s
happy. It ’ s all about how you look at yourself, not how other people look at
you. ”
“ Your sister is unhappy, trust me. The brave face she puts on is just
for you. She knows that if she feels sorry for herself you ’ ll all grow tired of her. Every time she smiles she dies a little
more inside, trying to make herself less of a burden to the rest of you.
Your sister might be brave, but she ’ s not happy. ”
“ Screw you, ” Bradley said, suddenly flushed in the face.
Sarah grinned. “There
you go . Sooner you realise the world is less Disney
and more News at 10, the better.”
Bradley stared out of his
window in silence.
Sarah glanced around, checking
out the area where they ’ d parked. It was a nice part of town. New buildings nestled
between patches of grass and shade-giving trees. It looked just like the type
of place you would expect to find a psychiatrist working, but certainly not a
terrorist.
Sarah noticed a girl working
inside the newsagent was staring at them. She talked on a phone while eyeing the
Range Rover suspiciously. Sarah and Bradley hadn ’ t
broken any laws, they were just parked in the street. So why was this girl
taking such interest in them?
Something was off.
From the way the girl ’ s vision was fixed on the Range Rover, there was no way she was
looking at anything else. There was some sort of problem.
Sarah had suffered enough
scrutiny for one day. She got out of the Range, and climbed the single step
into the newsagent ’ s front door. Howard wouldn ’ t
like it, but she was damned if she was going to sit and be stared at the whole
time she was waiting.
When the girl saw he coming
inside, she muttered something into the phone and hung up hastily. She gave
Sarah a wide, welcoming smile. “ Hi, there. How are
you today? ”
“ I ’ m fine. You okay with me parking out there
The girl seemed confused and a
little unsettled. It might have been because of Sarah ’ s
scars. “ No. No problem. You ’ re welcome to park
there. ”
Sarah strolled around the
shop, glancing at stacks of newspapers as if they were the most interesting
things in the world and taking her time. Eventually she turned back to the
girl. “ You here all by yourself, sweetheart? ”
“ I … yes, for the time being. Why do you ask? ”
“ I used to work in a shop like this, ” Sarah lied. “ I remember how my boss used to leave me holding the fort all the
time too. Sucks being all alone. ” She walked up to
the counter and placed both hands on it.
The girl swallowed audibly.
Sarah grinned, knowing that
doing so would only distort her messed-up features even further. “ Try to mind your own business, sweetheart, ” she
said. “ I would hate if we were forced to become better acquainted. ”
Sarah left the newsagent and re-joined
Bradley in the car.
“ Everything okay? ” he asked her.
“ Something ’ s off about the girl in that newsagents. Don ’ t ask me why. ”
“ You think she knows something? ”
“ Either that or she ’ s just nosey beggar. Most shop workers don ’ t
even give the time of day to customers standing in front of them, let alone a
car parked outside on the road doing nothing. I ’ ll
give her the benefit of the doubt for now, but she ’ s
got my spidey senses tickling. Heard anything from Howard? ”
“ Nope, all ’ s quiet. Sorry. ” By Bradley ’ s tone, it was clear
he was still upset with her. When Sarah thought about what she ’ d said about his sister, she could maybe understand why.
“ Look,
Bradley, I ’ m sorry —”
The radio squawked and Howard ’ s voice rang out. “ Target has flown the nest. Repeat: target is gone. Be on the
lookout, he got wind we were coming. Suspect is a middle-aged man, spectacles,
receding brown hair, shirt, tie, trousers. ”
“ Somebody must have warned him, ” Bradley
said.
“ That bitch.
happy. It ’ s all about how you look at yourself, not how other people look at
you. ”
“ Your sister is unhappy, trust me. The brave face she puts on is just
for you. She knows that if she feels sorry for herself you ’ ll all grow tired of her. Every time she smiles she dies a little
more inside, trying to make herself less of a burden to the rest of you.
Your sister might be brave, but she ’ s not happy. ”
“ Screw you, ” Bradley said, suddenly flushed in the face.
Sarah grinned. “There
you go . Sooner you realise the world is less Disney
and more News at 10, the better.”
Bradley stared out of his
window in silence.
Sarah glanced around, checking
out the area where they ’ d parked. It was a nice part of town. New buildings nestled
between patches of grass and shade-giving trees. It looked just like the type
of place you would expect to find a psychiatrist working, but certainly not a
terrorist.
Sarah noticed a girl working
inside the newsagent was staring at them. She talked on a phone while eyeing the
Range Rover suspiciously. Sarah and Bradley hadn ’ t
broken any laws, they were just parked in the street. So why was this girl
taking such interest in them?
Something was off.
From the way the girl ’ s vision was fixed on the Range Rover, there was no way she was
looking at anything else. There was some sort of problem.
Sarah had suffered enough
scrutiny for one day. She got out of the Range, and climbed the single step
into the newsagent ’ s front door. Howard wouldn ’ t
like it, but she was damned if she was going to sit and be stared at the whole
time she was waiting.
When the girl saw he coming
inside, she muttered something into the phone and hung up hastily. She gave
Sarah a wide, welcoming smile. “ Hi, there. How are
you today? ”
“ I ’ m fine. You okay with me parking out there
The girl seemed confused and a
little unsettled. It might have been because of Sarah ’ s
scars. “ No. No problem. You ’ re welcome to park
there. ”
Sarah strolled around the
shop, glancing at stacks of newspapers as if they were the most interesting
things in the world and taking her time. Eventually she turned back to the
girl. “ You here all by yourself, sweetheart? ”
“ I … yes, for the time being. Why do you ask? ”
“ I used to work in a shop like this, ” Sarah lied. “ I remember how my boss used to leave me holding the fort all the
time too. Sucks being all alone. ” She walked up to
the counter and placed both hands on it.
The girl swallowed audibly.
Sarah grinned, knowing that
doing so would only distort her messed-up features even further. “ Try to mind your own business, sweetheart, ” she
said. “ I would hate if we were forced to become better acquainted. ”
Sarah left the newsagent and re-joined
Bradley in the car.
“ Everything okay? ” he asked her.
“ Something ’ s off about the girl in that newsagents. Don ’ t ask me why. ”
“ You think she knows something? ”
“ Either that or she ’ s just nosey beggar. Most shop workers don ’ t
even give the time of day to customers standing in front of them, let alone a
car parked outside on the road doing nothing. I ’ ll
give her the benefit of the doubt for now, but she ’ s
got my spidey senses tickling. Heard anything from Howard? ”
“ Nope, all ’ s quiet. Sorry. ” By Bradley ’ s tone, it was clear
he was still upset with her. When Sarah thought about what she ’ d said about his sister, she could maybe understand why.
“ Look,
Bradley, I ’ m sorry —”
The radio squawked and Howard ’ s voice rang out. “ Target has flown the nest. Repeat: target is gone. Be on the
lookout, he got wind we were coming. Suspect is a middle-aged man, spectacles,
receding brown hair, shirt, tie, trousers. ”
“ Somebody must have warned him, ” Bradley
said.
“ That bitch.
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