Little Darlings Read online

  ‘Come along, Sweetie, let’s forget about your silly old toothy-peg. You’re going to sing for us now, aren’t you, darling? You don’t want to lose this big chance, do you, dear?’

  Sweetie tries to stop crying. Mum whips her off to the bathroom to wash off the blood, but this is a big mistake. Sweetie sees herself in the mirror and starts screaming. It takes a long time to calm her down. Debs makes notes, takes a phone call, drinks her coffee. She shakes her head at Rose-May.

  ‘I don’t think this is going to work,’ she says.

  ‘Just give her a chance to calm down, Debs. Come on, she’s only a little girl.’

  ‘Mmm. Too little, like I said,’ says Debs.

  ‘Hear her sing, please. I’ll go and get her now,’ says Rose-May.

  She brings Sweetie back. Sweetie is trying very hard indeed not to cry, but she’s gulping and hiccuping, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Both her hands are clamped over her mouth, as if she’s trying to keep the rest of her teeth secure.

  ‘Sing, Sweetie, darling,’ says Mum.

  ‘Let’s hear you, little princess,’ says Dad.

  ‘Come along now, Sweetie, we’re waiting,’ says Rose-May.

  Sweetie gives the song a valiant shot, but it doesn’t work. She sings with her head bent, in a tiny lispy voice that veers on and off the tune. Her voice peters out altogether halfway through and she starts sobbing.

  ‘Try once more, Sweetie,’ Mum begs.

  Sweetie goes and buries her head in a cushion, beyond trying.

  ‘Poor little pet,’ says Debs. ‘Don’t cry, dear. I know you did your best.’

  Sweetie cries harder because she knows she’s blown it.

  ‘Oh well,’ says Debs, putting her phone and notebook in her bag.

  Rose-May is looking at me. ‘Of course, we could always try Sunset,’ she says.

  They all stare at me. I feel myself blushing scarlet.

  ‘I couldn’t!’ I protest.

  ‘Maybe you could,’ says Rose-May. ‘Of course, you’ve got an entirely different look to Sweetie – but we could work with it. Try a different approach, kind of tween grunge.’

  Debs is eyeing me up and down appraisingly. ‘Mmm,’ she says.

  ‘No,’ I say. ‘Absolutely not.’

  ‘Now then, Sunset, don’t be so negative,’ says Mum. She looks at Debs. ‘She lacks a little confidence, but I know she’d try hard, given a bit of encouragement. And her hair looks much better when it’s styled properly.’ She seized handfuls of my hair, trying it this way and that.

  ‘Yes, but can she sing?’ says Debs.

  ‘No,’ I say.

  ‘Hold on now,’ says Rose-May. ‘Didn’t you say you made up Sweetie’s little princess song? So you can sing!’

  ‘I can’t,’ I say. ‘I truly can’t. I would if I could, but I can’t. Listen!’

  I sing the first two lines of Princess Rosabelle to show them.

  ‘Try clearing your throat and giving it another go,’ says Rose-May.

  ‘I can’t sing, I’m always croaky,’ I say.

  Debs sighs. ‘Never mind, dear. It can’t be helped. And you never mind too, Sweetie!’

  She’s still traumatized, hunched up and hugging the cushion.

  Debs shakes her head at Dad. ‘Sorry, Danny, it looks like the programme isn’t going to happen – unless you’ve got any other daughters tucked away.’

  She’s joking – but I jump up.

  ‘Yes! Oh please, Debs, will you just watch this—’

  ‘I’m sorry, Sunset, I’ve got to get on. Perhaps another time—’

  ‘No, it will just take two minutes, I swear. And then you’ll see.’

  ‘Sunset? You mustn’t waste any more of Debs’s time,’ says Rose-May.

  ‘No, please, just watch for two minutes, that’s all I ask,’ I beg. ‘I’ll go and fetch it. Please wait.’

  I run up to my room, grab the DVD, and come rushing down. My hands are shaking so much I can barely get the DVD out of the case and into the machine.

