Mo Lottie and the Junkers Read online

  ‘Sounds boring,’ Lottie said. ‘She probably won’t even notice it’s gone.’

  ‘It’s weird, though… The dates start from fifty years ago, and they go up to the year 2068.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So, how can there be a list of things that have happened, when the dates are in the future? You see–’ I pointed at an entry, ‘3rd May 2026 – peak at 22:54 hrs – X 5.39.’

  ‘It’s probably just a page from a novel set in an apocalyptic future,’ Lottie said, grabbing it back. ‘But, just in case, you’d better get rid of it, Sades – you don’t want any evidence linking you to its disappearance. Make sure you throw it away.’

  Sadie nodded, folded it up and put it back down her pants.

  ‘Hold on a sec,’ I said, glaring at Sadie. ‘Was it you who stole my diamond armour out of my chest in my Minecraft world?’

  ‘Prrrrerr,’ Sadie giggled.

  ‘You horrid brat! I bet you’re the one who blew up my base, too!’

  ‘Don’t shout at her like that,’ Lottie shoved me. ‘She took your armour and I blew up your base. Who. Even. Cares?’

  ‘I spent three weeks building that base,’ I shouted. I was so mad, I felt like I was going to explode.

  ‘It was rubbish anyway,’ Lottie rolled her eyes, ‘Probably a good thing we destroyed it.’

  I looked at them: the two most evil, insane and bossy girls in the whole world, and suddenly felt like I was going to cry.

  ‘I hate you!’ I said, and I ran back into the house.

  Mr Gideon’s Delicious Ice Cream

  Mo

  Mum made us sit around the big table at dinner, which was annoying. When it was just me and her, we used to sit on the sofa with trays while Schrodinger stole food off our plates. I didn’t know why we had to act all fancy just because of the new people.

  Nobody spoke.

  ‘Is the dinner OK?’ Mum looked worried. ‘I tried to make something everyone would like…’

  ‘What do you call it?’ Lottie said.

  ‘Cottage pie.’

  ‘And the green stuff is?’ Lottie scooped some up on her fork and let it drop back onto the plate.

  ‘Broccoli.’

  ‘Really? I’ve never had broccoli like this before. How … interesting.’

  ‘Sssss prowt,’ Sadie said.

  ‘Don’t be so rude, girls!’ Spencer gave them a very cross look.

  ‘Grouw hsssss.’

  ‘That language is unacceptable, Sadie.’ Spencer’s voice was loud and a bit shouty. ‘Last warning.’

  Mum looked like she might cry.

  ‘It’s lovely, Mum,’ I said. ‘You’re the best at cooking, ever.’

  ‘Thanks Mo-Bear.’ Mum smiled at me.

  Lottie sniggered.

  Sadie hissed.

  Spencer tutted and slammed his fork down on the plate.

  ‘Ice cream van!’ Lottie shouted, running to the front window with Sadie behind her.

  Then I heard the tinkly music coming from the street.

  Mum looked a bit sad, I think because of all the arguing at dinner. I felt really bad for her. ‘We haven’t had an ice cream van down here for years,’ she said.

  ‘Can we get one, Dad?’ Lottie was jumping up and down, and Sadie held out her hand for some money.

  ‘I don’t think you’ve been good enough, do you?’ Spencer said.

  ‘Oh, let them get one, Spencer. It sounds like it’s been a tough day for all of them. I’m sure Mo would like one, too.’

  Spencer put his arm around Mum. ‘You’re too lovely for your own good, you know. What did I do to deserve you?’

  Mum looked a bit happier after that.

  Spencer gave us some money and we legged it to the ice cream van, which was parked right outside our house.

  A couple of small kids and their mums got there before us, so we had to queue. Lottie and Sadie were arguing about what ice creams to get. Apparently, they wanted to get the same, but not the same, whatever that means. I looked over at my lovely old house across the road. The curtains were shut, as usual, so I couldn’t see in. It was probably a good thing because it would have made me sad.

  ‘Mo!’ Lottie shouted at me, making me jump. ‘It’s our turn.’

  We were at the front, looking up at the ice cream man through the hatch.

  ‘Good afternoon, sir,’ Lottie said. ‘What do you recommend?’

