Copyright

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books 2015

HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd,

HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

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Scarlet and Ivy : The Whispers in the Walls

Text copyright © Sophie Cleverly, 2015

Cover illustration © Kate Forrester; Interior illustration © Manuel Šumberac

Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers 2015

Sophie Cleverly asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007589203

Ebook Edition © October 2015 ISBN: 9780007589210

Version: 2016-06-02

Praise for

“This is one of the best books I have ever read. It was exciting, funny, warm and mysterious.” Lily, aged 9

“The whole book was brilliant … after the first paragraph it was as though Ivy was my best friend.” Ciara, aged 10

“This book is full of excitement and adventure — a masterpiece!” Jennifer, aged 9

“This is a page-turning mystery adventure with puzzles that keep you guessing.” Felicity, aged 11

“A brilliant and exciting book.” Evie, aged 8

“The story shone with excitement, secrets and bonds of friendship … If I had to mark this book out of 10, I would give it 11!” Sidney, aged 11

In memory of Sir Terry Pratchett.

“Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?”

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One: Scarlet

Chapter Two: Ivy

Chapter Three: Scarlet

Chapter Four: Ivy

Chapter Five: Scarlet

Chapter Six: Ivy

Chapter Seven: Scarlet

Chapter Eight: Ivy

Chapter Nine: Scarlet

Chapter Ten: Ivy

Chapter Eleven: Scarlet

Chapter Twelve: Ivy

Chapter Thirteen: Scarlet

Chapter Fourteen: Ivy

Chapter Fifteen: Scarlet

Chapter Sixteen: Ivy

Chapter Seventeen: Scarlet

Chapter Eighteen: Ivy

Chapter Nineteen: Scarlet

Chapter Twenty: Ivy

Chapter Twenty-One: Scarlet

Chapter Twenty-Two: Ivy

Chapter Twenty-Three: Scarlet

Chapter Twenty-Four: Ivy

Chapter Twenty-Five: Scarlet

Chapter Twenty-Six: Ivy

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Ivy

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Scarlet

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Ivy

Chapter Thirty: Scarlet

Chapter Thirty-One: Ivy

Chapter Thirty-Two: Scarlet

Chapter Thirty-Three: Ivy

Chapter Thirty-Four: Scarlet

Chapter Thirty-Five: Ivy

Chapter Thirty-Six: Scarlet

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Ivy

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Scarlet

Acknowledgements

Read on for a sneak peek …

About the Author

About the Publisher

ALIS GRAVE NIL

NOTHING IS HEAVY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE WINGS

ROOKWOOD SCHOOL MOTTO

My name is Scarlet Grey, and until today I thought I would be lost forever.

I was taken away from Rookwood School in the dead of night, locked away in an asylum and given a new name. They told me I was crazy. They told me I’d imagined everything that had happened.

Everyone else forgot about me.

Everyone but my twin sister Ivy …

I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought I was seeing my reflection on the other side of the window. And then she moved.

She put her hand up against the glass. For a minute, I just stared. Our eyes met through the window, and I held up my own hand – a perfect mirror image.

I was saved!

Throwing the doors open, I ran outside, Nurse Joan calling after me. I skidded to a halt and hurled my arms around my twin.

“Ivy! Is it really you?”

She looked back at me, and immediately burst into tears.

Maybe I should have cried too, but I couldn’t. I’d never been so happy. I could’ve flown off the ground at that moment. She’d found me, I was being rescued, I was getting out of the asylum. I was free.

So instead, I laughed. I laughed and I span my sister round until she had no choice but to laugh through her tears, and we both collapsed by the pond in a heap.

“Oh, Scarlet,” she sobbed. “Miss Fox told me you were dead. I … I believed her, I really did. Father believed you were dead too. But then I found your diary, and I pieced it all together, but still I … I never thought …”

I realised then that we weren’t alone. The nurse and the secretary had stepped outside, but that wasn’t all.

“Miss Finch!” I jumped up. “Why are you here?”

My old ballet teacher was staring at me, happiness and shock mixing in her wide eyes. “Hello, Scarlet,” she said. She ran a hand through her red hair and exhaled loudly. “I can’t believe this. You are alive. I think I need to sit down.”

I guided her to a bench, and she sank down awkwardly. “When I get hold of my mother …” she muttered.

Her mother?

Ivy clambered up from the ground, still shaking and clearly torn between smiling and sobbing. “We’ll get you out of here,” she said.

Reality came crashing down around me. What if the doctors wouldn’t let me go? What if they still thought I was insane?

I turned to my twin. “Did it all really happen?” I asked quietly. “All of it? Violet’s scheming? The fight on the rooftop? Miss Fox taking her away?”

Ivy stared back at me for a moment, and then she nodded. “All of that, and more …”

Miss Finch went back inside with the secretary. I almost tried to stop her going, half worried that they’d persuade her to leave me here. But she said she would set things right and get me discharged.

Ivy and I sat shoulder to shoulder on the bench next to the pond. It was just like we’d done so many times at our aunt Phoebe’s house when we’d stayed there as children, long before Ivy went to live with her.

Once I’d convinced her that I was all in one piece, Ivy told me everything that had happened. I learnt about how she’d been forced to go to Rookwood and pretend to be me, the hunt for the diary entries, her new friend Ariadne, evil, money-hungry Miss Fox and her secret daughter: Miss Finch.

For the first time in my life, I was speechless.

When she’d finished, I was gaping like one of the goldfish. Finally, I managed to say something.

“You know what this means?”

“What?” she said.

“I’m a GENIUS. My plan actually worked! You found the trail I left you!”

Ivy gave me a withering look. “You’re the genius?”

I grinned.

“What’s happened to you?” she asked, her face suddenly slipping back into concern. “This place, I can’t imagine …”

I wasn’t ready for that question. I frowned, feeling sick. Despite everything, I was free, that was all that mattered now, wasn’t it?

“Please,” she insisted. “I need to know.”

A thought occurred to me. In the pocket of my horrible regulation grey smock, I had something that could answer all her questions. Wordlessly, I handed it over.

I am insane.

At least, that’s what they tell me. I didn’t believe it at first. Of course I wasn’t insane. I knew what I’d seen. Her name was Violet, and Miss Fox made her disappear. I was there. I’d written it all down, hadn’t I?

Doubt crept in. They said I was having delusions, that I’d dreamt up a scenario on a rooftop, where a teacher had made a girl disappear. Doctor Abraham told me it couldn’t be true. Why would a teacher do that? It didn’t make any sense. It was a delusion, created out of my dislike for Miss Fox, he said. All I had to do was admit that I’d made the whole thing up and they’d consider sending me home.

Well, I wouldn’t admit it, obviously. And I’m not even sure that I want to go home. Of course I want to leave this living hell, but my father and stepmother haven’t so much as written me a letter. If they know I’m locked up in here, then they don’t care a jot. The only person who cares is Ivy, and she can’t possibly know. Because she’d come to get me out if she did.

Wouldn’t she?

So, anyway, the days pass. They keep calling me Charlotte, no matter how many times I tell them that’s not my name. I have a tiny room, like a cell, with bars on the windows. It’s painted this horrible shade of mint green that makes me want to vomit. But I’ve spent so much time staring at the walls now that I could draw you a picture of every crack and every paint bubble and every tiny strand of spiderweb.

I have to see Doctor Abraham at noon on weekdays. He says I have a “mental disease”, but honestly he seems to think being a girl is enough of a mental disease on its own. For the first few appointments I just screamed at him and knocked his papers off his desk, demanding he let me out, and all he would say was, “You’re being hysterical, Charlotte”.

Hysterical! I’d like to see how he’d react if he were locked up in here and people tried to act like it was for his own good. “SCARLET!” I yelled back at him. “My name is “Scarlet!” It didn’t seem to help.

