DEAD GOOD Read Online Free Page B

just me. I’m not going mad. And Davey doesn’t have an invisible friend either, because now I’ve seen her as well.
     
    Back downstairs, the smell seems to be less overpowering than before. The screaming has stopped and the living room door is now open. Dad is inside and holding the phone off the receiver. His face is ashen. Not surprising.
     
    ‘Davey?’ mum says worriedly.
     
    ‘He’s fine. He’s still asleep,’ I try to smile.
     
    ‘Oh God. Thank God,’ she says and slumps into the armchair by the door.
     
    ‘So. Wha…what the…’ Dad starts, still holding the receiver. Then he turns to look over at me. ’Excuse the French, Madeline, but for one night only your father feels it’s entirely necessary to use the Eff word in front of you. What the fu…fu-flip -’ he emphasises his non-swearage by lifting his free arm up at the shoulder, palm ceiling-wards, looking at us both in total disbelief ‘- am I supposed to say when they ask Fire, Police or Ambulance?’
     
     
     

 
     
    five
     
     
     
    Sleeping wasn’t the best I have to admit. But today is another day. It’s Saturday – the start of the weekend. And yesterday was full of unusual things. I’m not alone in being a little weirded-out by strange stuff; there’s nothing to get spooked about.
     
    I stare about and wonder if I shut my eyes again and open them r-e-a-l-l-y slowly then this might all still be just a bad dream. Yesterday didn’t happen. In fact the last few months didn’t happen. That’d be nice. Unless this is one of those ‘lucid’ dreams I’ve read about. In which case, doesn’t that make me more in control or something? I open my eyes very slowly.
     
    Nope. Still here. And I seriously cannot believe that this is my bedroom. That this is our house. I can’t even say the word ‘new’ because this is so nothing like any idea of ‘new’ that I’ve ever seen before in my entire life. This is old. It is beyond old. It is ancient; it is crappy, shitty and should very probably be put on some kind of danger list and demolished – immediately. Or sooner - after I’ve grabbed my iPod and GHD’s of course. I sigh. I’m sighing. I’m sighing the minute I wake up !
     
    The only other time I sigh the minute I wake up is… wait a minute…I stretch over to my bedside table and pull out my diary. I find the calendar section and then notice the little red dot that indicates ‘maybe today?’ which is marked at yesterday. Which I should have known. Typical. Maybe that’s what I had last night then, hallucinations – just another symptom of PMS. Sore boobs, belly ache, and seeing things that aren’t there. Okay. Noted.
     
    ‘Maddie?!’ I hear mum shout from across the landing. I bet she wants to talk about last night. It’ll make a change, I’m not saying a nice change – because usually it’s something Davey-related.
     
    ‘Yeah?’
     
    ‘Could you get Davey ready for me this morning, lovey? Dad and me are off to Tesco’s. Won’t be long.’
     
    And before I’ve even had a chance to say “Er hello – surely you want to discuss what happened last night AND actually, yes, I do mind, I do have a life too, you know”, I hear footsteps rush down the stairs and the front door slam and they’ve gone. Brilliant. I might just sigh again. In fact I think I’ll add “sighing” to my list of PMS symptoms. it’s pretty much all I’ve done recently. I take out my pen and scribble it down at the front before I forget and notice that I’ve already scribbled “forgetfulness” in the list which makes me almost want to smile. I said almost.
     
    I hear the front door re-open and my dad’s voice booms from the bottom of the stairs. ‘Maddie?’ He must want to reassure me everything’s going to be okay.
     
    ‘Yeah?’
     
    ‘Don’t forget you can turn your mobile back on today. Thanks for keeping it switched off yesterday -’
     
    Oh. Okay. Maybe he doesn’t want to talk about the madness then. And…