[Wordsmiff]

CHAPTER FIVE


Amy made her way carefully into the house through the rear door and up the staircase to the upper landing.

Melanie had followed her. ‘What’s going on?’ Melanie said.

‘Stay here,’ Amy said. She still wasn’t sure about Melanie being here, but she didn’t want to startle Edward by bringing someone new in. She was also wary of walking in whilst Edward was maybe in a state of undress. She knocked on the bedroom door. There was no reply. She knocked again and opened the door, peeping inside, half-closing her eyes. ‘Edward?’ she said. ‘It’s me. Amy. I have your...’ She opened her eyes and saw him.

Edward was lying perfectly still on the bed. Amy went over to him. ‘Edward?’

‘What’s going on, Ames?’ Melanie had followed her in. ‘Who’s... Wow, this room is gorgeous.’ She looked round at the dolls and the plush carpet and bedding.

Amy dropped her purchases on the floor. ‘He’s dead,’ she said, as a tear fell onto her cheek. ‘I’m too late.’

Melanie looked at the old man on the bed. ‘Is this Edward?’

‘He’s dead,’ Amy repeated. ‘I’m too late.’ She started to sob.

Melanie lifted Edward’s arm and put two fingers to his wrist. ‘No pulse,’ she confirmed. ‘And he’s not breathing, is he?’

Amy sat down on the edge of the bed, and started to cry. ‘Too late.’

‘He’s still warm,’ Melanie said, ‘ and rigor mortis hasn’t set in yet, so it hasn’t been long.

‘I’m still keeping my promise,’ Amy said. She looked up at Melanie. ‘Do you want to come to a sleepover here at the weekend?’

‘Here?’ Melanie said, ‘ With a corpse here?’

‘We have to move him into another room,’ Amy said. ‘He wanted me to bring you all to a sleepover at the weekend.’

‘What’s going on?’ Melanie asked. She walked over to the window and looked out. ‘This window isn’t boarded,’ she said, ‘You can see out. Look, you can see the street from here.’

Amy glanced over. Was that how Edward knew that the other girls were outside on Saturday? Was he watching her coming in?

Melanie looked back to Amy. ‘So, what’s going on?’

‘It’s a long story,’ Amy said, ‘and it’d take too long to tell it.’

‘Sleepover?’ Melanie looked around the room at the dolls. She focussed on the inflated Meredith in the corner. ‘Wow,’ she said, ‘ That’s an impressive.’ She glanced down at the bagged item that Amy had bought from the adult shop. ‘You’ve bought a blow-up man to keep her company?’

‘Mel,’ Amy said, getting up from the bed, ‘We have to get Kirsty and Becky here.’ She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘A sleepover at the weekend. We need to bring everything we need, including food and drinks. There’s no electricity and water here. Torches, as well. It’ll be dark early.’

‘Please, Ames,’ Melanie said, ‘Tell me what’s going on, you’re scaring me.’

‘I told you, Mel,’ Amy said, ‘I’m keeping a promise to Edward.’

~*~

‘A sleepover?’ Kirsty said, ‘Cool.’

Amy had gathered the girls in the refectory at school the following day.

‘Who’s house?’ Becky said, ‘My mum definitely won’t allow it.’

Amy took a deep breath. ‘At the old house.’ When the other girls gave her a quizzical look, she felt it was necessary to explain a few things. ‘There’s one room that’s fully furnished. A big bed, carpet, wardrobe, everything you’d expect in a standard bedroom.’

Melanie came over to the table carrying a tray with four cups of fizzy drink on it. ‘Dolls...’ she added as she put the tray on the table and sat down.

Kirsty looked at Melanie. ‘Dolls?’

‘Never mind,’ Amy said, ‘ It’ll be fun. We just need to take everything we need. Food, drinks, change of clothes,...’ She took one of the cups and started to suck her drink through the straw.

‘Toilet paper,’ Melanie added. She chose her own drink.

‘What do we tell parents?’ Becky asked, taking the third drink and offering the last one to Kirsty.

‘That’s the beauty of it,’ Amy said. ‘Kirsty gives her mum my mobile number, I give my mum Melanie’s number, Melanie gives her mum Becky’s number and Becky gives her mum Kirsty’s number. Then, if, for example, Kirsty’s mum rings, I just say “Yes, Kirsty’s here, do you want to speak to her?” And the same all round the group.’

‘You seem to have this all planned out,’ Becky said.

‘In Chem yesterday,’ Amy confessed. ‘Look, it’ll be fun.’ Amy had decided not to tell Kirsty or Becky about Edward, and she had made Melanie promise not to say anything either.

Amy had planned to get to the house early on Friday evening with Melanie and to move Edward’s corpse into another room, away from the main bedroom. The sleepover would then be in just the one room. Anyone who needed the toilet would have to go out into the garden, but no plan was perfect.

‘What if our parents say no,’ Becky said.

‘They won’t,’ Amy said. ‘Yours and Kirsty’s parents will be glad to see the back of you. Kirsty does what she likes anyway.’

Kirsty glared pointy daggers at Amy.

‘We need boys,’ Becky said.

‘Yeah,’ Kirsty agreed. ‘Boys.’

‘No boys,’ Amy said, ‘Just us four.’

‘Where’s the fun in that?’ Kirsty said.

‘You’ll see,’ Amy said. She had a few more surprises up her sleeve. Especially for Kirsty. Her revenge would be sweet.


How will the sleepover go?
Will there be boys?
What will Amy’s revenge be?
Find out soon.