Page 24 of Darling Girls

Smile.

It was Grammy’s voice Alicia heard as she bounced along in the passenger seat of her social worker’s Volvo.Smile, be polite, and do what you’re told.That’s what Grammy would tell her to do, so of course that’s what she’d do. She was going to think of it like an adventure. Who knew? It might end up being a lot of fun.

‘It’s only temporary,’ Sandi said, tapping her pink nails against the steering wheel. She had permed blonde hair and electric-blue frosted eyeshadow and reminded Alicia of Sarah Jessica Parker inGirls Just Want to Have Fun. ‘Before you know it, your grandmother will be better and you’ll be back home.’

Alicia nodded bravely, but she was nervous. Grammy had had a fall. At the hospital, the nurses had said it would take weeks, or even months, before Grammy would have recovered enough to return home.Months!It was hard to fathom waiting months to see Grammy again.

When Alicia had seen her at the hospital she’d been shocked at the sight of her. Grammy looked so . . . old. So frail. It must have been the hospital gown and bed. Alicia wasn’t used to thinking of Grammy as old or frail. Grammy was so full of life! She sold raffle tickets for Rotary, volunteered at the local library, and chased birds off her plants by shaking her walking stick at them. She had wild hair, a heavy gait (both of which Alicia had inherited) and razor-sharp judgement. But hands down the greatest thing about Grammy was her laugh – raucous and boisterous, it reverberated around any room and even the most po-faced person couldn’t help but laugh along. Once, when pulled over for speeding, Grammy made the police officer laugh so hard she wet herself. (Needless to say, Grammy got out of the ticket.)

Alicia’s father had died when she was very little, and when her mother had a mental breakdown a few years later, Grammy hadn’t missed a beat, scooping up her granddaughter and raising her. Alicia knew that her circumstances – being raised by her grandparents – were different from most of her peers, but in her opinion her circumstances were vastly superior. Unlike most parents, Grammy had no interest in forcing Alicia to eat vegetables or heed strict bedtimes, and if Alicia didn’t feel like going to school Grammy urged her to take the day off and come along to mah-jongg instead.

‘We’re lucky to have found this place at short notice,’ Sandi said as they turned into the driveway of a picturesque farmhouse. ‘There are two other girls around your age living here.’

As they drew nearer, Alicia noticed the huge swimming pool and decided to look on the bright side. She’d always wanted a swimming pool. Life was all about your attitude, Grammy always said. Alicia was going to face this situation with the best attitude she could muster.

Sandi parked in front of the house. On the porch stood a pretty blonde woman, waving. Alicia waved back. Beside her were two girls: one bow-lipped with glossy black hair and intense brown eyes; the other olive-skinned, blue-eyed and gangly-tall.

‘You must be Alicia,’ the woman said, when Alicia got out of the car. ‘I’m Miss Fairchild. Welcome to Wild Meadows.’

Miss Fairchild ran her gaze over Alicia, as if appraising her. Alicia stood up straighter. ‘Thank you,’ she said politely. ‘It’s good to be here.’

They lapsed into an awkward silence as Sandi retrieved Alicia’s suitcases from the back of the car. She expected that Miss Fairchild would break the silence, perhaps asking how far she’d travelled, or telling her what they had planned for the afternoon. But the woman didn’t say a word.

Sandi put Alicia’s suitcases beside her on the grass. She’d brought three with her – one containing clothes, another with books and a final one with photographs and keepsakes from home. Overkill, perhaps, but she didn’t know how long she’d be staying.

‘Don’t you have a lot of things?’ Miss Fairchild said, a hint of disapproval in her voice.

‘Oh, I probably overpacked,’ she said, embarrassed. ‘Grammy always told me to be prepared for anything.’

‘How sweet of Grammy.’ Miss Fairchild smiled tightly. ‘Why don’t you head on inside, while I have a quick chat with Sandi. Jessica, Norah, help Alicia with her things.’

The girls each grabbed a bag, and Alicia picked up the remaining one and followed them inside.

‘Thanks,’ Alicia said when they set down her cases in the living room.

‘It’s okay,’ the tall one said. The other one shrugged. After that, neither girl spoke. It wasn’t exactly the instant chemistry Alicia had been hoping for, but they were probably as nervous as she was, she reasoned. Grammy always said that the best way to break tension was to make a joke, so when Alicia spotted the Russian dolls on the mantel, she knew what to do.

‘I hate Russian dolls,’ she said. ‘They seem nice at first but when you get to know them, they’re really full of themselves.’

She raised her eyebrows at the girls who blinked at her slowly. It was as if they’d never heard a joke before. Finally, several seconds later than she should have, Norah laughed. It was so sudden, so abrupt, that Jessica and Alicia couldn’t help laughing too.

‘Full of themselves,’ she said. ‘Funny.’

‘What’s funny?’

Alicia hadn’t noticed Miss Fairchild leaning against the doorframe, watching them. She was smiling, but her gaze was hard. Upon seeing her, Jessica and Norah immediately stopped laughing, putting Alicia on edge.

‘Oh,’ Alicia said. ‘Nothing. I was just making a joke.’

‘How wonderful,’ the woman said coolly. ‘I didn’t know we had a comedian among us.’

‘Right then,’ Sandi said, from behind Miss Fairchild. ‘I’ll call with news of your grandmother as soon as I hear something. You be a good girl!’

Before Alicia could respond, Sandi was heading for her car. Every instinct Alicia possessed was urging her to run after the social worker. But what would she say?I have a bad feeling about this woman. Something about her doesn’t seem right.Sandi would tell Alicia she was just nervous. And maybe she was. Maybe, once she’d settled in, she’d laugh about how nervous she’d been. And in a few weeks, she’d tell Grammy all about it, and all about the lovely time she’d had at Wild Meadows.

Alicia prayedthat would be the case. Then she prayed that Grammy would get better quickly, so she could come and get her out of here.

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