any further, and now the dog was padding towards her, sniffing at her with interest.
“Hey!” Bella turned round from talking to the other girls, and stepped in front of the dog. “Yes, you’re lovely, aren’t you? But you have to leave Amelia alone, she’s not a dog person.” She held out her hand for the dog to sniff, and it licked her. Bella laughed, but just the sight of that great red tongue made Amelia shudder.
“Are you really frightened of dogs?” Tom asked, staring at her disgustedly.
“A dog knocked Amelia over in the park,” Mum explained, coming to put her arm round Amelia’s shoulders. “It was a big dog, and she got a shock.”
“But Freddie’s not fierce,” Tom objected. “He even lets the little girl next door ride on his back.” Freddie swooshed his massive tail as he heard his name, and Amelia pressed herself against her mum. She knew it was stupid to be scared – she could see that Freddie was friendly – but telling herself that didn’t help. Her heart was thumping so hard she was sure everyone else could hear it, too.
“Take Freddie and put him in the kitchen, Tom,” Aunt Laura said firmly, and Tom marched off, muttering crossly, with Freddie lumbering along behind.
“Are you all right?” Bella nudged Amelia.
“Yes,” Amelia whispered. But she wasn’t. They were staying here for a whole week. It was Christmas in three days.They were going to gather round the tree to sing carols and make a gingerbread house, and do all of Amelia’s favourite Christmas things. It was meant to be the most special time of the year, and now it was ruined. She was going to spend the whole of Christmas hiding from a dog.
Amelia sat on the wide windowsill in her bedroom, wrapped in a woollen blanket she’d found at the bottom of the wardrobe. It was brown and hairy and it had holes in, but it was very warm against the freezing wind that was whistling round the house and doing its best to get inside. Amelia was wearing her fingerless gloves as she wrote in her diary. It had been a Christmas present from her gran last year,and she managed to write in it most days, even if it was only things like,
Hate Mrs Turner
, and
Wish homework had never been invented
. But now they were at Allan House, there seemed to be a lot to write about – or at least, there was more time to write. If she went downstairs and tried to watch TV, Tom always seemed to turn up with Freddie. It was as if he was following her. And Bella kept nicking the tablet they were supposed to share.
It still
isn’t
snowing
, Amelia wrote, peering sadly out of the window. The view was very beautiful, in a grey sort of way. The hills rose up behind the house in great, fat sweeps, covered in green turf that looked like velvet, though it wasn’t at all velvety when you got close up, because Amelia had checked.
When Mum had told them excitedly about the house, and how it belonged to her and Aunt Laura now, and they were going to stay in it for Christmas, she had practically promised it would snow.
Sledging
, she had said enthusiastically.
Snowmen. Snowball fights!
Actually, Amelia thought, resting her cheek against the cold glass for a moment, that was the one good thing about no snow. She was pretty sure that Tom would belethal with a snowball. And he’d probably cheat and just stuff snow down the back of her neck as well. She shivered, and slid down from the windowsill, wrapping the blanket tighter like a cloak. She would go and explore, she decided. Allan House was huge, and even though this was the second whole day they’d been here, Amelia was pretty sure she hadn’t seen all of it. The house seemed to have a lot more corners than any house she’d been in before. Every time she thought she’d got to the end of it, there would be another little passageway.
She opened her bedroom door and peered round it cautiously. But no paws were padding along the wooden floorboards anywhere close. Letting out a relieved breath, Amelia
“Hey!” Bella turned round from talking to the other girls, and stepped in front of the dog. “Yes, you’re lovely, aren’t you? But you have to leave Amelia alone, she’s not a dog person.” She held out her hand for the dog to sniff, and it licked her. Bella laughed, but just the sight of that great red tongue made Amelia shudder.
“Are you really frightened of dogs?” Tom asked, staring at her disgustedly.
“A dog knocked Amelia over in the park,” Mum explained, coming to put her arm round Amelia’s shoulders. “It was a big dog, and she got a shock.”
“But Freddie’s not fierce,” Tom objected. “He even lets the little girl next door ride on his back.” Freddie swooshed his massive tail as he heard his name, and Amelia pressed herself against her mum. She knew it was stupid to be scared – she could see that Freddie was friendly – but telling herself that didn’t help. Her heart was thumping so hard she was sure everyone else could hear it, too.
“Take Freddie and put him in the kitchen, Tom,” Aunt Laura said firmly, and Tom marched off, muttering crossly, with Freddie lumbering along behind.
“Are you all right?” Bella nudged Amelia.
“Yes,” Amelia whispered. But she wasn’t. They were staying here for a whole week. It was Christmas in three days.They were going to gather round the tree to sing carols and make a gingerbread house, and do all of Amelia’s favourite Christmas things. It was meant to be the most special time of the year, and now it was ruined. She was going to spend the whole of Christmas hiding from a dog.
Amelia sat on the wide windowsill in her bedroom, wrapped in a woollen blanket she’d found at the bottom of the wardrobe. It was brown and hairy and it had holes in, but it was very warm against the freezing wind that was whistling round the house and doing its best to get inside. Amelia was wearing her fingerless gloves as she wrote in her diary. It had been a Christmas present from her gran last year,and she managed to write in it most days, even if it was only things like,
Hate Mrs Turner
, and
Wish homework had never been invented
. But now they were at Allan House, there seemed to be a lot to write about – or at least, there was more time to write. If she went downstairs and tried to watch TV, Tom always seemed to turn up with Freddie. It was as if he was following her. And Bella kept nicking the tablet they were supposed to share.
It still
isn’t
snowing
, Amelia wrote, peering sadly out of the window. The view was very beautiful, in a grey sort of way. The hills rose up behind the house in great, fat sweeps, covered in green turf that looked like velvet, though it wasn’t at all velvety when you got close up, because Amelia had checked.
When Mum had told them excitedly about the house, and how it belonged to her and Aunt Laura now, and they were going to stay in it for Christmas, she had practically promised it would snow.
Sledging
, she had said enthusiastically.
Snowmen. Snowball fights!
Actually, Amelia thought, resting her cheek against the cold glass for a moment, that was the one good thing about no snow. She was pretty sure that Tom would belethal with a snowball. And he’d probably cheat and just stuff snow down the back of her neck as well. She shivered, and slid down from the windowsill, wrapping the blanket tighter like a cloak. She would go and explore, she decided. Allan House was huge, and even though this was the second whole day they’d been here, Amelia was pretty sure she hadn’t seen all of it. The house seemed to have a lot more corners than any house she’d been in before. Every time she thought she’d got to the end of it, there would be another little passageway.
She opened her bedroom door and peered round it cautiously. But no paws were padding along the wooden floorboards anywhere close. Letting out a relieved breath, Amelia
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