Your work

Secret Leah
by
Holly, age 13.

I grinned as I began to get dressed. Today was going to be great. I pulled on some navy blue jeans and a pink T-shirt, and tucked my brand new black boots into my jeans. As I pulled on my black jacket and brushed my long black hair, I took a quick glance around my bedroom before tiptoeing out.

The floorboards creaked as I stepped onto the landing and I winced as I glanced at my parent’s closed door. I could hear my dad snoring which was always a good sign. I sneaked a look at my 10 year old brother Callum’s bedroom door, and jumped as it swung slowly open. I was 2 years older than him. I snatched my dressing gown from the hook on my door and quickly wrapped it around me.

"Leah?" Callum asked, confused to see me up at half 5 in the morning on a Saturday.

"Yeah," I answered, acting like it was completely normal to be up at this time.

"What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously.

"Just, um, going to the toilet," I replied hopefully.

Callum’s face cleared but only for a second. "So why are you wearing your boots then?" he questioned triumphantly.

"I was … just … um, trying them on!" I whispered impatiently. I was going to be late. "Now go away and stop being so annoying!" I hissed.

Callum disappeared back into his room, tutting.

"You’re up to something, Leah. I know it!" he said gleefully. I glared at him and he shut the door in my face. I continued to creep along the landing and tiptoe down the stairs. Eventually I reached the door and stepped outside, locking the door behind me as quietly as possible.

The early morning air was cold and crisp, and I buttoned up my jacket to the neck as I walked to the bus stop, shivering. It was a dark winter morning and I almost regretted getting out of my nice cosy bed… almost. The quarter to six bus rolled up as I hurried to the bus stop. I didn't want to miss this bus. I climbed on and looked at the bus driver.

"69 Fortune Lane, please," I told him handing him the bus fare.

"You sure you want to go there?" he asked, gruffly, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep, definitely!" I replied, confidently. I wasn't going to back out now. I took a seat and fell back as the bus gave a jerky start. A girl reached across and grabbed my arm to steady me. She looked about my age, maybe older.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"No problem," the girl replied. "I’m Emma," she said.

"Leah," I told her.

"I hear you’re going to Fortune Lane too," Emma said.

"Yeah, where are you going?" I answered.

"Same place. How did you find out you are, you know, different?" Emma asked in hushed tones. She didn’t want anyone to know my secret, our secret. I swallowed and licked my tongue over my suddenly dry lips. I glanced around me before I spoke. ‘Stop being so paranoid Leah’, I told myself.

"Well it was scary and I…I don’t really want to talk about it," I answered quietly, fidgeting slightly.

"How did it feel for you?” I added.

"At first it was okay, a bit weird, but then it got freaky…" Emma’s voice broke off as the bus screeched to a halt. We stood up and stepped off the bus. We both stopped suddenly.

"You ever been here before?" I asked.

Emma shook her head and glanced around us. There were dustbins strewn everywhere and the streets were littered with rubbish.

"This place is a dump!" Emma muttered, kicking a cola can along the road. We trudged forward, searching for number 69. "I wonder why the classes are so early?" Emma thought aloud.

"Maybe because the teacher doesn’t want anyone to find out. She wants to keep our secret a secret," I answered thoughtfully.

At last we reached number 69. I opened the gate and knocked gingerly on the door, butterflies pounding my stomach. Emma pushed open the door, it creaked noisily and she stepped in.

"Hello, anybody here?" she called nervously.

"Yes, I’m coming!" a croaky voice cried.

I looked around the hallway in amazement. It was nothing like the old street. There were dozens of different rugs and blankets pinned up on the bright, sun bleached yellow walls. Each one had intricate patterns and stitching. Jewellery and fairy lights were wrapped around the banisters and a huge crystal ball hung from the ceiling, giving off spots of light around the hallway. It was beautiful.

"Through here," a voice croaked, making me jump.

"H…Hello," I answered, pulling my gaze away from the wonderful walls and to the old woman standing in front of me. She wore a long, crumpled denim skirt and a colourful blouse with a grey shawl and a multi-coloured scarf. The woman’s crinkled face creased into a smile.

"I suppose there is only one reason why you would be here!" she said, gazing into my brown eyes with her mysterious, almost hypnotic, blue eyes. I looked quickly away and started to speak. "We’re here for the…" I began.

