Saving Sophia Part 4

aThatas awful,a says Ned.

aReally?a I say. aHe actually killed someone?a Sophia looks away. aYes, it was a too awful.a We pick our way through a bog. Personally, Iam scared. Discovering that Pinhead actually has killed someone changes my view of this whole thing, but I donat want the others to know. I want them to think Iam brave.

Daphne Downs in Night of Crime keeps going even though sheas so scared her heart stops.

Although, I donat quite understand how thatas possible.

Sophia doesnat seem to know who Pinhead killed.

aSome bloke,a she says. aI expect he owed him money. Itas usually about money, isnat it?a aOr love,a I say. aAlthough in Death Among the Lilies the murderer says he did it because he liked killing things. Perhaps Pinhead likes killing things?a aFlip,a says Ned. aHope he makes an exception for kids.a aWas it just one person?a I ask.

Sophia doesnat answer for ages. aIam not sure,a she says in the end.

We struggle down the cliff on to another beach and start walking east along the edge of the surf so that our footsteps vanish. In Canada by Gaslight the heroine walks the whole of the west coast to keep from being tracked.

Or was it the east coast?

aAre you sure he killed someone?a asks Ned, emptying water from his shoe.

aYes a" well, I think so,a says Sophia. aHe went to prison for it.a aFlip,a says Ned again.

In the distance, the turrets of a castle appear against the horizon.

aIt looks like a princess castle,a says Sophia. aMy motheras a princess.a aIs she?a I ask. aReally?a aYes, really. Princess of some Italian place, I canat remember where. Itas exactly the sort of place you might find a princess.a She points at the turrets.

aOr a prince a" a handsome prince,a I say.

aOh yeah,a says Ned. aThereas a handsome prince sitting in his tower window waiting for you, blowing kisses across the sand. aAh, come here Charlotte, my lovely a" I have been imprisoned here for years, release meaaa Sophia laughs.

I could happily push them both into the sea, run back, tell Miss Wesson where Sophia is, go home to my s.k.a.n.ky bedroom, stick my inner hero into a box under the bed and listen to Lurve FM until my ears fall off.

And Iam hungry a" so hungry, my stomachas eaten itself. I wonder if sandas edible?

But then I think about Pinhead, the murderer, keeping Sophia and her mother apart, and carry on putting one foot in front of the other.

aIf youare really lucky heall see you wearing those fantastic trousers!a laughs Ned, and clutches his sides theatrically.

Sophia stops laughing and stares at the ground, but I know she thinks I look ridiculous. I do, I simply do and she looks fantastic in that skirt-shorts thingy.

I trek on across the sand and do my best to ignore Ned, but heas slipped back into pondlife in my cast of characters. Something single cell and slimy with no eyes.

I hate him.

Iam not sure what I think about Sophia.

It takes an age to reach the rocks at the foot of the castle walls. They shoot up vertically from the ground and thereas no way we can do anything but walk around them until the beach seems to dwindle, forcing the castle garden wall to run straight into the sea. I can see why youad buy this place: itas inaccessible in every sense. I gaze up at the windows and nothing more than a feather floats down to us. It looks unoccupied.

aWeall have to go back,a I say. aFind a way up the cliff.a aNo, wait,a says Sophia, pointing to a rough wooden door set into the wall. She tries the handle and it opens. She pushes in and Ned follows, which leaves me standing outside feeling stupid and nervous. Eventually, I peer around the door. Itas a walled garden, filled mostly with flowers, but at the end tall pyramids of runner beans flag up the possibility of food.

I stand inside the door, listening. Apart from bird song, I canat hear a thing, not even the sea, not even Ned and Sophiaas footsteps. Ned points at the runner beans and we creep deeper into the garden until we reach the vegetables.

Riches. Fat yellow carrots bulge out of the soil, long tresses of beans hang from the pyramids and wild strawberries dance along the paths. I cram unripe strawberries in my mouth before pulling a few carrots from a line; Ned picks beans and Sophia raises her eyebrows at us until I point to a lettuce that she wrenches from the ground.

I pull another a" a snail sticks to my hand. aYuk!a I yell.

STUPID, STUPID, STUPID.

I hold my breath for about a minute.

aFlip,a whispers Ned.

I swallow, ready to run, but no one comes so I pull up six beetroot and pick hard little apples from the tree growing against the wall. I turn to Ned. His backpackas overflowing, as are my stupid pockets.

aTime to go,a I whisper, just a little too late, because standing in the entrance to the garden is a tall man with a pitchfork, and he definitely isnat a handsome prince.

The inside of the castle is surprisingly modern. In fact, because of the small windows, rather than a view of the sea all anyone sees is smooth white walls.

