Read Red for Free Online Page B

jellybeans. Red tossed a handful into her mouth.
    â€˜We could borrow a mobile,’ said Peri, ‘or nick one.You can call her and then maybe we could meet her and she can tell you everything you want to know.’
    Red couldn’t look at him. ‘It’s weird.’ She tugged at a piece of grass, pressed her fingernail into the centre of the leaf and slit it neatly in two. ‘Telling me won’t be enough. I need to remember. I need to know it to believe it.’
    â€˜But if she tells you something, that might make you remember.’
    â€˜Maybe. It’s just strange.’
    â€˜Just do it, Red.’
    Was he trying to get rid of her? He’d found her and now he could hand her over to someone who knew her. His job was done. He could deliver her to Jazz. Red followed him to the room where they had had their photo taken. Peri spoke to the woman behind the desk and came back with a mobile phone. Red unfolded the paper and passed it to him.
    Peri pressed the buttons, standing so close to Red that she could hear the echo of each number as it dialled. Then the ringtone. She counted the sounds. Three, four, five. Maybe Jazz didn’t have her phone with her. Maybe it was lying on the floor of her room and she was outside. Maybe she’d lost her phone. Maybe … ‘Hello?’
    Peri pushed the phone into Red’s hand.
    â€˜Hello? Who’s that?’
    â€˜Um … it’s Ginger.’ She’d said it. It sounded like a word from another language, a word whose meaning she couldn’t quite understand.
    â€˜GINGER! It was you in that photo. Fantastic. It’s you. Muuuum! It’s Ginger. This is soooo good. Soooo fantastic. But who is that boy? You don’t have a brother, do you? Did you get one when … doesn’t matter. Is he a boyfriend? This is so good … so cool. Where are you? When can I see you? And how come you said your name was Ruby Martin?’
    â€˜Um … I don’t know. Where are you?’
    â€˜At home. Agh, you don’t know this house. We moved. A year ago. Where are you ?’
    â€˜At the place where you saw the photo. We … I was in all the mess of the storm. It’s a long story.’
    â€˜Tell me when you see me. Hang on a sec.’
    Red heard murmuring in the background. She put her hand over the phone and whispered to Peri, ‘I think she’s getting her mum to bring her over here. What’ll we do?’
    He shrugged. ‘Go with it. Might get a decent feed.
    Do you remember her mum?’
    Red shook her head.
    â€˜Wait at the Centre.’ Jazz’s voice was loud, organised. ‘Be on the grass near that main door. We’re coming over there and Mum’s not working today and she said she’ll bring you back here for the afternoon. It’ll be great. I can’t wait to see you.’
    â€˜Yeah.’
    â€˜See you.’
    â€˜Yeah, see you.’
    They took the phone back in to the woman. ‘A happy result?’ She smiled a dazzling white smile and raised her eyebrows.
    â€˜Happy enough,’ said Peri and they walked quickly back into the sunshine. ‘How long will they be?’
    â€˜I don’t know. I didn’t ask.’
    â€˜When they come, might be good if I don’t go with you.’
    â€˜You sure?’
    â€˜You’ll have all this girl stuff to talk about. You won’t want to have me hanging around.’
    â€˜Where would you go?’
    â€˜Around. I’ll be OK.’
    They were at the door to the Centre. Red took a deep breath. ‘Peri, will you please come? I mightn’t like Jazz any more. She mightn’t like me. I can’t remember anything about her family. I mightn’t like them. They might try to boss me around and tell me what I have to do. I don’t want to go by myself.’
    He didn’t hesitate. He shrugged. ‘OK. But they’d better feed us. And it had better be good.’
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