  The ice cream man just stared at her. He was probably the biggest person I’d ever seen in my life – not fat, just really wide and tall, like a wrestler. He couldn’t even stand up straight in the van; he had to lean forward out of the hatch, which made him loom over us. He filled the space so I couldn’t see around him.

  He gave Lottie a look that suggested he didn’t care what ice cream she got and he wasn’t going to waste his time helping her choose.

  Typically, Lottie didn’t notice, though, or maybe she did but she didn’t care. That’s a thing I’d learnt about Lottie – she wasn’t very tactful.

  ‘Is your name Mr Gideon, or is that the name of your van?’ She pointed at the sign above the hatch: Mr Gideon’s Delicious Ices.

  He leant further out of the hatch and spat on the road beside us.

  ‘That’s not terribly hygienic,’ Lottie said.

  He made a sound in the back of his throat that was a bit like a growl.

  I looked down at the pool of spit and then up at Mr Gideon. He was wearing a black top with the sleeves rolled up a bit, his arms resting on the counter. The tops of his arms had bulging muscles and the lower part of his left arm was as thick as my leg. His right arm looked weird, though – it was thinner, and the hand was smaller, with longer fingers. Even the skin was a different colour – paler than the rest of him. I could see the black lines of a tattoo creeping out from under his sleeve.

  Lottie nudged me, suddenly, and I looked up to see Mr Gideon staring at me in a really unfriendly way.

  ‘Just tell him what you want,’ she said. ‘He doesn’t talk, apparently.’

  Lottie and Sadie were both licking swirly rainbow lollies.

  ‘A cone, please, with two flakes and strawberry sauce,’ I said, trying not to sound scared.

  ‘I bet you get the same thing every time, don’t you?’ Lottie said, as Mr Gideon turned around to get my ice cream.

  ‘I know what I like. There’s nothing wrong with that.’

  He shoved the cone towards me.

  ‘Thank you,’ I said, giving him the money.

  ‘This is the most delicious lolly in the history of the universe,’ said Lottie.

  ‘Prrrrr,’ Sadie said through a mouthful. It sounded like she agreed.

  I looked at mine, tried not to think about the spit on the floor and gave it a careful lick. It was really, REALLY good.

  ‘I’m definitely getting ice cream from Mr Gideon again,’ Lottie said.

  Sadie nodded.

  I didn’t say anything because I was too busy eating.

  The tinkly music started to play as Mr Gideon climbed into the driver’s seat and pulled away from the kerb. I recognised the tune – it was ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?’ – a song which I’d always thought was strange because it sounded jolly but was actually about getting eaten, which wasn’t really a happy thought. The music grew quieter as the van drove off down the road.

  There was change from the ice creams, which Mum said I could keep in case we needed supplies for our Discovery invention. When I put the coins in the pocket of my school trousers, I noticed there was something already inside. It was a folded-up piece of paper.

  I opened it and read it, thinking it must be a list I’d made and forgotten about. I got quite a shock. You’ll understand why if you turn to Exhibit D.

  BEWARE!

  DANGER LURKS AROUND EVERY CORNER! PEOPLE ARE LYING TO YOU! FrIENDS CAN BE ENEMIES! IF YOU DON’T WANT TO END UP IN THE JUNKYARD, TRUST NOBODY!!!

  My first question was: how did the note get in my pocket? My second question was: who would use so many exclamation marks in such an alarming way? My third question was: what the heck was The Junkyard? My fourth was: what was the crazy note on about?

  Lottie

  Lorelai came over before we’d even finished our ice creams, so Sadie and I sat in our room, watching TV to keep out of her way. And then Mo thumped in.

  ‘What have you done with Schrodinger?’ he shouted.

  ‘Chill out, Mo. I haven’t done anything with Tiger,’ I said.

  ‘She has, then,’ he pointed at Sadie.

  ‘Eow,’ Sadie shook her head.

  ‘What’s happened to him?’ I said.

  ‘He always waits on my bed for me to come home from school. He wasn’t there when I got back and I can’t find him anywhere.’

  Sadie and I looked at each other. We really liked that fat, ginger cat.

  ‘We’ll help you look.’

  We searched the house but there was no sign of him.

