Invisible! (17 page)

Split's Mercedes had swung through the gateposts of Inchlake Manor seven minutes behind the blue van. It could have been two minutes and Kippax might never have got Rosie as far as the ice house, but Split missed the turn first time and had to backtrack. By the time he and Charlotte came in sight of the house there was no sign of either the joiner or the girl, but the van was there with its engine ticking over and Lee in the driver's seat. The boy's jaw dropped when Split stuck his head through the window.

‘Rosie – where is she?'

‘Uh –
you
. You're just like that singer – you know – Split le Beau?'

‘I
am
Split, and I'll split
you
if you don't answer my question. WHERE'S ROSIE?'

‘You're
him?
Wow! Uh … Rosie said the
ice house
, whatever that is. They went that way' He flapped an arm towards the shrubbery.

‘They?'

‘Huh?'

‘You said
they.
'

‘Yeah – Rosie and Dad.'

The star straightened up and looked at Charlotte. ‘The ice house?'

‘Yes, I've been there.'

‘Lead on then,
quick.
'

They heard the racket in the ice house long before they reached it. ‘Oh God!' sobbed Charlotte, ‘he's
murdering
her.' They pelted towards the mossy dome and round it, reaching the doorway in time to see a dishevelled Bob Kippax scrabbling to haul himself out. Peals of ghastly laughter pursued him as he heaved his top half clear and flopped gasping on the grass. Noticing a crocodile shoe three centimetres from his nose he looked up, straight into the face of Split le Beau.

‘Aaaagh!' He writhed on the ground,
kneading his eyes with his fists. ‘I'm
not
mad, I tell you.
Not
mad.'

As the ice house laughter dwindled, there was a crashing in the bushes and a policeman burst out yelling, ‘I
know
you're in there, Miss Walk. Come out quietly and you won't get…' He skidded to a halt, goggling at the man on the ground. ‘
Bob?
'

‘I'm
not
mad!' Kippax got up on his hands and knees and crawled towards the officer. ‘They're
real
, those matches. I
saw
them strike themselves. Wave themselves about. And the voices, laughing at me.
They
're real too.' He grabbed his school chum's ankles and rested his forehead on the toecaps of his boots. ‘Don't let them put me away, Steve. Prison, yeah – I
deserve
that, but not the … not the
loony
bin.'

As Kippax blubbed on Stables' size elevens, there was movement inside the ice house and Rosie stuck her head out. ‘Oh hi, Charlotte. Glad you could make it. Everyone else is here.' Three grinning faces appeared. Carrie recognized Split and squealed. ‘
Oooh
, look who it is. Shift yourself, Rosie – let me get
at
him.'

Split leaned towards Charlotte and whispered in her ear. ‘Your friend seems to be OK so I'll slip
away before I'm mobbed. Nice meeting you, Charlotte.'

As the superstar vanished into the bushes, Bob Kippax plucked at the constable's trousers.

‘See –
he's
real, isn't he, and you wouldn't expect to see …' He gestured to where he'd last seen Split, but he wasn't there. Stables glanced where Kippax was pointing, then down at his friend. ‘
Who
, Bob? Who wouldn't you expect to see?'

Kippax appealed to Charlotte. ‘
Tell
him, kid. Tell him Split le Beau was here.'

Charlotte frowned and shook her head. ‘Split le Beau?
Here?
I'm afraid you're
seeing
things, Mr Kippax.'

Hometime, Friday October 22nd. Three weeks had rolled by since the exciting events at Inchlake Manor. The weather had grown colder, especially first thing in the morning. Next week the clocks would go back. Winter was closing in.

‘So, children.' Miss Blackburn stood up, rubbed her hands together and smiled. ‘The time has come when we must all say goodbye to Rosie Walk.' She beamed at Rosie, who had become something of a heroine since her ordeal in the ice house. ‘I don't suppose we'll ever see you again, Rosie, but I'm sure everybody here joins me in wishing you good luck in the future.' A murmur of assent rippled round the
classroom. Every eye was on Rosie. She blushed.

‘Thanks, miss. Thanks, everybody.' She smiled. ‘I don't expect to miss Inchlake very much, because we travellers see so many places and after a while they all run into one. I never miss schools either, but I do miss
people
, and I know I'm going to miss all of you.'

The children, unsure what response was called for, smiled and nodded. Then somebody at the back started clapping. Everybody looked round. It was Lee Kippax, who'd become a different boy – a
happier
boy since his father went away. He looked at his classmates, growled ‘Come
on
then,' and everybody began to clap, including the teacher. Rosie picked up her bag and hurried from the room with flaming cheeks.

‘Good send-off or what?' grinned Peter, when they were clear of the school.

Rosie groaned. ‘I nearly
died.
Trust old Lee to embarrass the heck out of me at the last minute.'

Conrad chuckled. ‘He's
grateful
to you, Rosie. Life's really opened up for him since that awful dad of his went to prison.'

Rosie grinned. ‘Not very nice for
him
, though.'