I no longer have a diary. My old one, the lovely leather-bound book with SG scored on the cover, is now in pieces around Rookwood, where I prayed my twin Ivy would find it. Once upon a time Ivy had one the same, only with her initials, but she was always too busy with her nose in other people’s books to write down her own story.

I begged and begged the nurses for a notebook to write in, and finally Sister Agnes gave in and brought me this one that she’d only used a few pages of. It was just grocery lists and dull things like “must send that package to Aunt Marie in Dover”, so I tore out the pages and made them into tiny paper planes, which passed a good half hour in this place, where the days are long and empty.

I wish I knew how long I’d been here. Until today I had no way to count the days. I tried scratching marks into the paint, but it had been done by so many inmates before me that I couldn’t keep track of my marks.

But … I’m not like them. Some of them are truly disturbed, they cry and shriek all the time, and I don’t.

It’s just … sometimes, I think perhaps, just maybe, the doctor is right. Why would I be in an asylum if I was perfectly sane? Maybe I just made up the whole thing.

I dreamt that I had a twin who would always be there. I dreamt that I was my father’s little girl, that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt me. I dreamt that there was a girl named Violet who disappeared into thin air.

The only way that I’ll know if it was all real is if Ivy finds me. But it’s been so long now … it could be too late. The trail I left could have been destroyed; Miss Fox could have found it and tossed it into a fire.

I must have hope. Ivy will find me. She’ll come.

I know it.

I watched the tears roll down Ivy’s face.

“You did it,” I said. “You found me!”

She tossed the tatty notebook aside and swept me into a bone-crushing hug.

“I’m never losing you again,” she promised.

It’s not easy having to tell your father that, despite him believing the opposite, you’re not dead. But looking on the bright side: at least I was alive to tell him that.

Ivy and I knocked on the door of our childhood home the day after that first telephone call from the asylum (a lot of silence followed by a lot of shouting). Miss Finch had managed to get the school to pay for a room in a boarding house while everything was sorted out and Father made his way back from London.

It was a cold day at the beginning of November, and we stood shivering on the steps of the cottage.

The door was opened by a hideous she-troll.

“Oh. There’s two of you again,” she sneered.

“How nice to see you, dear stepmother,” I replied, pushing past her.

She huffed indignantly at me as Ivy followed me in. “Scarlet, if you think you can walk around like you own the place just because of what happened, then you’ve got another thi—”

She froze mid-sentence at the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs. Suddenly she put on a different expression like a mask, and pulled us into her arms. “Oh, girls,” she simpered. “I’m just so glad to have you home safe.”

Father stepped down into the hall. When his eyes met mine, he took a deep breath and adjusted his tie.

“Scarlet,” he said.

“Father.”

“I just … I can’t believe it. You’re here.” His normally cold exterior was showing some cracks – tears glinted in his eyes. I broke free of my stepmother, ran over and embraced him. He wrapped his arms around the back of my head, not quite touching me, but it was closer than we’d been in years.

Ivy hung back. “We need to tell you everything,” she said. “Rookwood isn’t just awful, it’s dangerous. And what Miss Fox did—”

Our stepmother snorted. “It’s all over now, isn’t it? This Miss Fox has run away. There’s no need to trouble your father with such things.”

Father straightened up and looked at his wife. “No, Ivy’s right,” he said. “I want to understand how this happened. Let’s go to the study.”

He led us away from her, and I couldn’t help feeling a little amused by how horrified she looked at being left out of the conversation. Why did she want to avoid the subject of what had happened, anyway?

We walked through the house, past familiar doors and fireplaces and furniture. The landscape of my childhood. Harry, one of my young stepbrothers, peered round a door and stuck his tongue out at me. What a way to welcome your sister back from the dead! I reached over to give him a slap, but Ivy grabbed my wrist and pulled me past.

Father’s study was still dull and sparsely furnished, with a mahogany writing desk, a chair and some filing cabinets. Ivy and I sat down on the floor, beside the fire that half-heartedly smouldered in the hearth.

Father sat in the chair and began polishing his glasses.

“I don’t know where to start,” Ivy said.

“I do,” I replied.

I told him everything that had happened. I told him about Vile Violet, my roommate who had bossed me around and spied on me and stolen my things. I told him about wicked Miss Fox, who had taken Violet away after she threatened to reveal a dark secret up on the rooftops. I told him how I’d tried to confront Miss Fox, only for her to smuggle me out of school and have me locked up in the asylum.

Father stared intently at the wall above my head, but I could tell he was listening from the sharp intake of breath every time I got to a shocking moment.

Ivy chimed in towards the end, telling him what had happened at Rookwood in the meantime. I’d heard more of her story in the boarding house and on the train. How Miss Fox had hidden me away to save her own skin, to stop anyone finding out that she had an illegitimate daughter. Not to mention that she was funding her lifestyle with the money paid by parents as school fees (perhaps explaining why the only thing on the dining hall menu was stew).

“It was a nightmare, Father,” I finished, “and I’m just so glad to be home. So can we stay?”

He looked at me. “No.”

“Why?” I gaped at him.

He took off his glasses and put them down on the desk. “Scarlet, you know why. You’ve got to go back to school.”

I felt a wave of unease wash over me.

“But Father, someone from that school put Scarlet in an asylum and pretended she was dead,” said my twin. “You can’t send us back there!”

I looked at her, surprised that shy, timid Ivy had spoken out for once. But our father didn’t seem to notice. “It was just that Miss Fox character. And she won’t be returning.”

I stood up, fists clenched. “I won’t go back there! You can’t make me!”

Father didn’t rise to it. “Edith hasn’t got time to run around after you two. She has the boys to think of.”

Edith. Our stepmother. I hated the way he said her name. It was clear he cared about her more than he cared about us.

I heard Ivy mutter something at the carpet.

“What was that?” Father asked.

She climbed to her feet. “I said, are you sure Edith wasn’t involved with this? She was the one that told us Scarlet was … you know … She was the one who identified the body, wasn’t she? She offered to take care of the funeral arrangements, everything …”

Our father went deathly silent, and for a second I thought he was going to slap her. But his breath came out shakily and then he spoke again. “Don’t be foolish. She cares for you. We both do. That’s why we want to see you get an education, and become independent young ladies.”

Ivy stared at the floor, and I knew she was remembering the first time he had said that. The first time he sent me away.

“Father,” I said quietly. “Don’t. Don’t send us back to Rookwood. Please.”

He shook his head. “I know you’ve had a difficult time. I’ll think about it.”

Father ushered us out of his study, leaving us standing in the hallway. I gritted my teeth, and contemplated giving his door a good bashing. But then I spotted Harry’s gormless face staring at me from the parlour door.

I ran over and into the room. He tried to duck down behind the armchair, but I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him up.

“What are you up to, you little weasel?” I demanded.

“Nothing!” he said, scrabbling and trying to get away.

“I bet you were eavesdropping, weren’t you?”

He kicked me in the shins. I was momentarily distracted and dropped him. “I wish you’d go away again!” he yelled, running to the other side of the room and trying to flatten out his scruffy hair. Which was pointless, because it always looked like a bird’s nest.

“You little …” I started, raising my fist. Ivy clutched my arm.

“Mummy hates you,” he said. “We’ve all been better off without you. We’ve actually had money and I got new shoes and—”

He probably would’ve continued that sentence, but I barrelled towards him. I tried to grab him again, but he ducked under my arms and ran away shrieking. Ugh. What a hideous brat.

In the suddenly quiet parlour, Ivy spoke.

“Scarlet,” she whispered. “I think I might have been right. I think our stepmother was involved with this. If they had more money, maybe that’s because she was bribed by Miss Fox to go along with it.”