We follow the silent man through silent corridors until we reach a door marked: Estate Manager. The silent man opens the door and nods for us to enter. Another man sits behind a desk, writing something in careful red capitals.

My mouth goes dry, and I drag my feet on the way into the room. It feels like real life has kicked in; Iam desperately tired but donat feel very hungry any more. Ned goes first, then Sophia, then me.

Sophia slips me a smile and grabs my hand. I try to smile back, but Iam too scared.

aI hate being in trouble,a I whisper.

aWhyad you run away then?a mutters Ned, as if getting caught was my fault and shoves me towards a chair opposite the man with the red pen who appears to be the most miserable person in the universe.

The manas sunburned face is too long and the hairs that grow out of his ears are too thick. Heas forgotten how to smile or even how to look up; either that or the paperwork on his desk is more interesting than we are. His lips move, so I lean forward to hear what he says.

aKids today. Donat know the difference between right and wrong,a he mutters.

I shuffle my feet. Behind the silent man who brought us up here is a fireplace with six carved wooden animals. Theyare too big for the mantelpiece.

aShockina.a I look back at the miserable man, waiting for more, but he stacks the papers on the left of the desk, then picks them up again and moves them to the right.

We sit in silence.

This is like the chapter in Castle of Doom where the heroine is tied to a chair over a fire pit. There seems to be no possible way that she can get out of it.

There seems to be no possible way that we can get out of here.

I stare at my trainers. Theyare all earthy and I see that weave left footprints all over the floor. aSorry about the mud on the carpet,a I say.

He looks at me as if Iave just landed from Mars, moves the stack of paper from one side of the desk to the other again and starts rummaging in a drawer.

I shrug and look at Sophia; she shrugs and looks at Ned.

We wait. I could do with using the loo but Iam too scared to ask.

A woman comes in with a tray of overly sweet orange squash and some Lincoln biscuits. She puts a cup of coffee in front of the estate manager, nods at the silent man in the corner, and slips out.

I nibble a biscuit, making it last, but I barely breathe.

We wait.

I look up at the silent man. Heas got a drip on the end of his nose.

The phone rings. The estate manager picks it up before itas even sounded properly and barks at it. aYesa Yesa Noa I wonat.a He slams the phone down and rearranges the desk again. It occurs to me that heas as uncomfortable as we are, but Iam still too scared to ask him if I can use the loo.

aThis is Lostham Castle,a he says suddenly. aIt belongs to the Chief Constable who, incidentally, is on his way. Youare the missing nippers from Bream?a At this point, I notice that Ned has eaten all the biscuits.

aWe are,a says Sophia, slightly too loudly. aBut itas not theira"a The man waves his hands at her as if none of it is his business, which I suppose it isnat.

He rises from the desk, unfolds himself and goes to the door. aI hate to lock you in like prisoners, but Iam going to a" for your own good. Take those veggies out of your pockets and put aem on my desk. Iall be back soon as the police arrive.a And he goes.

The silent man follows, rubbing his nose with a grey handkerchief.

I wait a moment before trying the door. aWe are locked in,a I say.

aFlip,a says Ned. He pulls Pinky and Perky out of his bag and slips them the beetroot leaves.

Sophia goes over to the window and opens it. aToo far to jump,a she says. aI guess this is the end of the journey.a She looks like sheas going to cry. aBut thanks so much for trying. Both of you.a She closes the window and drinks the last drops of squash from her gla.s.s.

aIf this was The Prison on the Rock, Sarah-Anne Wilmslow would have a rope in her bagaa I look up at Sophia; sheas staring at me as if Iam mad. aBut itas not, and we havenat,a I finish, feeling foolish. aActually, forget I said that. It was sillyaa aWell,a says Ned, rummaging in his backpack. aFor once, you might be right.a And he pulls out a bundle of nylon that I recognise as a chunk of Mumas climbing rope, then throws an orange harness thing to the floor.

aWhat?a says Sophia. aWhere did you get that?a aHad it all the time,a says Ned cheerfully. aAfter you ran away I put it in my bag, just in case.a A pain of intense regret washes through me. Why didnat I carry a climbing rope? Why couldnat I have thought of this? Sarah-Anne Wilmslow, where are you now?

aWell, we donat all have to get away, someone needs to stay at the top, just in case, but if Sophia can, thatas the main thing.a Ned finds the middle of the rope, loops it over his shoulder and around his waist before anchoring it around the leg of the desk. aThis means thereas a sliding rope and a holding rope and even if I get dragged across the floor, the desk wonat fit through the window frame,a he says in explanation.

