The Alien in the Garage and Other Stories (4 page)

Amy did a few other good deeds during the day, unknown to anyone else. When Liam and Justin's football ended up on the roof at afternoon break, a quick press on the Eject button brought it springing down. She helped one of the smallest Infants do incredibly well in a game of hopscotch, using the channel-hopping button.

There was no homework that night, and after school Amy went home with Jessica, and Rachel came too, and they stayed for tea. And there were chips, much to Amy's delight. Afterwards, the games console kept them busy until it was time for Amy to head home.

For a short time, she had almost forgotten about the remote.

“Shut up.”

Amy muttered the words to Dominic, as they sat in front of the TV. It was too late for him, wasn't it? Why wasn't he in bed?

Dominic's whining grew louder.

“I said shut up.” Amy wanted to finish the programme she was watching, and once again, she couldn't hear a thing.

That little pain in the bum was so asking for it…

Dominic's mouth opened wide, and a howl emerged that seemed to split Amy's eardrums.

“
I said shut up!
”

Grabbing the remote from the table, Amy aimed it at her little brother. She wanted something more than reduced Volume this time. Without hesitating for a second, she hit Mute.

Instantly, Dominic was silent.

Amy leaned back on the sofa with a smirk. That had shut him up.

“Amy!”

Amy turned as Mum and Louis entered the room. Louis had worked late that evening, taking an Aerobics class, and Mum had cooked them both a meal on his return.

“Time you were in bed,” Mum said to Amy shortly.

“What about him?” Amy pointed to the silent toddler.

“Him too,” Mum admitted. She moved across to Dominic.

“Oh, there it is!”

Before Amy knew what was happening, Louis's hand came down and plucked the remote from her grasp.

“I was looking for that.” Louis's fingers moved to the back of the remote, removing the lid from the battery chamber. “Got some new batteries.” He pulled out the existing batteries.

“No, hang on -” Amy started to protest. She had to un-silence Dominic!

“Amy!” Mum frowned. “I said bed.”

There was nothing that Amy could do. She left the room, able only to glance back at Dominic, still silent as Mum picked him up, and at her precious remote, in the hands of Louis.

With a slightly worried look on her face, Amy went upstairs.

Once in bed, lying in the darkness, Amy thought quickly.

It was all right. Louis would just change the batteries and then put the remote back on the table or TV. After that, it would soon be hers again. She could easily give Dominic his voice back in the morning.

Reassured, she went to sleep.

She wasn't sure what time it was at first when she next woke. But she knew it wasn't time to get up. Everywhere was still dark. Though there was light, a distant light…

The cobwebs of sleep started to clear. The light was on in Mum and Dad's room.

Mum and Louis's room.

And in Dominic's room.

She looked at the clock. It was 3am!

She could hear voices. Distant voices, coming closer. Louis's voice, sounding fed up and tired. And Mum's, high-pitched, anxious.

“Call the doctor, then,” Louis was saying.

“Forget the doctor!” Mum cried. “I'm calling 999!”

“And telling ‘em what?” Louis demanded. “That the little brat's quiet for once?”

“Don't you talk about my son like that!” Mum's voice came back. “There's something wrong, I know there is! If you don't care, maybe I'll call someone who does!”

“No, look!” Louis sounded more reasonable now. “Wait a sec!”

The voices passed Amy's room. A moment later, she heard both of them disappearing downstairs.

What was -? What had Mum said?

Her son…

Dominic!

She leapt out of bed, ran onto the landing and pushed open wide the door of Dominic's room.

As the door opened, Dominic sat up in his cot and smiled at her. A moment later, his mouth was moving. He was trying to make sounds. But none were coming.

She darted back to her own room as she heard Mum and Louis coming back upstairs.

“It must be his throat!” Mum was saying. “I've never known him so quiet! It's his throat! Maybe he's got breathing difficulties!”

“You'd know if he'd got breathing difficulties!” Louis told her.

“Mum?” Pretending just to have got up, Amy opened her bedroom door. “What's wrong?”

There was a moment's silence.

“Your Mum thinks there's something up with Dominic,” Louis said eventually.

“Oh, “thinks”!” Mum glared at him. “Thanks very much! Maybe you'll think I'm still making it up if Dominic never makes a sound again!”

She headed for their bedroom.