  ‘He must have gone out and not come back,’ Mo said, trying not to cry.

  ‘Do you think he got lost?’ I asked.

  ‘He’s lived on this road all of his life – he knows it really well. I don’t think he could have got lost.’

  ‘Prewow,’ Sadie said, stroking Mo’s arm.

  ‘Do you think maybe he got homesick for your old house?’ I said.

  Mo sniffed. ‘That’s possible, I suppose. He could have gone there.’

  ‘It’s only over the road – we could go and take a peek.’

  ‘I don’t want to ask Mum while that lady is here.’

  ‘Exactly: Lorelai is here, so we don’t even have to ask her permission. And we’ll be home with Schrody before Emma even notices.’

  ‘Well, there is a back way we could go so nobody would see us from the street…’ Mo said.

  ‘I like the way you’re thinking, partner,’ I said. ‘Sadie, would you please stay here to provide distraction and cover, if necessary?’

  Sadie saluted.

  I turned to Mo and smiled. ‘Let’s go.’

  Searching for Schrodinger

  Lottie

  We snuck out of the front door as quietly as possible. I was born with the grace of a ballerina and the cunning of a fox, so I always excel in that type of situation. Mo was a bit more noticeable, with his hair and his clumpiness, but at least he was very short.

  We crossed the road, but instead of walking up to Lorelai’s front door, Mo turned right. We ran up the street until we came to a quiet side-road called Mayland Drive. Halfway down Mayland, there was an alley, wide enough for a car to pass through. I realised it led us behind the houses on our road, and towards their gardens.

  ‘This is the one,’ Mo said. ‘I bet Schrodinger is here.’

  We were standing by a fence that was taller than my dad. It was solid, so we couldn’t see through, and the gate was locked.

  ‘How are we going to get in?’ I asked, pointing at the enormous padlock.

  ‘Right here,’ Mo said, pulling at some planks at the bottom of the fence. The planks moved enough to make a small hole, just the right size for me to crawl – and for Mo to squeeze himself – through.

  It suddenly felt rather adventury and exciting.

  The garden was small: just a lawn and a patio, with no trees and nowhere to hide.

  ‘We’d better be quick,’ I said. ‘If Lorelai comes back and looks out of the window, she’ll see us immediately.’

  ‘He’s not here.’ Mo looked around. ‘I wonder if he’s gone into the house?’

  ‘She’s probably got him in there doing the washing up and sewing her clothes with all the local squirrels and blue tits.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You know, like a Disney princess?’

  ‘But cats can’t do the washing-up, Lottie. They don’t like water.’

  ‘Just forget it, Mo.’ For a clever boy, he really was clueless sometimes. ‘How can we look inside if all the curtains are closed?’

  ‘Cat flap,’ Mo pointed at the back door.

  We knelt down on the paving stones, getting dirt and dust all over our uniforms. Mo pushed open the flap and stuck his head in.

  ‘That’s weird,’ he said.

  ‘Are there foxes doing the hoovering? Let me see!’

  ‘No, it’s a mess. Didn’t she say she’d decorated and that?’

  ‘She did. And bought new furniture.’

  ‘It still has the exact same stuff in it that it did when I lived there. Nothing’s different.’

  ‘Why would she lie? And why does she really keep the curtains closed all the time?’

  ‘Maybe to hide the mess. You should see it, Lottie, there are boxes and piles of stuff everywhere.’

  ‘Let me have a look!’

  ‘Fine, but hurry up.’ Mo shuffled back to make way for me.

  Mo was right – the place was a dump. There were empty food packets overflowing from the bin – mostly cakes and sweets. Every surface was covered with what looked like electrical parts: wires, microchips and circuit boards. In one corner there was what looked like a shiny new TV, which for some reason had been taken apart and was in pieces on the floor.

  ‘This is all very strange,’ I said. ‘What is she up to?’

  I shuffled back. ‘Call Schrody and let’s get out of here.’

  Mo pushed his face through the flap again.

  ‘I can see him in the hallway!’ he bounced up and down, banging his head. ‘Schrodinger!’ he called, ‘Come here Schro!’ He made kissy noises.

  ‘We should have brought some ham,’ I said. Schrody loves ham.

