Everything We Keep, Di Walker [best pdf reader for ebooks txt] 📗

and gave it a gentle squeeze. ‘You can do this, Agatha. You have us.’

Agatha looked at Katherine’s hand on top of hers. ‘Okay. This school is fine.’

‘Great,’ Nell said. ‘I’ll go and get Mrs Sloane and we can sign you up today.’ She pushed her chair back and headed for the door.

‘Nell? Wait,’ Agatha said.

Nell turned back.

‘I know this is the part when you have to tell her all about me. Can I wait outside while you do it?’

‘Why?’ Katherine asked, before Nell had the chance to answer.

Agatha shook her head, making her hair fall down each side of her face. Katherine tenderly pushed it back behind each ear, then placed her hand under Agatha’s chin raising it so she could see her eyes. ‘Why?’ she said again, so softly that Nell couldn’t hear it, but Agatha could.

‘Because I don’t want to see her face when she finds out. It will change. It always does.’

‘I don’t understand.’

‘Before, when she was here, she looked at me as if I was normal. Once she finds out about my parents and why I’m living with you, she won’t look at me like that again. I won’t be normal. I can see the change in people Katherine, every time.’

Katherine wiped away the large tear that was slowly making its way down Agatha’s cheek and blinked away her own.

‘Did I do that to you?’

Agatha shook her head. ‘I waited, that first week, but you didn’t. I just thought Nell didn’t tell you everything.’

‘She didn’t at first, but when we knew it was going to be a couple of months, she did tell me. Everything I needed to know, so I could help you, if you needed me to.’

‘Everything? And you let me stay?’

‘I wanted you to stay and to trust us. I know you have a thousand reasons not to but this time I’m asking you to try one more time and trust us.’

Agatha’s fingers twisted together in her lap. ‘Okay. I’ll go here,’ she said.

Nell smiled and left to find Mrs Sloane. Katherine took in a deep breath and smiled. ‘Bonne décision.’ Seeing Agatha’s puzzled added, ‘That’s French for good decision.’

‘You speak French?’

‘Probably enough to get us through Year 8, possibly Year 9 if I brush up a little.’

Agatha sat back in the chair. It wasn’t the French that pleased her. It was the us.

20

Mrs Sloane had been very helpful getting the uniform organised yesterday and Agatha was now dressed ready for her first day. There had still been time for their early morning walk however the long slow breakfast had been replaced by an efficient one, followed by a shower. Now with freshly washed hair that she had tied back into a long still damp plaited ponytail, and standing in calf length white socks, and her new uniform, Agatha looked at herself in the tall mirror behind her bedroom door.

She hardly recognised herself.

With a gentle knock on the door and Katherine was soon standing beside her, her hand smoothing out the ponytail. Their eyes met in the reflection of the mirror.

‘Are you ready?’ Katherine asked.

Agatha shrugged.

‘I think that one means ‘yes and no’. I’m close to mastering shrug language.’ Katherine smiled.

‘What do I do if they pick on me about . . . ’

‘No one knows you or your past. Mrs Sloane said, since we don’t know how long you are going to be there that she was only going to tell two people, the Principal and the school nurse.’

‘People lie, Katherine, even people like Mrs Sloane.’ Agatha said bluntly, still looking at Katherine via the mirror.

‘I know. People do. But I think sometimes we just have to trust some people, and Mrs Sloane seems like someone who would keep her promise, don’t you think?’

Agatha answered with a shrug.

‘Hmmm, I think that one means, ‘it’s easy for you to say’.

Agatha leaned to the side and put her head against Katherine’s shoulder, whose arm quickly circled her. For a moment they stood and looked at their reflection.

‘Now, shoes. You can’t go to school in socks, well you can, but I think today the plan is to blend in rather than stand out.’

Agatha went to the wardrobe and took out the new school shoes they had bought at The Vale the day before. Katherine had made her wear them last night, to try and get used to them before today. ‘New shoes can take a while to wear in. It might just take a few days,’ she had said as Agatha walked around the house before dinner, Chief following closely behind.

Agatha carried her shoes in one hand, her school bag in the other and followed Katherine to the kitchen. There on the bench was the new lunchbox they had also bought yesterday. ‘There’s a sandwich and snacks in there,’ said Katherine as she handed it to her. ‘That was my first time, putting together a school lunchbox. Rita gave me a few ideas.’

‘Thanks Katherine.’

Agatha unzipped her schoolbag and found a place for the lunchbox. She slipped her shoes on, bent down to do up the buckles then stood up straight. ‘Ready.’

Katherine nodded. ‘Okay then. Let’s go, before either of us changes our minds.’

Sandy Vale College wasn’t far, in fact, it was close enough to walk to, if the weather was right and after her new shoes were worn in.

Katherine and Agatha had agreed, with Mrs Sloane, that on the first day, they would meet her at reception at 8.30am and she would take Agatha to her Home Group. ‘I will put you in Mr Brown’s Home Group.’

Agatha didn’t know what a Home Group was, and she wasn’t going to ask. She had just nodded to Mrs Sloane as if she knew exactly what she was talking about.

At 8.30am precisely, Agatha and Katherine stepped through the automatic doors and into reception where Mrs Sloane was waiting, leaning on the counter as if she had just been having a conversation with Stella. ‘Good morning. Agatha, you look perfect for your first day here at Sandy