“I'm going to get dressed and I'm going in the ambulance with Dom. You can stay here and look after Amy!”

Thanks, Amy thought.

She could see that Louis, now that he had woken up and his bad mood had passed, was just as worried as Mum. As Mum disappeared, he moved into Dominic's room and stood looking at the silent little boy.

Amy ran for the stairs.

She had to give Dom his voice back before the ambulance got there!

Once in the living room, she switched on the light. Where was the remote? It didn't seem to be anywhere! She looked on the coffee table, on the mantelpiece, on top of the TV… It wasn't there! What had Louis done with it?

Finally she found it, in the kitchen, on top of the fridge. Of all places! That idiot Louis must have changed the batteries in the kitchen and left it there.

She had only a little time to spare.

Mum, now hastily dressed, was carrying an equally hastily dressed Dominic downstairs. Louis was following.

Amy dodged out of sight, behind the living room door. She had to get a clear shot at Dominic, without Mum or Louis seeing.

What did you press, to put the sound back? Mute again, wasn't it? Quickly, she moved her finger to the button, and pressed.

Out in the hall, Dominic's mouth moved. But still he was silent.

Frantically, Amy pressed again, and again. And still no sound came from her brother.

What was wrong?

The batteries! It was the batteries! Louis had put new ones in! Whatever power the remote had had, must have come from the old ones.

What had Louis done with them?

“I'm going to keep a look out!” Mum opened the front door, and stood watching for the ambulance.

“Louis!” Amy ran out of the living room. “Where did you put the batteries?”

“You what?” Louis stared at her.

“The batteries!” Amy cried. “The ones you took out of the remote! Where are they?”

“In the kitchen bin,” Louis answered. “But -?”

But Amy had disappeared. The kitchen bin!

The kitchen bin was a tall, white, plastic one, and she had to go into the cupboard under the sink to get to it. It was grimy round there, and gungy, and when she opened the bin the smell was foul. The rubbish inside was tied up in a plastic bag, and she found herself fighting with one of Mum's horrible knots to get it open.

“Here's the ambulance!” she heard Louis cry.

The next couple of minutes were like the climax of a nightmare to Amy. All she remembered afterwards was tearing at the bag, and it bursting open, and then plunging her hands into the slimy, smelly remains of Mum and Louis's pasta salad. And feeling around inside, like some revolting reality TV show challenge. And at last finding the batteries – right at the bottom – and running, still covered in mess, back to the living room where she had left the remote. And then the remote was sliding about in her hands as she tried to get the back off and remove the new batteries and replace the old ones…

“Call me from the hospital!” Louis was yelling. “Let me know!”

And then Amy was pushing past him, darting out into the street as the flashing blue light of the ambulance started to disappear, and aiming at her target as it moved further and further away, and, with all her might, pressing Mute…

And then, the ambulance, and Mum, and Dominic, were gone.

And Amy, in her night things, a slimy remote in her grubby hands, was standing with Louis on the doorstep.

Alone.

The wait that followed was one of the longest Amy had ever known.

She and Louis sat in the living room, watching the hands on the clock as they moved round from three to four. It was the first time Amy had ever been alone in a room with Louis, and there was an awkward silence.

“He'll be OK,” Louis said eventually.

Amy managed a brief smile for him.

She couldn't stop looking at the remote, which lay once more on the table. Had she been fast enough? Had her aim been good enough? She wasn't even completely sure that she had pressed the right button.

She felt quite different about the remote now. Why had she been so excited? What had she been trying to do with her new toy? It had made everything seem possible.

Her eye fell upon the family portrait. Upon Dad. And she realised.

Not quite everything.

Louis saw where she was looking.

“I'm doing my best, y'know,” he said abruptly.

Amy met his eyes. They were soft, brown eyes, and suddenly looked surprisingly warm and kind. Amy wondered why she hadn't seen that before.

The phone rang.

Both of them made a grab for it. Louis was fastest.

After an opening “Hello?” he said nothing. Amy had never seen him listen in silence for so long.

For a moment, her heart pounded.

Then Louis turned to her, and his stubbly face broke into a grin.

“He's fine.”

