My Sister Jodie Read online

  ‘Pretty much,’ said Harley. ‘I think they’d love to come up here, but I’m not sure we could trust them to keep quiet about it. If anyone finds out, we’re in big trouble.’

  ‘OK, this is our secret,’ said Jodie. ‘So what else is along here? We might as well take it all in while we can.’

  We found a room with an open door full of old bedroom furniture – dressing tables and spotted mirrors and a large wardrobe.

  ‘Hey, let’s go to Narnia!’ said Harley, opening the wardrobe door a crack.

  ‘Idiot,’ said Jodie, but she got right in the wardrobe.

  I got in too. Harley squeezed in beside us, bending his head right down, and pulled the door 120

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  shut. It was so dark inside that we couldn’t see a thing. We stood squashed up together, giggling a little hysterically. I wanted to hold Jodie’s hand but worried that I might grab Harley by mistake.

  ‘So where’s Narnia, then?’ said Harley. ‘Let us in, Wicked Queen. I want to ride on your sleigh and nibble your Turkish delight.’ He banged his fists on the back of the wardrobe.

  ‘There’s no Narnia,’ said Jodie. ‘No way out the back of the wardrobe. And no way out the front either. You’ve shut the door and the handle’s on the outside. We can’t get out! We’re entombed here for ever! We can shout and yell and hammer with our fists, but we’re way at the end of the forbidden corridor and no one will ever hear us. We’re stuck in this wardrobe like three corpses in a coffin—’

  ‘Shut up, Jodie!’ I said, panicking, pushing on the wardrobe door.

  It gave easily and I tumbled out into the room again, landing on my knees. Jodie jumped out after me, laughing her head off. Harley unfurled himself after her, laughing too.

  ‘That was horrible!’ I said. ‘Don’t make stuff up like that, Jodie, you make it too real.’

  ‘It was just a silly joke, babes,’ said Jodie. ‘We were only in a wardrobe.’

  ‘Yes, but you made it seem like it was a real coffin.’

  ‘I quite fancy the real coffin idea,’ said Harley. ‘It would be cool to have your own comfy coffin to curl up in, only emerging by the light of the full moon, teeth bared, ready for a little snack.’

  ‘If you keep on growing, they’ll have to make you a special long long long coffin, like those long black 121

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  boats you get in Venice,’ said Jodie.

  ‘Gondolas? Yes, even better. I could float down some murky Venetian canal, ferried by a mournful-looking black-robed gondolier.’

  ‘Have you even been to Venice, Harley?’ I asked shyly.

  ‘Yes, I went with my ma, when she was temporarily between men, just before she met my current stepfather.’

  ‘I suppose you’ve been to lots of places abroad?’

  Jodie asked.

  ‘Some. Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Florence, America lots of time – just the usual,’ said Harley.

  ‘That’s maybe your usual, matie. We haven’t been anywhere, have we, Pearl? We went to Spain once but Mum got all fussed about the noise from the nightclub and Dad didn’t like the food. Honestly, they’re a joke, our parents.’

  ‘Not as jokey as mine,’ said Harley. ‘I’ll swap you.’

  ‘Sure!’ said Jodie.

  ‘You don’t know what they’re like.’

  ‘I’ll take a chance. It’ll give Mum a break. She’s desperate to get rid of me.’

  ‘She is not!’ I said.

  ‘Oh go on. You know perfectly well you’re Mum’s favourite, Pearl,’ said Jodie.

  ‘Well, you’re Dad’s favourite. And you’re my favourite too,’ I said.

  ‘Really, Pearly? Even though I scare you rotten?’

  said Jodie, suddenly clasping her hands round my neck, pretending to throttle me.

  I started tickling her in retaliation and she shrieked.

  ‘Ssh! Shut up, Jodie. I will get in so much trouble 122

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  if we’re caught,’ said Harley.

  ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake! We’re not doing any harm,’ said Jodie. ‘Why are they so fussed about all these attic rooms? It’s not like any of this stuff is really worth anything. No one would want it, ugly old stuff,’ she said, kicking the massive wardrobe.

  She kicked too hard and hurt her foot.

  ‘Ow!’ she moaned, hopping on one leg. She wasn’t good at balancing on just one high heel and nearly toppled over. She grabbed hold of Harley.

  ‘Whoopsie!’

  He sighed. ‘No wonder you’re falling over. Look at your stupid shoes,’ he said irritably.

  ‘You sound like my mother,’ said Jodie, tossing her ponytail. She marched out of the room, exagger-ating each step. ‘Wibble-wobble, wibble-wobble,’ she chanted, making her ankles do just that.

  Harley raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged, grinning. I felt guilty. It was as if we were ganging up on Jodie, but it was exciting all the same.

  Whenever we’d ever met anyone new before, they’d always wanted to be Jodie’s friend, not mine. But Harley definitely seemed to want to be my special friend. Seeing the badger together had been like a magic enchantment.

  We heard Jodie tapping down the long corridor, trying more doors.

  ‘Come on, you guys,’ she called.

  ‘She’s an old bossy knickers, your sister,’ said Harley. He was busy rearranging the mirrors, adjusting them carefully. ‘Here, Pearl, take a look.’

  I bent down and saw myself reflected in the mirror – and then again and again and again, multiple Pearls endlessly smiling and smiling, until 123

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  I felt dizzy, not sure which one was me.

  ‘ Hey! ’ Jodie called. ‘Come here! Wait till you see what I’ve found!’

  ‘Oldest trick in the book,’ said Harley, pulling faces in the mirror beside me. ‘Don’t take any notice, Pearl.’

  Jodie kept calling, sounding really excited.

  ‘I don’t think she’s kidding us,’ I said. ‘Let’s go and see, Harley.’

  I ran out of the room and down the corridor. Jodie was right at the end, standing in front of a door.

  ‘Look!’ she said, leaping up and down.

  ‘Look at what?’ I said. ‘It’s just another door.’

  ‘It’s right at the end of the corridor! Can’t you guess which door it is!’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  ‘It’s got to be the door into the tower!’ said Jodie.

  ‘Oh, wow!’

  ‘But it’s properly locked, see,’ said Jodie, pointing upwards at the bolt. She jumped up but didn’t get anywhere near it. ‘ Harley! ’ she hollered. ‘We need you. Come on, Daddy-Long-Legs, this is a job for you.’

  Harley strolled slowly along the corridor, refusing to hurry.

  ‘Come on! We need you to undo the bolt!’

  Harley reached up and grappled with it. It had been partly painted over. At first it looked as if it wouldn’t budge at all, but Harley kept pulling at it.

  ‘Lift me up. I’ll do it,’ said Jodie, tugging at him.

  ‘Just give me a chance, will you?’ he said. He bashed at the bolt with the side of his hand. It seemed to give a little.

  ‘Do it again!’ said Jodie.

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  ‘It bloody hurts,’ said Harley, but he went on bashing until the bolt slid undone.

  ‘Hurray!’ said Jodie, rattling the door handle.

  It still wouldn’t open. Jodie pushed and shoved it. She even tried kicking it.

  ‘You can’t get in, Jodie,’ said Harley.

  ‘I will get in,’ she said. ‘You’ll see.’

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  Mum was red in the face, tears spurting down her ch