by Laura Wood
Evangeline smiled, and it was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud. Her fingers tightened around mine. “But the girl always kept watch over her daughter,” Evangeline said. “She found ways to watch from afar and she saw her blossom and grow. She made sure that, whatever happened, her little girl would be protected.”
“Is that the end of the story?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Evangeline said. “The girl still has enemies. She still needs to keep her daughter safe. Just by being near her she puts her little girl in danger.”
“I think I understand,” I said, and my voice sounded all tight and prickly. “But it doesn’t seem very fair.”
My eyes rested on my hand, still held in Evangeline’s. I felt like a helium balloon. I was so light I was practically drifting away, as if she was the only thing holding me down. For all this time I had wondered why my mother didn’t want me, why she had left me behind and never been seen again. Now, at least, I knew that she had loved me all along. And that was something – that was a big fat important something – but it wasn’t all as clear as I wanted it to be. It didn’t feel like a happy ending.
We sat quietly like that for a while, our heads close together, our fingers entwined. I don’t know for how long.
Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes. Evangeline sprang to her feet, a fierce look on her face.
“Agent Susan?” a voice whispered, and Evangeline’s stance relaxed.
“It’s all clear,” she said.
And then a very familiar person tumbled out from the bushes.
It was Mei.
“The beetle has been moved,” she said. “I didn’t know if…” and then Mei spotted me and promptly shut right up.
“Mei!” I exclaimed, the final pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place. “You were the one! You’ve been following us!”
Mei looked to Evangeline, who nodded. Mei’s face broke into a grin. “Sorry about that, Poppy,” she said. “Orders.”
“Orders?” I repeated faintly.
“Agent Zhang is one of our most promising recruits,” Evangeline said. “And, of course, one of our youngest. I decided to send someone in after you dialled the emergency number last time… Just to keep a closer eye on things.”
“And then when the beetles turned up,” Mei said, “I knew that someone else was watching you too.” I started at this. My whole plan had been based on the idea that my mother had been behind the beetles. “So there is someone else after me? The runaway van and the chandelier – they weren’t accidents, were they?” I asked, and I tried to keep my voice level.
“There was someone from a rival agency who had taken an … interest in you,” Mei said carefully, “but we believe the threat has been … neutralized,” she finished, and I wondered what that meant – especially if the footprints in the snow meant that Mei had chased down the person guiding the beetles. “I apprehended the person involved, and after a little convincing, he informed his superiors that they had been wrong about your connection to Evangeline. He works for us now. No one left in that organization knows of your existence. You can be sure of it.” Mei nodded briskly, and I stared at her, dazed.
“But that man … the one who left the van…” I began, and Mei nodded, confirming my suspicions that they were the same person. “What’s to stop him from telling these other people the truth?” I asked.
Mei smiled an angelic smile that showed off her pearly white teeth. “Trust me, Poppy,” she said. “He’s in a very difficult position and he wants to stay on the right side of us. He won’t breathe a word.” She cracked her knuckles menacingly. I swallowed.
“But it was them who sent the beetles, not us,” Evangeline said. “Fortunately, we had identified their frequency so I intercepted the message you sent just now. It could have been catastrophic if you drew their attention now that they’ve stopped looking. That’s why I had to come, even though it was dangerous. I knew if I didn’t then you wouldn’t stop until you had answers.” She gave me a crooked grin that seemed tinged with admiration.
“And that’s also why I had to cut the power,” Mei said with a grin. “To try and stop Doris from finishing rebuilding the beetle. Not that it worked … that woman is a genius.”
“So the runaway van… Someone really was trying to hurt me?” I said slowly, my brain catching up with all this new information.
Evangeline’s mouth set in a thin line, and her eyes blazed in her face. “Trust me, Poppy,” she said, and her voice was as cold and sharp as a deadly blade. “They won’t be bothering you any more. And, anyway, they didn’t count on your quick thinking,” she said, her smile more like a grimace. “Or on Agent Zhang’s.” Evangeline turned to Mei. “After all, you also saved Poppy from running over a young man and crashing into a building.”