“Absolutely fine.” Mum was smiling on her return, much more than Amy had seen her smile in a long time. Dominic lay dozing in her arms, his thumb in his mouth. Louis took him from her very carefully. “Yeah. Just before we got there, he opened his mouth and cried. Didn't know where he was, I suppose. I've never been so pleased to hear him cry. Not since -” She paused, and avoided Louis's eye. “Not since the night he was born.”

“Did they say what -” Louis started.

“Oh, I don't think they knew any more than we did.” Mum was taking off her coat and was quickly getting back to her usual self. “But I made sure they checked him over, don't you worry. They said everything was fine.”

“Amy and I were dead worried.” Louis looked round. “Weren't we – Amy?”

But Amy wasn't there.

She was in the kitchen, at the sink, replacing the old batteries carefully in the bin.

“I've got to go in a minute,” Adam said.

Sprawled out on his bed, Luke turned his head slightly to look at his friend.

“Huh?”

“Basketball.” Adam got up from the red swivel chair in front of Luke's computer, where he had been sitting. “Starts at six. Got to get down the Leisure Centre.”

“I thought it was aikido.” Luke took a sweet from the bag next to him on the bed, threw it in the air and caught it expertly in his mouth.

“That was last night.” Adam scrabbled around the tip that was Luke's room, moving smelly bits of laundry and boxed games, trying to find where he'd left his schoolbag. “Monday and Friday is Drama Club, Tuesday's aikido. Tonight it's basketball, tomorrow it's cornet.”

“Busy life.” Lying on his back, Luke was making his legs walk in mid-air, trying to see how far he could get his feet up the wall.

Adam's mobile beeped twice with a message alert.

“That'll be Mum.” Adam fished out the phone and opened the text. “She's at the end of the road, in the car. Better go.”

“Have fun.” Luke had got as far as he could up the wall and let his feet drop.

Adam grabbed his bag from on top of a pile of comics and headed for the door.

He paused for a moment and glanced at his friend. Luke's black hair was all sticking up. He still had his school uniform on, but his tie had found its way behind his left ear. He had the bag of candy on one side of him and an open packet of crisps on the other.

People, grown-ups, always said kids were lazy, never got out. Never got any exercise.

If they'd looked at Luke, Adam could have understood why.

It was for the same reason that Adam had started going to basketball.

“You need the exercise,” Mum had said. And from that had come basketball, and football practice after school, and, in the summer, cricket. When Mum had read an article about how self-defence skills made kids safer on the streets, aikido had been added to the list as well. And when Adam's cousin Bethany had got the leading role in the school play, Adam had been signed up for Drama Club.

Luke never did anything, outside school. And not all that much in. Oh, he'd come out sometimes, kick a ball around. But he didn't do any clubs. When Adam was trying to throw somebody onto a rubber mat, or play in the key of F sharp, Luke would be comfortably slobbed out at home, with a big bar of fruit and nut chocolate, watching TV.

How did he manage to stay so skinny?

“I'll see you tomorrow, then,” Adam said.

“See you.” Luke had two crisps in his mouth and was trying to make them into vampire's fangs.

Adam shook his head wearily and left.

A few hours later, Luke was still lying on his bed.

He'd finished all his snacks. And there was nothing much on TV.

Luke was becoming aware of an odd feeling. He felt…edgy. Annoyed. For once, he wasn't enjoying having nothing to do.

Was this what other people meant, when they said they were bored?

His phone beeped and he opened the text. It was from Adam. He'd just got home.

He didn't suppose Adam was ever bored. There was always something for him to do.

Luke blamed the parents. Adam's Mum arranged for him to do all those clubs and activities.

“You all right for a bit?” Luke's Mum had said, on Luke's return from school that afternoon. She was a hairdresser and had been styling old Mrs McIver from next door. The air had stunk of chemicals. “I'm off to do Maggie from Sansford, after this.” She picked up the styling brush. “There's a couple of pasties you can microwave.”

Luke looked back at the TV.

It was one of those reality shows. Two totally different families, changing places for a few days, living each other's lives. Weird. But interesting…

It was then that Luke had the Idea.

“You're off your head,” said Adam briefly, the next day. Luke had collared him in the playground, before school began. They were sitting on the old stretch of low wall at the edge of the yard.

“No, listen!” Luke sounded eager. “It's perfect. You're, like, dead stressed. And I'm bored having nothing to do. We just swap for a couple of days. You get to be me, take it easy. And I get to be you and go to all them clubs and stuff.”

