Petrify (4 page)

And lonely.

Nothing's happened since I went to the cave. Yesterday I told Nan what I'd done. She gripped my hand and her eyes had tears in them as she whispered, “I'm proud of you, Ella.”

In school no one talks about Josh. It's as if he's dead. Everyone wants to act as if Josh never existed but I can't do that.

He's my best friend. And best mates never give up on each other.

I drag myself through the day until it's time to go home. When I turn into my street the first thing I notice is the police car parked outside Josh's house. As I get closer I see a crowd of people holding microphones and cameras.

The moment I reach my house they turn on me.

“Do you know the missing boy?”

“Are you Josh's friend?”

“How did you feel when you heard…”

I slam the front door behind me, shutting out their questions. I drop my bag and race to the kitchen where Mum and Nan are sitting at the table. They turn to me and I can see they have both been crying. Mum dabs at her eyes. “They've found Josh,” she says with a sob.

I feel my legs start to buckle under me. I can't help thinking the worst.

He's dead, he's been found, cold and alone and dead.

“Ella,” sobs Mum. “He's alive!”

I want to go around to see him but I'm not allowed. So I make one last trip back to the quarry. This time I take the wooden necklace and hang it over the entrance of the cave. That should stop any more night visits from old Ma Jessop.

* * *

It takes days before the reporters move away from outside Josh's house. At school suddenly everyone wants to talk about him. Now I'm the one who goes quiet when his name is mentioned.

Josh finally comes back to school on a rainy October day. The clouds are grey and there's a cold chill in the air.

Josh is late and he sits at the back of the class on his own. He won't look at anyone even though everyone's staring at him. He looks different. His skin is pale and his hair has grown long so it reaches his shoulders. But it's his eyes that have changed the most. It's as if there is no one there. As if the Josh I used to know is dead.

By the end of the day people have given up trying to talk to him. I've already got into a fight with Karl because he called Josh a freak.

Josh doesn't wait to walk home with me and so I have to run to catch him up.

“Josh, wait up,” I call as I race after him.

Josh just keeps walking slowly. He doesn't say a word. He won't even look at me. It's as if he's locked inside his own world and doesn't know what's going on around him.

“I went back for you,” I tell him. “I told her I'd keep coming back until she let you go.” My words tumble out. “I can't believe it worked and you're safe! She won't hurt you ever again, Josh. I've made sure…”

My voice tails off as Josh ignores me.

It's as if I'm invisible.

Illustration 10: Josh, plodding along with dead eyes, wind blowing his hair off his neck, behind him Ella, also in school uniform, reaching towards him, looking upset.

He just keeps walking with heavy steps, staring ahead with empty eyes. As I gaze after him there's a sudden gust of wind. It blows his hair away from his neck. I stare in horror at the reddish brown stone where there should have been skin.

Part of him has been turned to stone.

Josh has been petrified.

First published 2012 by A & C Black
an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
50 Bedford Square London WC1B 3DP

This electronic edition published in February 2012 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

www.acblack.com

Text copyright © 2012 Beth Chambers
Illustrations copyright © 2012 Akbar Ali

The rights of Beth Chambers and Akbar Ali to be identified
as the author and illustrator of this work have been asserted by them
in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

eISBN: 978 1 4081 6576 8

A CIP catalogue for this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Catch Up is a not-for-profit charity which aims to address the problem of underachievement that has its roots in literacy and numeracy difficulties.

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