“That was you!” I said, dazed, remembering the shadowy figure who had pushed Riley aside.
Mei nodded. “But you were the one who leapt up on to the van in the first place.” She smiled shyly. “Those were some seriously cool moves.”
“Thanks,” I murmured, still trying to take it all in. “So you were the one who put the message under our door. Did you push me out of the way of the chandelier as well?”
Mei nodded.
I gave a low whistle. “So Kip was right… You were there.”
Mei blushed a deep, rosy pink, and Evangeline looked like she was trying not to smile.
“Oh yes, Kip’s so observant,” Mei said, and her voice went dreamy for a second. Then she seemed to snap back into business mode. “If everything is OK here, I’ll return to the school?” Mei said then, turning to Evangeline.
“Yes, that will be all,” Evangeline dismissed her. “You’ll be contacted in the usual way.” I wondered what the usual way was. Did it involve secret coded messages or invisible, glow-in-the-dark ink or a special puzzle box that could only be opened through a unique combination, and if the wrong combination was entered, then the message would be destroyed for ever? I looked around and realized that Mei had left as silently as she had arrived.
“If Mei works for you, then why can’t I?” I asked, turning to Evangeline, my face suddenly fierce. “If she can be in contact with you, then why can’t I?” A roaring flame of anger rose up inside me.
Evangeline’s face was stony. “I didn’t want this life for you, Poppy,” she said stiffly. “Mei has made her own decisions for her own reasons, but I wanted to protect you. I wanted you to know what it was like to be a child, to grow up with a family. One that loved and supported you.”
“But I would have had a family!” I exclaimed hotly. “I would have had you! We could have been together all this time.”
“Yes, we’d have been together.” Evangeline’s face had changed, her voice was suddenly harsh. “And you would have had a target on your back. You’ve seen what it’s been like these last few weeks as you got closer to finding out about me. Imagine if people found out I had a daughter and that she was out in the field. They’d have come after you, Poppy; they’d have come for you and I might not have been able to stop them. I had to leave. I had to leave you – I had to keep away from you. I had to have no contact with you … even though it hurt me. I had to do that to protect you, because you come first. For me, you always have, and you always will come first.” She was almost shouting now, her voice breaking. I could feel my eyes brimming with tears again. We sat in silence for another long beat.
“I knew Doris a little through the agency,” Evangeline continued, finally, her voice more gentle now. “I knew all about Pym. I knew about the circus and the amazing people there. I knew for certain that they would take you in, give you a home, raise you as their own and love you. That was the best thing I could give you. Can you really say you’d have chosen differently?” She turned to me and there was something desperate and pleading in her eyes. “Would you really give up your family for a life on the run? No friends, no family, never in one place long enough to call it home?”
I thou
ght about what Evangeline was saying. I pictured my circus family, I pictured my life at Saint Smithen’s, and Kip and Ingrid’s smiling faces; I pictured Pym, holding her arms open to me – always there, looking after me, and so full of love. The tears were running down my cheeks now, as I realized that Evangeline was right. I wouldn’t trade my family and friends for anything. For a long time, I had felt like a part of me was missing, but now I realized I truly had everything I needed. I was me, I was Poppy Pym, and that was more than enough. Slowly, I shook my head, and Evangeline’s face crumpled in relief. Now we were both crying.
“We thought Mei was a yeti, you know,” I snuffled, a couple of minutes later, trying to lighten the mood. “Because we found your article.” I pulled it from my pocket.
“Ah, yes,” Evangeline laughed, croakily. “Of course, Brilliant Beasts and Crazy Curses weren’t really interested in printing the end of the story… I don’t suppose specially designed snow boots are quite as exciting as a yeti, although I know Mei has appreciated them.”
“No,” I grinned. “I guess not.”
Silence fell, and I knew that our time together was ending.
