‘Harris? HARRIS! . . . Finn! You’ve got to help me.’

Finn puts his hand on my shoulder and says, ‘Don’t panic. I’ll look outside, you check inside in case he’s just playing a trick on us.’

‘Really?’

Finn gives me a small smile. I know he is only trying to make me feel better. ‘You mustn’t immediately assume the worst.’

But that is just what I am assuming. Harris was upset. I heard him talking to Finn. He was upset and now he has run away, and it is all my fault because I have been a rubbish sister.

My heart is scampering in time with my feet as I race around the house, shouting for my brother, looking in every room, even in wardrobes, the shower, under the bed . . .

My chest is tight. Where has he got to?

‘Where ARE you, Harris? If this is a trick, like Finn says, you are so going to regret this.’

WHERE IS MY LITTLE BROTHER?

‘Who is going to regret what?’ says a voice.

I look up and see the strangest vision. For a moment I think I must be hallucinating. A creature is standing in the open front doorway. It’s a girl. I think. She has dark curly hair pinned up on top of her head. She is wearing a kind of medieval wench’s outfit: a cream blouse under a laced bodice with a very full brown skirt. And her feet are bare. And enormous. And hairy!

‘Er, hi?’ I say.

‘Your mum called. Said it was important I come round right away. Unfortunately it was a Ring Night at our place. The house is crawling with elves and hobbits. I couldn’t get into my room to change. So, where’s your mum and why are you standing in the hall with the front door open, talking to yourself?’

‘Aubrey?’ I say.

‘The one and only,’ she says, bowing.

I am stunned. Aubrey is unbelievable. She has humiliated me in front of the whole school and now she turns up as though everything is OK between us? And that outfit! This really is taking things to a whole new level. Does she seriously think Finn is going to go for her dressed like that?

‘Just go away, Aubrey,’ I say. ‘We don’t need you. We’ve got a crisis on our hands.’

‘What?’ Aubrey frowns.

‘She’s right,’ says a voice from behind her.

Aubrey turns to see Finn. She shrieks, pulls her wig off and throws it towards me. It lands on Gollum, who has chosen that moment to come down the stairs. She hisses and scoots past Aubrey and Finn into the street, still wearing the wig.

Finn pulls a face. ‘Nice one, Hobbit,’ he says. ‘Don’t suppose you have Gandalf with you? We could do with some magic right about now.’

‘I know I look utterly mental. Blame Mum,’ Aubrey babbles. She shuffles along to the coat rack and tries to pull one of Mum’s coats over her hairy feet to hide them. ‘She insisted I dress up and join in. It’s not like I had anything else to do, anyway, what with my best friend abandoning me and everything,’ she says, shooting daggers at me.

‘Oh shut up and go back to The Shire,’ I shout. ‘Life isn’t all about you, Aubrey Stevens. I have lost my little brother, OK? He’s gone missing and I can’t waste time standing here talking to a hairy-footed freak show.’ A sob erupts from me.

Finn looks horrified. ‘Don’t cry,’ he says. Then he turns to Aubrey and seems to grow a couple of inches. He fixes her with a stern look and says, ‘I think you should leave. Skye and I have to think about how to find Harris.’

Aubrey’s expression turns to shock as she realizes this is a proper crisis situation after all. ‘I’ll help,’ she says. ‘Just tell me what to do.’

I turn to Finn. ‘I’m so worried about him,’ I whisper.

‘Shh, it’s OK,’ says Finn, patting my arm. ‘I’m sure we’ll find him. He can’t have got far. Like you said, we can’t waste any more time. We need to search the streets. And I need to tell you something . . .’ He looks guilty.

‘What?’ I say, swiping at a hot tear on my face. What does he know that I don’t?

‘I’ll tell you on the way,’ says Finn, jumping to his feet. ‘Come on.’ He sounds decisive, in control. I am grateful. I feel anything but.

Aubrey leans in to me. ‘So, are you two going out, then?’ she says under her breath. ‘Cos, you know, if you are, that’s OK. I know I’ve been a bit—’

‘No!’ I say through gritted teeth. ‘We are not! And actually could you just shut up? Cos right now I don’t want to talk to you. I just want to find Harris.’

