Soul Storm by Kate Harrison Read Free Book Online Page A

fist against the
wood. It hurts.
    ‘All right, all right.’
    The door opens so fast it makes me jump. Her face is cross, the lines between her brows deep with irritation. But her eyes look . . . terrified.
    She looks to her right, and then sees me. Her expression softens.
    ‘Alice?’
    I say nothing.
    ‘What are you doing here?’ She’s smiling now. ‘Have you come to help?’
    ‘Can we go inside?’
    ‘It’s a god-awful mess. Why don’t we go for coffee or—’ She stops abruptly. It’s taken her this long to look properly at me, to realise this isn’t a
social visit. ‘Right. OK. Well, you’d better . . .’ and she waves me inside.
    I wait to feel the darkness as I step into the room. But there’s nothing. No wave of evil, no inhuman coldness. It’s not even that messy, just piled high with boxes.
    What hits me is the similarity to my sister’s room. Another thing I should have been prepared for. Same tiny pod bathroom on the left, same fake-wood bookshelves and desk, same
double-glazed windows that won’t open enough to let out the muggy July air. Even the curtains are identical: blackout-lined, navy blue.
    It was in a room like this I had my first taste of being a grown-up, sleeping off my first hangover after a night clubbing with my sister. In the morning, we ate toast with Marmite till midday.
We only stopped because we finished the jar.
    And it was in a room like this that she was murdered.
    Sahara closes the door behind me and I turn round to look at her. That long, bony face of hers is oddly blank and, as I prepare to ask my first question, I feel like I’m about to kick
someone when they’re already down. Why do I even care?
    ‘You’ve been following me, haven’t you, Sahara?’
    She giggles. ‘Me?’
    ‘It’s not funny. I don’t know why you’ve been doing it, but it freaks me out.’
    She doesn’t move. ‘God. You’re serious, aren’t you?’
    I nod. It’s one of the things I’ve learned from my ‘investigations’. Give away as little as possible. The less you say, the more
they
reveal.
    ‘Why on earth would someone follow you, Alice? Especially me?’
    ‘There’s only one person who knows the answer to that. And that’s what I came here to ask you.’
    She looks more puzzled than angry. ‘Sorry, sorry, but this is totally surreal. You’ve come all the way here to . . . accuse me of following you? Why would I? I see you often enough
as it is. We’re friends, aren’t we?’
    ‘Like you were friends with Meggie?’ It’s the wrong thing to say. Too hostile. But it’s too late.
    ‘What is this, Alice? An
ambush
?’
    I stare at the grey carpet. I can hardly see it for stacks of files, assignments, textbooks. ‘I know someone’s watching me. And who else would it be?’
    ‘Sit down, Alice.’ Her voice is soothing. She thinks I’ve lost it – which could give me the advantage. So I
do
sit down on the end of the bed. She squeezes next
to me, her thigh touching mine. I feel sweat breaking out on my forehead.
    ‘Now, first of all, what makes you think someone is following you?’ Sahara is so close I can see a tiny nerve pulsing under her eye.
    ‘It’s instinct,’ I say. ‘I’m feeling it. I’m not making it up.’
    ‘No, no, of course you’re not. But you haven’t actually
seen
anyone?’
    I shake my head. ‘Except for you, outside school.’
    She tuts. ‘If you must know, I was in the area to refresh the flowers on your sister’s grave.’
    Flowers?
I won’t mention those. ‘Right.’
    ‘Look, I’m not saying you’re making it up, but why would someone follow you?’
    I shrug.
    ‘OK. Why do you think it’s me?’
    I’d planned for this bit. ‘Because . . . because I know your behaviour used to worry Meggie, sometimes.’
    Sahara reels back. ‘
Worry
her?’
    ‘She told me you could be overbearing.’
    And freaky and needy and a whole host of other things.
    ‘Rubbish. We were best friends.
Soul
mates.’
    Except my sister never