‘Oh, I don't know,' said Carrie. ‘He'll be
relieved it's prison and not the loony-bin after what he saw in that ice house.'

‘
Thought
he saw,' amended Peter, straight-faced.

Carrie nodded. ‘That's what I meant.'

‘Boo!' They jumped and squealed as Charlotte sprang from behind the phone box.

Rosie goggled. ‘How'd
you
get here so quick?'

Charlotte grinned. ‘Told Miss Weekes I had a dentist appointment. Well – I couldn't let you go without saying goodbye, could I? Besides, I've got a secret to tell.'

Carrie looked at her. ‘If you tell, it'll stop being a secret.'

‘No it won't. It'll be a secret known only to our gang. I know you won't spread it around.'

‘What is it, then?'

‘It's about Miss Massingberd.'

‘Miss
Massingberd?
' Conrad groaned. ‘Can't be anything exciting then, can it?'

‘Well – it's about Split le Beau as well.'

‘Miss Massingberd and Split le Beau? Don't tell me … they're getting married, right?'

‘No, you smeghead! Miss Massingberd's off to live with her sister in Devon, and guess who's buying the Manor?'

‘Not…?'

‘Yes – Split le Beau. Isn't that great? We'll see him all the time.'

Rosie shook her head. ‘
I
won't.'

‘Oh no, you
won't
, will you? I never thought of that.'

‘Well don't let it worry you, Charlotte. I'm used to meeting people and then not seeing them any more.' She smiled. ‘It's about to happen right now, in fact.' They'd reached the old Cleeston Road. Rosie stopped. ‘Listen, you guys – long goodbyes screw me up, so it'd be cool if you didn't come any further with me, OK?' There was a break in her voice, as though she was talking round an aching lump. The others looked at their feet.

Peter murmured, ‘I thought I'd come and say thanks to your folks, Rosie. Y'know – for the barbie and that.'

Rosie shook her head. ‘No need, Pete. They know you enjoyed yourself.'

‘Yeah, but…'

‘It's not what people
say
, Pete – it's what they
do.
They only had to look at you to know the evening was a hit.'

He nodded. ‘OK.'

‘You off tonight?' asked Conrad.

Rosie shook her head. ‘Tomorrow, first thing. We'll be at Warwick by lunchtime.' She looked at the four of them. ‘Think you'll go invisible now and then?'

‘Hmm.' They shuffled, looking down.

‘Winter's coming on,' mumbled Conrad. ‘Too cold. Next spring, maybe.'

Peter nodded. ‘Yeah, spring.'

Carrie said nothing at all.

Rosie nodded, knowing they'd never be invisible again. Some things sound fun till you try them, then you discover the downside. ‘I'm off, then. Think of me sometimes if you don't forget.'

Peter blinked and swallowed. ‘'
Course
we won't forget, how could we?' His smile was watery. ‘The Inchlake Invisibles. We'll
always
be your gang, Rosie, even if we never meet again.'

Rosie smiled. ‘Great last line, Pete. Look after one another. ‘Bye.'

THE END

Robert Swindells
left school at fifteen and worked as a copyholder on a local newspaper. At seventeen he joined the RAF for three years, two of which he served in Germany. He then worked as a clerk, an engineer and a printer before training and working as a teacher. He is now a full time writer and lives on the Yorkshire moors.

He has written many books for young readers, including many for the Transworld children's lists, his first of which,
Room 13
, won the 1990 Children's Book Award, whilst his latest,
Abomination
, won the 1999 Stockport Children's Book Award and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Prize, the Sheffield Children's Book Award, the Lancashire Children's Book Award
and
the 1999 Children's Book Award. His books for older readers include
Stone Cold
, which won the 1994 Carnegie Medal, as well as the award-winning
Brother in the Land.
As well as writing, Robert Swindells enjoys keeping fit, travelling and reading.

 

 

ROOM 13
Robert Swindells

The night before her school trip, Fliss has a terrible nightmare about a dark, sinister house – a house with a ghastly secret in room thirteen. Arriving in Whitby, she discovers that the hotel they will be staying in looks very like the house in the dream. There is one important difference – there is no room thirteen.

Or is there? At the stroke of midnight, something strange happens to the linen cupboard on the dim landing. Something strange is happening to Ellie-May Sunderland too, and Fliss and her friends find themselves drawn into a desperate bid to save her.

‘A splendid spooky story'
The School Librarian

WINNER OF THE 1990 CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD

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JACQUELINE HYDE
Robert Swindells

‘
I was bursting with energy, ready for anything. For the first time in my life, I was alive. Fully alive.
'

Jacqueline Hyde has always been a
good
girl. But from the moment she finds the little glass bottle in Grandma's attic, Jacqueline's life changes. Suddenly she's cheeky and loud, in with the roughest gang at school – Jacqueline
Bad.

It's fun at first. Exciting. But then Jacqueline Bad gets into
serious
trouble. And although she keeps
trying
to be her old self, the bad side just won't let go…

‘Utterly believable… the breathless, short chapters make page turning unavoidable'
Junior Bookshelf

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