I squeezed my fists so tightly that I could feel my nails digging in. “I bet she was. That disgusting TROLL. I’ll kill her! I’ll—”

Ivy interrupted. “But say it is true. How did Miss Fox know that our stepmother wanted us out of the picture?”

I felt my cheeks turn hot. Of course. There was something I’d forgotten. “Ah. My first day of school. We may have had a small argument in front of everyone, including Miss Fox. I might have been a bit insulting to our dear stepmother, and she may have started yelling that I was a leech and it would be better if I disappeared forever.”

Ivy sat down heavily in the armchair and put her head in her hands. “Scarlet,” she said finally, her voice muffled, “are you saying at least some of this whole mess was just because you can’t control your temper?”

I shrugged. How was I to know that Miss Fox would turn out to be so evil that she’d try and convince everyone I was dead?

After what seemed like an age of Ivy trying to calm me down, I decided that we should go to the garden. Down past the thorn bushes and out into the thin woods, there was a winding footpath that led to a clearing and a babbling brook. It was a special place for us. A good place to escape to.

As we walked past the study door, I heard raised voices. It was Father and Edith. I came to a stop, Ivy nearly walking into the back of me.

“…HAVE to send them back.” The sound of our stepmother’s voice floated through the door. I leant up against it, and reluctantly Ivy did the same. “They need to grow up.”

“I’m just not sure, dear.” That was Father. “Do we really think they’ll be safe there?”

“They’ll be fine,” snapped our stepmother. “It’s just a school! I can’t COPE with them here, you know that. They need to go.” And then, the killing blow. “It’s them or me!” she screeched.

“Her,” I whispered. “Say her!”

There was an unbearable pause.

When Father replied, his voice was quieter, and I strained to hear it. “I’ll take them back in the morning,” he said.

We were allowed to stay for supper and had a bed for the night, but that was all. Father was shipping us back to Rookwood first thing the next day, a fact that had left me spitting with anger while Ivy tried to comfort me. Father left me to “get used to it”. He was lucky I didn’t snap his stupid glasses in two.

Our stepmother dished up burnt roast lamb and soggy vegetables for dinner, whilst simpering about what brave girls we’d been. Harry and the other boys, Joseph and John, didn’t seem to care that we’d ever gone away, and were their usual horrible selves, pulling faces and flicking peas at us. I scolded one of them and the troll flicked her eyes up at me, nostrils flaring, as if I’d attacked him. But she didn’t dare say a word in front of Father.

Exhausted, Ivy and I made our excuses and climbed the steep stairs to our bedroom. I flicked on the little brass light switch, illuminating the two matching beds side by side, and the tall mirror between them. There was a cupboard and some curtains, but besides that the room was bare.

I carried my suitcase inside, a small leather one that contained a few of my possessions. Much as Miss Fox had been a repulsive witch, she had at least allowed me that much when she threw me into Rosemoor Asylum. She must have told the doctors so many lies about me to convince them I was hysterical, a fantasist, and needed to be locked away for my own sake and for the safety of others. I shook my head fiercely. I was never going back there.

“Oh, Scarlet,” said Ivy, sinking down on to her bed. A little cloud of dust flew up from the white sheets. “What are we going to do?”

I flopped onto my own bed. “Poison Edith? Run away?”

“No poisoning, Scarlet. And we can’t run away from everything. We don’t have any money, or a motor car. They’ll just catch us and send us straight back to Rookwood.”

“We’ll dig an escape tunnel,” I said. But I was being stupid, and I knew it. We were stuck.

My twin gazed up at the plaster on the ceiling. “It could be worse.”

I hated Rookwood. Every inch of the place was filled with terrible memories. “How could it possibly be worse?”

“I could be alone.”

She smiled at me then, a smile that flowed from the depths of sadness, and I felt a piece of my anger float away.

“You’re right,” I said. “We’re together. That’s all that matters.”

I jumped up on the bed, shoes on, not caring.

“If we have no choice but to go back, then we’re going back. Rookwood School isn’t going to know what hit it!”

For months I had believed my sister was gone forever. And now she sat beside me, as we rode in a motor car back to a place neither of us wanted to set foot in, and I had to remind myself that she was real. I kept reaching out and taking hold of her arm for reassurance.

Father’s car was comfortable but smelled strongly of pipe tobacco – he insisted on smoking all the way there. He attempted conversation, awkwardly. “How did you get on with your lessons, Ivy? How’s your ballet coming along?” As if that was all there was to talk about.

I felt myself getting more and more nervous the nearer we got to Rookwood. I’d only been gone a few days, but knowing what had really happened made the place even more intimidating and foreboding than it had been before. I had to tell myself it was all right – I had Scarlet, I had Ariadne, and Miss Finch was on our side. Miss Fox was gone and she wasn’t coming back.

The car chugged through the school gates, the stone rooks on the pillars poised to grasp us with their talons. Scarlet squeezed my hand tightly, but when I looked up at her, her expression was as determined as ever. The tall trees bent over us, their crisp leaves peeling away in the late-autumn wind.

When we came to a stop in front of the building, Scarlet pulled away from me and got out of the car without a word. I leant out and watched as she climbed the steps with her suitcase. I didn’t know if she would ever forgive Father for this.

I stayed in the car. If this was my one chance to speak to Father, I had to take it. “Do we have to do this? Do you have to just drive away and leave us here?”

He craned his neck to look at me as I perched on the rear leather seat. “We’ve been through this, Ivy.”

“I know, but there has to be another way. What if we went to stay with Aunt Phoebe? She must be lonely.”

Father got out and pulled open my door with a thunk. Then he crouched down at my feet, looking up at me, a gesture that made me feel like I was a little girl again. “I know you’re worried about things being as bad as they were before.” He looked up at Scarlet, who was staring pointedly at the stonework above the entrance. “But it’s all in the past now. We have to move forward. The headmaster, Mr …”

“Bartholomew.”

“Bartholomew, that’s it. He reassured me and your stepmother that everything will be in order; that it’s all been dealt with. You need an education and this is the best place for it. Your sister can pout all she wants, but one day she’ll realise that we did the right thing.”

I looked down at him, kneeling there on the gravel, greying streaks in his dark hair and wrinkles in his suit. The little girl in me wanted to give him a hug, tell him how much I’d missed him. But I wasn’t that girl any more.

So instead I just said: “You’re wrong.”

I picked up my suitcase and pushed past him. I heard his gasp of shock, but I wasn’t going to back down. Not this time.

“I love you, girls,” he called out from behind me.

I didn’t look back. I climbed the stone steps and took Scarlet’s hand. She pulled me through the entrance, and we left Father far behind.

“HOW DARE HE?” Scarlet yelled, as the door shut behind us. “How dare he act like this is all for the best?”

Rookwood’s worried secretary looked up and shushed her, though it was one of the most timid shushes I’d ever heard.

My twin didn’t pay even the slightest bit of attention. “That old hypocrite! He lets the boys run around doing whatever they like, but we get left here to rot. After everything!” She kicked the wall. “This is so unfair!”

“Ahem …”

I looked round. It was Mrs Knight, the head of Richmond house, standing on the other side of the hall. “Kindly leave the wall alone, Miss Grey. And perhaps save all of our ears by keeping your voice down?”

“Sorry, Miss,” I said. Scarlet just frowned.

“We’ve been expecting you, girls – Mr Bartholomew has been making arrangements. I’m to take you to his office now.” She gave me a smile, but it was an uncertain one. “Miss Carver will arrange for someone to take your suitcases to your room.” She indicated the secretary, who was regarding Scarlet warily.

I shot my twin a look to see if she’d caught that – were we sharing a room? She raised her eyebrows at me.

