Forbidden Friends

  “Oh, aren’t they good,” she cried above the music. “I really feel like I’m on holiday now.”

  Bailey texted me towards the end of the meal to say it was still raining at the campsite. I texted him back that it was boiling hot in Spain and that we were having a great time. I took a photo of Nan and Carlos singing along to the music and attached it to the message, with the caption, True Love!

  Just before we went upstairs at the end of the meal, Carlos came over with another leaflet.

  “We have boat trip tomorrow, cueva secreta, is to secret cave,” he explained. “I very much like you to come.”

  “That’s very nice of you, thank you,” said Nan, beaming at Carlos as she took the leaflet. “Night-night now.”

  Carlos gave a little bow and backed away.

  “Free wine, secret caves, whatever next?” laughed Mum.

  Nan started to blush again. “Behave yourself! He’s just being friendly. This sounds good though,” she said, reading the leaflet. “A two-hour trip around the bay, and then through a secret cave to the other side of the resort. You could ask your new friend to come if you’d like, Bee.”

  “What friend?” said Mum, her face full of concern suddenly. “You didn’t say anything about a friend. I don’t want you going off with someone we don’t know.”

  “It’s fine, Mum. She’s staying at the next hotel and she’s really nice, and we’re not going off anywhere.”

  “Well, I suppose that’s okay, but...”

  “Don’t worry, Val,” said Nan. “We can meet her tomorrow, can’t we, Bee?”

  I nodded, grateful to Nan. “She’s really nice,” I said. “You’ll like her.”

  It was far too hot to sleep that night. I could hear Mum and Nan arguing through the bedroom wall, something to do with Dad again. I crept out of bed and pressed my ear against the wall, but it was difficult to make out exactly what they were saying. It was obvious Mum was really upset though.

  I got back into bed and lay there as they droned on, thinking about Lizzie, and how pleased I was that I’d found the courage to go over and talk to her. I’d never have had the guts to do that at school. The girls in my year were all so busy trying to impress Melissa Knight they wouldn’t dare make friends with someone like me.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Mum ordered room service for supper. It seemed like a weird thing to do on the first night of our holiday, especially as it was such a warm evening, but she said the journey had worn her out. As soon as she’d finished her meal she lay back on the huge double bed and closed her eyes.

  “I’m sorry, Lizzie,” she said, yawning. “I’m just exhausted.”

  I sat on the end of the bed, watching her. She looked so small, more like a child than an adult. I twisted the end of the sheet round my finger. What was I supposed to do all evening if she went to sleep? I was beginning to feel just as trapped here as I did at home. I bet Bee was having a better time with her mum and nan. “Do you even enjoy coming here?” I said after a bit. “Not just to Spain, but to the same hotel, year after year?”

  Mum didn’t move for a moment and I wondered if she was already asleep, but then she pulled herself up, leaning back against the velvet headboard.

  “I don’t enjoy it,” she said slowly, as if she was trying to find the right words. “It’s just something I feel I have to do.”

  “But it’s so morbid. The same hotel, the same two weeks.”

  She gave me a small smile. “I know it seems morbid to you, and I know it’s not really fair dragging you back here every year. It’s just that when I’m in England, life carries on and we’re all so busy and sometimes it almost feels normal and that’s scary...” She took a deep breath. “So you see I have to come here. I have to come so I can slow down and remember my Luke...” She trailed off, blinking fast.

  “And what about Dad?”

  “What about him?”

  “Does he enjoy coming back here every year? Raking over the past. Or does he just come because of you?”

  “It’s complicated with your dad, Lizzie. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but he’s still so angry about what happened the night Luke died.”

  I stared at her. “But it was an accident, wasn’t it? You’ve always said Luke died in an accident, so who’s he angry with?”

  She shrugged, biting her lip. “He’s just angry,” she said. “At me, at himself, at the world...”

  “And me,” I said.

