The Trouble with Perfect

by Helena Duggan

  “What man?” Rose asked, avoiding Violet’s questions.

  “The monster. He was a man, but not a proper one… It’s hard to explain. His skin was falling off and I could see some of his bones, and his eyes were the eye plants!”

  Rose felt her daughter’s forehead again.

  “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? The doctor said you might be a little delirious when you woke. He said you probably hit your head in the fall.”

  “I’m fine! Where’s Boy? You’re not telling me something,” Violet insisted.

  Rose released her daughter’s arm and stood up. She turned her back and walked to the far end of the kitchen.

  “What is it, Mam? What’s happened?”

  “William got the Brain working again, and some of the footage recorded his own son stealing the eyes from one of the beds,” Rose almost whispered. “There are rumours he’s involved in Conor and Beatrice’s kidnappings too. Town is not happy, Violet. People are growing very angry.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Robert Blot reported in the Tribune that it was Boy’s watch found on the bike in the Ghost Estate, right beside Conor Crooked’s school bag. Lucy Lawn said the bike is hers and that she saw Boy steal it. Beatrice Prim told her parents that she believed Boy was involved in the kidnappings, and there are witnesses who saw Beatrice with Boy in Town, just before she vanished too. It’s awful, Violet. I wouldn’t believe it, only the facts seem to line up. Madeleine went to William’s house to question Boy, but he’s disappeared. She suspects he’s run away.”

  “But Boy saved me, Mam. I’m sure of it. We need to find him.”

  “We’ll talk about it when your father gets home from Town,” Rose replied, her tone a little sharp.

  “But, Mam…”

  “No buts, now, Violet. You’re not well. We’ll talk about it at dinner, when your dad gets home. Now go back to bed and I’ll bring you up some lemon and honey.”

  “But I’m not sick!”

  Her mother raised an eyebrow, and Violet stepped back out of the kitchen. What was the use in talking to grown-ups when they never listened?

  She walked up to her room and sat on the window seat – it was her thinking spot.

  What was going on? She’d seen Boy with Conor and then he’d disappeared, and someone had seen Beatrice with Boy and then she’d vanished… But Violet had been attacked by the monster, and Boy had saved her. She was sure she hadn’t made that up.

  All sorts of ideas swam round her mind, her imagination firing at full whack.

  What if the monster was following Boy, for some reason, and attacking anyone he talked to? Or maybe the monster was making him do bad things? Like maybe the monster threatened to eat all of Boy’s family, if he didn’t help him catch children…but then why would Boy save Violet? Anyway, why would the monster want children? And the biggest question of all: who, or what, was the monster?

  There was one thing Violet knew for certain: Boy was missing and in trouble. Perhaps he’d been taken, like Conor and Beatrice. But nobody was going to hang a poster of him in Town – at least not now that everyone thought he was behind the kidnappings.

  As Violet invented scenarios, a movement caught her eye in a tree opposite. A black raven, perched on the same high branch directly across the yard, stared straight at her.

  Night was approaching as Violet watched her dad arriving home. He walked across the gravel yard and bounded up the steps to the house. His feet pounded the hallway, then the stairs, until finally her door flew open.

  “Violet,” he said, striding across the room to wrap his daughter in his arms. “We were so worried!”

  “It was Boy, Dad, he saved me!” she mumbled, squished against his shoulder.

  “We can talk about that later. I’m sorry I couldn’t come home until now, things are a little mad in Town, what with all these goings-on.”

  He squeezed her even tighter, as though afraid to let her go.

  “No, I want to talk about it now. Boy saved me, Dad!”

  Eugene pulled back to look at her.

  “You know he’s been seen, by the Brain, stealing the eye plants?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, Violet,” her dad snapped, before catching himself. “I’m sorry, pet, it’s been a tense few days. Anyway, I didn’t believe it myself, until I saw the evidence. Merrill was with William when they watched the footage this morning. I’ve seen it now too. It was definitely Boy. No one has been able to track William down since – he’s gone missing too; I expect he’s looking for his son. It’s a horrible business.”