“This way,” said Mrs Knight, as we deposited our suitcases by the front desk. It was Sunday morning, so the classrooms she led us past were empty, silent as if they were sleeping. In a low voice, she added, “I hope you can put your ordeal behind you, Scarlet, and have a fresh start. We were all so horrified to learn what Miss Fox had done.” Scarlet made a face, but she didn’t reply.

My heart pounded as we neared Miss Fox’s office, and I saw to my surprise that its door was wide open. There were men inside in suits, looking through her files. The hideous stuffed dogs remained, glassy-eyed and grotesque.

Thank goodness Miss Fox was gone. I hoped Father was right, and that Mr Bartholomew would make everything better for us.

Before I had time to think more about it, we’d come to another heavy wooden door with ‘HEADMASTER’ in stern capitals on the nameplate.

Mrs Knight knocked gingerly. Her knock was answered with coughing, and a rasping “come in”. She waved us inside, and I hoped she’d follow, but instead she just quickly pulled the door closed behind us.

This office was big. Twice the size of Miss Fox’s. A huge stone fireplace in one corner sheltered a roaring fire, and dark furniture loomed in front of wood-panelled walls. There were no windows.

An oak desk took up almost all of the floor space, and behind it was a tall leather-backed chair with a man sitting in it, silver-haired and hunched over. A quivering hand pulled a pocket watch on a chain out of his jacket. “You’re late,” he said, and his voice rattled like bones.

Scarlet and I looked at each other in horror.

He gestured for us to sit down on two chairs in front of the desk, and we did so immediately.

He spoke slowly without really looking at us, like he was considering each word. I watched his eyes, sunken and hollow. “Girls, welcome back to Rookwood. I understand there have been … troubling times. But I can assure you that these are now over.”

Then he was silent. I wondered if I should say something. “Thank you, sir?” I whispered.

Almost to himself, he continued, “I always questioned whether I was right to leave a woman in charge of my school. Now I know the answer to that.”

I gripped Scarlet’s hand under the desk, just in case she was going to start shouting at him. But she remained tight-lipped.

“You must understand, the school is the thing. Teachers and pupils come and go, but the school remains. That is what matters.”

We both nodded. Where was he going with this?

“Rookwood needs its reputation intact in order to survive. We are nothing but the image we project to the world.”

Evidently Scarlet had had enough of biting her tongue. “Is there a point to all this, sir?”

Mr Bartholomew unfurled in his chair. I realised as he drew himself up that he was a very large man indeed. His eyes narrowed at my twin. “I don’t remember asking you a question, Miss Grey.”

I shrank back, but Scarlet was undeterred. “You didn’t, sir.”

“THEN WHY ARE YOU TALKING?” he roared.

Scarlet blinked. I felt like my heart had stopped in my chest.

And then the headmaster folded back again, coughing.

When he finally spoke, his voice had returned to its previous volume. “Rookwood prides itself on our education system, our high standards of teaching and the safety of our pupils. You will not do anything to compromise this. But –” another cough – “I assure you that what happened will not be repeated. Not on my watch.”

We sat there, not wanting to say a word.

“That is all. You may go.”

“What was that all about?” I asked Scarlet, when I’d overcome the shock.

“Search me.”

We walked towards the stairs, and I had that strange feeling once again, doubting that my twin was really beside me. I’d never walked these halls with her before. “Do you think we can trust him?” I asked, as we climbed the staircase.

Scarlet laughed sarcastically. “Trust him? He looks like a vampire!”

I risked a smile. “At least he’s not Miss Fox. And he obviously doesn’t like her. Perhaps he’ll come clean to the school, tell everyone what’s really been going on.”

“He might. I mean, people are surely going to notice that there’s two of me all of a sudden.”

We’d just reached the top of the stairs when someone came barrelling into me and knocked me backwards on to the carpet.

“IvyohmygoshIvyyou’reback!”

I looked up, stunned, and saw a familiar grinning face.

“Ariadne!” I cried.

“Hello!” my friend scrambled up, pushing her halo of mousy hair out of her eyes. “I’m just so pleased to see you! And –” she turned and took in the sight of my twin, who looked frankly baffled – “Scarlet! Scarlet’s here! You found her, you really did it!”

Ariadne started bouncing up and down to the point where I felt mildly seasick. But nevertheless, I was truly, truly pleased to see her again. I grinned and clambered up from the scratchy floor. “Yes, I did it. Well, we did it.”

“Who is this?” said Scarlet in a mock-whisper.

“Oh, um …” I held out my hands to both of them. “Scarlet, this is Ariadne. She helped me find you.”

My sister frowned, but Ariadne didn’t seem to notice. “Nice to meet you!” she said brightly. “Ariadne,” she repeated, “like in Theseus and the Minotaur.”

“Who and the what?” said my twin rudely

“Scarlet,” I said meaningfully, “we need to get to our room and …” I looked at Ariadne, and a horrible realisation dawned. There were only two beds in our dorm.

I looked back and forth between my twin and my best friend. Ariadne’s smile had faded to something that was only a fraction of her usual cheeriness. “Oh yes, about that. Mrs Knight said I had to move.” She looked at the floor. “I’m to have a new roommate, apparently.”

I felt crushed. Scarlet appeared not to notice – she was too busy glowering at passing students that were staring at us. “I’m so sorry, Ariadne. I didn’t even think about this.”

“It’s no bother,” she said, though I was pretty sure it was. “We’ll still see each other every day. Can I come and sit in your room now, while you unpack?”

I nodded. “Of course.”

And then I grabbed Scarlet before she could get us into further trouble, and we headed back to room thirteen.

Returning to my old room was like a dream. One of those where you go to somewhere you know well, only for it to be strangely different and unsettling. It was the same old room thirteen, but none of my things were where I’d left them. The left side of the room was completely empty, presumably where this Ariadne girl had cleared her things out, while the right side was littered with Ivy’s possessions. “I always chose the right side,” I said aloud. “Well done, sis.”

Ivy smiled half-heartedly. I think she was annoyed at me for not being very polite to her new friend. But it was her fault, really. I’d heard her side of the story and I knew all about Ariadne, but I didn’t have to be happy about it. Ivy had been supposed to keep everything a secret. How had she known that she could trust this girl?

I picked up some of the books from the right-hand bed and plonked them down on the left.

“What are you doing?” Ivy asked from the doorway, Ariadne leaning around her with a puzzled expression.

“Sorting things out so I have the right, you have the left.”

Ivy raised her eyebrows at me. “We’re still doing that?”

“Of course. And besides, this bed has the hole I keep my diary in.” I went over to my suitcase that had been deposited just inside the door and pulled out the flimsy notebook I’d been given in the asylum. “You should really try keeping a diary, Ivy. You never know when it might save your life.”

“True,” my sister conceded. She traipsed over to the other bed, Ariadne following behind her like a lost puppy.

I got down on my hands and knees and stuffed my new diary into the familiar hole in the mattress. I wasn’t sure if it would be safe there any more – of course I could trust Ivy, but I didn’t know Ariadne one bit. But then I wasn’t exactly in danger now. Was I?

“Who’s your new roommate, Ariadne?” asked my sister.

“I don’t know,” the mousy girl replied. “I asked Mrs Knight, but she just made a funny face and walked away. Who do you think it could be?”

“Probably just some new girl,” I said, since everyone else would have a dorm already. “I’m sure they’ll be great. You won’t want to hang around with us at all.”

Or at least I hoped not, because Ivy and I will always be a team of two, no more.

Ivy started pulling things out of her suitcase and laying them out on the bed. “It’ll be dinner soon. Maybe you’ll find out then.”

I grimaced. There were many horrors at the school, and the dinners were one of them. But at least it wasn’t hospital food, which had tasted like despair.

