Lucas Read Free Page A

used to the calm and solitude.
    Dad picked up Dominic’s rucksack and leaned it against the stairs. He smiled reassuringly at me, reading my thoughts. ‘He’s just a big kid, Cait. He doesn’t mean any harm.’
    â€˜Yeah, I know.’
    â€˜It’ll be fine. Don’t worry.’
    I nodded. ‘Do you want something to eat?’
    â€˜Not just now, eh? Give him an hour or two and then we’ll have something together.’ He leaned down and tightenedone of the ribbons in my hair. ‘Plumes, you say?’
    â€˜Plumes,’ I agreed.
    He fixed the ribbon then stepped back and looked at me. ‘Very becoming, indeed.’
    â€˜Thanks,’ I grinned. ‘You’re not too bad yourself. Did you see the way Rita was looking at you?’
    â€˜She looks at everyone like that. She’s worse than her daughter.’
    â€˜She’s always asking after you, you know.’
    â€˜Look, Cait—’
    â€˜I’m only joking, Dad,’ I said. ‘Don’t look so worried.’
    â€˜Who’s worried?’
    â€˜You are. You worry about everything.’
    We chatted away for a couple of minutes, but I could tell he was itching to get back to work. He kept looking at his watch.
    â€˜I’m going to ring Bill,’ I told him. ‘And then I’ll take Deefer out for a walk. I’ll make something to eat when I get back.’
    â€˜OK,’ he said. ‘I suppose I’d better get a couple of hours in while I’ve still got the chance.’
    â€˜How’s the new book going?’
    â€˜Ah, you know, same old stuff …’ For a moment he just stood there staring down at the floor, rubbing at his beard, and I thought he was going to tell me something, share some of his problems with me. But after a while he just sighed again and said, ‘Well, I’d best be getting on – make sure you’re back before it’s dark. I’ll see you later, love.’ And he was gone, stooping into his study and shutting the door.
    Dad writes books for teenagers, or Young Adults , as the bookshops like to call them. You’ve probably heard ofhim. You may even have read some of his books – Some Kind of God, Nothing Ever Dies, New World … No? Well, even if you haven’t read them, you’ve probably read about them. They’re the kind of books that get nominated for prizes but never win, the kind of books that get rubbished by all the papers for being immoral, for setting a bad example, for contributing to the destruction of innocence in the youth of today. Basically, they’re the kind of books that don’t make very much money.
    Bill was eating when she answered the phone. ‘Mmyeah?’
    â€˜Bill? It’s Cait—’
    â€˜Just a mm – hold on …’ I could hear the television blaring in the background, Bill chewing, swallowing, burping … ‘Right,’ she said. ‘ Urrp – sorry ‘bout that.’
    â€˜Your mum said to ring you. I saw her down the lane.’
    â€˜Yeah, I thought she was never gonna go – just a minute …’
    â€˜Bill?’
    â€˜That’s better, dying for a ciggy. You all right?’
    â€˜Fine—’
    â€˜I saw you coming back in the car, where’ve you been?’
    â€˜Picking up Dom.’
    â€˜Hey, now you’re talking—’
    â€˜Oh, come on, Bill—’
    â€˜What?’
    â€˜You know what. He’s nineteen, for God’s sake.’
    â€˜So?’
    â€˜You’re fifteen …’
    â€˜Girls mature earlier than boys, Cait. It’s a well-known fact.’
    â€˜Yeah? Well you certainly have.’
    She laughed. ‘Can I help it if my hormones are hungry?’
    â€˜Maybe you should try going on a diet?’
    â€˜Ha!’
    â€˜Anyway, Dom’s got a girlfriend.’
    â€˜Who?’
    â€˜I don’t know, someone at university, I think.’ I