Aubrey gasps.

I turn away from her. I don’t want to give her the satisfaction of seeing any more tears. I swallow hard.

Finn is calling for Pongo. The dog charges out of the kitchen, panting with excitement at the thought of a walk.

‘It would be good to take Pongo. If anyone can find him, Pongo can,’ Finn explains. ‘And when we find Harris, it will cheer him up to see his dog,’ he adds, smiling.

It dawns on me that Finn knows Harris pretty well after all the time they have spent together. My stomach lurches with guilt as I think of how I have judged him and how moody I have been.

‘What were you going to tell me? Is it about Harris?’ I ask, as I shut the door behind us.

Finn crouches down and concentrates on getting Pongo’s lead on. ‘It’s not important now. I’ll tell you later,’ he says, keeping his voice low. He stands up, handing me the lead.

‘OK,’ he says, looking at me and Aubrey. ‘Where shall we go first? Split up or stay together?’

‘Stay together,’ says Aubrey.

I push away the thought that she would say that. I have to focus on finding Harris.

‘Yeah,’ I say. ‘Let’s start together, anyway. He can’t have got that far.’

I am not sure I believe myself. What if someone’s picked him up? He knows not to go with strangers, though. But what if . . . ?

I make myself concentrate on listening to Finn. He suddenly seems a lot more older and serious than I have ever seen him before.

We start by walking up and down our street, calling for Harris. Pongo strains to get ahead of us, keen to be let off and have a run around.

There is no sign of Harris in anyone’s garden, and I am pretty sure he wouldn’t be in anyone’s house. He has no friends in the street other than Finn.

‘What about the park?’ says Aubrey.

I go cold as I think of him all alone in the park. The evenings are lighter now, but still. He is only eight.

‘Good idea,’ says Finn. ‘Then maybe split up once we get there? Harris likes the swings . . .’

I know that he would never go to the swings on his own, though. He has never been anywhere on his own before.

‘OK,’ I croak.

Pongo starts pulling harder on the lead. He has just seen a cat and he’s desperate to chase it.

‘Pongo, heel!’ I shout. It is no good, he is stronger than me and I am being dragged towards the cat. I am already thinking that bringing Pongo with us was not such a great idea after all. I am thinking of telling Finn that I will take Pongo back. Then I see something that makes me gasp.

‘Finn!’

He spins round. ‘What? What’s the matter?’

I point to the fence at the end of our road.

My finger is trembling. ‘It’s Harris’s blanket,’ I whisper.

Finn picks it up and inspects it. ‘This is what he’s been using as a cape, right?’ he says. ‘For his dancing routines?’

I nod. ‘He’s been twirling it around his head, pretending to do the tango.’

‘How cute!’ Aubrey coos. ‘I didn’t know your brother was into dancing!’

I turn on her. ‘Yeah, well, you don’t know a lot about us these days, do you? Too busy being a suck-up with the Voldemort Twins and stalking The Hogs.’

‘Oh shut up,’ Aubrey sneers. ‘You haven’t exactly been the best friend in the world either.’

Finn’s mouth has twisted into a grim expression. ‘Will both you guys shut up for a second? We need to focus on Harris.’

‘Sorry.’ I am brought up short. He is right. I feel ashamed for letting my own silly little problems get in the way. I glance at Aubrey. She is shuffling her hobbity feet and looking pretty awkward too.

Finn isn’t concerned with us any more. He is looking up and the down the main road which leads from the end of our cul-de-sac to the park. ‘Let’s head for the park first,’ he says, and starts jogging.

He has long legs and it is tricky keeping up with him, even with Pongo pulling me along. Still, I am doing better than Aubrey: she hasn’t got a chance with those massive hobbit feet.

My breath starts to catch in my chest, both because I’m running and because panic is squeezing my heart and making my brain race with bad thoughts of what could have happened to Harris. What did Finn want to say earlier? I have to know.

I put on a spurt and catch up with him. ‘Tell me what you were going to say back there,’ I say, panting.

Finn slows down a notch. ‘I’m guessing you heard what Harris and I were talking about? When you were listening in?’