Adam stared at his friend. There were times when he thought Luke was just a bit crazy.

Could it work? The idea of a few days off being at clubs ‘til eight, nine o'clock at night certainly sounded good. To come home from school and just slob around and watch telly.

“But how do we -” he started.

Luke gave him a cheeky grin.

“You just leave that to me.”

“Yeah, OK.” Luke's Mum shrugged. Luke had caught her just as she was off out to have her nails done, knowing that she wouldn't have time to argue. “You can have him to stay if you want. Long as he don't mind sharing with you.” She sniffed. “You'd better tidy that room up first.”

“When's he coming?” Adam's Mum demanded, at around the same time. She had been waxing the coffee table. “Don't forget you've got Drama Club tomorrow night. There's another rehearsal.” She moved away to fetch a bowl of dried flowers.

“Tomorrow,” Adam told her. “After school. It's cool, we can't start rehearsal ‘til seven anyway, ‘cause Alison's running it and she's going to get her boil lanced.” He paused. “Luke's thinking of joining Drama Club anyway. He can come along with me.”

“Very well.” Adam's Mum arranged the flowers carefully in a central position. “As long as it's just for the weekend. And don't forget on Saturday you've got cricket practice.” She moved to dust on top of the piano. “I don't want you spending the weekend just doing nothing.”

Adam let her safely turn away before he grinned.

“What'd I tell you?” Luke crowed triumphantly.

It was Friday evening. They were both in Luke's room. Luke had decided to prepare for his visitor, and had arranged all his used socks neatly along the radiator. He had also left a pile of comics, fairly tidily, on the bed, and some packets of crisps and chocolate on the pillow.

“They never sussed.”

“They probably will,” Adam said pessimistically. Like a lot of plans, this scheme of Luke's suddenly felt much less fun now that it was actually about tostart.

“Nah.” Luke was looking quite smug at his success.

“I told you. ‘Long as we get seen
together
now and then, there's no problem.”

“Guess.” Adam sounded far more nervous. “Just remember to keep in touch.”

They paused, as there was a footstep on the landing outside.

The door opened, and Luke's Mum entered, carrying a tray. She set it down, as best she could, on the swivel chair. It was the only surface available.

There were two glasses of cola and two plates of sandwiches.

“Hope sarnies are OK.” She brushed her very blonde hair back from her face, and addressed Luke. “Your Dad's out the back working on his bike. I'm off out soon, to gym. You two going to be OK for a bit?”

“Yeah, sure.” Luke smirked.

Luke's Mum viewed him doubtfully for a second. She knew that look.

There was the slightest hint of suspicion on her face as she closed the door.

“Better get off before her,” Luke said. “Then she won't see me. My turn to be you.” He turned to the tray. “And you get to be me. What's in ‘em? Bet it's peanut butter again.” He peeled back a slice of bread experimentally. “Yeah.”

“Yeah, that is actually my tea now,” Adam reminded him.

“Sorry.” Luke put the slice back. “Anyway, she's made it for us both. So you get to eat two teas.”

“See you tomorrow, then?” Adam asked.

“Yeah.” Luke grabbed the Fax-R-Fab personal organiser he was using to map out their grand strategy. The whole plan was written in smudgy blue pen across the pages laid out for notes on
How I'm Going To Save The Environment
. “Checkpoint One is tomorrow, nine a.m. We meet at yours. Then we've got to leg it over here before Mum and Dad get up, so
they
see us both here for breakfast too. Good job your two get up early.”

“We've got to fit Cricket in somehow,” Adam reminded him.

“We will,” Luke assured.

“And don't forget that rehearsal tonight,” Adam said. “Remember what we agreed. And make sure you answer Mum's texts or she'll think something's wrong.” He took the phone from his belt and handed it to Luke. “That's your lifeline.”

“Relax, will you!” Luke demanded. “That's what you're here for.” He grabbed the phone and stuffed it into his tracksuit jacket.

They paused. They were about to part, and it felt rather strange.

This was the first sleepover ever to be held in two different houses.

Then Luke smiled. “Have fun, Luke.”

Adam returned the smile. “Cheers, Adam.”

The door closed, a foot on the stair, and Luke was gone.

Adam waited a moment.

