Free Princess Phoebe by Scilla James Page A

Charlie, I drove past your dad’s place on the way to my brother’s last night. We took a bit of a trip to get out of the way of the cops. I saw a ‘Sold’ sign on the big house. Does your dad still work on the farm?’
    â€˜He’s retired,’ replies Dad.
    I can tell Dad doesn’t like speaking to Frank, especially after Mum’s had a go, but perhaps he wants to keep in with him in case he needs to borrow money. It’s always like this. Nick’s told me that people who hate Frank still speak to him, in case they get on the wrong side of him. But I long for Dad to tell Frank to get lost, and I’d like it if he smacked him one too. Yet the two of them carry on talking as if they’re friends.
    â€˜I heard the farmer’s selling up to come over this way and start a shooting business. Did you hear that?’ Frank asks.
    â€˜No,’ says Dad. But I know he has because I remember him telling Mum about it. He’d been hoping to get a job with the farmer, Granddad’s old boss, but nothing had come of it.
    â€˜Just thought I’d mention it,’ says Frank. . ‘Well, tell your Nick I’ll be seeing him.’ And with a final stare at me, he leaves.
    Mum and Dad both turn in my direction. I shrug and mutter something about the twins possibly wanting bread and butter with their chips.
    â€˜Since when have you buttered bread for your brothers, Ellie, without being asked?’ Mum points out. ‘I hope I was right telling Frank you know nothing about Princess. Tell me you haven’t gone and done anything stupid? I could really do without that.’
    I’m grateful to her for sticking up for me against Frank, so I have to give some sort of an answer: ‘Frank’s horrible, Mum. I’m glad if Princess has got away.’
    Maybe it’s because Mum doesn’t want to know but, for whatever reason, she drops the subject. I can tell she has other things on her mind, and soon after Frank’s gone I see Dad signal to her and they go out into the yard. On her way out Mum calls to me to finish laying the table and to make sure Patrick eats his toast. I can see them talking together over by the shed and then Mum starts to cry. This is seriously unusual. I guess Dad must have told her whatever it is that he and Nick were shouting about. It’s something to do with money and rent and that kind of stuff, but exactly what, I don’t know. I wish David and Sam would get home soon, chips or not.
    I see Dad pat Mum’s shoulder and then they talk some more. After a while, they come back inside. I hang around trying to pick up some clues, but they don’t say anything else.

9
Money Troubles
    â€˜Ellie,’ says Dad, ‘can I borrow your mobile?’
    Things are getting worse by the minute. ‘Where’s yours?’ I ask.
    â€˜I took it to be mended.’
    I don’t believe him. Are we so poor now that Dad hasn’t even got a phone ? But I hand mine over anyway and he goes out. He’s gone ages, and meanwhile Mum changes Jack’s nappy and takes him up to his cot.
    When the chips finally arrive there’s just me and the twins eating, and afterwards I play hide and seek with Patrick under the ironing board, but none of it feels right. I’m not sure if it’s me being tired after the night before, or if things really are so bad. After what must be twenty minutes, Dad comes back in and hands me my phone. The battery’s nearly all gone, but he cuts short my complaint.
    â€˜Where’s Mum?’ he asks.
    I point upstairs.
    â€˜When does school start back, Ellie?’
    â€˜Tuesday next week,’ I say.
    There’s something about the evening that never comes right. I know Mum and Dad are worried, but that usually means an argument, and this time there isn’t one. Mum has a kind of closed down look that I’m not used to. She doesn’t even smoke much, but sits staring at the