There was a knock at the open door. We all looked round.

It was Nadia Sayani. I glared at her, thinking she’d come to pick on me, but to my surprise Ivy and Ariadne greeted her warmly. Clearly a lot had changed while I was away.

She did a double take upon seeing me and Ivy side by side. “So there really are two of you,” she said, slightly breathless. A smile spread across her face. “Well, I never … Twins! Or did your reflection just walk out of the mirror, Ivy?”

Ivy smiled at her. “Yes, that’s definitely what happened.”

“Ha! Well, I came to tell you that Mr Bartholomew has called an assembly,” she said. “Before dinner. We all have to get down there now.”

That was unusual. We never had assemblies on Sunday, nor at this time of day. “Who told you?” I asked.

“Mrs Knight,” Nadia replied. “She asked me to run round and tell everyone.”

Ariadne jumped up. “Maybe he’s giving out prizes!”

I wasn’t so sure. “Or canings …”

We filed into the assembly hall and sat down on the uncomfortable wooden benches. Looking around, I spotted Miss Finch on a chair at the side, and she smiled at me. The stage was empty, though – no sign yet of Mr Bartholomew.

I leant over to Ivy. “Do you think he’s going to tell everyone what happened last year?” She shrugged, and pointed at Miss Bowler, the swimming teacher, who was glaring at me from the other side of the hall. We weren’t supposed to be talking, apparently. “But he’s not even here y—”

My sentence was interrupted by a loud cough echoing around the walls, and suddenly the headmaster appeared on the stage. The teachers shushed everyone into complete silence.

“Good afternoon, girls.” He spoke in the same slow, dragging manner that he had done in his office. “Some of you may not know me, as I have been away for some time, recuperating from an illness. I am Mr Bartholomew, the headmaster of Rookwood School. My father was the founder of this school, which he set up to provide a proper education for his daughters, as well as those of his important, influential friends.” He paused, coughed into a dark red handkerchief, and then carried on. “You may be wondering why I’ve called an assembly at this hour.”

There was a murmur of agreement.

“I have been informed that there were some incidents while I was away.”

I nudged Ivy. “He’s going to tell everyone about Miss Fox!” I whispered. Miss Bowler waggled her finger at me, but I ignored her.

“Well, I can assure you, now that I have returned, we are going to be doing things my way. Severely delinquent behaviour will be punished with immediate expulsion. I will have nothing going on –” he paused, cleared his throat – “nothing in this school that is not directly sanctioned by me. Is that clear?”

Everyone murmured their agreement, but it clearly wasn’t enough for him. “I said, IS THAT CLEAR, girls?” His gravelly voice could reach a surprising volume, and several girls around me flinched.

“Yes, sir!” we chorused.

“The prefect system will be reinstated, since it has been neglected in my absence. I will be selecting representatives from Richmond, Evergreen and Mayhew houses to be my prefects. They will be making sure that everyone follows my rules.”

Ivy was looking at me, and I could tell we were thinking the same thing. Wasn’t he going to say anything about Miss Fox and what she’d done? Surely that was more important than picking prefects?

Mr Bartholomew started pacing up and down slowly, and said, “We will keep the past in the past, and look towards the future. And to that end, I want to welcome two students.”

I looked around. New students?

“Ivy Grey, stand up, please.”

My sister looked horrified. But she stood up, trembling a little as the eyes of the whole school fell on her.

“Miss Grey will be joining her twin sister, Scarlet. Everyone welcome Ivy, please.”

There was a mumbling of welcomes, but everyone was still looking at Ivy strangely. Not least me, who was wondering what on earth our headmaster was playing at. Why was he pretending that Ivy was new? Why was he covering up what Miss Fox had done?

“And we have another student who has returned from spending some time abroad,” Mr Bartholomew continued in his rattling drone.

He pointed to the back of the room. I turned round, following his finger. “Miss Adams, please stand up as well.”

I couldn’t believe it.

Vile Violet.

She was back.

I had never seen Scarlet look as horrified as she did at that moment. Her complexion went a strange shade of green when Mr Bartholomew called out Violet’s name. I sat down again and grabbed hold of her hand.

But then Violet looked awful too; pale and frightened. I’d never seen her before, but I felt as if I knew her from Scarlet’s diary entries. She’d seemed like a horrible bully, someone to be afraid of, but at that moment I only felt pity for her.

I hadn’t known that they’d found her. I hadn’t even been certain that she was still alive. Perhaps Miss Finch had tracked her down too, or Mr Bartholomew himself. If she’d been locked away in the asylum like my sister … Well, wherever she’d been, she certainly hadn’t been “spending some time abroad”. The thought made me queasy, and I had to look away.

The headmaster had finished the assembly with boring notices and some reminders of Rookwood’s many rules. Lights out at nine o’clock sharp. No food in bedrooms. No running in the corridors. In fact, no running anywhere, except perhaps on the running track.

I still couldn’t believe that he was persisting with Miss Fox’s deception, claiming that Violet had been away and I was a new student. What exactly was he playing at? I supposed that the school’s reputation was being put ahead of us, ahead of me, yet again.

And it meant more lies. Just when I thought I could be myself again, I’d have to act like I hadn’t already been here for months.

We traipsed to the dining hall, where the familiar chatter and clatter enveloped us. I could feel people staring in amazement. I supposed we were a startling sight – perfect mirror images of one another.

“Oh, Rookwood food, how I didn’t miss you,” I said to my stew as we sat down, before realising that, according to the headmaster, I’d never eaten it before. I glanced round, hoping no one had noticed my comment. I thought Scarlet might nudge me and tell me to shut up. But she was distracted, staring at the other side of the Richmond table.

Violet was standing there, and she looked miserable.

Mrs Knight was talking to her. “Miss Adams, I’m afraid you’ll have to join the Evergreen table.”

Penny jumped up. “But Miss, she was in Richmond before! Can’t we just kick someone else out?” Penny had been Violet’s best friend, not to mention another of Scarlet’s worst enemies.

Our house head frowned. “There’s simply no room now that Ivy and Ariadne have joined us. And besides, there are several free places in Evergreen.”

What? Suddenly Mrs Knight was talking about me as if I were a new student, too. She knew full well what had really happened. Why was she going along with the headmaster’s game?

Scarlet spoke up. “She should do as she’s told and go and sit with Evergreen.” And then in a dramatic whisper to me, “As far away from us as possible.”

“Miss Grey, will you mind your manners?” snapped Mrs Knight, exasperated.

I looked at Violet, expecting her to start shouting at any moment. But to everyone’s surprise, she simply walked off to the other table without a word.

Penny sat down again, looking stunned. I could tell she was wondering what had happened to her old friend Violet. The one that ordered everyone else around and wouldn’t be told what to do by anyone.

I picked up a forkful of the unappetising stew and stared at it. Oh well, I was hungry. I ate some, and it was at least hot. Someone had gone overboard with the pepper, though.

Ariadne appeared beside me with her dinner. “Did I miss something?”

“Violet was sent to the Evergreen table,” I said.

Mrs Knight’s gaze flashed to Ariadne. “Miss Flitworth, your room has been arranged. You will be staying with Violet.”

Ariadne’s eyes went wide. I almost choked on my stew.

“I trust there won’t be any problems?”

Ariadne shook her head slowly, but she didn’t blink. “No, Miss.”

Mrs Knight nodded, and then turned to talk to Madame Lovelace, the history teacher.

Oh gosh. Poor Ariadne, subjected to Violet. It had been bad enough reading about what the girl had done to Scarlet, making her life a living hell – I really hoped that history wasn’t about to repeat itself. But so far, Violet seemed to be giving everyone the silent treatment.