I bristle. ‘I was NOT listening—‘

Finn cuts me off. ‘Whatever. It doesn’t matter. The trouble is, I – I am not sure Harris would be happy me telling you, but I kind of think I have no choice now . . .’

‘Telling me what?’

Finn looks sideways at me. ‘I’m worried Harris has done something stupid.’

I grab his arm to slow him down. ‘Why? What’s the matter? What did Harris tell you?’ I gabble. ‘You said you were going to tell me something—’

‘OK, OK!’ Finn says. He slows to a walk again and shakes my hand off. ‘He’s being bullied,’ he mutters, looking at his feet.

‘WHAT?’ I shout. My stomach clenches. I knew he was unhappy. But I can’t think straight. Before I know it, I am taking my guilt out on Finn. ‘My little brother is being bullied and he told you and not me? And now he’s disappeared and you didn’t think to tell me this earlier?’

Aubrey has caught up at last. She is too out of breath to speak.

Finn shoots me a look of irritation. ‘I’m telling you now, aren’t I?’ he says. ‘He’s being bullied because of his dancing. He joined a class at school, even though he was the only boy. So now the other boys are calling him a freak and generally being idiots about it.’ He sighs. ‘I tried telling him he should ignore them – thing is, he says he didn’t care at first when they just called him names and stuff, but recently they’ve taken money from him and he says they’ve made his friends turn against him too.’

I feel sick. How can I not have known this about my own brother? I am a terrible, terrible sister.

‘S-so is this why he’s been talking to you so much?’ I ask.

Finn nods. ‘I’m sorry, Skye,’ he says. ‘He made me promise not to tell you.’ He looks at Aubrey. ‘You OK to carry on?’ he asks. ‘I think we should keep going to the park. I just have a hunch.’

‘OK,’ I say.

Aubrey nods, still clearly out of breath.

Pongo is keen to get going and helps me along by pulling ahead. I scan all around me for signs of Harris as I jog along. He can’t have run away. He can’t have!

Cars occasionally speed past us. The horrible thought that he might have been taken by someone – bundled into a car – flashes in front of my eyes. I can hear my blood pounding in my ears as I run faster. I should slow down, look more carefully, but I can’t stop running now. I look into people’s gardens and down the side alleys where people keep their wheelie bins. At one point, up ahead, I see what I think is a small hunched person on the side of the road. Is it my brother? Has he been hit by a car?

‘Harris!’ I scream as I career towards it. Pongo lets out a yelp. His ears are flat as we both speed ahead of the others.

Finn runs faster too and overtakes me again. When I reach him he is bent over double in front of the person, wheezing and panting.

‘Is it . . . ?’

Finn is shaking his head. He takes a step away and points. ‘Not him.’

It’s one of those charity bags, spilling old, unwanted clothes into the road, that’s all. The relief brings more tears.

‘I can’t run any more,’ I sob.

Finn stands upright. ‘Come on, into the park. We’re nearly there.’

We hurry around the corner of the road that the park is on. I can see the gates up ahead. There is no one in sight.

Aubrey has stayed quiet since Finn told me about Harris being bullied. I wonder if she is feeling guilty too, for stirring up trouble when things were going wrong in my life.

I am about to say something when Finn exclaims, ‘Hey!’

I look at him and see he is pointing to the left of the park gates, where the road goes on to the shops. A small figure is dragging his feet, ambling towards us, his head down.

‘Harris? HARRIS! Is that you?’ Finn shouts.

The figure stops in its tracks and then throws its arms in the air and starts running in our direction.

‘Harris!’ Aubrey and I yell his name together.

Pongo immediately jerks his lead out of my hand and goes racing ahead, catching up with Harris before I get a chance to regain my balance, and jumping up at him, licking him all over his face.

Finn gets to him before we do and grabs him in a friendly headlock, ruffling his hair.

I get to them just as Harris is saying, ‘I dropped Bop-Bop somewhere – have you seen it?’

‘This manky old thing?’ I say, holding the blanket out to him.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry or get angry with my little brother. I decide on none of the above and throw my arms around him instead, which means I end up in an awkward tangle with him and Finn, who is still holding on to Harris too.

