Staring at the luminous stars she’d stuck to the bottom of the bunk, Clancy wondered, since Dad was on holidays and Mum didn’t have many cases to attend to, why hadn’t they all gone away somewhere together? Other families went on trips to Bali, to Disneyland, camping at the beach. But her family never did. Somehow it was never convenient. Mum was in the middle of an important case, or Dad was playing at a festival, or Tash was going on a training camp with her football club, or Bruno was doing a drama workshop.
Anyway, they would never agree on the best place to go. Tash loved camping, but Clancy hated it. Tim liked music, but Harriet preferred history. Bruno liked swimming, but Harriet hated the beach. Clancy wanted to go to the desert so she could see the stars, but that would be too hot for Tim.
There had been that one awkward trip to Sydney a couple of years ago, to visit Po Po, their Chinese grandmother, and their uncles. But the uncles had been at work all the time, and Po Po and Harriet didn’t get on very well. Tash explained to Clancy and Bruno, ‘Po Po’s not happy about Mum marrying Dad.’
‘Because he’s not Chinese?’ said Clancy.
‘No! Po Po’s not racist. It’s because he’s a music teacher.’
‘Well, that’s dumb,’ said Bruno.
Anyway, they hadn’t gone back to Sydney.
Lucky for Mark we were home, thought Clancy …
… and now would be the perfect moment for Hagrid to arrive on the doorstep to whisk her off to Hogwarts, or the Doctor in the TARDIS. But exciting things like that would never happen to her. If Hagrid did knock on the door, he’d probably be looking for Tash …
Right on cue, there was a tap on the bedroom door, and Clancy jumped. ‘Come in.’
But it wasn’t Hagrid or the Doctor; only Tim. He perched on the end of the bottom bunk, and Clancy sat up. ‘Have you found someone to stay with me?’
‘What? Oh, no, you’re not staying here. You and Tash are going to Polly’s.’
There was a pause.
‘Polly. You know, my sister, Polly?’
‘I know who she is,’ said Clancy. ‘But we don’t know her.’
‘Of course you know her. You’ve met her loads of times.’
‘Twice, maybe. At Christmas. And all she said was, “how’s school?” I can’t stay with her.’
‘You’ll be fine. Tash will be there.’
‘Dad, please not Polly! Isn’t there someone else?’
Tim sighed. ‘Sorry, Clancy, I know it’s not ideal. I sympathise, but we tried everyone else we could think of. It’s such short notice. Polly’s family, so she couldn’t say no! That’s a joke,’ he added quickly. But Clancy knew it wasn’t, not completely.
Tim went on, ‘Our flight leaves first thing tomorrow morning. Mum thinks we’ll be able to sort everything out in a couple of days. Hopefully.’
Bruno zoomed in, singing. ‘I’m flying to New Zeeeland, and you’re going to Pol-ly’s, porrible Polly, porrible Polly—’
‘Hey!’ Tim frowned. ‘Bit of respect for your aunt, please.’
Tash thrust her head round the doorway. ‘If it’s only for a couple of days, why can’t we stay here by ourselves? We’re responsible – well, I am. Don’t forget I can start learning to drive next year.’
‘Not in my car!’ yelled Harriet from the bedroom.
‘And you know Clancy’s too much of a wuss to do anything risky—’
‘That’s true,’ said Clancy humbly.
‘I’m trustworthy,’ said Tash. ‘I’m not wild. Not like Mark …’
Tim stood up abruptly and left the room.
‘Too soon?’ Tash called after him. ‘Too soon.’ She shrugged at Clancy.
‘Can you get out of my room?’ said Clancy.
‘It’s Bruno’s room, too. Bruno, do you mind if I stay in your room?’
Bruno had scrambled up to his top bunk and was rummaging for his most precious Lego creations to pack for New Zealand. ‘I don’t care.’
‘Get out, get out, get out!’
Clancy pushed her sister out of the room and slammed the door. Bruno peered down as she leaned against the door to stop Tash breaking back in.
‘How are you going to cope when it’s just you and her?’ he said. ‘When you’re at Polly’s and I’ve flown to New Zealand?’
Clancy didn’t answer. She had no idea.
Their protests were no use. Before the day was over, Tash and Clancy had packed their bags and Tim had driven them across the city to their aunt’s house. They’d never been there before, and Clancy briefly entertained hopes of a mysterious mansion with a portal to a parallel world, or a tower lookout with a telescope, or at least a shabby cheerful cottage with a sprawling garden and a multitude of pets.
Harriet had always said they couldn’t possibly have pets in their inner suburban flat.
But Polly’s place turned out to be a narrow, boring townhouse in a row of narrow, boring townhouses, in a narrow, boring suburb called Tutt’s Flat, where Clancy and Tash knew no one and there was nothing to do.
Polly peered anxiously into the car. ‘Do you want to come in for a cup of tea, Tim? Coffee? A beer?’
‘No, thanks.’ Tim didn’t like beer. ‘Better get going. Early start tomorrow.’ There was an awkward pause. ‘Thanks for taking the girls, Polly. We really appreciate it.’
‘No problem!’ cried Polly, her voice high and nervous. ‘Happy to help! Any time! Give my love to Mark! Good luck!’
Tash stumped inside as Clancy watched their father drive away. When the car vanished at the end of the street, she turned to climb the steps into Polly’s house and her eye was caught by the pinprick of a star just above the roofline. It shone steadily, silver against the deep blue velvet of the sky, and Clancy felt obscurely comforted.
Their aunt Polly was no Hagrid, Nanny McPhee, or even Mary Poppins. She was single and had no children of her own, no sense of humour that Clancy could discover, and she spoke to the girls in a brittle, falsely cheery voice that put their nerves on edge.
‘We’re just people, you know?’ complained Tash, privately, in the cramped spare room they were sharing.
‘Not alien life forms,’ agreed Clancy.
It was clear that their aunt was just as uncomfortable with them as they were with her. Polly rushed off early in the morning to her work as an orthodontist (‘Teeth don’t take holidays!’ she said, in her special bright voice) and rushed back home in the evening with bags of takeaway food.
She smiled nervously at them over Thai green curry, showing her own brilliantly white and even teeth. ‘Are you having a good time, girls? Not too bored? Why don’t you go to the movies tomorrow? Or the arboretum?’
Tash looked up. ‘The aquarium?’
‘No, no!’ Polly tittered. ‘That’s fish. The arboretum is a tree collection.’
‘So, a park?’ Tash rolled her eyes. ‘That sounds fascinating.’
‘Of course, you’re right, that was a silly idea,’ agreed Polly. ‘Sorry.’
They lapsed into silence. Clancy pushed her food around her plate.