She fears she knows the answer to that.
And, as she thinks about it, suddenly everything is wrong. She becomes convinced she is being watched. Her breathing is so loud in her ears that she struggles to hear anything else, but without warning her focused concentration gives way to a frantic effort to go faster and faster in order to get back to school. She speeds up, her breath growing ragged while the rain comes faster and faster, until her hair is soaked and water begins to drip off the end of her nose. She catches drops in her mouth that taste sweet, and only when they turn salty does she realise she is crying. Any remaining rhythm to her running is lost, but she doesn’t stop. She strains for the next flag and the next, and counts another five as a stitch begins in her side, its sharp pain a dagger beneath her ribs. She doesn’t see a loose tree root along the path and her foot hooks under it. She is sent sprawling, her hands taking the brunt of her weight as she lands on all fours. Her elbow immediately begins to throb. She crawls to the edge of the path, her tears increasing, and tries to summon the energy to get to her feet, but she can’t. Exhaustion buckles her knees and she rolls onto her back, feeling the mud damp against her neck, gazing up at the tree branches which seem to lean in and leer down at her.
It is Lilian Chang who finds her, another strong cross-country runner who has been on teams with Georgia in school competitions. They are not in the same group of friends, but Lily is kind. Immediately, she stops and kneels next to her. ‘Oh, Georgia,’ she says. ‘What can I do? Do you want me to help you get back?’
Georgia shakes her head. ‘You go on, I’ll get up in a minute.’ When Lily hesitates she adds, ‘I promise.’ She lifts a hand to her face to wipe her eyes and tries to smile, only afterwards realising how muddy her fingers are.
‘Okay, then, I’ll get Mrs Sawyer,’ Lily says, and jogs away before Georgia can object, turning back again and again, as Georgia gives her a feeble wave. She sits there sniffing, trying to encourage herself back up but still not feeling any strength in her legs. More footsteps pound along the path and slow at the sight of her. When Georgia sees who it is she turns away, but then his arm is around her and Danny’s voice is next to her ear. ‘Come on, Georgia. It’s all right.’
He doesn’t try to pull her up, he just sits in the dirt next to her, and holds her as he did the night before. This makes her cry again, bringing back memories of her best friend on the road with her shattered leg, her face slack. Georgia had been terrified, convinced that Sophia was dead until Danny had checked her pulse.
She closes her eyes, and tries to pretend that it is Leo here, holding her like this. She imagines his lips against her forehead, his arms pulling her towards him, grounding her, urging her back to herself, encouraging her mind to settle. But the image feels too manipulated – she can’t even pretend there is a future for them. Now he is only a ghost, and if she reaches for him she will find her hands catching at the air. Meanwhile, here is Danny, doing his best, oblivious to his role as the understudy in this scene.
They sit, letting the rain soak them, with Georgia unaware of the other runners coming by and Danny waving them on, until Lily returns, jogging ahead of Mrs Sawyer. Together, Danny and the teacher hoist Georgia between them and help her walk the last few hundred metres towards the school. No one speaks, and Georgia only glances back when they have made it into the clearing. She squints at the dark shapes between the trees, trying to see if anyone is lurking, but there are so many places to hide that it’s impossible to tell.
13
CALLUM
Callum is having trouble slowing to Maddie’s listless pace as they head for the car park. There is no rush, and yet he is beginning to think they should hurry through this day. Everywhere he turns he feels threatened, as though a disaster he can’t discern is closing in on them.
‘Get Maddie away from here,’ Liam had whispered to Callum before he headed back into Sophia’s room. ‘I’ll phone you later.’
‘What are you thinking?’
‘That we need to find out who that woman is as fast as possible, and take a look at her car.’
Callum is trying to fill in the gaps left by the grainy photograph, racking his brains for anywhere he might have seen the woman before. It isn’t Danielle – how could it be, and why would it be? – and yet his unease at this strange development has brought her words back to mind.
This isn’t over yet.
He cannot go on like this, he needs to clear the air. As they walk, he whips out his phone and texts her. Can we talk? Please?
At the car, he opens the passenger door for Maddie, then goes around to his side. Maddie starts to speak as soon as he climbs in.