Sophia looks doubtfully at him. aAm I supposed to climb down without a helmet or anything?a Ned nods. aYou have done climbing before? Havenat you?a aOf course,a she says. aLoads of times, but never without a helmet.a She takes a deep breath and grabs the harness. She climbs into it, fits it around her waist and then clips one half of the sliding rope through it. She throws the holding rope out of the window. She tests the harness. aThis is not how itas meant to be,a she says, looking out to the sand below. aButaa She shrugs.

aReady?a asks Ned, as I help her up on to the windowsill. aHere, youad better take my bag with all the vegetables a" Iam not sureaa He glances across at me.

aNot sure of what?a I ask.

aWhich one of us will go with her,a he mutters. aWeall talk about it.a aThanks, both of you,a Sophia says, leaning back on the ropes until Nedas feet slide the last inch and wedge against the wall. aYouave been great.a And she disappears.

I watch Sophia bounce lightly down the wall and unhook herself at the bottom. She clips the harness back on to the rope and waves up at us. All I can hear are seagulls. Itas as if theyare laughing at my attempt at having a proper friend.

aSo,a says Ned. aWhoas going with her? We canat leave her on her own, sheas clueless. But then, so are you a" you havenat the faintest idea about survival.a aHang on,a I say. aWe were supposed to be a team, and yet youad leave me to face the police and Pinhead and everyone.a aI was simply thinking of the best way of saving Sophia.a He pulls the ropes slowly back through the window.

I breathe in but there are so many words to come out I canat choose which oneas going first. aSaving Sophia?a I explode. aIam supposed to be doing that! Right from the beginning youave just muscled in with your sad SAS stuff and your survivalist equipment and things. All that guff about sleeping under trees and tracks and hens. If it had been up to mea"a aYou could have said.a I turn to the empty room, as if the chairs might back me up. aI did say, I said a million times, but OH NO, clever Ned, heas been listening to Mum and Dad, he knows exactly what to do, when his silly aEeeewa sister doesnat; he can take charge, he can be a hero.a aRight, youave made your point,a says Ned, holding up his hand. aYou go a" you can look after Sophia. I can see Iam not wanted a" time for me to drop out.a I stand, my mouth hanging open as Ned undoes the harness and holds it out towards me. aIall keep them off you for a bit. Bye, sis a" enjoy the rest of your trip.a And he pulls the rope around his back again and braces himself, gazing out of the window, every bit the selfless hero.

What?

I hold the harness in my hands. Heas right, I havenat a clue how it works.

He looks at the wall as if itas really interesting. The complete toe-rag.

Buying time, I go back to the middle of the room and drink the remains of the orange squash.

I look out of the window. Sand at the bottom, but the bottomas still a long way away.

No, this is not how itas supposed to be.

This is unfair.

I did not think it would end this way.

Suddenly I have become a hopeless heroine. Not the strong decisive type but the bewildered abandoned type.

aGo on, then,a says Ned. aSheall have vanished by the time you get down there.a I pick up the harness and tighten it around my waist and my b.u.m, like Sophia did. Then I realise Iam supposed to have used the little metal clasp as well.

I hold the clasp, and the sliding rope, and I wonder just how youare supposed to join them together. This is stupid.

I catch Ned watching me, but the moment I look at him he turns his head back towards the wall.

I drop the rope Iam supposed to hold on to out of the window. I look down its length. Itas very long, very straight and very slidey.

When I get home after all this Iam going to kill him. Him, his snails, his stick insects, his entire collection of EYE SPY books, all of it, and Iall lock him in the boot of the car and make him listen to the sound of his possessions being destroyed, just like Dan Harper had to in My Day of Revenge.

I stand up, walk to the window and lift up my leg, and stop. I donat think I can do this.

This is real; this is not a story.

The shock of the revelation is so great that I have to sit down.

Nedas staring at me.

aShall I go?a he says.

aNo, Iam going to do it.a aBut you donat know how, do you?a I try really hard not to shout at him. aItas just this bit.a I hold out the clasp.

He doesnat make eye contact. He swoops down, tightens the harness, clips it to the rope and resumes his rope-holding stance.

aHa,a he says to the wall.

I recognise it as a aHaa of satisfaction.

He knows Iam terrified, he knows I donat want to hang over a beach on a piece of nylon. I donat feel safe and I donat like feeling unsafe, but I badly want to be a hero, and heroes donat lie around worrying, they just get on with it. Irene Challis walked across Scotland, she didnat let a little thing like a small drop on a rope stop her from getting back.

I look out of the window again. I reckon itas not very far. If I fell, Iad only break my leg.

Wouldnat I?

I tie a knot in the holding rope about four feet from the top. Itas not a very big knot so I take one of the African figurines from the miserable manas mantelpiece and tie that into it, like a toggle. I do the same thing again, about a foot down. I keep doing it until Iave used up all six of the figurines.

aSorry, animals,a I say, tying the last knot. aBut this is an emergency.a They might not help much, but theyall give me more to hang on to.