  “But why would Boy steal the eyes? It doesn’t make sense.”

  “I don’t know, pet.”

  “A man attacked me in the driveway. He was a monster, Dad. His skin was falling off and his eyes were the eye plants! I promise I didn’t imagine it. Boy saved me from him!”

  Eugene Brown sat down on the edge of the bed. A long, low sigh escaped his lips. He looked tired and troubled. Violet hadn’t seen him like this since the days of Perfect.

  “What if it’s the monster-man doing all these bad things?” she continued, trying to convince him. “Maybe Boy was just playing with Conor when I saw them, and then after Boy left, Conor met the monster and was kidnapped by him. Maybe it’s just a coincid…cociden…whatever you call it, Dad!”

  “Coincidence, Violet. But what do you mean, you saw Boy playing with Conor? You never told me that before.”

  Her dad sounded upset. Violet looked away, red-faced. She hadn’t meant to tell him like that, or even tell him at all.

  “I couldn’t tell you, at least not until Boy owned up to it. I saw him give Lucy’s bike to Conor, and then I followed them to the Ghost Estate. I didn’t see anything after that, but the next day Conor was missing.”

  “Violet, you shouldn’t keep secrets like that! What have I told you about telling the truth?” he said angrily.

  Her cheeks burned red.

  “And are you sure it was Boy you saw?” her father continued.

  Violet nodded, reluctantly.

  “But he didn’t kidnap anyone, Dad, I’m sure now. I think it was that monster-man – he tried to kidnap me, but Boy stopped him. Boy saved me, but now he’s been taken and no one will search for him because everyone thinks he did it!”

  “Slow down, Violet.” Her dad was losing patience. “Who is this monster-man, again? What do you mean?”

  She steadied herself before speaking. The story sounded crazy.

  “He, um…he attacked me… His skin was peeling off, kind of like he was melting or something. He smelled awful, and his eyes were the eye plants, the petals closed when he blinked…”

  “Violet, your mind is trying to make sense of it all, right now. You’re trying to protect your friend. I understand that.”

  “No, I’m not imagining it, Dad. I thought it was Boy for ages too, but now I’m not so sure. Maybe the monster is attacking people and made Boy steal the eye plants.”

  Violet started pacing the room – she could think easier on her feet.

  “Maybe the monster needed more eyes, in case he lost one, or something. One of his was falling out when he attacked me. I saw him push it back in! Think about it, Dad, why would Boy need to steal the eyes? William has loads of them.”

  “Town is growing uneasy, Violet. People are fearful. They need answers to what’s going on, and, at the moment, all fingers seem to be pointing at Boy. Sleep on it tonight, see if you remember anything else. I’ll speak to William when he reappears,” Eugene said, standing up and giving her a hug. “We’ll get to the bottom of it all, I’m sure.”

  “Thanks,” she replied, trying to smile, though she didn’t feel very cheerful. Maybe she had managed to convince her dad, a little.

  Violet crawled into bed and watched him leave. Then she climbed straight back out and went over to her window seat. She needed to think more.

  The sky had darkened further. A loud clap of thunder filled the air, and the clouds
, which had been drizzling for a while now, exploded. Rain streamed down Violet’s window. She had never seen anything like it in Town before.

  She was looking out, mesmerized by the downpour, when the bulb in her room flickered. A flash of lightning lit up the yard below, and she saw him, watching her.

  Violet’s breath caught, as Boy beckoned her outside.

  He was okay? The monster hadn’t caught him? What was he doing here? All of Town was probably looking for Boy right now.

  Violet stood up and faltered. She couldn’t go downstairs to get outside, her parents would surely hear her. So, on the next clap of thunder, she opened the window and climbed out.

  Rain bulleted off the rooftop. The tiles were running wet, making it really easy to slip. Violet felt a sudden surge of fear as she looked down the sloping roof to the yard far below. The branch of a tree reached in over the house. She edged her way across and grabbed it, pulling herself along its length towards the trunk. A niggling worry hung round the back of her mind that she couldn’t quite grasp.