We pull apart, laughing and panting, out of breath and tangled up in Pongo’s lead.

‘You had us seriously worried, Harris,’ says Finn. ‘We thought you’d run away.’

Harris takes Pongo’s lead and fiddles with it, looking sheepish. ‘I’m sorry. You scared me when you started fighting, so I went to find Mum.’

‘Oh, Harris! I’m the one who should be sorry. Finn has told me all about what’s been going on at school. I’ve been a rubbish sister,’ I say.

Harris gives a small smile and says, ‘’S’all right.’

Finn pats him on the shoulder. ‘Come on, buddy. Let’s get you home.’

‘No,’ says Harris. ‘I have to find Mum. She wasn’t there.’

‘What do you mean?’ I ask. I shoot a glance at Finn. He shrugs.

‘I just told you: I went to find her. I wanted to watch her in the competition, remember? I know she said I wouldn’t be allowed, but I was upset and I wanted to see her. But when I got to the town hall, she wasn’t there. There was a competition,’ he adds, looking puzzled, ‘but Mum wasn’t in it. I asked one of the grown-ups who was organizing it and they said Mum hadn’t been to any classes for weeks.’

My stomach falls away. ‘What?’ I say.

‘Come on, Harris,’ Finn says, his tone disbelieving. ‘Your mum wouldn’t lie to you.’

‘Yeah,’ says Aubrey. ‘Are you sure you went to the right place?’

Harris glances at Aubrey’s feet, then gives her an odd look, and nods.

‘It’s OK, it’s only me, Aubrey,’ she says. ‘I had to dress up like this because—’

‘We haven’t got time for that,’ Finn cuts in. ‘Harris is upset, aren’t you, buddy?’ He puts an arm around Harris, whose eyes have filled with tears.

He nods again. ‘I know I went to the right place. Look.’ He hands me a crumpled piece of paper. ‘I found this in her room ages ago.’

I take it and unfold it, smoothing the creases with my fingers. It is a flyer for the ballroom-dancing competition. ‘Yup, it says it’s at the town hall and it’s the same time that Mum mentioned.’ I look up at Finn and Aubrey. ‘So where is she?’

Finn takes a deep breath. ‘Only your mum knows the answer to that question. I think we had better go back and wait for her.’ He gently points Harris and Pongo in the direction of home and they walk on together.

Then Aubrey turns to me and says something unbelievable.

‘Maybe she’s on a date.’

‘What?’ I snarl.

Aubrey takes a faltering step back, tripping slightly over her stupid feet. ‘I – I said, “Maybe she’s on a date.” Well, she did say she needed to get out and “meet people”, didn’t she? Maybe she met someone at the class and they’ve been dating in secret – so as not to upset you and Harris.’ The last part comes out in a rush as I take a menacing step towards her.

‘Shut up!’ I say. I try to keep my voice level. I have already frightened Harris once this evening, I don’t want him to turn around and see me fighting with my ex-best friend. I wait a beat until I am sure Harris and Finn are out of earshot, then I look Aubrey up and down.

‘Just shut up,’ I repeat. ‘Everything you do and say these days is designed to hurt or humiliate me, isn’t it?’

‘What?’ Aubrey frowns.

‘Don’t be all “innocent face” with me,’ I say. ‘You and I both know you posted that video of me falling in the loo. Mum was going to report you, you know. I wish I’d let her now.’

Aubrey’s jaw drops. ‘I – I . . .’ For once in her life she seems to have lost the power of speech. I take advantage of this unusual state to power on, pointing at the clothes she is wearing, ‘Look at you! I should be taking a video of you right now to get my own back. Except I won’t because the difference between me and you is, I am not a bully.’ I pause while Aubrey gasps. ‘Yes. That’s right. What you did was horrible. And now you have to turn up tonight of all nights after weeks of ignoring me. I wish you’d just go back to your new best friends and leave me alone.’

Aubrey has gone red. She flicks her eyes ahead to Finn, but he and Harris are deep in conversation and well ahead of us now. He is probably desperate to get away from us – from Hobbit-Girl Aubrey, anyway – and I don’t blame him.

