Remembering Darkness

Nuclear Crisp Packets

(AN Picture is of Markus)

Ica's POV

When school was over, I waited outside the front door for Melanie. Charlotte was doing some geeky astronomy club until five, so I was walking home without my only friend to make me feel slightly less like a loner. (Sad face.)

The mainstream of people poured out alongside me at five past four. Melanie wasn't among them.

I took out my phone (a rubbish old Nokia, Mum couldn't afford much else) and sent her a text.

Where r u?

When she hadn't replied, I checked the time.

Ten past four.

Quarter past.

Twenty past.

Half past, and still no reply. Everyone was either inside the building or home. The pick-up area suddenly seemed painfully empty.

I was overwhelmed by a series of dread. What if she'd been kidnapped and robbed and poisoned and imported to Timbuctoo in a storage boat, or got smuggled out in a wooden box saying 'MADAGASCAR', then got dumped on the beach and eaten by rabid lemurs, or bitten by a snake, or stung by a scorpion, or squished by a weird zombie alien thing on its journey to enslave mankind with a new type of nuclear crisp packet?

Or maybe she went home. Maybe I didn't see her in the mob of people, and is currently scoffing pizza in front of The Simpsons. Perhaps she couldn't see me, and now she is worried to death too. Or perhaps my phone didn't work, and she sent me a text saying gone 2 jacks that I never received?

What if that text read: SOS SIS AM BEING SQUISHED BY A WEIRD ZOMBIE ALIEN THING IN MADAGASCAR ON ITS JOURNEY TO ENSLAVE MANKIND WITH A NEW TYPE OF NUCLEAR CRISP PACKET COME QUICK AND PROMISE ME YOU WILL NEVER EAT PRINGLES AGAIN?

I decided to head back home. I told myself firmly that I was just hallucinating. She was probably on the couch not thinking twice about me, assuming I was fine. When I charge through the door screaming "YOU'RE NOT A PILE OF MELANIE MUSH AND I CAN STILL EAT PRINGLES!" She'll stare at me and say, "Oh, so you're not dead? I had my hopes up then."

I gulped. I had reached the front door of our house. It was still very locked. I rattled the handle a bit. Maybe it was jammed? I bashed on the window, and rang the doorbell.

Nothing.

What was I to do? Melanie was always given the key, as she is 'the oldest therefore the most responsible'.

I remembered once Mum telling me that there was a spare key hidden in the plant pot to the left of the door. Grimacing, I dug my hands right down into the soil until I reached something that felt cold and metallic to my touch.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

After unlocking the door, I called for Melanie. Nothing. I checked my phone again, right by the microwave where the signal is the best in the house. Nothing.

Shaking, I picked up the phone and dialled Charlotte's number. It was ten past five. She'd be home by now.

"Hi Ica!" Charlotte greeted. "Look, if you're stuck on the Biology homework, it's all on page one hundred and five of the textbook. Also, there's a really good link on the BBC website which explains it all and-"

"Thanks Charlotte." I said. "But I'm not stuck on the Biology homework. I mean, I'm sure I will be when I get round to starting, but that's not the point."

Her voice darkened. "Ica, what is it? You sound really - really - serious."

I know. 'Serious' and 'Ica Rosler' don't usually go together unless somebody is telling me to be it.

Briefly, I explained to her about Melanie's disappearance.

Charlotte's voice darkened even more, so it was black, if you get what I mean. "Ica, you need to call your Mum."

"What, what? No!"

"This is serious. Maybe Melanie called your Mum to tell her she's going out and won't be back until late."

Although I knew this was the right thing to do, I still hesitated. "Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up and called my Mum's number. I was really lucky she answered. She wasn't always available to chat, working at the hospital and all.

It was almost weird speaking to her, now I was aware she was an immortal exiled nature nymph.

"Hi honey!" She said brightly. "Are you girls all right? The pizza's in the fridge on the bottom shelf. Just pop it in the oven for ten minutes. Melanie knows the temperature. If you get going with some salad, there's lettuce in the vegetables drawer in the fridge, make sure you rinse it first, then-"

I repeated the whole Melanie Missing story.

She paused. "Ica. Are you sure she hasn't gone to Jack's for a sleepover?"

"I'll call him."

And I did.

Wow. I must have been using up more phone credit then my whole life combined in one evening.

It took a while for him to answer. "Hey, Daniel, is this you, or..."

"It's me." I cut in. "Ica. Melanie's sister."

"Oh. Ica-"

"Jack, is Melanie with you?"

"No! Look Ica, I'm at the cinema with Rochelle, and I'm supposed to have my phone off, so I'd really appreciate it if you'd-"

I hung up, and was about to call Mum again, when Strix flew in.

Wait, how the hell did he get in here? Never mind.

,

I could have hugged the bird. "Strix! It's so good to see you! Melanie's missing, and I'm worried sick, and she definitely isn't with Jack because I phoned him and he's on a date with Rochelle, so Melanie definitely wouldn't be there because she HATES Rochelle, so, well, like, you're supposed to be my guardian and all, so HELP!"

"Oh?" He said calmly. "You're worried about that?"

Well, duh.

"Your sister is perfectly safe. You're going there tomorrow. Miu is with her."

I blinked. "How am I supposed to believe that?"

"Ica, I recommend you take a suitcase with you into school tomorrow. A suitcase containing anything you'd wish to take to a boarding school. Also," he added, "bring that tablet Markus gave you earlier."

Markus?

Before I had time to ask, Strix had flown off.

Oh thanks how helpful.

Despite all, I felt inclined to believe him. I phoned Mum to inform her that Melanie was at a sleepover at Jack's, and had forgotten to tell me in the morning. She had relaxed and hoped I would enjoy my double quantity of pizza.

I did. I enjoyed it even more with no salad (sorry Mum).

There was nothing good on TV, so I decided to call it a night and crash.

Before I flicked the light switch, I remembered the stone carving that the boy, Markus, Strix had called him, had given to me.

I studied it. The druid was holding a knife at the two girls, me and Melanie, by a stream. An owl and a cat were in a tree above. No prizes for guessing who they were. A huge crowed was egging the druid on, but two boys in it - brothers, they looked like - were protesting. I looked at the younger one, mostly because I thought he was better looking.

Woah, woah, woah. The boy was Markus.

The boy was Markus.

No way.

Yes way.

I went to bed, thinking of what I was going to pack in my suitcase for wherever I was going tomorrow.