.

Chapter 29

Kirsty couldn’t sleep. She lay in the dark, listening to the house creak and groan. Strange, disturbing noises kept her awake: doors squeaked open, floorboards moaned, an eerie tapping came from somewhere nearby, like skeleton fingers picking the locks. Kirsty pulled the duvet up right over her face. It was hot and hard to breathe, but it felt safer. She shivered despite the heat and wished that the daytime would come.

When the alarm clock rang, she felt crotchety. Perhaps this was how Dawn felt every morning. Kirsty didn’t want to speak to anyone, especially not Dawn or Ben. Not after they’d ruined everything with their stupid row. She went downstairs. Mum was up already. She could hear Ben moving in the front room. The stairs creaked. Dawn was following her down.

‘Morning, girls,’ Mum said. Neither of them answered. ‘Oh, it’s one of those mornings, is it? Well, I’ve got a message for you. Ben wants you to go into the front garden.’

Kirsty frowned. ‘Why?’

‘I don’t know. But he told me to tell you it’s important. You’ve both got your slippers on – go and look.’

Kirsty opened the front door. The cold morning air blew away all the last traces of sleep. She looked around the garden and gasped. Behind her, she heard Dawn laugh.

Next to the red car, the broken down grey car had had an overnight transformation. The front doors were open and draped in grey pillowcases, like ears flapping in the breeze; two circles of paper for eyes were stuck on to the windscreen; below the eyes a long, draft-excluder trunk curled gracefully down the bonnet. Ben had turned the car into an elephant! Dawn was laughing properly now. Kirsty was soon giggling too. The elephant-car looked so funny. She looked towards the front room window. Ben stood there, grinning nervously. He held up a piece of card with ‘Sorry’ scribbled on it.

‘That’s the best apology ever,’ Dawn said.

‘Yes. Come on, let’s get breakfast. We’ve got loads to do today if the plan’s back on!’

In between washing, getting dressed and eating breakfast, they managed to snatch a few minutes to talk while Mum sorted out packed lunches.

‘The transport is sorted,’ Kirsty said firmly.

‘I can disable the alarm,’ Dawn said.

They both looked at Ben. He still seemed quiet, even after his apology. Kirsty remembered what she had said to him last night and felt her own twinge of guilt.

‘Well?’ Dawn said, still looking at Ben.

‘I can get us past the camera. But I’ll need to go to the museum after school today to be completely sure.’

‘So we’ll all be ready tomorrow?’ Dawn asked.

‘Yes. And the phone’s being fixed then, so we have to steal it tomorrow,’ Kirsty said. ‘Do you want to meet later today?’

Ben shook his head. ‘No, my visit to the museum could take a while. We’ll meet outside the museum tomorrow, before it closes. And we’ll go through the plan then. Tell your mum you’re staying the night with us. We’ll tell our mum we’re sleeping here. Then we’ll be ready to break in tomorrow night.’

Dawn nodded firmly, then walked towards the front door. Ben turned to follow. Kirsty grabbed his arm and whispered quickly, ‘I’m sorry I said you were only my half-brother. I didn’t mean it really.’

Ben smiled properly for the first time all morning. ‘Thanks.’