Then he switched on Luke's TV.

Grabbed the sandwiches and chocolate.

And, slowly, very satisfyingly, stretched out on the bed.

Yes!

Adam reached for another slab of chocolate, then paused.

He didn't really want it. He'd already eaten about three quarters of the big bar, along with both lots of sandwiches and all the crisps, and had swilled it all down with both big glasses of cola, and was now starting tofeel slightly sick.

He wondered what Mum had been cooking for tea. Busy every night he might have been, but he always had a hot meal first. Most nights, anyway.

He flicked through the channels on Luke's TV. Luke had digital. All those channels, and still there was nothing on.

The phone rang on the desk – Luke had his own phone, as well! – and Adam paused. The agreed signal was two rings. If it cut out after two –

It did.

He hopped up from the bed, moved to the phone and rang his own mobile, the one he'd given to Luke.

“Hey!” Luke sounded maddeningly happy. “How's it going, Luke?”

“It's all right.” Adam tried not to sound grumpy. “How are you?”

“I'm good,” Luke said. “Had my tea, round yours. Your Mum's food's
really
nice.”

“What'd you have?” Adam asked, plaintively.

“Steak and kidney pie,” Luke said cheerfully. “I never got that at home. Mashed potato, and carrot and swede – creamed up, you know? And
then
she'd made trifle! We were lucky. She had to go out, soon as she'd dished up, to see some old lady about the Ladies' Luncheon Club.”

“Mrs Aspinall,” Adam remembered. “The one with the two Airedales.”

“So she doesn't know you didn't come for the food,” Luke finished. “And I had your trifle as well.” He paused. “How was your tea?”

“Great,” said Adam acidly.

“Then I did your Drama Club,” Luke said. “It's good fun. Don't know what you moan about. They liked me. They've given me a part in the play. I'm playing a tree.”

“The environment play?” Adam's eyes widened. “I was in the Club nearly a year before they gave me a proper part in anything!”

“Ah, well.” Adam could almost see Luke grinning, even over the phone. “You've got to get noticed in this life, mate. Anyway, I'll see you Checkpoint One tomorrow. Cheers!”

The line went dead.

Adam replaced the receiver in silence.

“
Are you two up yet?
”

Adam jumped. He leapt out of bed.

He looked at the diamond-shaped clock on the wall. It was ten to nine!

He had to be at his house in ten minutes!

“
If you want breakfast -
”

Adam cringed. If Luke's Mum was making breakfast, she wouldn't need a knife, or any utensils. Her voice could have cut through anything.

“
There's toast on, and jam and marmalade's in the fridge.
”

Adam found his voice, just.

“OK!” He fought to sound calm.

“
Is Luke up?
” Another shriek came.

Adam froze.

Then he had an inspiration.

He grabbed the pillow from the bed and shoved his face into it. Through the pillowcase, he gave a muffled shout.

“Yeah!”

“
Oh, don't lie to me, Luke!
” Luke's Mum didn't sound surprised. “
You're still in bed. I can hear you, I'm not daft! Get your backside up and get dressed! I've got to get down the Community Centre! I'm doing head massage this morning!
”

Adam's heart was thumping. Suppose she came in?

There was sudden silence. A long pause.

Then Adam heard the front door close.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

He'd better go out the back way.

There wasn't time to do anything but change out of his night things into the t-shirt and tracksuit trousers he'd had on the night before. At home, he would have showered, put deodorant on, Mum would have had clean clothes ready for him. He was already in a sweat with the panic of all this, and the t-shirt was soon clinging to him horribly.

And this was meant to be a break!

He grabbed Luke's mobile from the bed and ran.

“Morning!” Luke was cheerfully stuffing down bacon and egg, when Adam arrived looking like a marathon runner who'd gone off course.

Wild-eyed, Adam collapsed into a kitchen chair.

Luke sniffed. “Did you shower this morning?”

“I overslept,” Adam panted.

“No!” Luke sounded more amused than worried. “Did Mum and Dad catch you?”

“Your Mum's gone down the Community Centre.” Adam put his hand to his head wearily. “Don't know where your Dad is.”

“Probably out the back, doing something.” Luke speared a grilled mushroom with his fork, and smeared it in the ketchup remaining on his plate. “We'd better get back there in a minute. We'll have to run.”