All My Secrets by Sophie McKenzie Read Free Book Online Page A

the boy says, raising his hand in a sort of awkward half-wave.
    ‘Hi.’ I raise my hand too, feeling self-conscious. I’m suddenly aware that Anna is standing beside me, her cheeks a deep pink. Kit glances at her, then back to me.
    ‘Hi.’ I wonder what he did that got him sent here too. He seems a bit dazed and overwhelmed, much like me and Anna and very much unlike Pepper who oozes mischief and confidence as
she swans over to join us.
    ‘Good, you’re all here.’ Miss Bunnock hurries in, her trainers squeaking on the stone floor. I glance around. Two more boys have appeared while I’ve been looking at Kit.
One seems younger than the rest of us. He’s skinny with short sandy hair and glasses. The other is dressed entirely in black. His shoulder-length hair is as dark as mine and he has a guitar
slung over his back.
    ‘Leave that instrument in the hall, please, Josh,’ Miss Bunnock says with a smile. ‘Follow me.’
    ‘Will do, Miss,’ drawls Josh in a tone that makes clear he is only obeying the rules because he’s being forced to. He puts down his guitar, winking at Pepper as he passes. I
sneak a glance at Kit. He’s gazing across the room at Josh’s guitar.
    The six of us traipse after Miss Bunnock into a big, wood-panelled room lined with bookshelves. A trio of large, squashy sofas surrounds a fireplace and there’s a snooker table by the
window. It’s far cosier than anywhere else I’ve seen so far. Pepper and Josh are whispering right behind me. What are they talking about? It sounds like Pepper is proposing some sort of
midnight lock-picking adventure. Can Josh really pick locks? I’m starting to feel intrigued. Maybe Lightsea is going to be more interesting than I expected. I shift slightly sideways to get a
better view of Kit. He has a gorgeous profile, all his features perfectly aligned. Butterflies zoom around my stomach as I focus on Miss Bunnock.
    ‘You’ll meet the rest of the staff later,’ she says. ‘For now, I just want to run through a few basics. Lightsea House was built over one hundred years ago and used as an
asylum for the mentally ill before being bought by the father of the present owner, Mr Lomax.’
    My ears prick up. The older Mr Lomax is the one who was friends with Irina and Gavin’s parents, my grandparents.
    ‘They say the island is haunted by nutters,’ Pepper whispers under her breath. ‘I googled it.’
    I shiver, remembering the dark figure outside.
    ‘Do I have your full attention, Pepper?’ Miss Bunnock asks, eyebrows raised.
    ‘Course you do.’ Pepper grins.
    A flash of irritation crosses Miss Bunnock’s face, then it passes and she smiles again.
    ‘The older Mr Lomax ran the place as a mental-health facility for young people until his death ten years ago, when the current owner, his son David, took over.’
    A little thrill runs down my spine as I remember Gavin telling me that David Lomax might have memories of Irina from when they were kids.
    ‘The current Mr Lomax founded and runs the Lightsea programme for teenagers. This utilises a range of activities from meditation to team-building, all designed to develop the taking of
personal responsibility in a supportively holistic environment.’
    ‘In a
what
?’ Josh wrinkles his nose.
    I glance at Pepper. She rolls her eyes. ‘Unbelievable,’ she mouths.
    ‘Mr Bradley and I handle all exercise programmes and outdoor chores,’ Miss Bunnock continues. ‘Meanwhile, our housekeeper, Mrs Moncrieff, will supervise you indoors. There is a
rota of chores which all six of you are expected to adhere to.’
    ‘What kind of chores, Miss Bunnock?’ Kit asks politely.
    ‘Food preparation . . . cleaning . . .’ Miss Bunnock shrugs. ‘Now to finish there are just a few rules. We want you to focus on your personal development, hence the
restrictions on clothes and make-up and electronic distractions. We also believe in the internalizing of discipline, which is why we insist you all carry out