DEAD GOOD by D A Cooper

says. ‘How’s school? Anything new to report?’
     
    He’s rubbish, my dad, at asking anything sensible. It’s always “how’s school?” or “how’s your mum and dad?” or “how’s……” and then I can’t think another thought. Because just as mum kicks the fridge door shut with the back of her foot and balances a trifle over to the table, a familiar figure is revealed from behind the fridge in his cool jeans and funky t-shirt and waves cheekily over at me from where he’s presumably just … um… materialised?
     
    In fact I’m so surprised at seeing him that I do a silly little finger-wave back like a total arse.
     

 
     
    thirteen
     
     
     
    ‘Maddie?’ I hear a voice like an echo in the distance. ‘Madeline? What’s wrong?’
     
    My mum is passing her flattened palm across my eyes and back like she’s trying to revive me from deep hypnosis or something. I must look like a complete idiot. I still haven’t moved. When the word “gobsmacked” was invented, this image of me – right now was what they had in mind. I shut my mouth. Everyone around the table is staring at me apart from Davey who is obviously also staring at Ghost boy – I mean Leo. He’s even pulled a chair over to the table now for god’s sake… one of his misty ghostly ones, and is sitting right opposite me next to Amber. Please god, if she really is psychic then let her be a good sport and say nothing to alert mum and dad. Please, please please.
     
    ‘What’re you doing?’ Amber says frowning and lifting a spoon of jelly to her lips. ‘What’s with your fingers – and why are you…. Oh….wait a minute…..you’ve….ah…oooh…’ she trails off and stares excitedly at the air beside her where I am focussing.
     
    Clearly she has put two and two together and arrived at the right answer. I blink quickly, try to touch her leg under the table to drag her back to reality and then stare at my hand that bent up and down so, so stupidly just now and rub it with my other hand.
     
    ‘Ooooh…’ I wince dramatically. ‘Phew, that feels a bit better now!’ I bend the fingers again just like I think (I hope) I did with my stupid wave earlier and pretend to inspect my joints for abnormalities, twisting my fingers round one way and then another and then bending them again as if I’m testing them to study them closer. Leo is beside himself with amusement at my ridiculous bad-acting capabilities. If a ghost could cry with hilarity then he’s pretty much nearly there. Davey joins in as well though, much to the unease of our parents, rocking and giggling and pointing. Oh sweet crap.
     
    ‘Davey?’ mum spins to stare at him for a change, leaving me able to breathe and glare really really wide-eyed at Amber in an attempt to stop her from saying anything. She mouths back an “o-k-a-y” rather theatrically and I nod my thanks. ‘What is the matter with you two this afternoon?’ mum is frowning incredibly deeply now. ‘First Maddie thinks there’s something wrong with her fingers – and then Davey starts laughing for no reason – are you both going mad or something?’
     
    She shakes her head and returns to spoon trifle into her mouth, checking cautiously on both of us as she eats, for other signs of psychosis.
     
    ‘Brilliant!’ Leo laughs, rocking on the chair opposite me. ‘You’re sooooo funny you two, you really are! There’s you,’ he points at me, ‘pretending like there’s nothing wrong and I’m not here or something and making out your poor brother’s seeing things, and then there’s your dippy pal,’ he actually pokes his finger in Amber and she doesn’t flinch once, just lifts her eyes in an annoyed “what?” at me as I watch them sitting together in stunned silence. ‘Amber, here, who thinks she’s got a direct hotline to the Other Side. You lot! You’re all mental!’
     
    ‘All men-tal!’ Davey pipes up like a ricochet.
     
    I roll my eyes. Great. Well done laughing boy. Just