Free Jessica's Ghost by Andrew Norriss Page B

intensified – ‘but I’m so grateful to you for trying.’ She lifted her head and bellowed down the hall with surprising force. ‘Roland! Your friend’s here!’ She turned back to Francis. ‘I’ve told him you’re coming and he’s really looking forward to it. Roland!’ She shouted again. ‘Roland! Come and say hello!’
    They waited for some time but there was no sign of Roland, and eventually Mrs Boyle took Francis down the hall and along a passageway to his room, where she knocked timidly at the door.
    ‘Are you there, dear?’ she asked. ‘It’s your friend Francis come to see you. I told you about him, remember?’
    Still no answer.
    ‘Perhaps you could go in on your own,’ whispered MrsBoyle. ‘He’s been a bit moody recently, but I know he wants to see you, really.’
    Francis pushed open the door and went inside.
    The curtains were tightly drawn and the only light in the room came from a computer screen in one corner, showing two zombies advancing towards a man who was holding a chain saw. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Francis could make out an unmade bed against one wall, a floor littered with clothes and empty cans of drink, a table covered in plates of half eaten food, and a widescreen television hanging on one of the walls.
    Roland himself was sitting in front of the computer, and he was … large. Sitting in a swivel chair that groaned under his weight when he moved, the flesh at the sides of his body spilled over the arm rests. Francis had never seen anyone so big.
    Roland seemed quite unaware that anyone had entered the room, and continued tapping at his keyboard.
    ‘Hi,’ said Francis.
    The tapping did not stop. The man with the chain saw had used it to lop off the heads of the zombies, but therewere four more emerging from a ruined graveyard and Roland continued to sit there, playing his game. Francis felt a surge of irritation. He had better things to do with his time than stand in a darkened room being ignored by someone he hadn’t wanted to meet in the first place.
    ‘Right,’ he said. ‘I take it you don’t want to see me, and that’s fine. But next time you might try telling someone before I waste half my morning cycling over here.’
    He turned on his heel, walked back out the door and along the passageway to the front hall. He supposed he ought to say goodbye to Mrs Boyle but there was no sign of her and, frankly, he didn’t care. He left, not even bothering to close the front door behind him.
    Jessica appeared in the driveway.
    ‘This is a fantastic house! You know they have an indoor swimming pool at the back? And the garden is …’ She stopped. ‘What’s wrong?’
    ‘He wouldn’t talk to me,’ said Francis. ‘Just sat there playing on his computer. Ignored me completely.’ He picked up his bike and began wheeling it towards the road. ‘I knew this was a waste of time.’
    ‘Hang on a minute,’ said Jessica. She was pointing back to the front door, where Roland had emerged, panting slightly, his eyes blinking in the unaccustomed sunlight.
    ‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘You’re right. I was very rude and …’ He paused to catch his breath. ‘Look … um … do you want to come in and play a game or something?’
    ‘No, thank you,’ said Francis. ‘I’ve had enough for one day.’ He continued walking down the drive.
    ‘How about tomorrow?’ Roland called after him, but Francis didn’t answer.
    ‘Your friend can come too if she likes.’
    Francis’s foot froze in mid-stride.
    ‘My friend?’
    Roland pointed to Jessica. ‘You’d both be more than welcome. And I really am very sorry.’
    There was a long pause.
    ‘You’re inviting me as well?’ said Jessica.
    ‘Sure.’ Roland nodded. ‘If you like.’
    ‘OK …’ Francis gave a long sigh. ‘I suppose we’d better all go inside and have a talk.’

16
    Roland did not take the news that Jessica was a ghost as calmly as Andi had done. When they got back to his room and Jessica did