Super Dark (Super Dark Trilogy) Read Free Page B

It’s about you. And I say it’s time you started acting your age. Do what other seventeen-year-olds do! Go out and get wild for once.”
    I drained the last of my coffee. “I feel a headache coming. I’m going to lie down for a while.”
    ***
    The next day, I took the overland train from Elmfield to King’s Cross, where I transferred to a fast train to Lansbury. The journey usually took an hour, so I brought Nineteen Eighty-Four along to keep me company. Hard, wet rain against the windows blurred the outlines of the emerald hills we passed, and the rhythm of the wheels and the rocking of the carriage soon lulled me to sleep.
    When the train finally pulled into Lansbury station, I shivered as I alighted on the platform. A fog of gloom hung over the place, a dark sense of abandonment. It was like a fairground out of season. At least the rain had stopped, so I avoided getting another soaking.
    Anne and Neil’s home was a five-minute walk from the station. They still lived on the quiet, tree-lined street with rows of identical houses made of dark sandstone. Number forty-seven was the only one with a purple door—but I would have known the way blindfolded.
    For a few long moments, I stood by the front gate, deliberating over whether or not to go in. Then, with an odd sense of nostalgia, I glanced up at the house next door— my old house. My parents had sold it after the divorce. A light shone in my bedroom window. Someone was in there, but I couldn’t see through the blinds. It must be the new owners.
    It was always weird coming back to my old neighborhood. It felt like a century had passed since Elliot and I had played here so happily as kids, unaware of the terrible nightmares ahead. It gave me an odd, wistful feeling. I wish I could turn back time.
    Cautiously, I unlatched the gate and made my way up the gravel drive, taking care to walk quietly. I rang the bell and waited.
    A minute passed.
    Two.
    Just as I was turning to leave, I heard the thump of approaching footsteps from inside. Then the door opened and Anne appeared.
    “Sam!” she said happily, flinging her arms around me. “So lovely to see you again! Come in, come in, you must be absolutely freezing, poor thing.”
    She helped me off with my coat and hung it on the rack. Then she took me through to the living room. The place was decorated with a scattering of cozy Turkish rugs, a green corduroy sofa, and shelves stacked with books lining the walls. In the middle of the room, a silver tea set and a box of Twinning’s tea sat on a table. The heavenly aroma of something baking wafted out of the kitchen.
    As she joined me on the sofa, Anne asked, “Would you like some tea?”
    “Yes, please.”
    “Two sugars?”
    “Ha! You remembered,” I said with a laugh.
    “I hope you’ll be staying for dinner?” she asked earnestly. “I’m making lamb chops with parsnips and carrots followed by tiramisu.”
    “You bet!” I replied enthusiastically. “I hope you haven’t gone to too much trouble.”
    “No trouble at all, my dear,” Anne said, patting my hand gently. “It’s not every day we get the pleasure of your company. Neil’s just popped upstairs, but he’ll be down in a bit.”
    She poured the tea and handed me a cup. Then she went to the kitchen and came back with a tray of freshly baked cupcakes—my favorite treats, ever since I was five.
    I stared at the floor a while, munching my cupcake and sipping tea, listening to a barrage of questions about my personal life. I tried my best to appear upbeat, but inside I was crying. Anne had aged so much since I’d last seen her. She’d lost weight; through her blue summer dress I could see how painfully thin her arms were. Streaks of silver tainted her once-auburn hair, and dark circles had formed under her eyes. She was wasting away.
    “Hello, poppet,” said a gravelly voice from the doorway. “Come and give your old Uncle Neil a hug.” I looked up and saw a tall man with wavy, iron-gray