The Grey Girl Read Online Free Page A

the police. If the boy had come here to kill or kidnap me no one would ever get here in time to rescue me.
    Horrified, I watched in slow motion as he walked right up to the back door, swung it open and waltzed straight into the kitchen. He nonchalantly placed his motorbike helmet on the kitchen table, along with what looked like a small, padded coolbag, without so much as a word or a look in my direction. ‘You must be Suzy,’ he said, brushing past me and reaching for the kitchen cupboard.
    â€˜What on earth are you doing?’ I asked, my voice sounding more angry than scared.
    â€˜Getting a glass of water,’ he answered without looking at me.
    â€˜You can’t just walk into my house and pour yourself a glass of water.’
    Still without looking at me the boy sauntered over to the sink, standing only inches away from me. His arm brushed against mine as he reached over to fill his glass with water from the tap. ‘This isn’t your house,’ he said.
    â€˜It’s my aunt’s house,’ I replied quickly.
    He brought the glass of water up to his lips and took a long, slow drink. His light hazel eyes met mine. ‘I thought it was your aunt’s husband’s house.’
    â€˜I have no idea who you are,’ I shot back.
    â€˜I’m Nate,’ he responded, taking another sip of water.
    â€˜Okay, Nate. Who are you and what are you doing here?’ I looked him up and down. ‘Are you the gardener?’
    Nate shook his head. ‘Digging about in mud’s not really my thing. My aunt works here. I’m just here to drop off her crystal ball for the party tonight.’ He nodded at the bag he’d put on the table before draining the last of his water and putting the empty glass in the sink. He didn’t even bother to wash it up. ‘Meredith said you’ve been in hospital. You don’t look sick to me.’
    Brilliant, now complete strangers knew my mental health history. I reached up and touched my newly dyed hair, feeling suddenly self-conscious. ‘It’s actually none of your business but I’m fine.’
    â€˜Glad to hear it.’ He smiled. ‘When I heard Meredith’s niece was expelled from school, did a stretch in a head hospital and was now coming to town I couldn’t help but be –’
    â€˜Excuse me? A “head hospital”?’ I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. ‘Just who do you think you are?’
    â€˜Well, that’s a complex question.’ He grinned. ‘One I’m sure I’ll have the chance to discuss with you at great length over the next few weeks, seeing as we’ll be seeing quite a lot of each other.’
    I let out a small splutter of outrage. ‘What makes you think that?’
    The boy crossed his arms over his chest, mirroring my body language. He gave me a slow, cheeky grin and my eyes momentarily rested on the dimples in his cheeks. ‘Look around the place, Suzy. Nothing ever happens in Dudley-on-Water. Trust me, you’ll be bored senseless soon enough and wanting someone to distract you. I thought –’
    â€˜I don’t care what you think,’ I said quickly. ‘I’m not interested. I’m not here to entertain you, or make friends, or do anything else you might have in mind. I just want to keep my head down. Besides, I’m only here for a few weeks, I’ll be gone before you know it. And by the way, I wasn’t expelled from school. It just wasn’t the right place for me.’
    The grin slipped from Nate’s face as he studied me for a long, awkward moment. I held his gaze, determined not to be the first to look away. ‘Suit yourself,’ he said eventually, shrugging. He turned to go and I smiled to myself in triumph. ‘Let me know if you change your mind. Tell Nell I said hello, and make sure she gets that.’ He pointed at the bag he’d left on the kitchen table. ‘Nice to