Free Give Me Four Reasons by Lizzie Wilcock

of a name is Paige for a psychic’s daughter? Aren’t all you lot called Moonstone or Amethyst or something?’
    ‘My middle name is Crystal.’
    The girl laughs.
    ‘What’s your name, then?’ I ask. I don’t really care about the answer. This girl is starting to annoy me.
    ‘Shelly.’
    I can’t help myself and I burst out laughing. Now it is her turn to be offended.
    ‘Yeah, I know, I look like something that washed up on the beach.’
    ‘I’m sorry,’ I say. ‘That was mean of me.’
    She shrugs. ‘I get it a lot. Just like you must get “Read It and Weep” a lot.’
    ‘First time,’ I reply.
    ‘To your face,’ she answers, grinning.
    I laugh again. It feels good to laugh. Maybe this Shelly is not so bad after all.
    ‘So,’ Shelly says, ‘do you want me to show you the easy way back down?’
    I pull out Mum’s phone. ‘Give me a few minutes. I want to make a call.’
    Shelly walks down to a rock on the ocean side of the mountain. I check the signal and jump for joy when two bars flicker. I scroll through Mum’s contacts until I find Dad’s work number.
    I hit the call button and stand on the rock looking out at the brilliant-blue sea. Dad answers after six rings. ‘Hello?’ he says.
    Suddenly I don’t know what to say.
    ‘Hello?’ Dad repeats.
    ‘Um … hi, Dad. It’s me, Paige.’
    ‘Paige! It’s so good to hear from you. How are you?’ His voice sounds echoey.
    ‘I’m … I’m …’I don’t know how I am. ‘I’m standing on a rock on top of a hill looking across the ocean.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Mum’s taken us on holiday.’
    ‘Where?’
    ‘Um …’ I don’t know. I’d been asleep for most of the trip. ‘Shelly,’ I call out, ‘where are we?’
    Shelly turns around, squinting into the sun. ‘On top of the world.’
    ‘But what’s the name of your caravan park?’ I ask.
    ‘Bloodstone Beach. It’s just north of Sugar Harbour.’
    I relay the information to Dad.
    ‘Sugar Harbour!’ he says. ‘That’s six hours away!’
    Six hours? I didn’t realise we’d travelled so far. ‘So you’ll come tomorrow for Christmas?’ I ask. I suddenly can’t wait to see him, even though I am dreading explaining about the pool party.
    Dad hesitates. ‘I don’t know, Poss. It’s a long drive. As soon as I get up there I’ll have to turn around and come back again. I have to work on Boxing Day.’
    ‘But you promised.’ I try to keep the desperation out of my voice.
    ‘But that was when I thought you would be at home for Christmas. Why didn’t you tell me you were going away?’
    ‘We didn’t know, Dad. It was one of Mum’s snap decisions. I guess she heard that there was a psychic fair on …’
    ‘A psychic fair?’ My father sounds angry. ‘Oh, now I understand.’
    ‘So will you come, Dad? Please.’ But before he can answer there is a long beep and the signal goes dead.
    ‘Dad? Dad?’ I shout into the phone. I hit the redial button, but the little bars that show the level of reception have disappeared. I switch the phone off and then turn it on again. Still nothing.
    ‘Trouble at home?’ Shelly says.
    ‘Are you psychic or just an eavesdropper?’ I grumble.
    ‘Neither,’ she says. ‘But people often come to Bloodstone Beach when they’re going through a rough time.’
    ‘Bloodstone Beach sounds like the place a serial killer would go for a holiday,’ I say.
    Shelly laughs. ‘You’re funny, Paige. No, bloodstone is a healing stone and the beach down there used to be full of them. If you find one, it’s meant to sort out all sorts of problems with friendships, relationships, everything. Hey, you might find a boyfriend here.’
    ‘I don’t want a boyfriend.’
    Shelly shrugs. ‘Me neither. Come on.’
    I follow her down the grassy hill until we come to some huge rocks. Waves crash below the rocks and the spray soon drenches us. Shelly leads me along the rocks, leaping from ledge to ledge. The churning ocean heaves beneath us.
    ‘I thought you