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‘My dad has not gone to London for work. I’m not surprised you don’t know. I mean it’s not like you bother to stay in touch with us, is it?’
Thea’s mouth dropped open. She didn’t know what to say because it was true. ‘Sorry,’ she mumbled.
Katie glanced at the spare bedroom. ‘You’ll need clean sheets. They’re in the airing cupboard in the bathroom.’
‘Which bathroom?’
‘The one on this floor.’
Thea glanced up the second flight of stairs. She knew there were two further bedrooms in the attic. She turned her attention to the spare bedroom and walked in. When she turned around, Katie was still standing at the door. Thea asked, ‘Have you had another guest?’
‘Oh, my god.’ Katie stared at her. ‘Doesn’t Mum tell you anything!?’
Thea watched her stomp off. If Katie wasn’t just thirteen, and totally wrapped up in herself, perhaps she’d realise that her mum and sister no longer had the sort of close relationship they’d had when they were children.
‘Where’s Toby?’ Thea called after her.
‘How do I know? I’m not my brother’s keeper.’
Thea sighed. Toby must have realised she was here. Their house was big, but wherever he was, he must have heard her arriving.
This is going to be a fun week, thought Thea. She’d been insulted by one twin and ignored by the other. At least she’d made friends with the dog.
Along the landing and around the corner was Toby’s bedroom. She left her suitcase, bag and coat in the spare bedroom. Stripping the bed could wait until later. She still wondered who’d been sleeping in the spare bedroom. Her thoughts turned to what Katie had just said. If Mark wasn’t working in London, then what was more important than staying with the twins while their mother was in hospital?
Thea walked up to Toby’s bedroom door and knocked.
‘He’s not in that room anymore,’ Katie shouted out from her bedroom next door. ‘He’s in the attic.’
Thea headed up the next flight of stairs and knocked on Toby’s door. There wasn’t a sound. She opened the door to find him sitting on his bed, still wearing his school uniform. A pair of large wireless headphones covered his ears, flattening some of his wild black hair. He was staring at a laptop screen, playing a computer game.
Thea caught his attention, pointed at her head indicating for him to remove the headphones. Surprisingly, he did as she asked. If it had been Katie, Thea knew she wouldn’t have complied.
Unlike his twin, Toby hadn’t changed all that much since she’d seen him last. They were non-identical twins;Katie took after her mother with her blonde hair and fair skin. Her brother, born a few minutes after Katie, was just like his father, with his dark curly hair and skin that tanned. What the twins had in common, though, was their large brown eyes.
Toby stared at her sullenly.
‘Hi Toby. I expect Mark, er … your father, told you I’d be coming to look—’ She stopped abruptly, re-thinking what she was about to say. She decided to avoid using the termslooking afterorbabysitting. ‘I’m here to hold the fort while your father is away in London. I’m sure your mum will be out of hospital soon.’ Thea actually had no idea how long Jenna would be in hospital. She was hoping to find that out the next day during her visit.
Toby’s response was to shrug. She remembered him as a happy-go-lucky little boy, always smiling. What she saw now was someone completely different. She was thinking that perhaps it was down to hormones, puberty. At least she hoped it was that, rather than the effect of anything going on at home.
Thea said, ‘Your mum is going to be just fine.’
Toby stared at her.
‘So, I expect you haven’t had anything to eat. I’ll go to the kitchen and …
‘We had pizza already!’ Katie shouted up the stairs.
Thea wasn’t surprised that she was listening in. ‘All right, well, I guess I’ll get myself something to eat.’ Thea watched Toby put his headphones back on. She looked at the dog, which was lying on his bed. She’d noticed that Winston’s head had shot up at the words,something to eat.
She ignored the dog and said, ‘If you need anything or want to talk, I’ll be downstairs.’
She got no response from Toby. He turned to his laptop and resumed the game. She did get a response from Winston, though. He jumped off the bed and came running up to her. For a split second, she thought he’d jump up, but this time, he sat at her feet, panting, and nudged her hand. ‘Oh, er … good dog.’ Thea gingerly patted his head. She got a paw for her efforts. ‘Oh, right.’ Thea took his paw and gave it a shake. ‘Good dog. Now you stay there.’
Unfortunately, Thea did not speak dog. Winston didn’t stay there. Instead, he decided he was following her downstairs.
Thea walked back down the stairs to the landing, the dog hot on her heels, and found Katie standing at her door, leaning against the doorframe, chewing gum. ‘So, what did he say?’
