No One's Girl by Rosie Goodwin

Author:Rosie Goodwin [Rosie Goodwin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2010-12-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

At the top of the stairs Susan put her suitcase down and hugged Alice warmly. Downstairs in the hallway she could see her aunt waiting for her. ‘Right, Alice. Have a lovely Christmas, I know I will. Let’s just forget about what happened to the photo yesterday – it weren’t your fault. Julia made a crackin’ job o’ fixin’ it all back together again. An’ next week when we both get back we’ll be able to tell each other all about what we’ve both been up to.’

Alice clung to her, missing her already, as tears slid down her cheeks. ‘I . . . I . . . I’ll m . . . miss you,’ she whispered.

Susan laughed softly. ‘Well, I ain’t goin’ fer good, yer know. An’ neither are you. Banana Jane will be here to pick yer up any minute now. So come on, dry yer eyes. Yer don’t want her to see yer cryin’, do yer?’

Alice sniffed loudly and managed a watery smile, glad that Susan had forgiven her.

‘That’s better. Now I must go. Me aunty will think I’ve got lost.’ She bent and planted an awkward kiss on Alice’s damp cheek, then snatching up her suitcase she clattered away down the stairs. Alice watched until Susan had disappeared through the front door with her aunt. Then her slight shoulders sagged and she leaned back against the bare plaster wall.

Seconds later, Nora swept along the landing like a ship in full sail. She stopped abruptly at sight of Alice, and her thin lips pursed in disapproval. ‘What are you standing there for, girl? You should be getting your bags packed. Miss Reynolds will be here to fetch you soon, though what she sees in you, or why she would want you to stay, I’ll never know.’

The closed blank look that never failed to infuriate her settled across Alice’s face. Roughly, Nora gripped her arm and almost dragged her up on to the top landing and towards her room. The majority of the other children had already left to spend Christmas with their extended families, and it was unnaturally quiet. Their footsteps echoed hollowly on the cold linoleum floor and when they reached Alice’s door, Nora flung it open and viciously pushed her inside. ‘Now you stay there until you’re called,’ she spat.

But Alice only stared back at her indifferently, enraging Nora all the more. She bounced out of the room, slamming the door behind her so hard that it danced on its hinges. Alice stuck her tongue out. ‘I hate Nora and Lisa and Steven,’ she muttered to herself. Then, silent again, she sat on her bed to wait. After what seemed like a very long time, she heard footsteps on the landing. They stopped outside, and someone tapped on her door. After a moment it creaked open and Julia’s smiling face appeared. Alice visibly relaxed.

‘Are you all ready, love? Miss Reynolds is waiting downstairs for you.’ She crossed to Alice’s case and snapped down the catches. Lifting it, she held her other hand out to the girl.

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