Invisible! (2 page)

‘Yes. Carefully. Don't want to stay like that, do you?'

You think you're fooling me, but you're not. I'm calling your bluff.
‘Rosie?'

‘What?'

‘Do it again, and this time I'm gonna stand right
there
.' Carrie's sleeve pointed to a spot very close to the ring. ‘Let's see you vanish
when I can practically
touch
you.'

Rosie nodded. ‘Fine. You can shut your eyes if you want, then you can't be hypnotized.' She smiled. ‘Walk forward now. Two more steps, there.' They swapped places. Rosie walked backwards. Carrie avoided the traveller's eyes but didn't close her own. She was determined to watch Rosie every inch of the way.

It happened just like before. One second she was there, the next she was not. They hadn't locked eyes so it wasn't hypnotism, and there was no way Rosie could've slipped out of her clothes and hidden in the long grass.

Carrie reached out. ‘Give me your hand.' She winced as a hand slipped into hers. An invisible hand. She swallowed. ‘Yes, OK. Look, would you …?'

‘What?' Rosie chuckled. ‘Suspicious character, aren't you?'

‘I suppose I am, but it's so
weird.
What I was going to ask was, would you show Con tomorrow? My brother?'

‘Sure, if you like.'

‘Thanks. I'd better go. Mum goes mad.'

‘OK. See you, Carrie.'

‘See you, Rosie. If you're not invisible, I mean.'

When Carrie got home her twin was upstairs as usual, playing games on his computer. She knocked on his door. ‘Can I come in a minute, Con?'

‘What for? I'm busy.'

‘I've got something to tell you.' She depressed the handle and pushed the door open.

Conrad swivelled the office chair, scowling. ‘I said I was
busy
, Carrie.'

‘I can't talk about this in front of Mum and Dad, Con.'

‘Why not?' He looked at her. ‘What you done –
murdered
somebody?'

‘Don't be stupid. It's private, that's all.'

‘Aw, all right.' He sighed, killed the sound
FX
and gave her his full attention.

Carrie told him everything that had happened on the field. When she'd finished he shook his head. ‘You're a nut, Carrie. She's having you on. Invisibility's just in stories. It's a scientific impossibility.'

‘I
saw
it, Con. She was there, and then she wasn't. Just her uniform, hovering over the ring. And when she reversed the action she reappeared. I was only two metres away. I saw it happen.'

Conrad snorted. ‘Know what
I
think? I think the pair of you have cooked up this tale hoping to make a donkey out of me, but it won't work. You'll have to find somebody else to play your trick on. Somebody less intelligent.' He swivelled his chair, restored the sound and plunged back into his game.

Boys!
Carrie considered pulling the plug on the computer, decided against it and left the room, slamming the door.

‘You heard Mum, Carrie.
Walk home together
, she said,
not twenty minutes apart like yesterday.
So come on.'

‘No. I want you to see what I saw,
then
you can call me a nut.'

Rosie sighed. ‘Make your minds up, for goodness' sake. I'm expected home too, you know.'

Carrie glowered at her twin. ‘I've made mine up. It's him.'

Rosie studied the boy. ‘I reckon he's chicken.'

‘I am
not.
'Course I'm not, but I'm not stupid either. Nobody can be invisible.'

Rosie shrugged. ‘Come and prove me a liar, then.'

‘You
are
a liar.'

‘Prove it.'

Conrad scowled at her. ‘All right, but I warn you. When I
have
proved it, I'm going to shove so many fistfuls of grass-clippings down your neck, you'll leave a green trail all the way home.'

The girl nodded. ‘Fair enough.'

‘Huh!'

‘OK.' Rosie had located the ring. ‘Who wants to be first?' She looked at Conrad. ‘What about you, since you're not chicken?'

Conrad shook his head. ‘No way. I told you – I'm not stupid. You'll not catch
me
walking round a fairy ring while you have a giggle with my sister. You go first and I'll watch.' He glared. ‘
Very
closely.'

‘Suit yourself.' Rosie stepped into the circle and walked backwards, slowly, arms outstretched.

Carrie swallowed and glanced at her brother. ‘Are you watching?'

‘'Course I am, you turkey.'

‘OK OK. No need to be rude.'

When Rosie vanished, Conrad rubbed his eyes and gaped. There were Rosie's clothes,
exactly as his twin had described. Clothes with nobody in them. He looked sidelong at Carrie, who caught his eye.

‘Well? Am I a nut or not? If I am, you are.'

He shook his head. ‘It's some sort of illusion, Sis. Has to be.' He scanned the long grass with slitted eyes. ‘She's hiding. In a hole or something.'

‘No I'm not.' A sleeve waved at them. ‘See – I'm right here in my jumper.' One shoe left the ground, its sock a tube of grey wool. ‘Look. I can balance on one foot.'

‘Huh! I still say it's a trick. Let's see you come back.'

‘Fine. Watch carefully.' The shoes began to shuffle forward round the circle. The grey skirt kept pace, swinging slightly. Above it drifted the maroon jumper, its empty sleeves stretched out. Conrad strained his eyes to discover some fraud: thin wires perhaps, but there was nothing. The shoes completed the circle and there were Rosie's legs and hands, her reddish hair framing an impudent grin. ‘Come on then, Conrad – tell us how it's done.'

