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‘That’s o?’

‘No Thank you, Nathan’

‘I’ll leave you in Miss Clark’s capable hands, then See you lunchti on his jacket with a rising sense of panic

‘Have fun, you guys’ Nathan winked at one

I stood in the middle of the room, hands thrust in my pockets, unsure what to do Will Traynor continued to stare out of theas if I weren’t there

‘Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?’ I said, finally, when the silence beca I wondered how long it would be before you wanted to show off your skills No No, thank you’

‘Coffee, then?’

‘No hot beverages for me, just now, Miss Clark’

‘You can callbriefly I closed it Dad always said it et you anything?’

He turned to look at me His jaas covered in several weeks of stubble, and his eyes were unreadable He turned away

‘I’ll –’ I cast around the roo, then’

I walked out of the roo From the safety of the kitchen I pulled out e to my sister

This is awful He hates me

The reply came back within seconds

You have only been there an hour,

you wuss! M & D really

worried about rip

& think of hourly rate X

I snapped h the laundry basket in the bathroo, and spent so the instructions to thewhich ht proain I started the washingto work out what else I could legitimately do I pulled the vacuum cleaner from the hall cupboard and ran it up and down the corridor and into the two bedroo all the while that ifa coraph The spare bedroom was almost empty, like a hotel rooht I probably couldn’t blame him

I hesitated outside Will Traynor’s bedroo just like anywhere else There was a built-in shelf unit along one side, upon which sat around twenty fraraphs

As I vacuumed around the bed, I allowedfrom a cliff, his arms outstretched like a statue of Christ There was a le, and hiroup of drunken friends The men wore bow ties and dinner jackets and had their arms around each other’s shoulders

There he was on a ski slope, beside a girl with dark glasses and long blonde hair I stooped, to get a better view of hiraph, and even in the bright light his face had that expensive sheen to it thaton holiday three times a year He had broad, h his ski jacket I put the photograph carefully back on the table and continued to vacuum around the back of the bed Finally, I turned the vacuuan to wind the cord up As I reached down to unplug it, I caught aout a s o’

I blushed ‘I’ athoful it must be to live like that and then turn into a cripple’

‘No’ I blushed even raphs are in the bottoain,’ he said

And then with a low huht, and he disappeared

The ed and decided to last for several years I couldn’t remember the last time minutes and hours stretched so interminably I tried to find as many jobs to occupyroo cowardly, but not really caring

At eleven I brought Will Traynor a beaker of water and his anti-spasm medication, as Nathan had requested I placed the pill on his tongue and then offered him the beaker, as Nathan had instructedThomas had used, except without Bob the Builder on the sides He sith sonalled to me that I should leave him alone

I dusted so, and conte some s Around me the annexe was silent, apart fro rooh to put on ahe would have so to say about my choice in music