Shift by Em Bailey

Author:Em Bailey [Bailey, Em]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781780310831
Publisher: Egmont
Published: 2012-07-02T17:40:22+00:00

Mum leant against the doorframe and smiled. While I’d been waiting for her to turn up, I’d planned exactly what I would say to convince her that sending me back to school was a stupid idea. But she looked so tired standing there that I decided to let it pass for now.

‘Ready?’ she said.

I nodded. ‘Bring it on.’

Outside in the corridor I heard tinny, electronic noises. ‘Toby,’ said Mum. ‘Put that wretched game away and come in.’

There was a scuffling sound and Toby shuffled in, his eyes glued to some bleeping game thing.

‘Hi, Tobes,’ I said.

‘Hi,’ he said, not even looking up.

Mum grimaced. ‘That stupid toy. I hate it already.’

She insisted on taking my bag out to the car and finalising the paperwork while I rested. ‘Toby will keep you company,’ she said as she hurried out.

Toby sat cross-legged on the floor, the game chirruping away.

‘Come and sit here,’ I said, patting the space on the bed beside me. ‘I’ve got something for you.’

Toby didn’t move. ‘I just want to get through this level.’

So I slid down beside him, watched him play for a while. ‘Where’d you get that from anyway?’ I asked. It wasn’t the sort of thing Mum usually forked out money for.

‘From Dad,’ said Toby.

‘Wow, cool,’ I said, managing to sound calm, like there was nothing astonishing about that. ‘Did he … Dad … send it?’

The game trumpeted a tinny little fanfare. Toby’s thumbs pressed buttons furiously. ‘No. I stayed with him a couple of times last week while Mum was here with you. He came and picked me up and took me to his place in town. He’s got a new car that doesn’t even have a back seat so I got to sit in the front next to him.’

Mum had told me Toby was staying with friends. There was another fanfare. Toby still hadn’t even looked at me. It was time to produce my secret weapon. ‘Look,’ I said, rustling the wrapper of the chocolate bar I’d bought from the vending machine in the corridor.

Toby’s eyes lifted, just a little. ‘Is it real chocolate?’ he asked suspiciously. ‘Or carob soy?’

‘Oh this is real, my friend,’ I said, removing the bar from its wrapper and breaking it in half. ‘Double-dipped.’ Caramel oozed over my fingers. ‘Here,’ I said, holding out half.

Toby put the game down and took the chocolate. I saw him glance at the door.

‘Don’t worry,’ I said. ‘I have an orange for afterwards.’

We ate in silence, like we always did when we shared banned food. When the chocolate was gone, I peeled the orange.

Toby took a segment and played with it between two fingers. ‘Will Ami come back?’ he asked suddenly. ‘When you’re home?’

‘Oh, mate,’ I said, wrapping my arm around him. ‘Ami has gone. For good.’

On the ground, the game continued bleeping and Toby pushed at it with his foot. ‘I’ll miss her,’ he mumbled. ‘Miss hearing about her, I mean. Mum said I’m not supposed to say that but it’s true.’

‘I’ll miss her too,’ I said, my throat aching.

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