"Don’t tell me, I already know," she interrupted. "Come," she beckoned, walking into the living room. We followed, I glanced at Emma and she rolled her green eyes, pointing at the woman in front of us. I had to clamp a hand over my mouth to stop myself from giggling.

"Please, sit down," the woman told us, gesturing to the various seats around her. I flopped onto a sagging but cosy red sofa, closely followed by Emma. Suddenly the old lady spoke. "My name is Madame Vera. Now tell me yours."

"I’m Emma," Emma replied, nervously pushing a few strands of wispy blonde hair out of her face.

"I’m Leah," I answered.

"Well how did you find out about me? It’s very rare people come to visit me" Madame Vera asked.

"Sorry Madame, but isn’t anyone else coming?" I asked.

"No," she replied simply. When I looked puzzled, she laughed. "You two are very special. There are not many people like you, therefore no one else need come," Vera explained.

"I started to see things and then they happened. Whenever I looked at my hand, I saw things!" Emma suddenly exclaimed.

"That would be the future," Madame Vera said, quietly.

"What?!" Emma cried.

"What you see on your hands is the future," Vera told Emma louder. Emma looked down at her hands and nodded in shock.

"You’re right!" she gasped.

Madame Vera turned to me. "What sort of things have you seen, Leah?"

"The same as Emma. I got scared but I didn’t want to tell my parents. I thought there was something wrong with me so I looked on the internet and found out about you,"

I knew I was babbling but these were the first people I’d told. I wiped a few tears away from my eyes, frustrated. I didn’t want to cry. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked round, expecting to see Emma, instead I saw Madame Vera with her arm around my shoulders.

"Sorry," I apologised, sniffing.

"Don’t be, it is scary. When I found out that I was different, I was scared too, and young. How old are you?"

"12," I replied. Vera turned to Emma.

"14," Emma replied.

"Now let’s move on," Vera said, swiftly moving round to the front and turning to face us. "Let’s find out what we can do with our, shall we say ‘powers’."

"So, we’re able to see into the future, read palms, read minds, see true facts in a crystal ball. Anything else?" Madame Vera asked, counting the things we’d thought of on her fingers.

I thought for a moment but not about Vera’s question. About how special I was and how glad I was to be chosen to have this wonderful power. I could not believe it. I was psychic! So were Emma and Madame Vera! The downside was that I couldn’t tell anyone except people who were psychic like Emma and Vera. I’d been all set to tell my friends and brag to Callum.

"What about reading tea leaves?" Emma questioned.

"No, not yet. That’s for really advanced psychics; you’ll be able to one day though" Vera answered.

I leaned back on the sofa happily, catching a glimpse of my watch. I gasped. It was 8 o’clock! Callum would be out of bed now and so would Mum and Dad! Vera saw my expression and chuckled, glancing at a big brown clock on the wall.

"Yes, it’s late isn’t it," she said, reading my mind. "You must go now but is the same time next Saturday all right for you? Sorry about it being so early - I just don’t want anyone getting suspicious. You don’t mind, do you?" Vera asked. We both shook our heads at the same time.

As we got on the bus and sat down, I turned to Emma. "I didn’t expect to find out we were…" I began before Emma interrupted me.

"Shush, Leah! People will hear our secret" Emma hissed. I nodded, tapping the side of my nose.

"Where are you getting off?" I asked, indicating the bus stop we were getting closer to.

"Oh, here," Emma replied, jumping up.

"Bye!" I called.

"Yeah, see you next week at 6!" Emma waved and got off the bus.

No more sleep-ins on a Saturday morning, I groaned to myself and stood up as the bus approached my stop. I was also in for a big telling off when I got home.

"Where have you been, young lady?!" Mum yelled as soon as I opened the door. Dad stood glowering over me, Mum stood with her hands on her hips, and Callum was sat eating his breakfast, sniggering. "Up to your room at once!" yelled Dad.

"I was already going," I muttered, glaring at Callum. The stupid boy had snitched on me. I clomped up the stairs. At least I could read Callum’s mind and find out where he’s hidden his piggy bank in his room. A little extra money could come in handy. And, I had a secret better than any Callum would ever have! I smiled to myself. "Why are you smiling, Leah?" Callum teased.

Grr! Someday I will seriously strangle that boy!