“Well,” Evangeline said, reluctantly. “I think I have to go. And so do you.”
“Yes,” I agreed but I couldn’t seem to get my feet working.
“I’m so sorry that I have to leave, Poppy.” Evangeline’s voice was very low. “But it won’t be for ever. I’m working hard to make sure that it won’t be for ever.”
“Good.” I said, and then I did what I had wanted to do from the beginning. I threw myself into my mother’s arms and we hugged and hugged until I thought all my ribs were going to pop, but I didn’t even care.
Eventually we pulled apart from each other.
“Oh, I have something for you,” Evangeline said, and reaching into her pocket she pulled out a small square parcel and placed it in my hands. “I always wanted to be able to give you a Christmas present.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“Now, go and get back to all those people who will be worried sick about you,” Evangeline grinned. “I’m not sure the roads are going to be clearing any time soon, so you may have to give Christmas at Burnshire Hall a miss this year… Still, Christmas at Saint Smithen’s should be something special.”
“You really do know everything, don’t you?” I said, impressed.
Evangeline winked. “I guess being a good detective runs in the family. I’ll see you soon, Poppy. I love you.” And then, just like that, she was gone.
I stumbled out of the woods feeling like a new person. Well, maybe the same person but different somehow. As I walked up the path to the school I saw that the lights were blazing, and that the power must be back on. I was barely inside the front door when I was practically rugby tackled to the ground by Kip and Ingrid.
“Where have you been?!” they yelled in one big voice.
“We were worried!” said Ingrid.
“And hungry,” Kip said. “We weren’t about to have a midnight feast without you, even if everything did look really delicious.”
“Are you OK?” Ingrid asked, looking closely at my face.
“I’m OK,” I said. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“Where’s everyone else?” I asked, but I needn’t have bothered because Fanella’s voice reached my ears.
“TOMATO!” she cried, leaning over the banister. “There you are! You must come! We have excellent party! Great-Aunt Hortence and the Blammelses have made friends and drunk all the brandy and now they are singing. They are TERRIBLE. Is hilarious.”
Pym appeared at the top of the stairs and, without another word, I ran up and into her arms. She hugged me tight and I breathed in her familiar smell.
“Well, haven’t you been having adventures!” She smoothed my hair and laughed softly, in that knowing way that meant she already knew most of the story. I would fill her in on the details later, too. For now, I wanted to go into the room where all my friends and family were gathered around a fire, singing and laughing and loving each other so well.
And there was a present that I wanted to put under the tree. The label said: TO POPPY, HAPPY CHRISTMAS, LOVE, MUM.
EPILOGUE
Well, loyal readers, welcome to the festive edition of “KIP EATS STUFF”. Our original Christmas plans have been chucked out thanks to a crazy snowstorm and we’ve all spent Christmas right here at Saint Smithen’s. I did some really top eating, and in between the eating we played some games and also went on some walks and stuff, I guess, but mostly the eating was the important thing. What I have enjoyed most about celebrating Christmas is that there don’t seem to be specific meal times; instead we have adopted a constant state of grazing in which it is ALWAYS time to eat something. I really approve of this system and suggest we instate it all year round, although not everyone has my stamina. This was made painfully clear to me when Poppy and Ingrid rolled around on the floor and said that if they had to eat anything else they would actually be sick. I, on the other hand, was happily tucking into my fourteenth meal of the day. It’s like I always say, readers, if you’re not going to take it seriously then get your face out of that trifle. Mmmmm. Trifle. Might just go and see if there’s anything in the fridge… MERRY CHRISTMAS!
WHAT I ATE
TURKEY: (about half)
ROAST POTATOES: 14
PIGS IN BLANKETS: 18
STUFFING BALLS: 5
CHRISTMAS PUDDING: 4 HELPINGS,
VARIOUS CREAMS
CHRISTMAS CAKE: 1 (large)
MINCE PIES: 7
GINGERBREAD HOUSE: CHIMNEY,
THREE WALLS, FATHER CHRISTMAS,
ONE ELF, AND SOMETHING THAT
MIGHT HAVE BEEN A REINDEER.