Penny glared at Ariadne and me and started to say something, but then Scarlet kicked her under the table. “Ow!” she muttered, reaching down to rub her leg.

“Scarlet,” I said in a quiet warning tone. “I want to actually finish my dinner tonight.”

My twin grimaced at me. I mimicked her own grimace back at her. At least some things never changed.

After dinner, I left a despondent Ariadne at the door of her new room. I wished her good luck, and she gave me a hug. There was no sign of Violet.

I had one of the school’s traditional lukewarm baths and then climbed into bed – almost climbing into the wrong one, as I instinctively walked towards Scarlet’s.

“Mine,” she reminded me from the dressing table, where she was brushing out her hair.

I folded myself into the sheets, exhausted. I half-wondered if any of Ariadne’s collection of sweets remained under the bed.

Scarlet turned a new page in her notebook and started writing, her hand moving quickly across the page. I smiled sleepily. I could’ve only imagined this sight a few months ago. When she put the book away, she saw me watching. “Nosy,” she laughed.

I laughed back. “Need I remind you that reading your diary was the most important thing I ever did?”

My twin grinned at me. “Doesn’t mean you can make a habit of it.” She came and stood at my bedside, yawning in her nightgown. “Budge up.”

“Eh? I thought you said you wanted your old bed back?”

“I know what I said. But just this once I—” She looked at the floor.

“Want to know you’re not alone,” I finished. We’d always slept in the same bed when we were little.

Scarlet nodded, looking unusually sheepish.

“Oh, all right. But please don’t snore.” I moved over, leaving just enough room for her.

We went to sleep, back to back, a perfect mirror image once again.

The morning bell rang out and I sat up in bed with a jolt.

Scarlet was already up and pulling on her school dress. She prodded me gently on the shoulder. “Lazy bones!”

I pushed her away playfully and wriggled out of the bed sheets. The air was chilly on my skin. I rubbed my eyes. “Wait. Do I have a uniform now?”

She nodded and flung open the wardrobe to reveal a uniform that matched hers. At least someone had thought of that – perhaps it was Miss Finch? Thank goodness someone was still looking out for us.

I got changed as Scarlet darted around the room putting things in her satchel, humming a tune. I dreaded having to pretend that I was a new pupil again. I’d spent so long pretending that I wasn’t new. How could my twin be so carefree, after all that had happened? Sometimes I felt as though I understood her, and other times she was like a complete stranger.

As I sat down at the dressing table to lace up my shoes I caught sight of myself in the chipped mirror. Scarlet, I thought immediately. But my twin moved behind me, breaking the spell. No, Ivy, I had to remind myself. I was me again. I wasn’t sure if there was a me to go back to, though. I’d spent so long pretending to be Scarlet that maybe the old Ivy had faded away.

Later, Scarlet enthusiastically ate her breakfast, gulping down the lumpy porridge that I felt quite sure she hated. I was puzzled at her cheerful manner, but gave up worrying about it when Ariadne sat down next to me.

“How was Violet?” I asked.

My friend shrugged, and she looked as puzzled as I did. “I honestly don’t know. It was like she wasn’t even there. I kept trying to talk to her, I really did, but she didn’t say anything. I just went to sleep in the end.”

“Strange. I missed having you in room thirteen.” I noticed Scarlet frowning at that. I realised I shouldn’t have been talking about Ariadne and I previously sharing a room as I wasn’t even supposed to have been at the school, but everyone else was too busy chatting amongst themselves to notice.

Ariadne sighed. “If only we could all stay together. If I had a genie, I’d wish for it.”

“Don’t waste your wishes,” I warned her. “You could wish for us not to have to go to this school.”

“Or for a million pounds,” said Scarlet, pointing a spoonful of porridge at me. “No one could tell us what to do if we had a million pounds.”

“I bet Mr Bartholomew could,” I said. We all thought about it for a moment, and then shuddered. There was just something about him, in his words and his voice and the jerky way he moved. I felt sure that he was someone we didn’t want to cross.

I was terrified.

Terrified of returning to lessons. Terrified of Violet. Terrified of Miss Fox being out there, somewhere.

Terrified of Rookwood School.

I barely slept a wink that first night. Whenever I dozed off, I had terrible nightmares. When I was awake, I kept thinking I could hear things in the walls.

But was I going to tell Ivy that? Not likely. I had to be brave for her, because I hated the idea of her being as frightened as I was. So I’d jumped out of bed and acted like it was the happiest day of my life. I even wolfed down the disgusting porridge, though I had no appetite and my stomach was in knots.

Morning assembly was at least not too scary, as all we had to do was sing hymns and listen to Matron’s lecture on keeping our dorm rooms tidy. But there was something surprising – a letter arrived addressed to me and Ivy.

“It’s from Aunt Phoebe!” Ivy exclaimed when she saw the postmark. As Ariadne hurried off to the first lesson, we stood in the hallway reading it.

Dear Scarlet and Ivy,

I was so overjoyed to hear the good news. It’s truly a miracle to have Scarlet back with us. I wish I could see the two of you together again. But I fear it is not to be. I hoped that you would be able to stay with me, but I see now that I have interfered with your lives too much already. Edith is right, you need to complete your education and not be held back by some old biddy like me. I’m very sorry. I hope I will see you again someday.

With all my love and best wishes for the future,

Your aunt

Phoebe Gregory

There were tear stains on the paper, and they’d smudged some of the ink.

I dug my nails into my hands. “Did our stepmother make her do this?”

Ivy’s excited expression had faded, and now she looked like she was about to cry. “I suppose so.”

I took the letter out of her hand and screwed it up. “It’s nonsense! She’s the one who’s interfering, not Aunt Phoebe. That witch!”

Girls were staring as they streamed past, but I didn’t care. They could stare all they liked.

I would get our stepmother back for this one day. I still suspected that she had persuaded our father that I was dead after being bribed by Miss Fox. But she wouldn’t be able to control our lives forever.

We walked into the history classroom side by side. I hated history. I didn’t see why we had to learn about things that dead people had done.

There had been some rearranging of the desks, and I saw to my horror that Violet had been given the one next to mine.

“Ah yes,” said Madame Lovelace, covered in dust as always. “We have a twin joining us. Which one of you is Ivy?”

“I am,” I said quickly.

Ivy looked at me like I’d just declared I was a radish.

“Oh good. Welcome to Rookwood School. I hope you have a better aptitude for history than your sister,” she declared, glaring at Ivy, who squeaked in frustration. But she went along with the swap and took the seat next to my arch-enemy. “There’s a spare desk over there. Here, take a textbook.”

“Thank you, Madame,” I said politely. I took it from her and headed to the back of the room, as far away from Violet Adams as was physically possible.

As we sat down and Madame Lovelace started writing names and dates on the blackboard, Ivy turned to face me. “What are you doing?” she mouthed.

I pointed repeatedly at the back of Violet’s head. Finally Ivy seemed to get the message and turned back round.

I watched as my twin studiously copied from the blackboard. I wondered if this was how she’d behaved when she’d been pretending to be me. I never did anything studiously.

At least this time it didn’t really matter if we acted like each other or not – Madame Lovelace was blind as a bat, and not particularly observant even with her spectacles on. So instead of doing my work, I started drawing in my jotter instead. I drew myself, dancing, and then I drew Ivy next to me. Ballet was the only lesson I was looking forward to. At least Miss Finch knew the full truth about what had happened – there was no chance she would pretend that Ivy was new and I’d never been away, like Mrs Knight was.

I was still doodling when the bell rang for the end of class, and almost jumped out of my skin. Penny noticed and laughed. I pulled a face at her and gathered up my things.

Ivy frowned at me as I headed to the front of class. “You can’t just do that, Scarlet,” she said, when we’d left the classroom.

“Do what?”

“Pretend to be me!” she snapped.

