Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey Read Free Book Online

‘This is a disaster,’ she moaned.
    â€˜Just a small one,’ he told her. ‘There’s hope still.’ He winked at me, and I grinned back. Carrie, reacting to either the disagreement or the wink, glared at me.
    â€˜What’s this?’ she asked, and grabbed for the box on my lap. I let her take it and she ripped the lid off to reveal a pile of costume jewellery. I reached out curiously, but she backed away. ‘Don’t smudge them!’
    â€˜They’re plastic, Carrie,’ Puck said, raising his thick eyebrows, and I decided to like him, girlfriend and all.
    She hesitated, then inclined her head. ‘Sorry. I’m a bit stressed. This damn show.’ She handed the box to me and sat back in Puck’s lap.
    â€˜Everything will be fine,’ Iris said, appearing out of no-where like a perky jack-in-the-box. ‘Now, can anyone help me with props on Saturday afternoon?’
    â€˜I’ve got to study,’ Puck said.
    â€˜Me too,’ Carrie said, wriggling a little more into his lap.
    Iris’s shoulders bent infinitesimally. ‘Okay! I’m sure I can manage by myself.’
    â€˜I can probably help,’ I blurted. ‘Where are we going?’
    â€˜Oh, fantastic . Just into Cathedral Square. Kevin said we can use Theodore, so it shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours. Thank you so much!’
    Oh, God . A city centre full of people looking at Iris and me and making the inevitable comparison. ‘Sure,’ I said weakly. ‘No problem.’
    She whirled away again. Carrie shook her head and stalked off, bullying Lysander and Demetrius into helping her carry out bags.
    Puck sighed happily and got up. ‘Show business,’ he said, and sauntered into the crowd.
    Kevin came over to add my box of fake jewels to the pile in his arms. ‘I saw that. You’d better watch it; people might start to think you’re nice.’
    I gestured at the chaos – Carla trying to duct tape a bodice onto busty Hippolyta, Demetrius and Lysander trying to whip each other with rolled up scarves, Reka leaning against the wall and ignoring everything but Kevin – and screwed up my face. ‘Hardly. Kevin, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed this, but you and all of your friends are insane.’
    â€˜Don’t put yourself down, Ellie,’ he said, shaking his head wisely. ‘You need all the self-esteem you can get.’

    By nine-thirty the security guard had appeared to boot us all out and Puck had laughed at three more of my jokes.
    Iris was the last to leave, locking the outside door of the greenroom with her own key, and stepping carefully down the narrow flight of stairs that slanted to the mist-dampened car park. I was huddled outside Theodore, waiting for Kevin to unlock the bloody doors. Reka was hanging around too, apparently trying to get Kevin to drop her home.
    â€˜Sure,’ he said easily. ‘You, then Iris, then Ellie and me. Where do you live?’
    For the first time, that melting smile vanished while she was looking at him. ‘Never mind,’ she said at last, putting her face back together. ‘It’s not a bad night. I’ll walk.’
    It was freezing, and wisps of fog still hung heavy in the air. Reka walked around the corner of the theatre’s foundations and disappeared. Kevin looked as if he might call her back, then shrugged and finally let us into the car. I hugged my cramped knees and shivered until the ancient heater warmed up.
    Iris lived fairly close to the university and to Mansfield, along one of the roads that wound about the little rivers that cut through the city. On the way, Kevin was less talkative than usual; Iris was much more so, chattering about blocking and budgets and set design. ‘Oh, look, Ellie,’ she interrupted herself, leaning over my shoulder and pointing. ‘That’s Riccarton Bush. Have you ever been?’
    I craned to make out the