CHOCOLATE COINS: £10
MISCELLANEOUS CHOCOLATES: LOTS
TRIFLE: WILL TELL YOU AFTER I FINISH
SPROUTS: TOO MANY TO COUNT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As this is, for the time being at least, the end of Poppy’s adventures, I have such a long list of people to thank that I’m a bit worried that I may well double the length of this book.
First of all, none of this would have been possible without the Montegrappa Scholastic Prize for New Children’s Writing. Giuseppe, Charlie, Nina and the whole team at Montegrappa have continued to support and cheer for me over the last three years in a way that I could never have expected. Thank you so much for the work you do, for your enthusiasm, and for the encouragement that you offer to so many fledgling writers.
There are not enough heart-eye emojis in the world for the wonderful team at Scholastic. No group of people could have made me feel more welcomed or valued. Thank you for supporting me in so many ways, for believing in me and for helping me to grow into the job I have always wanted. Special thanks to Sam Smith, who has looked after me and championed me from the beginning. Also thanks to Pete Matthews and the team of eagle-eyed word detectives who make awkward, messy things so smooth and beautiful. Thanks to David Sanger, Lucy Richardson and Olivia Horrox who, aside from being three of the loveliest people around, are also brilliant at what they do. Thank you to Samuel Perrett and Liam Drane for creating four beautiful book covers, each more magical than the last. Thank you so much to Beatrice Bencivenni for bringing my words to life in the most amazing way. Receiving artwork from you has always been one of the highlights of working on Poppy’s stories.
Sophie Cashell, you actual goddess. Thank you for your incredible hard work and your insane belief in this project. I cannot wait for our next adventure together, and I know that my work is in the safest hands.
In many ways this edit has also been the most straightforward one so far, and that is, in no small part, down to the groundwork laid by my dear pals Lena McCauley and Gen Herr. Thank you both for teaching me so much, and for making me better.
Thanks, as always, to Louise Lamont. Every day I am grateful that Poppy found her way into your hands and that you fought for her from day one. Thank you for your
support, your almost annoyingly brilliant notes, and – most of all – for the endless Kenneth Branagh gifs. One of these days I will take you to the Much Ado house for a knees-up, but until then how about we just meet at Dishoom for an hour or three?
Thank you to all the schools I have visited and the AMAZING librarians who are fighting so hard for something so important. The work that you do means so much to so many. Special thanks to King Edward VI school in Lichfield and the brilliant students there who are so clever and creative. Thanks a million to librarian extraordinaire Helen Emery. Helen, you’re the best and we’re all lucky to have you.
Thank you to my absurdly wonderful family and friends. How could any of this have happened without you? Mum and Dad – I don’t know how to say how much your love and support has meant to me. You have pushed these books on to literally everyone you know without a shred of dignity and for that I, and the team at Scholastic, thank you. Thank you for being you – I love you very much. Thanks and lots of love to Harry and Kate for being part of team #clawclaw.
Thank you to the Grigsby/Weller clan for all the love, support and Aperol. The biggest thanks to two very special people: Imogen Weller, the brightest, kindest, funniest and most beautiful girl in the world – how lucky I am to be your auntie! And Alex Weller, who wants you all to know that he is nine now. He also happens to be the greatest storyteller around, with the best imagination, and you’ll all be reading his books one day. (I hope I get a shout-out in the acknowledgements!) I love you, baby koala (even if you are a Slytherin).
To Lynda and Daniel, thank you for phoning me to let me know that you were screaming over chapter endings. It really made my whole week! I hope you enjoyed this one just as much. To Polly Parker – I’m sorry I stole your name, but you’re so obviously a Polly that I can’t feel bad for you. Give your mum a big kiss from me. To all my lovely, sweet, supportive friends, thanks a million.
And to Paul. Always.