“I didn’t want to sit next to Violet.”

“Well, can you give me some warning next time?” And with that, my twin shot ahead of me through the crowds.

Fine, I thought. If she wants to be alone, she can be alone. I turned round, intent on storming off in the other direction.

And came face to face with Violet.

I was rooted to the spot. I couldn’t breathe as it all came flashing back to me. The freezing rooftop. The fight. Miss Fox dangling her over the edge.

Was she going to hit me? Scream in my face? Promise revenge?

But no, her eyes were blank as if I were invisible to her. “Excuse me,” she whispered absently.

And she walked straight past me.

I tried my best to pull myself together for the rest of the lessons that day, but it was difficult when my twin was clearly still annoyed with me. I didn’t understand why she was so cross. She’d already had plenty of practice at playing my role, so why was it a problem now? I thought she didn’t want to have to pretend to be new.

We retreated to room thirteen to get changed into our leotards. “I don’t know what’s got into Violet,” I said. “She’s not her usual awful self at all. She’s not really anything. Just blank.”

Ivy sighed. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

I thought she’d say something about how Violet had probably been through an ordeal that had affected her, how we should be grateful that she wasn’t trying to murder me. But she just sighed a little more loudly and continued pulling on her tights.

We ran down to ballet (well, I ran, and Ivy just walked quickly, keen not to break any rules). Miss Finch greeted us as we descended into the chilly basement.

“Welcome back, Scarlet,” she said to me quietly and with a smile. “I trust you haven’t forgotten your warm-up?”

I shook my head. “No, Miss.”

“Good. And be on your best behaviour, please.” She looked pointedly at the piano. I hoped my embarrassment didn’t show.

Miss Finch smiled at Ivy, too, but didn’t welcome her to the class. Ivy looked grateful for that.

I took hold of the barre next to my sister and began my exercises, right leg first, then left leg.

It was something so very simple, but it felt like coming home. When I practised ballet, I wasn’t just Scarlet any more, I was Scarlet, the world-famous prima ballerina of the future. My destiny stretched out in front of me. And with Ivy by my side, no matter how cross she was, everything felt complete.

My bliss was interrupted by Penny whispering in my ear. “You may be back, but I haven’t forgotten that we’ve got unfinished business, Scarlet Grey. I’m going to find out why Violet won’t talk to me, and if it’s got anything to do with you then there’ll be trouble.”

I frowned at her. “Why would it be my fault?”

She elbowed me viciously. “Supposedly she went to some school in France, lording it about while you were locked away in an asylum. Yet she’s gone all weird and silent while you’re just fine and dandy! And the teachers are acting like Ivy is a brand new pupil and you’ve been here all along! Something doesn’t add up.”

I wasn’t fine, but Penny didn’t know that. “I’m brilliant, thank you. Now leave me alone.” I moved into rond de jambe à terre, moving my leg in a half circle, intent on ignoring her.

“Listen, scum,” she spat. “I want my friend back. And I will do whatever it takes, do you understand?”

I said nothing, but I felt my insides turn to ice. I knew just how far Penny would go.

That night I woke up, and Scarlet was gone.

I’d been fast asleep until a boom of thunder rattled the window and jolted my eyes open. A lightning flash lit up the room a moment later, and I saw that her bed was empty.

The storm didn’t frighten me, but Scarlet’s absence did. For a moment I thought that she was still dead and I was alone at Rookwood School again.

But no, I was in the opposite bed, there was no Ariadne and I could see my twin’s leotard and ballet shoes dangling off the chair. I breathed a sigh of relief.

So where was she?

It felt like some time that I was lying there, staring at the door. Finally the handle turned, and Scarlet crept back in.

She jumped when she saw that I was looking at her.

“Where did you go?” I whispered.

“Nowhere,” she said. And then, “I just went to the lavatory.”

“Ah,” I said, relieved.

She climbed back into her own bed, and I drifted back to sleep, listening to the storm raging outside.

When Scarlet and I got down to breakfast the next morning, Ariadne came rushing over to me with her tray. “I just overheard Mrs Knight talking to one of the other teachers. She said there’s been a theft! Apparently Mr Bartholomew is furious.”

My ears pricked up at this. “Oh? I wonder what was stolen?” At least it wasn’t us this time, I thought, our escapade in the kitchens springing to mind.

And then I remembered.

Scarlet had left our room last night, and I couldn’t truly say how long for.

I watched my twin as she sat down with her porridge. She must have heard Ariadne, but she didn’t say anything. Had she been involved?

“Honestly, Mrs Knight sounded really scared about how angry he was.” Ariadne frowned. “Her hands were all shaky. I think she’s afraid of the headmaster. Do you think that’s why she’s going along with him, telling everyone that you’re a new pupil? He can’t be as bad as Miss Fox, can he?”

I shrugged. I didn’t want to think about it. But if Mrs Knight was scared of him, well … perhaps that did explain why she wasn’t telling everyone the truth about me.

“There’s going to be an assembly about it,” Ariadne continued. Her lip started quivering. “I hope I don’t get a caning.”

“Why would you?”

“Well … I was eavesdropping …” She cringed, as if she’d admitted to some sort of hideous crime.

I laughed and patted her on the back. “I know this school has a lot of rules, Ariadne, but I don’t think there’s one about that.”

“Oh, phew.”

I turned back to Scarlet. “Scarlet, do you know anything about what’s been stolen?”

“No,” she said, chewing a mouthful of her breakfast. “Why would I?”

I frowned. I had a feeling my sister was keeping something from me.

It was Mrs Knight who took the stage at assembly. That was a relief, at least. I was in no hurry to see Mr Bartholomew again.

“Girls, I’m afraid I have a serious matter to discuss. There was a theft last night.” Cue the collective gasps of everyone except me, Scarlet and Ariadne. “Now, since there was no break-in, we have to presume that one of you is responsible. I have to say, I am deeply disappointed.”

Someone near the front raised their hand.

“Yes, Liza?”

“What was stolen, Miss?”

“Clothes belonging to Penelope Winchester. They were taken from the laundry.”

Now it was my turn to be shocked. I looked around and located Penny, a few rows behind me. She looked livid.

Suddenly I was even more worried. Scarlet and Penny’s dislike for each other was legendary. Penny had been horrible to her just yesterday. What if my twin was out for revenge?

There was a flurry of whispers, and Mrs Knight waved her arms to quieten everyone down. “We take thefts very seriously at this school, and if the culprit is caught then they will be –” she paused, swallowed – “duly punished.”

Scarlet’s face was blank, not betraying anything.

Mrs Knight looked down at the piece of paper she was holding. “The headmaster wants you to know that he will be keeping an eye on you all, and increasing the levels of discipline if necessary.” For a moment, a horrified look passed over her face, and then she regained her composure. “And to that end, I have a list here of the new prefects. Prefects will be responsible for reporting to the headmaster if they witness anyone breaking a rule.” She unfurled a piece of paper and cleared her throat. “Miss Winchester is the first to be appointed.”

Several people groaned, and before I could catch myself I was groaning as well. Penny was sure to be a nightmare as a prefect.

Scarlet was no longer expressionless – now her eyebrows were narrowed and her cheeks were puffed out.

The list went on. “Maureen Alcott. Lettie Clark. Dot Campbell. All of these girls have been recommended for their exemplary behaviour. If you have been selected, please report to Mr Bartholomew this afternoon.”

When we left the hall, Scarlet sped out past me, not saying a word.

Ariadne grabbed on to my dress. “Isn’t this awful? Penny as a prefect? I mean, I thought we’d reached some kind of agreement with her, but she’s being as nasty as ever.”

“And now someone’s stolen her clothes.” I frowned. “She’ll probably be even worse than usual, trying to find out who did it.”