  ‘Whatever are you playing at, Sunset?’ says Mum.

  ‘Look, Mum! Look, everyone!’ I say.

  Bilefield’s Got Talent flashes onto our television screen, with shots of the whole school cheering.

  ‘Sunset, for heaven’s sake, Debs doesn’t want to watch a school concert!’ says Rose-May.

  I fast-forward right to the end and then, oh then, Destiny walks onstage and starts talking about her mum.

  Debs is squinting at the screen. ‘Who’s this girl? She’s dressed like you, Sunset.’

  Then Destiny opens her mouth and starts singing. Debs sits up straight and stares at the screen.

  ‘It’s my song,’ says Dad.

  ‘It’s that girl!’ says Mum. ‘Sunset, how dare you—’

  ‘Shut up, Suzy. Listen to that voice,’ says Rose-May.

  ‘She’s incredible!’ says Debs when Destiny takes her bow. ‘Who is she?’

  ‘She’s Dad’s other daughter, Destiny,’ I say. ‘She’s not. She’s just some mad groupie’s child. She’s just fantasizing,’ says Mum. ‘Of course that girl isn’t Danny’s daughter.’

  ‘She could be,’ says Rose-May, freeze-framing the DVD and staring hard at Destiny. ‘Look, she’s got the right hair, the same cheekbones, even the same stance.’ Rose-May looks at me. ‘You know this girl, Sunset?’

  ‘Yes. And she is Dad’s daughter, I’m sure of it.’

  ‘Is she, Danny?’ says Debs.

  ‘How do I know?’ says Dad.

  ‘She can’t be,’ says Mum. ‘Her mother’s a liar. I bet she won’t let that girl have a DNA test.’

  ‘Calm down, Suzy. Let’s think about what we’ve got here. This could be huge,’ says Rose-May. ‘Here’s Danny, and here’s Danny’s long-lost daughter, who just happens to have the most amazingly powerful rich voice I’ve ever heard coming out of a kid’s mouth—’

  ‘We can break the story on my Little Darlings programme,’ says Debs. ‘Think of the coverage – and the tabloids will be fighting to do a tie-in feature.’

  ‘I know Hi! would be interested,’ says Rose-May.

  ‘No!’ says Mum.

  But Dad is listening carefully. ‘How would it make me look?’ he asks Rose-May. ‘Wouldn’t it make me look bad, an illegitimate daughter that I’ve ignored all these years?’

  ‘No, no, we could put a little spin on it, say how you’re delighted to discover this long-lost daughter. We’ll stress that you’re such a loving family man that you want to welcome this new kid into your life. It could run and run. Do you know something, Danny, I can see your own reality series – this story’s got everything.’

  ‘And she can sing superbly,’ Debs says. She turns to me and gives me a hug. ‘Sunset, you’ve saved the day.’

  Mum is still shaking her head. ‘No, I won’t stand for it. I’m not having this stranger’s kid muscling her way into our lives – or her awful mother. What else is going to happen in this big story of yours, Rose-May? Are we going to have Danny Kilman reunited with his long-ago love?’

  She bursts into tears. Dad reaches out and takes her hand.

  ‘Suzy, you’re my long-ago love – and my true love now. I know I’ve been a total fool and I’m so, so sorry. That thing with Lizzi – it was just a silly fling. I regretted it almost immediately. We’re not together any more. I want to come back to you and the kids – please, darling,’ he says, his voice breaking.

  He takes Mum in his arms. For a moment she tries to push him away – and then she starts sobbing on his shoulder. Dad looks at Rose-May and winks.

  ‘So, we have a show after all,’ says Debs. ‘Sunset, how do we get hold of Destiny?’

  13

  DESTINY

  ‘Bye, darling,’ says Mum, giving me a kiss.

  I mumble bye, and snuggle back under my teddy-bear duvet. School’s over for the summer. I don’t have to get up for ages. I can just lie here and luxuriate. I’m so happy. Mum’s OK, she’s not going to die. S