  Slowly, Violet worked her way down branch by branch to the garden.

  “Boy,” she whispered, reaching the soggy ground. “You’re safe!”

  “What did you expect?” he snapped.

  “I just thought maybe the monster caught you. How did you get away?”

  Lightning brightened the sky.

  “Why would I need to get away?” he answered, as thunder boomed overhead.

  A sudden anger grabbed Violet.

  “To escape the monster… The one you saved me from!” she snapped back.

  “I didn’t save you, Violet! You’re nothing to me. I was helping that ‘monster’ to catch you.” He laughed. “I told the Child Snatcher to hold you tight, to squeeze your insides until your lungs burst.”

  Feeling uneasy and confused, she stepped back.

  “Stop messing, Boy, it’s freezing out here.” Violet’s teeth chattered as the cold engulfed her. Her pyjamas were now soaking wet.

  “I’m not messing! You’re too ignorant to understand, just like the rest of Town.”

  “What do you mean? You’re making no sense! What’s going on? All of Town is looking for you. Everyone thinks you kidnapped Conor and Beatrice.”

  “Took them a while to figure that out. Witless fools!”

  “What are you saying? Did you do it? Did you kidnap the others?”

  “What do you think?” He stepped closer and glared at her.

  Her heart pounded, she wanted to move away but didn’t step back.

  “I…I don’t think you did it… I know you, Boy, you wouldn’t do anything like that. The monster must be making you.”

  An intense fear gripped her body. Her breath was short and sharp as her chest tightened.

  “That ‘monster’ works for me, Violet. He’s another of my father’s inventions. We christened him the Child Snatcher. You clearly don’t know me as well as you think you do.”

  “What…?” Violet was shaking as she stepped back. “No, it’s not true. You didn’t kidnap anyone. That monster is not yours. Please say you’re joking…”

  “That’d be a fib, Violet, and I know how you hate liars. I did kidnap Conor and Beatrice, and I’ll kidnap more wretched children.”

  Boy pushed Violet, sending her tumbling backwards onto the muddy patch of lawn.

  “I am not your friend. I never was, and never will be. William and I are taking over Town. We will succeed where my uncles failed.”

  “You’re scaring me,” Violet stuttered, as Boy loomed above her.

  “Good,” he stated, rubbing the driving rain from his face.

  Boy grabbed her pyjama top and yanked her up so they were face-to-face, close enough for Violet to see the anger in his jet-black eyes.

  He’d never acted like this before.

  “Watch yourself, or your poster will be hanging on lamp posts with Beatrice’s and Conor’s,” he whispered.

  Something rustled in the trees and Boy’s eyes darted towards the sound. He was so close to Violet that she noticed a strange, thin streak of ice blue, almost white, edging his left iris. When he looked back, it had disappeared.

  Another clap of thunder filled the night. Boy laughed, then pushed her back down onto the lawn before running off through the trees.

  Violet didn’t try to chase him. Her mind swam as she pulled herself from the muddy lawn and stumbled towards the house, calling for help.

  Everything felt like a blur as she watched her parents rush down the steps in the driving rain and grab her tightly.

  “Boy…Boy said…said he did it. He kidnapped the others. I don’t…understand. I don’t…” she spluttered.

  Eugene led her inside and sat Violet down at the kitchen table. Rose raced round the house, grabbing piles of towels and dressing gowns, as her dad held her tight.

  “Rose, just sit down!” he barked angrily, as her mam rushed back into the room. “This is not a time for panic.”

  “Don’t speak to me like that, Eugene,” her mother replied sternly. “I will take care of my daughter as I see fit!”

  “Your daughter? She’s my daughter too!”

  “Stop it!” Violet chattered angrily. She’d never heard her parents argue like this before.

  As they both calmed down, she told them everything. Her mam nodded nervously, but her father looked enraged.

  Violet wished she’d said something earlier. This was all her fault. She had seen Boy with Conor and hadn’t told anyone.

