The Red Cardigan (18 page)

‘Poor Mum and Dad. What a thing I've put them through.'

‘Hey, they're really proud of you, girl.'

‘Yeah.'

‘And just between you and me, your grandma would be, too.'

 

Once more Evie fastens her belt and grips the seat as the plane bumps and lifts through the cloud cover. She gazes out at the sky, blue and endless, almost expecting to
see Athena fly past and wave like something out of
The Wizard of Oz
. She giggles just for that second. She knows Athena is with her family at last.

Theo and Nick are two seats in front. Theo's aftershave wafts through the cabin. He must be snoring, as every now and then Nick looks over and nudges him.

Evie takes out her sketchpad and reads the last entry, thinking how long ago it seems she wrote those words and how far she has come since then.

Opening a fresh page and smoothing down the surface Evie writes:

 

Friday 7 July.

Dear Athena,

I'm on my way home and so are you.

Well, we both managed to stick to the deal. In the last seven days I have learnt more about myself than in the sixteen and a half years I've been alive. If it wasn't for you finding me or the red cardigan finding Dad, whichever way you look at it, I'd still be trapped inside my old self. Now it's like I've met my real self. I'm trying on my new skin and it fits. Fits pretty well, too! Thank you for helping me find it and thank you for comforting me yesterday. I could feel your calm energy around me. I still can.

I understand I'll always feel different but that's okay. I am, and maybe I like feeling that way. Maybe I don't want to be like everyone else, even though I used to think I did.

I'm like Grandma and everybody loved her and as Dad says they thought she was special and she was. She wasn't bad
or weird – she was just normal. Maybe that's another reason I don't feel scared any more.

It's weird. I don't feel scared about going back to school. I don't feel scared about facing Powell or any of those girls. There's nothing special about them. I feel a bit nervous about seeing Seb (haven't decided if I'm going to tell Alex) but I think those nerves might be butterflies, if you know what I mean. And I think I'm even brave enough to continue with my drawing elective. I said ‘I think'!

I might be going off a bit early, so much is buzzing through my head. I mean, who's to say I'll never be scared again but at least it'll be about what's out there, not what's in here, in me. So thank you. Hey, it's pretty cool talking to you.

I know things will be better at home. It'll take a while but at least we're all honest now and that'll make a big difference, not just to me and Mum but to Mum and Dad, too. So that's got to be a good thing.

The food's coming down the aisle and I'm starving. Dad keeps looking around. I just gave him a little wave but I better go.

And if I had to go through it all again to get to this (if there really wasn't an easier way, that is), would I?, Yes, I'd go through it all again. I think!

Forever, Evie x

Senior Constable Denis Blowes from the South Australian Police

Con Bourliofas

David Burke

Margaret Burke

Eva Mills, Commissioning Editor, Random House

Catherine Steuart

Tara Wynne, Curtis Brown Australia

Josie, clairvoyant, formerly of Bayview, NSW

And as always Victoria, Nicholas and Michael

J. C. Burke was born in Sydney in 1965, the fourth of five daughters. With writers for parents, she grew up in a world full of noise, drama and books, and the many colourful characters who came to visit provided her with an endless supply of stories and impersonations.

Burke decided to become a nurse after her mother lost a long battle with cancer. She trained at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney and later specialised in the field of Oncology, working in Haematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Units in Australia and the UK. A creative writing course at Sydney University led to a mentorship with Gary Crew and the publication in 2002 of her first novel,
White Lies
(Lothian), a CBC Notable Book.

J. C. Burke lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches with her husband and two children. She does a lot of yoga and a bit of nursing. She loves writing for children and young adults, as they still have an optimistic eye on the world.

Don't miss the thrilling sequel to The Red Cardigan …

Evie has a gift – a gift she's not always comfortable with. But when Poppy suggests they conduct a séance, Evie reluctantly agrees. The letters on the board start spelling out one name – C-A-Z – over and over, and Evie knows she's been contacted again. A cryptic message leads Evie to a family where two sisters, one living, one dead, share a dark secret that must be revealed. But is Evie strong enough to solve the mystery and reveal the truth in time to release both girls?