Chapter Twenty Five
‘What do you mean, run away?’ Kit asks calmly, though a bead of sweat forms by his temple.
‘She was gone before I woke up,’ Leah wails as she reaches into her rucksack and pulls out a crumpled piece of paper. ‘She left this note behind.’
Kit takes it from her and smooths it out, and move in close to read over his shoulder.
Leah - I’ve got to get out of here.
Tell Kit I’m sorry.
T x
In unison, Kit and I look up and exchange horrified stares.
‘“Get out of here?”’ My teeth tear through my lower lip and I taste blood. ‘What does she mean?’
‘She didn’t say,’ Leah tearfully tells us. ‘All she said was she’s sick of this place and sick of everyone here.’
Fists clenched, Kit stares at the ground for a moment before swiftly lifting his head high and launching into action.
‘Leah, go home and wait there in case she goes back to your house. I’m going to go look for her.’
I’m already grabbing my keys from the hook by the door. ‘I’ll shut up shop and help you.’
‘No, no I can’t ask you to do that.’
‘Well, it’s a good job you don’t have to ask, isn’t it?’
‘But -’
‘Kit.’ I clasp his hands between mine and look him square in the eye, deeply and determinedly. ‘I’m coming with you.’
He doesn’t try to argue, instead, he gives my hands a squeeze of gratitude.
‘Come on, we’ll start with the netball court by the school.’
Sweating beneath the beating sun, we hurry across the village, keeping an eye out for strawberry-blonde teenagers. Not a moment too soon, we reach the court, and my chest caves as I quickly realise Tanya isn’t here. A score of girls are in the middle of a game and though I feel a little awkward interrupting, the time for manners is not now.
‘Have any of you girls seen Tanya Brooks?’ I ask, my knuckles white as I grip the wire fence tight.
‘She hasn’t played a game with us for weeks now,’ a tall girl with ginger pigtails tells us.
‘But she loves netball,’ Kit insists. ‘She’s been hoping to make the school team. Why would she suddenly give it up?’
‘I think I know why,’ I chime in, my voice barely above a whisper. After all, I don’t want to share Tanya’s woes with her peers.
Kit’s head jerks around. ‘Yeah?’
‘She’s been dealing with bullies at school. They’ve been making fun of her body and that sort of thing.’
A series of emotions flickers across Kit’s face - anger, bewilderment, finally ending with soul-crushing misery. Crestfallen, he hangs his head low and shakes it at the ground.
‘Why wouldn’t she tell me?’
‘Because - she’s a teenage girl,’ I explain, my hand on his arm. Goosebumps lift at my touch, and I suppress the urge to quiver. ‘It’s not easy to open up about things like that, especially to your brother. I should have said something to you before, but I didn’t want to betray her trust.’
Kit says nothing, he simply nods in understanding.
‘Let’s go to your place.’ I suggest. ‘We might find a clue there.’
I’ve never been much of a runner, but I practically sprint across the village alongside Kit, deftly dodging out of the way of pushchairs and dog walkers before we reach number eighteen on Sweet Pepper Close.
Tanya’s bedroom is exactly as I thought it would be. Of course, it’s purple, her favourite colour, several plush cats prowl over her bedspread under strings of fairy lights and pictures of she and her mates cover the walls. My stomach somersaults as I stare at her sweet, smiling face, terrified that we might not see it again …
‘At what point do we call the police?’ I dare to ask the question.
Kit bites at his lip as he fingers his mobile phone. ‘Soon, I think. Let’s just see if she’s left anything here that might help us first.’
He searches under her bed, while I scour the desk. Her laptop is open, and when I tentatively press the touchpad, the screen lights up. Several tabs are still open on the browser, and the first one is a confirmation of a one-way ticket to Euston station. Anxiously, I click on another tab and I’m met with the headline: Top Places to Stay in Paris for Cheap.
‘Well, I suppose we know where she’s headed.’
I point to the screen, and Kit comes closer, leaning down to read over my shoulder. His chest brushes against my back, and I can feel the sharp intake of his breath, the distress in his voice.
‘Paris? Is she crazy?’ he cries out, raking his fingers through his tousled curls. ‘How is she planning to get to France from Euston?’
‘Maybe she’s thinking of catching a flight from Heathrow airport.’
‘With what money?’ Then he gulps. ‘Oh God, she’s got some of her birthday cash left. She could probably afford a ticket with it.’
‘This is my fault. I’ve been telling her what a wonderful city it is, how I felt my dreams would come true there.’ I hit my forehead with the heel of my palm. ‘God, I’m so stupid!’
‘Hey, hey, this isn’t your fault,’ Kit assures me. ‘We need to get moving if we’re going to catch her.’
