroom door. ‘Zack! Turn it down a bit! I can’t hear the TV.’

He did turn it down, to Dad’s amazement. ‘He never did that for Lizzie or me,’ he said. ‘Usually he turned it up louder. Maybe it’s good for him, being here. I can’t thank you enough, Julie – and you, Charlie.’

‘He’s really no trouble,’ said Mum.

‘Apart from spending ages in the shower,’ I put in, ‘and eating all the biscuits in the entire house.’

‘Of course, I’ll pay for his keep. That’s only fair,’ Dad said, and they argued about it – a friendly argument though.

Mum said, ‘Any idea what was behind his sudden move? He still hasn’t told us.’

‘Not really,’ said Dad. ‘But there’s someone who keeps ringing up, asking where he is and when he’ll be back. He sounds kind of – well, threatening, almost. It’s got to the point where Lizzie doesn’t like to answer the phone.’

‘Who is it? Do you know?’

‘It sounds like one of his friends, or ex-friends. They’re all trouble. Maybe he fell out with them and got scared – I don’t know.

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