I stood up as quietly as I could and crept back upstairs. She looked away and turned back to the cooker, twisting another knob. I remember having an urge to scream then.

It was like she was looking straight at me, her eyes flashing in the darkness, like a cat. Then she turned her head really slowly in my direction and I thought she could see me there on the stairs. I stayed where I was for a while, like I was frozen. She turned one of the knobs and just stood there, staring at the cooker as though she was waiting for something to happen, then she turned another. I crouched down and watched through the banisters as she walked around the kitchen.Ĭlaire was wearing her school backpack over her pyjamas and I watched as she stood perfectly still in front of the old white oven. That’s when I saw her, it was such a strange sight.

I heard a noise downstairs and made my way down the first couple of steps, trying to be as quiet as possible. All the doors were closed except the door to the bathroom and I could see that it was empty. I crept out onto the landing, tiptoed past Claire’s mum’s room and stood at the top of the stairs. I wrapped it tightly around myself and tied a knot. It was always cold in their house so Mum had packed my new pink dressing gown. I waited a while, but when she didn’t come back, I got up to see where she had gone. I thought she must be lighting a candle or something, the electricity sometimes went off at her house, her parents always struggled to pay the bills. I heard her light a match and I smelt it burn. I had my back to her but my eyes were open. I heard her get up and creep around the room that night. I’ve still got my scars, just because they’re on the inside doesn’t mean they’re not there. Little girls are different from little boys, they’re made of sugar and spice and scar for life. She was just a little girl, but so was I. I wonder if it was all my fault, whether I could have done something to prevent it. I still think about what happened every day.

Novel sometimes i lie