  That night, she lay awake petrified as she listened to her parents fighting. They were saying awful things about each other, things Violet didn’t want to hear. She covered her ears with her pillow.

  Though not cold, she had an uncontrollable shiver. Her heart thumped loudly and her mind raced so fast she couldn’t grab her thoughts. She felt like she did the first time in the Ghost Estate, multiplied a thousand times.

  When she closed her eyes to sleep, she saw Boy, standing above her, his jet-black iris edged in ice blue, like the sliver of a winter’s moon.

  Violet climbed out of bed and got dressed, glad it was Sunday. Her head had stopped spinning, but she definitely wouldn’t be able to face school. She couldn’t face her parents either, so she slipped past the kitchen, where they were sat in stony silence, and out of the house before either of them noticed.

  It was still raining outside, and she pulled the hood of her jacket over her head.

  She was heading up Splendid Road and had just crossed the street when, from the side of her eye, she spotted a new poster on the lamp post nearby.

  Boy’s image sat under the words WANTED in red capital letters. His face was contorted and his usual smile was replaced by a grimace. His dark eyes stared out at her menacingly.

  Violet recognized the picture. It was taken in school a few months before. Mrs Moody wanted a class photo but, as a joke, instead of smiling everyone had pulled scary faces. Part of Violet felt it wasn’t fair to use this photo. Her friend didn’t normally look scary like that, but now part of her wondered if maybe this was the real Boy.

  She felt so angry that her whole body shook. How could Boy do any of those things he said he did? Did it mean everything he’d ever told her was a lie?

  “The picture doesn’t look like Boy, does it?” a tiny voice whispered.

  “Who said that?” she snapped, turning around.

  Anna Nunn, Madeleine’s young daughter was standing just behind Violet.

  “It’s me,” Anna replied, her tone also a little sharp.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Anna,” Violet said sheepishly. “What are you doing out alone?”

  “I’m old enough to take care of myself, and I’m not going home. You can’t make me!” The seven year old stamped her foot in a tiny protest.

  “But where’s your mam? She’ll be worried!”

  “No, she won’t. She doesn’t notice me any more.” Anna sounded angry. “She’s too busy looking for the missing kids. She thinks Boy is napping them and she w
on’t listen to me. But I know it’s not him!”

  “It’s called kidnapping, Anna,” Violet said impatiently. Her anger rose again. Violet wasn’t cross with Anna, but as the little girl stood before her, all she felt was overwhelming fury. She struggled to control it.

  “You don’t have to get cross with me, Violet,” Anna fumed, her face red. “I was only saying that Boy didn’t nap any kids.”

  “Kidnap, Anna, the word is kidnap. Anyway, how do you know he didn’t?”

  “Because he told me he didn’t KIDNAP anyone,” Anna replied sharply.

  “Well, he told me he did!” Violet snapped, allowing another swell of anger to sweep through her.

  She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. When she opened them again, the little girl was still standing in front of her.

  “When were you talking to Boy?” Violet asked, her tone a little more even.

  “I talked to him just now. I had a fight with Mam and I was really sad and angry, and I was thinking all bad things – like, how could Mam forget about me when she was in Perfect and I was in No-Man’s-Land, but not forget about my sister? So we had a big fight, and I ran away to our secret place and talked to Boy.”

  “You and Boy have a secret place?”

  Anna nodded.

  “And Boy told you this morning that he didn’t kidnap Conor or Beatrice?” Violet probed, feeling very confused.

  The little girl nodded again.

  The night before, Boy had stood in Violet’s garden, said he had taken both Conor and Beatrice, and that he’d kidnap more children. This morning, he’d apparently told Anna he didn’t do anything. Something very weird was going on.

  “Is Boy there now, Anna, in your secret place?”

  Anna looked at the ground and scuffed her foot against a stone. Then, slowly, she nodded.

  “Can you take me there?” Violet desperately needed to speak to Boy.

  Anna shook her head. “I can’t. It’s a secret.”

  “But Boy’s in trouble. I want to help him!”