She turned round from the window and marched determinedly up the stairs. Mum and Dad were trying to give Jessie some Calpol, but she kept spitting it out.
“Oh, hello, love.” Mum looked up at her worriedly. “Are you all right, Anya? Do you want to grab an apple, or some cheese biscuits, or something? I’m really sorry – we haven’t even started making dinner yet. It’s going to be a while.”
“It’s OK, Mum, I’m not hungry. I was just wondering if I could walk down to the beach and look at the sea? I won’t be long – it’s gone this beautiful blue colour and I want to see it closer.”
Their cottage went straight out on to the path along the top of the cliff, so there were no roads to cross. Anya crossed her fingers hopefully behind her back. She hated lying to Mum and Dad, but she wasn’t really lying, she told herself. The sea was that lovely colour and she would look at it – it was just that she would be looking for a little curly-haired dog more. If she’d said that she was going out to search for Molly, she was pretty sure Dad would say no – he hadn’t been that pleased when she’d made him spend ages looking for her earlier on.
“I’ll be back by the time you’ve got dinner on – or I could come back and help make it. Do you want me to turn the oven on, or anything?” Anya suggested.
Dad sighed. “At this rate we’ll be heading out to the fish and chip shop, Anya. Don’t worry. Be back soon, all right? And no talking to strangers.”
“I promise.” Anya nipped into her room to grab a cardigan and raced back downstairs and out of the door before they could change their minds.
Chapter Five
“Molly! Molly!”
Molly was curled up under the beach huts, where she’d run after the huge Labrador had chased her. She had been so frightened that she felt shaky and for ages she couldn’t stop panting. Her tail was still tucked tightly between her legs and she had curled herself into the smallest ball she could, right at the back of the beach hut where it stood against the cliff wall. Exhausted, she’d fallen into an uneasy sleep, twitching as the big dog ran after her in her dreams.
She woke up with a start, feeling puzzled. Was someone calling her? She was almost sure she’d heard her name. Her ears pricked up – as much as her frizzy, curly ears ever did – and she listened intently. But there was no one there. Molly sighed and turned around a few times on the dusty, sandy concrete, trying to go back to sleep. She would wait a while longer before she trotted down to her comfy hollow in the marram grass. She wanted to make sure that the Labrador really was gone.
Molly laid her nose down on her paws and tried to ignore how hungry she felt – a few chips didn’t go far. She was just starting to snooze when she heard the voice again. She was sure this time. Someone was calling her name!
Molly wriggled forward under the beach hut, until she could see out from behind the little steps at the front.
Standing on the promenade was a girl – the girl she had played with on the beach, who had given her a biscuit!
“Molly! Molly! Please come out!”
Molly yelped and scrabbled her way from behind the steps, darting across the promenade to Anya.
“Molly! You’re here, oh, it really is you! I was right.” Anya rubbed the excited little dog’s ears and laughed as Molly danced around her. “Oh, Molly, you’re so messy! Look, you’re all covered in sand and grot. I’m so glad I found you – I thought maybe I’d imagined it and it hadn’t been you I saw at all.” Then she stopped and frowned. “But it’s all very well finding you, Moll. We’ve still got to get you home and I don’t know where Rachel and the others are staying.” Anya sat down on the edge of the promenade with her feet in the sand and her arm round Molly.
Molly licked Anya’s face, delighted that she could reach it properly now.
“Uuugh, Molly!” Anya rubbed it off and gave the puppy a hug. “All Rachel said was that your cottage was really close to the ice-cream shop – the same one where I got my bodyboard. She said it was great, because they were always going past it and if they all begged, her mum almost always said yes… So I suppose we’ll just have to go and have a look around there. Maybe we’ll see Rachel or Lily or Zach looking out of a window, or something.” She gazed down at Molly doubtfully. “I wish I had a lead for you, sweetheart. I don’t really want to take you over the road without holding on to you properly.” She shuddered at the thought of Molly dashing out in front of a car. “Mum and Dad make enough fuss about me crossing roads, even if they do let me walk most of the way home from school now.” She looked around, hoping for a bit of string or something that she could tie through Molly’s tatty collar.
“Oh! Your collar! Maybe you’ve got Rachel’s mum or dad’s number on there. Let’s hope it’s a mobile…” She turned the collar round carefully, looking for the tag. Molly’s fur was matted underneath it and Anya bit her lip. She really liked Rachel’s family, but she didn’t think they were great at looking after Molly. The poor little dog needed a really good brush – probably a trim from a proper dog groomer, too. “No tag… It’s just got Molly woven on as part of the collar. That’s no good. Oh well, maybe the tag with the number came off.” Anya sighed. “Back to Plan A, then.” She was just looking at a heap of seaweed and wondering if she could twist it together to make a sort of rope, when she rolled her eyes. “I’m so stupid, Molly. My scarf!”
Anya was wearing a pretty flowered bandanna that Mum had bought her to wear over her hair instead of a sunhat. She pulled it off and undid the knot, stretching it out. It wasn’t that long, but it would be OK if she bent down a bit.
“Here, Molly. A nice new lead, look.” She tied one corner of the bandanna through the strong metal ring on Molly’s collar and stood up, keeping a tight hold on the other end. “That’ll do… Come on, Molly! Let’s go and take you home!”
Molly walked along beside Anya as they headed up the stepped path to the top of the cliff. She sniffed happily at the clumps of wild plants that were growing out over the concrete steps and Anya smiled down at her proudly. She was so lovely, even if she was a bit scruffy. As they walked along the seafront path, Anya couldn’t help pretending to herself that Molly was her own dog. She could imagine it for five minutes, couldn’t she?
But the walk to the ice-cream shop was far too short. Soon Anya was standing outside and staring at the closed shutters. If it had still been open, she could have nipped in to ask if they happened to know where Rachel’s family were staying, seeing as Rachel reckoned they were the shop’s best customers.
“There’s a lot of houses along here, Molly,” Anya murmured, looking around at the little green, surrounded by cottages. “I suppose I’m just going to have to ring the doorbells and ask.” But she stood on the grassy patch for a little while, hoping she’d suddenly spot Rachel. She hated the thought of having to ask at all those houses. She’d told Mum and Dad she wouldn’t talk to strangers, for a start. And what if Rachel’s family weren’t even staying in one of them? Maybe they were in one of the streets close to the green?
Anya sighed. She was just going to have to be brave. She marched over to the nearest house and rang the bell. There were buckets and spades in the little doorway, so at least there were children here.