‘Skye – I . . . I’m so sorry,’ she whispers. She takes a step towards me, stumbling in her stupid Hobbit feet.

I wave a hand at her. ‘Don’t,’ I say.

‘Please, Skye. I didn’t think. I didn’t mean to really hurt you. I know I’ve been an idiot. Can you forgive me?’ Her tone is pleading, her face twists as though she is going to cry. ‘I came tonight because I wanted to see you. I just kind of . . . miss you,’ she goes on, her voice rising in pitch as she goes on in a rush, ‘and you don’t ever have your phone on any more and your mum texted and told me to come and make things up with you. I know she’s really angry with me. Oh, Skye, I’ve messed everything up, haven’t I?’

I shrug. I am trying to remain careless, but really I am confused. Mum told her to come round? She promised she wouldn’t get involved!

Aubrey blinks and clears her throat, pulling herself together. ‘In any case,’ she says, forcing a grin, ‘I needed to get out of the house. I mean, elves and hobbits. Soooo uncool.’

I know what she is doing now: trying to make me laugh. I can feel myself giving in to her, wanting us to be friends again. But I can’t let her win me over that easily. Not after everything she’s done.

‘Too right,’ I say, eyeing her ridiculous outfit. ‘And what do you mean, Mum texted you?’ I ask. ‘How does she even know your number? Aubrey, what is going on? Is this yet another plan to get a date with Finn? Cos I don’t think it’s working.’ All the time I am saying this, a tiny voice in the back of my head is saying, She missed you! And she said she was sorry: why can’t you just focus on that?

Aubrey is looking at me strangely. Her eyes have gone glassy and her mouth is trembling. I think she is about to shout at me, or say something really cutting, like the VTs would.

‘I felt so bad when I got your mum’s text,’ she says. She fishes her phone out from the pocket of her hobbity-brown skirt and shows me, ‘See? She is obviously worried about you and it’s all my fault!’ she says, her voice rising as tears spill on to the front of her blouse.

I read the text in disbelief. I can see from the time it was sent that Mum must have written it just after I shouted at her. I have hardly used my phone at all these past few weeks. I can’t even remember the last time I saw it: there’s been no point in having it on since Aubrey and I stopped talking. Mum must have taken it to get Aubrey’s number.

‘Skye, you have to believe me. It wasn’t my idea, posting that video,’ Aubrey is saying. ‘It was Izzy and Livvy. They are so mean! And I’ve taken it down now anyway, I promise. As soon as I got your mum’s text I realised I had been as mean as the VTs, so I went and deleted it.’ She takes a deep, hiccupy breath and bites her lip. ‘They’ll have put photos of me on the internet by now. I know what you are going to say: “I told you so”,’ she says. ‘I shouldn’t have gone off with them and been horrible to you.’ Then she flings her arms around me and says, ‘Please forgive me, Skye, I really have missed you so much!’

I am shocked. Aubrey never blubs like this. She just styles it out. Have the VTs really got to her too?

Is this an act? Is she really crying? Should I tell her ‘I told you so’? Should I ask her about these photos? Challenge her to find out if she is telling the truth this time?

Then I notice something. Something which makes me realize that Aubrey is not faking any of this.

She has her friendship bracelet back on.

I can’t add insult to injury. The VTs have done enough damage. I am not going to be like them.

‘I’ve missed you too,’ I croak, returning Aubrey’s hug.

We stand in the middle of the pavement, clinging to each other like a pair of sobbing limpets until I say, ‘I need to get back. I have to find out where Mum is. You coming?’

Aubrey pulls away. ‘Yes,’ she says, smiling through her tears. ‘Of course. I’ve been a dweeb, but I am back from Dweebville now. I’m here for you.’ She holds up the wrist with the friendship bracelet on. ‘BFF?’ she says.

I hold my bracelet up to hers. ‘BFF,’ I say, grinning. Boy, does it feel good to be friends again. ‘But can you promise me something?’ I ask.

‘Anything.’

‘Take that costume off and wear something of mine the minute we get back?’ I say. ‘Those feet are grossing me out.’

Aubrey laughs. ‘You bet!’