“I don’t understand why Mr Bartholomew would pick her. He is … he’s so …”

“Strange?”

She nodded, mousy hair bobbing.

I sighed. “I think everyone here is.”

At lunchtime I found I couldn’t keep quiet any longer. It had been playing on my mind all day – was Scarlet the culprit?

It was a pleasant day after the night’s storm had exhausted the rain clouds, so I led my twin outside and under an enormous oak tree at the back of the school.

“What do you want, Ivy? I assume you didn’t drag me all the way out here to make daisy chains.”

“No, I want to know what you’re playing at.”

“I’m not playing at anything,” she snapped.

“You were out of our room last night. If you didn’t steal Penny’s clothes, then—”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t steal Penny’s clothes! Why would I? Who do you think I am?”

“Well, you’ve got to admit it looks suspicious.”

“No,” she said, “it doesn’t. Because I’m your twin, and you shouldn’t suspect me.”

“You haven’t really given me a reason not to!” I retaliated. “You have a history of keeping things from me. Important things. Or have you forgotten what you got up to last year?”

Scarlet turned away, arms crossed and fuming. She wasn’t going to forgive me for this. I should have given up, but I told myself that I wasn’t going to let her walk all over me for a moment longer. “Don’t ignore me!”

She didn’t look round. “I don’t have to explain myself to you. I’ll do whatever I want.”

“You can’t just do whatever you want!” I tugged on her shoulder until she had no choice but to face me again. “You wanted to get into this school so badly that you switched our entrance papers. That’s the reason all of this happened in the first place! But now you’ve got what you wanted and you’re just wasting it by getting in trouble all over again!”

“You don’t understand!” she shouted back. “And you never will!”

And with that, she stormed off, and I was alone.

After half-dozing through lessons and a tepid dinner, it was night-time once more. I wouldn’t talk to my twin, and she didn’t seem keen to talk to me, either. I waited for her to drift off to sleep, even giving her a poke in the shoulder to double check, and then I pulled out my new diary from its hiding place.

Rookwood School was an eerie place at night, drenched in shadows and silence. I didn’t even know if I wanted to keep a diary any more. But it was better than lying sleepless in bed, especially when I knew what nightmares may come. Girls with blank faces locked away in the walls, banging with their fists, screaming to be let out …

That was why, the night before, I’d got up and wandered to the lavatories. But even that had scared me. It was safer to stay in bed.

Dear Diary,

I wish I was somewhere else. Anywhere else.

I wrote those words and stared at them. What else was there to say?

Ivy thinks I stole Penny’s clothes, but I didn’t. I wish I had, because the look on her freckled face was priceless. But I wouldn’t do it, not really. I’m not a thief.

Why doesn’t Ivy trust me?

I only left the room because I couldn’t sleep. This place scares me. But I needed to prove to myself that I could walk its corridors and nothing bad would happen to me.

I sniffed and tried to pretend that there weren’t any tears in my eyes. I looked up at the tall dark windows, raindrops pouring down them in sheets. The words just didn’t want to come. This wasn’t me. Scarlet Grey didn’t get scared.

Thump.

What was that?

I sat bolt upright.

Thump.

The room was almost pitch black, but I could just make out the lump that was Ivy under her covers and hear her snoring softly. I was safe. Nothing was going to get me in here.

I just had to keep telling myself that.

Wednesday morning dawned, and the morning bell was like a hammer to my head. If Ivy had noticed I’d been awake, she didn’t say anything about it. But then she didn’t say two words to me anyway.

And it didn’t look like things were going to get any better when Mrs Knight once again called an assembly.

“It greatly saddens me to tell you that there were yet more thefts last night. A good deal of food was stolen from the kitchens, and –” she paused and looked down at her sheet of paper as if she couldn’t quite believe it – “Miss Jones tells me that books have gone missing from the library as well. Really, girls, this is appalling!”

A ripple of murmurs spread through the hall, and I knew everyone was speculating about who the thief was. I heard something in the night, I thought. Maybe it was the thief.

I turned to my twin, about to whisper to her, when I saw her furrowed brow. Ugh. It was no use. She’d probably think I was just trying to cover my tracks.

“Thieves will not be tolerated in this school. If you know anything about who might be responsible, please report it to myself or Mr Bartholomew immediately.” Mrs Knight carried on giving notices, and then read a story from the Bible and told us all how it was bad to steal. As if we didn’t know.

Well, I supposed one person didn’t.

Who could it be?

At the end of assembly, I saw Penny march up to Mrs Knight and start whispering something to her. I kept an eye on her as I stood, ready to leave, and saw her point very clearly in my direction.

The little leech! She was telling on me! And for once, I hadn’t even done anything wrong. I looked around for my twin to share my disbelief, but she had already walked out.

I stood, momentarily glued to the spot, but Mrs Knight beckoned me over. Despite the rising panic inside me, I smiled calmly and tried to look as innocent as possible.

Penny gave me the stare of death as she walked away from us. I would not let her pin this all on me just to earn herself a few house points. Perfect prefect Penny. I shuddered.

“Scarlet,” said Mrs Knight, “Penelope thinks you may know something about the recent thefts. She thinks you have some sort of grudge against her.”

“Please, Miss. She’s the one with the grudge against me. I haven’t done anything.”

Mrs Knight sighed. “Honestly, I think you’re both as bad as each other. Run along, then,” she said. “But you need to be careful. If there’s any evidence against you, Mr Bartholomew is going to come down on you like …”

“… a ton of bricks?” I finished, having received that threat many times.

She fixed me with a stern, searching look. “Perhaps make that two tons,” she said.

Even though we didn’t have ballet that day, I wanted to talk to Miss Finch. Ivy was still cross with me, and I barely knew Ariadne. If there was anyone who might be on my side, it would definitely be Miss Finch. She’d helped to rescue me, after all.

I lurked on the ballet studio stairs at the end of the day, arms folded, waiting for her lesson to finish. Eventually, once the gaggle of older girls had left, she noticed me standing there.

“Hello, Scarlet,” she said, peering up the stairwell at me. “Are you settling back in well? How’s Ivy getting on?”

“I didn’t do it,” I said.

She blinked at me. “That’s nice. What is it you didn’t do, exactly?”

“I’m not the thief, I mean. Everyone thinks I am, but I’m not. I swear!”

She nodded gently, and then indicated for me to come down into the room. I followed her to her piano stool, and she perched on it. Her bad leg meant she had to rest often. “I believe you.”

“Will you vouch for me?” I asked. “Tell the other teachers that I didn’t do it?”

She played a few keys on the piano, the way she sometimes did when she was thinking about things. “Scarlet,” she said after a moment, “like I said, I believe you. And I don’t think you’d lie to me. Not any more.” A pointed look. She was thinking about the piano-smashing incident. I felt my cheeks flush. “But I’m also not sure if me telling everyone will do any good. Especially not if there’s evidence against you.”

“There isn’t any!” I snapped back. Then I sighed and leant against the shiny new piano. There was something important I’d remembered. “Besides, Miss Finch … I’m not the only one who hasn’t been completely honest. You never told us that you were Miss Fox’s daughter!”

She rubbed her face, and I saw in that moment just how tired she was. “We all have our little lies. Sometimes they become big ones. Sometimes you have no choice but to hide the truth, even when you know it’s wrong.”

I nodded. “I know what you mean.” Lies were hard to keep under control.

She smiled at me cautiously, and went back to playing the piano. I took that to mean the conversation was over, but there was something else I needed to say. I cleared my throat and her hands stopped moving. “Miss … Thank you for helping Ivy find me. I’d still be locked away if it wasn’t for you. And, well, I wouldn’t have wanted anyone to know if Miss Fox was my mother, either!”

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