Trying to quell the panic rising inside, I press a hand to my pounding heart and think this through. There’s one bus that comes through Lily Vale and ends in Gladeswood, where she’s planning to board a train to London, according to her search history.
‘Look, her train doesn’t leave until twenty past twelve.’ I point to the ticket confirmation still on the screen. ‘If we’re quick, we can catch her at Gladeswood station.’
‘Good thinking, let’s go!’
In Kit’s red BMW, we whiz down the country lanes in double-quick time, just about sticking to the speed limit. There’s a hairy moment when Kit has to brake suddenly due to a herd of cows crossing the road, accompanied by an irate farmer. We call our apologies out of the window and hurry onward to Gladeswood town. A wash of nostalgia comes over me as we drive through the streets. I know this place well, my dad’s lived here basically my whole life. I remember going to the cinema in the town centre with him, he’d always buy me a big bag of sugary popcorn, even though I never could quite finish it all. I remember catching the train too, all the way to London and back to university. I direct us to the station and we manage to locate a parking space.
Hand in hand, I pull Kit after me into the station and we check the huge board of train times.
‘There it is!’ Kit points out the correct one, and we make our way down to platform three, begging the universe that we’ll find Tanya there.
At first, it looks all but empty, there’s just a scattering of folk dotted across the platform, and there’s no sign of any teenagers, only businessmen and women in their suits and smart dresses.
Just when I’m about to give up hope, we spot her, waiting all by herself on an uncomfortable metal bench, her over-filled purple backpack heavy on her already sagged shoulders. She looks scared, confused, and the red rings around her eyes suggest she’s been crying.
‘There she is!’
Kit’s concern switches to brotherly discipline in a flash, and he’s ready to march over to her, all guns blazing.
Quickly, I touch his forearm with gentle fingers. ‘Let me go to her,’ I urge him. ‘She doesn’t need to be told off, not right now. It’ll only make things worse.’
There’s conflict flickering within his eyes, but he concedes. ‘Probably a good idea. I’ll be over here, okay?’
I stand tall and taut as I walk over, wondering what the hell I’m going to say to her. I know Kit’s not in the right frame of mind to speak to his sister, but what if I end up making things a hundred times worse? What if I say something that just solidifies her decision, and she hops straight on the train before I can stop her?
There’s no time to dither though, as I approach Tanya on the bench. She gasps when she catches sight of me.
‘Lottie!’ she exclaims, clearly deciding whether to make a run for it or not. Fortunately for me, she stays put long enough for me to reach her side.
‘Hey.’ Keeping it calm and casual, I sit beside her. ‘Going on a trip?’
Folding her arms, she swivels away from me. ‘You can’t stop me, so don’t even try.’
I shrug. ‘Wasn’t going to. But what’s brought this on?’
She stonewalls me for a while, until her shoulders begin to quake and tears spill down her cheeks.
‘I hate it here.’ She buries her head in her hands. ‘I hate mean girls, I hate how everything is changing, I hate the stupid wedding. So I’m leaving. I’m going to Paris and starting over.’
‘Fourteen is a very young age to be starting over. You’ve got so much living left to do in Lily Vale, you can’t let a couple of horrible people make you feel bad about yourself.’ I lean in close. ‘And yes, I’m talking about your future sister-in-law, too. Just because she’s an adult, it doesn’t mean you have to listen to her. In fact, I encourage you to actively ignore her!’
Tanya giggles weakly, rubbing at her sore eyes.
With a loud hiss and a click, the train pulls into the station and opens its heavy doors, waiting for its passengers to alight and new ones to board.
‘So, are you getting on, or not?’ I ask.
Tanya stands up from the bench, fiddling with the straps of her rucksack. Then she turns to me, her smile dulled with lingering sadness, but it’s still the sweet one I’ve come to love. ‘Not.’
‘Good. Because I couldn’t imagine Lily Vale without you.’
I throw an arm around her shoulders and we amble over to Kit, who’s been patiently waiting on the sidelines. Thankfully, he’s not cross anymore, just happy to see his little sister safe and sound, and the two of them embrace fiercely.
‘Let’s go home.’ Kit grins at his sister before turning to me. ‘Are you coming too?’
Feet frozen to the spot, I hesitate. Is this a good idea? Going back to the Brooks’ house when they probably need their space to work things out? Surely they don’t need me placing myself in the middle of their family issues.
Still, Kit has invited me, and perhaps he needs someone right now. A person he can lean on and talk through this whole mess with. I can be that someone, can’t I?
My tongue all dried up, it’s a struggle to get the word out. ‘Sure.’