Charlie Bone and the Blue Boa. Jenny Nimmo

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СКАЧАТЬ style="font-size:15px;">      ‘Don’t you know where your great-aunts live?’ she said.

      Charlie had to confess that he didn’t. He’d never been invited to their home, and never been told where it was.

      ‘I expect you’ll find out soon enough,’ said Belle mysteriously.

      ‘There’s no need for him to know,’ said Grandma Bone, helping her into a smart green jacket.

      ‘Bye-bye, then, Charlie!’ said Belle. ‘I’ll see you at Bloor’s on Monday. I’m going to be on the green bus. Watch out for me.’

      ‘I’ll be on the blue bus. But I expect I’ll see you some time.’

      The strange girl smiled and tossed her golden curls. Her eyes were blue again.

      When Belle and Grandma Bone had gone, Charlie went to help Maisie with the washing-up.

      ‘Where do the aunts live?’ he asked Maisie.

      ‘Some big house at the end of one of those creepy alleys,’ said Maisie. ‘Darkly Wynd, I think the road’s called. Funny name – perhaps it’s winding and twisty.’

      ‘I’ve never been there.’

      ‘Nor me,’ said Maisie. ‘And I jolly well wouldn’t want to.’ She handed him a bowl of leftovers. ‘Here, take this to Runner. I don’t know how long we’re going to be able to keep this up. Grandma Bone’s bound to smell a rat, you know.’

      ‘As long as it’s not a dog,’ said Charlie, trying to make light of the problem.

      Maisie just shook her head.

      On Sunday, Charlie managed to sneak Runner Bean in and out of the house before Grandma Bone woke up. They had a good race round the park and then Charlie fried bacon and eggs for their breakfast. Apart from a brief run in the garden after dark, Runner Bean spent the rest of the day on Charlie’s bed.

      On Monday morning Charlie’s mother promised to take the dog for a walk when she got back from work, and Maisie agreed to keep him fed. But as Charlie got ready for school he began to worry.

      ‘You must keep quiet,’ he told Runner Bean. ‘No barking, understand? I’ll see you on Friday.’

      With mournful eyes the big dog watched Charlie close the door between them.

      * * *

      As Charlie and his friend, Fidelio, walked up the steps to Bloor’s Academy, Fidelio said, ‘There’s a very pretty girl trying to get your attention.’

      ‘Oh.’ Charlie turned to see Belle looking up at him from the bottom of the steps.

      ‘Hullo, Belle. This is Fidelio,’ he said.

      Belle gave Fidelio a dazzling smile. ‘I see you’re in Music. Violin?’ She nodded at the case Fidelio was carrying.

      ‘Yes,’ murmured Fidelio. He seemed rather lost for words, which was unusual for him.

      ‘See you later.’ Belle skipped into the hall. ‘I remember,’ she whispered, ‘no talking.’ And off she waltzed, towards the pencil and paintbrush sign. Her green cape floated round her in a particularly stylish way as she bobbed into the green cloakroom.

      ‘Wow!’ said Fidelio, as soon as they had passed under the two trumpets. ‘Who is she, Charlie?’

      ‘I’m not sure,’ Charlie muttered. ‘She’s staying with my great-aunts. What colour would you say her eyes were?’

      ‘Blue,’ said Fidelio. ‘Bright blue.’

      ‘Well, the next time you see her, they’ll probably be green or brown,’ said Charlie.

      ‘Really?’ Fidelio looked interested. ‘I can’t wait to see that.’

      They went into assembly where Fidelio joined the school orchestra and Charlie took his place beside Billy Raven, the youngest child at Bloors. He was an albino, with snow white hair and spectacles that made his round red eyes look permanently surprised.

      After assembly Charlie had a trumpet lesson with old Mr Paltry. He hadn’t practised over the holiday and found himself out of breath and out of tune. Mr Paltry rapped his knuckles, shouting, ‘No, no, no! A flat, not sharp!’ His squeaky voice almost deafened Charlie, and when the bell went he was so eager to escape he almost fell over Olivia Vertigo as he raced for the garden door.

      Today her hair was striped black and gold, her face was covered in white powder and her eyes were ringed with black. She looked more like an exotic racoon than anything else, though Charlie refrained from saying so.

      Unfortunately, Fidelio didn’t. ‘Hi, Olivia! Are you playing a racoon this term?’ he asked as he strolled up.

      ‘Who knows,’ said Olivia. ‘Manfred’s writing the end-of-term play – with Zelda’s help, of course.’ She nodded at a group of sixth formers on the other side of the playing field. Manfred, the head boy, was talking earnestly to Zelda Dobinski, a tall, skinny girl with a large nose.

      Charlie noticed that Manfred’s sidekick, Asa Pike, was staring at Belle walking arm in arm with Dorcas Loom. Asa broke away from the group of sixth formers and walked across to the two girls. He had a crooked smile on his pale, weaselly face and, as he approached the girls, he ran his fingers through his red hair, almost as if he were trying to tidy himself up.

      Charlie grabbed Fidelio’s arm. ‘Look!’ he said. ‘Asa’s speaking to a junior. I bet that’s never happened before.’

      ‘Except when he’s been telling them off,’ said Fidelio.

      ‘That girl with Dorcas is really pretty,’ muttered Olivia.

      ‘Her name’s Belle,’ Charlie told her. ‘She’s living with my great-aunts.’

      Olivia whistled. ‘I can’t imagine any child living with them. By the way, have you seen Emma?’

      The boys shook their heads and Olivia sauntered off to look for her friend. She eventually found Emma sitting on a log by the old castle walls. She was holding what appeared to be a small, neatly-written letter.

      ‘What’s up, Em?’ said Olivia, perching beside her.

      ‘I found this by Mr Boldova’s desk.’ Emma held up the letter. ‘It must have fallen out of his pocket. I didn’t mean to read it. I meant to give it back, but then I saw something and . . . well, look.’

      Olivia took the letter and read,

       My dear Samuel,

       We have it on good authority that the shifter is heading your way. What form it will take God only knows. But it will recognise you, so get out of that place, Samuel, as soon as you can. I have resigned myself to losing Ollie, although your mother still grieves. She can’t stop herself from buying the jam he so loved. We have a room full of the stuff now, and it breaks my heart to see it. I know you feel your brother’s loss as deeply as we do, but you must give up the search. We could not bear to СКАЧАТЬ