  She shook her head hard. “No, not at you, Lizzie. He’s not angry with you. He’s just so full of anger, there’s no room left for anything else.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Breakfast was served on a small terrace at the back of the hotel. Mum was still in bed when I went down. Nan said she’d had a bad night, too much rich food, but I was pretty sure it was more to do with their row and Dad not being here than with the food. I gulped down a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice, grabbed a slice of toast and raced down to the beach. I couldn’t wait to see Lizzie and tell her about the boat trip.

  She was waiting for me up on the rock, wearing her floppy hat, her knees drawn up to her chin, exactly like the day before. I was so relieved to see her. I called out and she looked up, waving.

  “Hey, there’s a trip to the secret cave,” I said, scrambling up the rock to sit with her. “The boat leaves at twelve and it lasts for two hours. I know you said everyone goes there, but it sounds really good. They give you lunch and everything.”

  Lizzie pulled a face. “Yeah, I know about that trip, but my mum won’t let me go. You don’t know what it’s like, Bee. I might as well be locked up in prison. I’m not allowed to do anything.”

  “But she lets you come down here.”

  “I know, but only because my dad’s not around. She’ll still be checking up on me all the time. Look...” She pulled her phone out her pocket. “She’s already texted me twice and I’ve only been sitting here for twenty minutes.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” I said quickly, sorry I’d mentioned it. “We can explore by ourselves. My mum wasn’t too keen either, to be honest.”

  We sat in the early morning sunshine, watching the beach fill up. It was brilliant being up on the rock, looking down at everyone, as if we were in charge of the whole resort. It made me realize even more just how lonely I’d been at Glendale. We laughed about the mix-up with our cases and Lizzie rolled her eyes when I told her how confident she’d looked at the airport, as if she spent her whole life travelling the world.

  “Travelling to Spain, you mean,” she said. “This is the only place we ever come.”

  “Your parents must really like it then, if they come back every year.”

  She shrugged, staring out to sea. “Not really. How about your parents? How come your dad’s not here with you?”

  “He doesn’t like holidays,” I said, my face growing hot. I nibbled at the skin around my thumbnail. I wasn’t sure how much to tell her. I didn’t want to blurt out all my troubles when I’d only known her for a day. Dad disappearing for three days and the police coming round wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to explain. I wondered if he’d answered any of my texts yet, but I’d left my phone back at the hotel so I couldn’t check.

  “If I could choose any holiday in the world,” Lizzie was saying, “I’d go to America or Africa or India – I’d never come to Spain again for the rest of my life! How about you? Where would you go?”

  “Oh, I’m not sure. I’ve never really been anywhere. But I love the ocean. I know it sounds silly, but I just love how big it is – the way it seems to go on for ever and ever.”

  “It doesn’t sound silly at all,” said Lizzie. “I know exactly what you mean. You could never feel trapped if you were out at sea.”

  I nodded, agreeing.

  “But even better than that,” she said, her eyes gleaming, “you could get the person you hate the most in the world, stick them in a boat and push them out to sea and you’d never have to set eyes on them ever again. Wouldn’t that
be brilliant?”

  “Brilliant!” I said, imagining Melissa Knight adrift in the middle of the ocean. “Who would you put in?”

  “My dad, obviously,” she said without hesitating. “And I wouldn’t miss him one tiny bit! How about you?”

  “Oh, just some girl at my school,” I said, shivering in the heat. How could she have that effect on me when she was so far away? Sometimes it felt as if she’d got right inside me – as if I’d never get rid of her, however far away I was.

  “Oh no, look at my arms!” cried Lizzie suddenly, holding them out to me. “I’ll burn to a crisp if we sit on this rock any longer. Honestly, you don’t know how lucky you are that you tan so easily.”

  We helped each other down and made our way over to the little cafe, grabbing a table with a big sunshade, and ordering two glasses of ice-cold lemonade.

  “Globo Rojo means Red Balloon by the way,” said Lizzie, sipping her drink. “One of the waiters who worked here told me last year. That’s why they tie red balloons to the chairs.”

