Free Butterfly Summer by Anne-Marie Conway

in the middle of the kitchen, the silence rising up around me. It felt as if Mum and I were growing further and further apart. She was avoiding me, rushing out of the house, scared I might ask her about my dad.
    Something made me look towards the door – I don’t know what it was; a shadow, a flicker of movement in the hallway. “Hello?” My voice was high and breathless. “Hello? Is anyone there?” I said again, my heart hammering in my chest. I crept towards the door and flung it open. A bright yellow flyer fluttered down from the letter box to the floor. I could see from where I was standing that it was an advert for a local window cleaner.
    I almost laughed out loud. I must’ve looked so stupid, standing there in an empty room, talking to myself. The house was spooky but it wasn’t haunted. There were no evil spirits lurking about here for Mrs. Wilson to cast out, just a few cobwebs and dusty corners. Even so, I decided to give breakfast a miss and set off for the Butterfly Garden earlier than usual. I hadn’t seen Rosa May since Saturday and I couldn’t wait to tell her about my afternoon with Mack.
    She was on the bridge when I arrived. I could see her across the field, standing with her hand shielding her eyes from the sun. I jumped up and down, waving, and she flew off the bridge, charging towards me as if we hadn’t seen each other for years.
    “Where were you?” she cried. “I waited and waited.” She flung her arms around my neck, hugging me hard.
    I laughed, pleased to see her. “Not so tight, Rosa May! Hey, let go, I can’t breathe!” I prised her arms off me. “Come on, I’ve got loads to tell you.”
    We ran though the grass and over the bridge, settling down in our favourite shady spot. It was Monday morning and there was hardly anyone else around. I reached out for Rosa May’s hand, feeling almost relieved to be back at the Garden with her.
    “So, you’ll never guess what happened yesterday,” I said. But before I could finish, she snatched her hand away and sat up.
    “You’ll never guess what happened here yesterday,” she said. Her voice was tight. She paused for a minute, as if it was difficult to go on. “I’m almost certain I saw a Silver-studded Blue.”
    “No way!”
    “ Yes way! It’s true. I was up on the bridge, waiting for you, when this blue and silver butterfly flew over my head. I followed it round and round, but every time I got close enough to check for sure, it flew on and it was impossible to tell.”
    “I can’t believe I missed it. Where did it go?”
    “I don’t know, over there somewhere.” She waved her hand behind her. “But that’s not the point, is it? The point is, if you’d been here we could’ve headed it off, one on each side. I needed you here. It was useless trying to do it alone.”
    “I’m sorry, Rosa May. I was planning to come but I got to sleep really late and then I slept in and then Mack came over...”
    “Mack?” A cloud passed across her face.
    “Yes, Mack, you know. The boy I thought I was meeting that first day I met you.”
    Her eyes were small, hard stones. “I know who you mean, Becky. I just can’t believe that you chose seeing him over seeing me.”
    “I didn’t choose him, silly. He just turned up out of the blue and offered to show me round Oakbridge. He’s really nice, and so cute you wouldn’t believe. You can come with us next time if you want.”
    “So you’re seeing him again . Like, for a proper date?”
    I laughed to lighten the mood. “I doubt it. It’s a nightmare. He asked me to go swimming at the leisure centre in Farnsbury with some of his mates, but I said no. Well, I said I’d think about it, but I have thought about it and I’m not going. You know how much I hate swimming.”
    I could’ve asked Rosa May to come with us, but imagine how stupid I’d feel when Mack saw what a brilliant swimmer she was – it would be worse than going on my own. Rosa May breathed out as if she was