Soul Fire

loose.
    But the one per cent doubt is enough to terrify me. If it’s really over, then my sister will be leaving the Beach, forever. Before sunrise.
    Please, no . I’m not ready to lose her for a second time.

5
    I need to get back online now .
    ‘I think I’ll go back to bed,’ I say. Mum kisses me on the forehead and Dad hugs me and I go into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water.
    Dad walks into the hallway with the policeman, who is trying to whisper but can’t control his bossy, booming voice.
    ‘. . . obviously the work of a lunatic fringe, but I wanted to warn you, in case they try to get in touch with you or your family.’
    ‘And you’re certain this Burning Truths website is connected to Meggie’s case?’ Dad asks. ‘But there are hundreds of tribute sites, aren’t there? We
discovered that after she died.’
    ‘Yes, except this isn’t really a tribute site. This one focuses on trying to convince the world that Tim Ashley didn’t kill your daughter.’
    ‘What?’
    Someone else believes he’s innocent! It’s enough to make my heart stop pounding, to make the fear that Meggie’s gone disappear. This must mean I’m not the only
person who realises Tim’s death is not the end of the story.
    ‘One of our detectives found it by accident a fortnight ago. It’s a hysterical hotchpotch of wild statements with no evidence to back them up. We were pretty convinced that Tim was
behind it except it’s been updated tonight. Since . . .’
    ‘Since he was found dead?’
    ‘Exactly. So we think he must have had help from a friend.’
    ‘Didn’t he pretty much lose all his mates after the stuff in the papers?’
    ‘You’d be surprised, Mr Forster. The smarter the killer, the more able they are to manipulate people. Especially females. You might want to keep an eye on that daughter of yours.
They’re very vulnerable, teenage girls.’
    As if my dad needs reminding of that after losing his eldest daughter.
    I hear them say goodnight, and the front door opens, then closes. I peer into the hallway to see if the coast is clear for me to go upstairs. This Burning Truths website could change everything.
    But my father hasn’t moved. He’s leaning his head against the wall, as though he’s about to fall over.
    And when I turn towards the kitchen window, I see Mum step through the patio doors, onto the decking. Something’s changed. It takes me a few seconds to realise what. It’s snowing.
Snow, in April. This has been the longest winter.
    White flakes land on Mum’s hair as she reaches out to touch Meggie’s tree, a spindly olive we bought last autumn. In the moonlight it looks so fragile. I doubt it’ll survive
this snow.
    As I watch, my father joins her. He’s standing close to Mum, but he doesn’t touch her. She was always so warm and affectionate before Meggie died, but now she often can’t bear
to be held.
    I close my eyes, make a wish. We can’t go back in time, but I wish my parents could comfort each other, the way the Beach comforts me.
    When I open my eyes again, my father is brushing snowflakes off Mum’s dressing gown sleeve. Mum looks up, then lets her body lean into his.
    Despite the cold, watching them makes me feel a tiny bit warmer inside. If only I could join them.
    But I need to be back on the Beach. I’m no longer terrified that Meggie’s gone, yet if anything, that makes it even more urgent.
    Because if Meggie’s killer is still out there, and has murdered Tim too, then I cannot waste another second.

6
    I wedge two cushions against the gap under my bedroom door so Mum won’t be able to see the glow from the computer. Lately, she’s been nagging me more and more about
how much time I spend online.
    You’d think she’d be grateful that I’m at home, out of harm’s way. Not out there where Meggie and Tim’s killer could still be free . . .
    For the first time, I realise the murderer could come after me. It’s like someone’s dropped an ice cube down my back. My fingers tremble as I type Burning Truths into my
browser.
    PLEASE ONLY CLICK THROUGH IF YOU ARE PREPARED FOR AN INJUSTICE SO TERRIBLE IT WILL MAKE YOU BURN WITH RAGE.
    I hesitate. If I’d never clicked on the invitation to Soul Beach, I’d have seen the world differently. I might even be beginning to get on with my ‘real’ life.
    But then I’d never have found my sister.
    I click through. The screen turns black, before red and yellow lick across the screen like a flame,