  “Do you know lots of people at the resort then?”

  She shook her head. “Not really. He was just chatting to me one day when I was sitting here with my mum and dad. I was dreading this holiday to be honest. It was so boring last year, and the year before...”

  “What did you do?”

  “Nothing much really. Hung out at the beach, pretended to read, tried to get a tan.”

  “Well, it doesn’t have to be like that this year,” I said shyly. “We could meet up every day if you like.”

  “We could, but not every day,” she said, her voice hard suddenly. “There’s one day when I’ve got to do something with my parents.” She stared off over my shoulder, her face closing up for a moment. I was about to ask her what was wrong when she looked back at me, blinking. “Hey, why don’t we go and explore the other caves I told you about yesterday? It’s so unbearably hot, even under this umbrella.”

  “Okay.” I nodded. “I’ll just go and tell my mum. Wait for me here.”

  The caves were on the other side of the bay, more or less hidden from view. I left Lizzie at the cafe and ran back to the pool. Mum was perched on the end of her sunbed, talking to someone on the phone, but she got up and walked away the second she saw me coming. It had to be Dad – why else would she do that? My stomach clenched up, half in fear, half in excitement.

  “Oh, hello, Bee,” said Nan. “Where’s your friend?”

  “She’s not allowed on the boat trip to the secret cave, so we thought we’d go and explore the caves down on the beach. Is that okay?”

  “Yes, it’s fine, but don’t you want something to eat first?”

  “No thanks, I’m too hot. Is Mum okay? Is she talking to Dad?”

  Nan glanced over at Mum. Her shoulders were hunched over and she was clutching a tissue. “Don’t worry about your mum, she’s fine, honestly. Just look after yourself, won’t you, and try to stay out of the sun for a bit.”

  I nodded, my eyes still fixed on Mum. It was so frustrating the way neither of them would tell me anything. I was tempted to hang about until she came off the phone, but Lizzie was waiting for me. I’d just have to make sure to speak to her later. I leaned down to give Nan a kiss.

  And that’s when I saw it.

  An envelope sticking out of Mum’s beach bag.

  A pale pink envelope, just like the one that had arrived a few weeks ago, but with no stamp or address, just Mum’s name handwritten on the front.

  I sank down on the deckchair next to Nan, my mouth suddenly so dry I could hardly speak.

  “What’s that?” I croaked.

  “What’s what, love?

  “That letter. In Mum’s bag.” I glanced up at Mum. She was still on the phone with her back to us.

  “Oh, that,” said Nan slowly. She was wearing her sunglasses, so it was impossible to know if she was surprised or what her reaction was at all. “That’s from an old friend of your mum. Carlos delivered it this morning while we were having breakfast, but you’d already gone down to the beach.”

  “But it’s just like the other letter. That was in a pink envelope, just like this one.”

  “You’ve lost me, love,” said Nan, pushing her sunglasses onto the top of her head. “What other letter?”

  “Oh come on, Nan! The letter that arrived before Dad went missing. The letter that caused all the rows.”

  Nan looked at me for a long time without saying anything.

  “So was that letter from Mum’s friend too?” I persisted, watching her face. “I mean, it’s the same sort of envelope, so it must have been. I really wish you’d tell me what’s going on. Why is this old friend sending Mum letters? Why doesn’t she just phone or text?”

  “I don’t suppose she has the number any more. They lost touch such a long time ago, sweetheart. What about your friend? Isn’t she waiting for you down at the beach?”

  She was trying to get rid of me. She didn’t want me to ask any more questions. Someone was writing to my mum and it was obvious they were linked to what was going on between Mum and Dad. But how would they know Mum was in Spain? And where we were staying? It didn’t make any sense. I wiped my palms on my knees. Something weird was going on.

  “I really miss my dad,” I said, feeling so far away from him suddenly. “I don’t understand why he hasn’t called me, or answered any of my messages. I know it’s only been a week since I last saw him, but it feels more like years.”

