‘You should have chosen Truth.’
*
‘I thought you were kidding about kissing with tongues.’ Zoe hopped to keep up with Allie’s pace as they headed down the hill away from the castle.
They moved so quickly the beams from their torches swung wildly, bouncing from rocky path to tree branches to dark sky.
‘So did I.’ Allie’s reply came through gritted teeth as she skidded on a stone. Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, she slowed her pace. After that they walked for a while in silence, the sound of their feet on the earth the only noise in the silent forest.
‘Allie?’ Zoe’s voice was quiet.
‘Yes?’ Allie said, although she knew perfectly well what the question was going to be.
‘Is your grandmother really Lucinda Meldrum?’ Zoe was looking at her with something like awe.
An owl hooted in the woods nearby – Allie stopped walking. ‘Did you hear that?’
‘An owl.’ Zoe nodded. ‘Somewhere close.’
‘I love the way owls sound.’ Allie had lowered her voice to a whisper as she peered at the branches above them. ‘They sound like they know so much.’ Silence fell between them as they waited. The owl hooted again. ‘Yes,’ Allie said, still staring at the trees.
‘Yes?’ Zoe looked at her, puzzled.
‘Yes, Lucinda Meldrum is my grandmother.’
Allie started walking again. After a second, she heard Zoe follow.
‘But how …’ Zoe hopped over a root that bulged in her path. ‘How could nobody know you’re her granddaughter? Everybody knows who everybody’s families are.’
They were at the base of the hill now, making their way around the walled garden.
‘I really don’t want to talk about this right now,’ Allie said, her voice grim.
Zoe seemed to accept this, and she changed the subject. ‘You kissed a girl.’ There was admiration in her voice.
‘Oh God.’ Allie thought of Nicole whispering, ‘Sylvain is not my boyfriend.’ ‘Yes I did.’
‘You’re going to be famous,’ Zoe said as the school building appeared in front of them.
Rachel was half asleep when she answered her bedroom door to Allie’s light tapping. Her white pyjamas seemed too big for her, and her normally glossy hair hung across her shoulders in tangled curls.
‘Allie?’ She looked bleary-eyed. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘Allie kissed a girl,’ Zoe said.
‘What?’ Rachel blinked.
‘She’s going to be famous.’ Zoe sounded pleased.
Rachel’s eyes moved up to Allie’s face and her eyebrows arched skyward.
‘You know that thing you didn’t come to tonight?’ Allie said. ‘That was smart of you.’
Rachel held the door open. ‘Inside. Both of you.’
She must have fallen asleep reading – books were still piled on the bed near the pillow. Now she swept them out of the way as Zoe sat cross-legged on the floor, eyes wide as if she were watching an exciting film. Allie sat backwards on the desk chair, leaning her chin against the tall back, while Rachel climbed back into bed, pulling the duvet up to cover her bare feet.
‘Start at the beginning.’
Speaking quickly, Allie told her about the night. When she got to the part where Katie asked her about Lucinda, Rachel’s breath hissed between her teeth.
‘How did she find out?’ she murmured mostly to herself. ‘I haven’t heard a thing.’
‘Well, everybody knows you’re my friend,’ Allie said. ‘Maybe they don’t talk to you about me any more.’
Rachel waved that away. ‘Yeah, but I eavesdrop.’
‘You’re the most important legacy student at the school now,’ Zoe said matter-of-factly. ‘More important than Sylvain.’
Allie looked at Rachel. ‘There’s no way this doesn’t spread to the whole school, is there?’ Futile hope suffused her voice, but Rachel’s look told her to give up.
‘Sorry, babe. You’re outed.’ Rachel stretched out her legs under the covers. ‘Now tell me the rest. Did Pru get her tits out again? She’s so predictable.’
Walking into the half-empty dining hall late the next morning, Allie kept her head high and her eyes straight ahead. Selecting a table in a far corner, she pulled a book from her bag and pretended to immerse herself in studies as she ate her cereal. She could feel eyes on her. Hear whispers. She didn’t know how much was real and how much of it was in her head but it didn’t really matter – the impact was the same.
When someone pulled a chair out across from her and sat down a few minutes later she froze, her spoon halfway to her mouth.
‘Allie.’ Reluctantly she looked up to meet Jo’s blue eyes, which today looked clouded and serious. ‘I think we should talk.’
Balls.
Setting her spoon down, Allie clutched her tea mug like a shield. ‘Sure.’ She kept her voice diffident. ‘What’s up?’
‘Why didn’t you tell me who you are?’
Allie’s head dropped until her chin touched her chest. And so it begins.
‘It’s true, isn’t it?’ She could hear the hurt in Jo’s voice.
Allie nodded. Jo’s quick intake of breath was audible. ‘That’s huge. And you never told me. Why, Allie? I’m supposed to be one of your best friends.’
‘I didn’t know,’ Allie said, knowing how unbelievable it sounded – how much like a lie. ‘Until I went home after summer term. And then I promised not to tell.’