‘I … can't.' He shook his head.

Rosie laughed. ‘Wanna see your sister do it?'

He nodded. ‘I suppose.'

Carrie took Rosie's place in the ring. Rosie came and stood beside the boy, whose cheeks had turned pale. She looked at him. ‘
Sure
you're not chicken, Conrad?'

‘I'm sure.' He sounded croaky.

‘It's just that you're as pasty as a chilled portion, and you clucked just now.'

‘Shut your face.'

They watched Carrie vanish, heard her say, ‘Have I done it?'

‘You've done it,' confirmed the traveller child. ‘Hasn't she, Conrad?'

‘Y … yeah. You can come back, Sis. I believe you.'

‘Am I a nut?'

‘No you're not. Walk forward, for Pete's sake.' He felt sick.

Carrie reappeared and left the ring. ‘Your turn, Con.'

‘I know, I know. Give me a chance.' He stepped in. ‘Backwards, right?'

The girls nodded.

‘And it doesn't hurt or anything?'

‘No.'

‘And you always come back if you walk
forward? It never fails, I mean?'

‘Never.'

‘And you'll tell me when …?'

‘Oh, for heaven's sake get on with it!' This from Carrie.

Conrad did what he'd seen the girls do, and duly vanished. They told him when he'd done it.

‘But I can see myself, same as always,' he croaked.

‘Rosie
told
you,' snapped Carrie. ‘You're not invisible to yourself.'

‘Oh, yeah. OK. I'm coming out.'

‘Whoa!' Rosie shook her head. ‘Not so fast, Conrad. You'll break the circle and stay like that for ever. Can't you just see your mum's face when your uniform walks in?'

‘Don't say that!' He slowed down though. Right down. The girls were quite bored by the time he reappeared.

‘So.' Rosie grinned. ‘What d'you think?'

‘It's OK.' Conrad nodded. ‘Doesn't hurt or anything, but like … what's it good for?'

‘Aw come
on
!' Rosie looked at him. ‘Think about it. You're invisible. You can go anywhere. Dodge anyone. Get in places free. Listen in to
people's conversations. It's terrific fun. I've done it millions of times.'

‘Yeah, but …' Carrie frowned. ‘What about your clothes? They don't become invisible. You'd have to …'

‘Take 'em off, yes.' Rosie nodded. ‘Why not – nobody's going to
see
you. You just don't pick a freezing day, that's all.'

Conrad looked at her. ‘You said we'd be able to see each other, though.'

Rosie nodded. ‘So what? Have you never seen anybody without clothes?'

‘'Course I have. It's just …'

‘You get used to it in no time, believe me.'

Carrie frowned. ‘What would we do with our stuff though? I mean, we can't just leave it here, can we? Someone'd find it. Pinch it, probably.'

Rosie shook her head. ‘We won't do it here. We'll go up to Inchlake Ring. There's a place we can hide our stuff.'

‘How d'you
know
that, Rosie? You only just got here.'

Rosie smiled. ‘Inchlake Ring's famous with us travellers, Carrie. We know all the ancient places.'

‘Ah. So when do we do it?'

Rosie shrugged. ‘Saturday?'

Carrie nodded, smiling. ‘Yes, all right. Saturday. What time?'

‘Evening's best, when there's less chance of meeting people. Half six?'

‘Great. I can't wait.'

Rosie looked at Conrad. ‘And you – will you come?'

‘I guess.' He looked unhappy.

Rosie grinned. ‘We're a gang, then. A gang of three. We should have a name.'

Conrad scowled. ‘Why?'

‘'Cause gangs always have names. How about
The Inchlake Invisibles
?'

‘The Inchlake Invisibles.' Carrie tried it on her tongue. ‘Yeah, that's cool. The Inchlake Invisibles. Let's call ourselves that, eh, Con?'

‘If you like.'

‘Well.' Rosie picked up her bag. ‘I'm off home. See you tomorrow.' She turned and strolled off, a faint smile on her lips. Her secret was more than just fun. Much more. Yesterday she'd been the new girl, suspect and lonely. Today she was part of a gang. Better still, she was
leader
of the gang. She was going to be all right at Inchlake School.

‘Gimme that apple, gipsy.' Lee Kippax stuck out a blunt paw.

Rosie shook her head. ‘No. And I'm not a gipsy.'

‘My dad says you are. He says you steal and leave muck everywhere.'

‘Me?'

‘People who live in caravans. Gimme the apple.'

‘Get lost.'

‘Hand it over, or I'll …'

‘What's the trouble?' A boy who was passing paused and eyeballed Lee Kippax.

‘Shove off, Bunny,' growled the bully. ‘It's none of your business.'

The boy looked at Rosie. ‘Is he bugging you?'

‘He's after my apple.'

‘Is he?' The boy tutted, shaking his head. ‘Don't you know that's stealing, Kippax?'

‘I told you to shove off.'

The boy patted his pocket. ‘
I
've got an apple you're welcome to, Kippax.' He smiled. ‘
If
you can take it from me.'