  Nan pulled me to her and hugged me tight. “Some things are difficult to understand when you’re a child, Bee. Your mum and dad are going through a difficult time right now but they’re working very hard to sort things out. The best thing you can do for your mum is to have a brilliant time while we’re here. She’d really hate it if you let their problems spoil your holiday.”

  I hugged her back but I felt more worried than ever. How was I supposed to have a brilliant time when I knew they were going through a “difficult time”. I trailed back down to the cafe, dragging my feet through the sand, trying to work out if there was any way I could talk to Dad myself. I really wanted to tell him how much I missed him and how confused I was about everything.

  Lizzie jumped up as she saw me coming. “Sorry I was so long,” I said. “I was with my nan.”

  “What’s the matter? Did she want you to go on the tourist boat with them?”

  I shook my head. “No, it was nothing like that – there’s just something really strange going on.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m not sure, to be honest.” We started walking towards the caves. “My mum’s acting weird, and my nan won’t tell me why, and I really need to talk to my dad.”

  “What do you mean, acting weird?”

  I shook my head again, shrugging. “She’s usually so together, but she keeps snapping at me and she’s on the phone to someone right now in floods of tears. It’s something to do with these letters, and the fact that my dad’s gone to stay with my uncle, but she won’t tell me anything and I’ve got a horrible feeling they’re going to split up.”

  Lizzie stopped walking and turned to face me. “So why don’t you just call your dad?” she said. “You can dial this special code for international calls and you don’t even have to pay.”

  She was right. I should just call Dad. It was exactly what I’d just been thinking myself. But I was scared. Mum said she didn’t want me to bother Dad at Uncle Ron’s and he hadn’t answered any of the messages I’d left on his mobile. I didn’t have Uncle Ron’s home number either – I’d have to get it off Mum or Nan, and who was to say they’d even give it to me? And what if I spoke to Dad and he said something terrible, like he wasn’t coming back home?

  “I will call him,” I said to Lizzie, trying to shake off the awful feeling that things were never going to be right again. “I’ll call him at my Uncle Ron’s – but in a few days.”

  “Come on then,” she said, linking her arm through mine, and we carried on round the bay. r />
  CHAPTER TEN

  The caves were cut into the back of the jagged cliffs, dark and gaping like a row of hungry mouths waiting to be fed. I’d never actually been inside them before – it was against Dad’s rules – but I wasn’t going to let that stop me today. There was a rumour that one of the caves was haunted, that a spirit had been trapped in there for hundreds of years, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me either!

  I led the way, clambering over a mound of rubble and rocks, stumbling along as fast as I could. Bee held back, a bit unsure. “Come on,” I said, turning round to grab her hand. “We haven’t got much time; my mum will be down to find me soon. She’s dragging me off to see some ancient ruins or something.” I pulled her over the rocks and into the first cave we came to. It was cold and damp and reeked of seaweed.

  “Are you sure it’s safe?” she said, a note of panic in her voice. “I read this story once about these two children who got trapped inside some caves and no one knew they were there and they had no food or drink and no way to contact anyone and—”

  “Calm down, Bee, it’s completely safe,” I said, doing my best to reassure her. “Just follow me. The caves go back really far, deep into the cliffs, but we’ll just walk in a straight line and then retrace our steps to get out.”

  I kept hold of her arm, leading the way through the darkness. Bee stumbled after me, trying not to freak out too much, but I could tell she was really scared. The cave narrowed suddenly, the walls shrinking in around us. It was so tight we had to walk one in front of the other, without touching. We went a little further and then something brushed past us in the dark.

  “What the hell was that?” cried Bee. She shook her head, running her hands through her hair. “There’s something flying around in here!”

  I turned to face her, trying not to freak out myself. I didn’t want to back out now we’d got this far. “It’s okay, calm down,” I said. “It was only one of those flying beetles.”