  ‘He’s not allowed to eat ham,’ said Mo. ‘The vet told us. You haven’t been giving him ham, have you?’

  ‘No, of course not.’ It didn’t seem like a good time to tell Mo that Sadie and I had been using ham in our attempts to train Schrodinger to do back flips.

  ‘Schrodinger! That’s it, come on!’

  Mo pushed himself further in.

  ‘I’ve almost got him,’ he said.

  There was a moment of silence, and then Mo whispered, ‘Lottie, nobody’s supposed to live here except Laura, right?’

  ‘It’s Lorelai, Mo. It really isn’t that difficult. And don’t worry – she definitely said she lives alone. Many, many times.’

  ‘Someone’s here. Two people, maybe. I can hear voices upstairs.’

  ‘Grab Schrody and get out, now!’

  ‘Oh, bums, I think they’re coming down the stairs.’

  ‘Have you got him yet?’

  ‘Yes!’ He started wriggling his bottom. ‘I’m coming out.’

  He started sliding his knees back and I turned to run.

  ‘Lottie!’ he said. ‘I’m stuck!’

  ‘No, Mo, you simply cannot be stuck!’

  ‘I’m stuck and they’re coming down the stairs. Oh my god. What am I going to do? They’re going to catch me!’ He started kicking his feet up and down.

  ‘First, don’t panic. Second, think yourself small.’

  ‘What do you mean?’ Mo wailed.

  ‘Imagine that you’re a teeny tiny hedgehog. I’m going to pull you from your waist,’ I said.

  ‘Won’t you get prickled?’ he said, sounding even more panicked.

  ‘JUST THINK SMALL!’ I said, and I pulled him as hard as I could.

  ‘They’re getting closer,’ he yelped. ‘Pull harder!’

  I pulled and pulled, and it felt like he wasn’t budging at all. He is rather round, after all. But suddenly he sort of popped out, with Schrodinger in his arms, and we both fell back in a heap.

  As we lay there, red and out of breath, we heard loud voices. Whoever had been walking down the stairs had obviously come into the kitchen. We stayed low, but moved our ears closer to the cat flap so we could hear what they were saying. It made no sense for anyone to be there.

  ‘Will you make me some food before you go out again? I’m hungry!’ a whiny voice said – it sounded like a kid.

  ‘Get it yourself,’ a very low, rough voice answered. ‘If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have to be out collecting parts every night.’

  ‘I said I’m sorry. I’m trying to sort it out. There’s no need to starve me.’

  I heard a door slam.

  ‘My two favourite boys aren’t fighting again, are they?’ Lorelai was home.

  ‘No,’ the other voices said at the same time.

  ‘Did you find out anything new from over the road?’ the man said.

  ‘Had to make up some excuses to the brats,’ she said. (How dare she?)

  ‘Did they buy it?’

  ‘Well, of course they did, I’m sweet as syrup. Their idiot of a mother thinks I’m her new best friend.’

  I held tightly on to Mo’s arm to stop him from trying to break the door down in a rage.

  ‘Don’t fret, my loves,’ Lorelai carried on. ‘We have lots of time to make a decision while we build the replacement cuff. For now, we keep eyes on them at all times. Understood?’

  ‘Yeah,’ they answered.

  ‘And whether it’s the stout, red-headed, bumbling boy, or that precocious princess girl with the ridiculous hairstyles, we’ll look forward to the day when we get rid of one of them for good.’

  Lore-liar

  Lottie:

  So – plot twist! Lorelai isn’t Rapunzel after all, she’s actually Mother Gothel, which totally explains her granny neck.

  Mo:

  Why do you have to make everything weird?

  Lottie:

  Why do you have to make everything boring? You know when you’re really sick, and afterwards your mum makes you eat dry toast with nothing on it? That’s what you are, Mo. You are dry toast.

  Mo:

  That’s hardly even an insult. I get called worse things every day at school.

  Lottie:

  The point is that we were involved in a real-life murder mystery – even you have to admit it was exciting.

  Mo:

  There was NO murder – stop exaggerating, Lottie. And if by exciting, you mean terrifying, then yes, it was.

  Lottie:

  We knew two things for sure: that Lorelai wanted to get rid of us; that she had at least two people helping her; and that we were in it together.