When Words Die

By Jenni Francis

With red hair and fair skin, Chloe stands out for all the wrong reasons at her new school. Especially as she also finds it difficult to talk to others outside her family. It is a relief when summer comes and she doesn’t have to deal with unwanted attention.

Keri, Mereana and Jess have been invited to spend time with Mereana’s Grandmother in a small beach town. There is a welcoming pōwhiri at the local Marae, where Mereana and Chloe find out they are distant cousins, and Jess struggles with the cultural differences.

There is a mystery surrounding a recent visitor to the town, a fire in the sand dunes and a near drowning. Over the week the girls find what they are capable of, and their friendships change and deepen.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jenni Francis
• Release date: Nov 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463384183

Jenni Francis

Jenni Francis lives in New Zealand. She lives on five acres, with an orchard, sheep and a river. She has a cat named Tui, who is very greedy, and who doesn't love children. Which is a shame, as she has twelve grandchildren.Jenni has been writing for about 20 years, and loves to write children's stories. She has six books of the 'Keri' series published so far, and is writing book seven. The main character, Keri, finds herself in difficult situations. Her friends don't always agree with what she does, but they are always there for her in the end.She also has a book of short stories for boys. Not girls.

Book preview

When

Words

Die

Jenni Francis

"If everything you say gets laughed at...

then you become afraid of everyone...

and are no longer able to speak...

even knowing all that does is bother everyone...

Your heart...

....shuts down...

And your words die...."

Natsuki Takaya, Fruits Basket, Vol. 5

© Copyright Jenni Francis 2018

Published by Jenni Francis 2018

P.O. Box 89

Matakana 0948

www.jennifrancis.com

The moral right of the author is asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing from the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition as imposed on any purchaser.

Disclaimer: My story is set in Awanui. However any similarities with Awanui in the Far North are co-incidental. I just like the name. The characters, the setting and the story are all entirely from my imagination.

ISBN: 978-0-473-44268-2

Smashwords Edition

Also by Jenni Francis

Keri Series

'Losing William'

'Fire Island'

'Danger Signs'

Cold as Ice

Watch Me!

A Little Book of Short Stories for Boys

Dedication

To the bravest girl I know.

She’s also a bit wild and a lot stubborn.

But she’s brave and she’s beautiful.

~CHAPTER 1~

Chloe - July term 3

It wasn’t any better.

It was worse.

Much worse.

The words she had practised for days stuck in her throat. Like broken glass. Chloe stood there, rooted to the spot. Unable to move, or speak. Especially speak.

Do you understand me? What’s your name? the lady at the school reception said again.

All Chloe could do was smile. In the end, the woman moved away and consulted her computer.

Are you Chloe? she barked. Chloe Hemana?

Chloe was able, just, to give a tiny nod.

You’re in 9G. Lexie, can you take this girl to Miss Thompson’s class, please.

Lexie got up reluctantly from the desk she was sitting at and tucked her phone away in her pocket.

Leave your phone here! You won’t need it. And tell Miss Thompson this is the new girl. And good luck to her, Chloe heard her mutter. Why the mother didn’t come with her, I don’t understand.

Because I didn’t want her to, Chloe thought to herself. Because this was going to be a new start. A school where no one knew her and didn’t know she didn’t speak. She followed Lexie outside and across the quadrangle.

Lexie looked at Chloe curiously. What’s up with you? Are you shy or something? she asked.

Chloe put her head down and hoisted her bag higher on her shoulder. She shook her head.

Well, all I can say is, you better toughen up, ‘cos the kids at this school will chew you up and spit you out. Specially the way you look. Here, this is your class.

Lexie knocked at the door and walked inside. Thirty pairs of eyes swiveled around to look at them. With her pale skin and red hair, she was never going to be inconspicuous. She felt her face redden. She willed herself to keep walking. Miss Thompson moved from the back of the room.

You must be Chloe, she said kindly. Thank you, Lexie, you can go now, she said as the girl was whispering something to another girl seated by the door.

Lexie stood up and strutted out the door, a look of insolence on her face.

Here’s your desk, Miss Thompson said to Chloe. I’ve put you with Lani. She’s offered to look after you. Okay?

Chloe nodded. Miss Thompson seemed understanding, at least. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all.

~CHAPTER 2~

Keri

The airport was crowded when we walked into the arrival’s hall. Not surprising as it was only four days before Christmas. On the electronic board the list of planes that had just landed included Jess’s plane. Air New Zealand flight 5616 from LA. Dad and I moved closer to the rail that separated us from those arriving, but we kept getting pushed out the way by other excited adults and children. It was mayhem in there.

We moved to the stairwell behind us and stood on a step slightly higher than the other people’s heads. From there we had a much better view. In front of us, behind the waiting crowd, other travellers rushed past pulling suitcases or pushing trolleys, dragging children, or letting them ride on the top of the piled luggage. It was fun to watch. But my main focus was on the doors ahead of us as they opened and closed for each group exiting the customs hall.

Gradually, Jess’s flight number crawled up the arrivals board and at last the sign told me her plane had unloaded and that they were clearing customs. The place had not cleared out much, as three more planes had landed since we arrived, and I very nearly missed seeing Jess and her family come through security. Her grandparents were there to meet her as well, and there was a lot of hugging and laughing going on when we finally pushed our way through the throng to greet my best friend and her family.

Jess had grown! She was at least 50cm taller than me. She saw me and her eyes grew wide with surprise.

Keri, she screamed. She threw her bag down and flung her arms around me. How did you know when we were coming?

Talked to your nana! I grinned. We’ve come to help with transport.

That’s fantastic! There’s so much to tell you, oh, it is good to be home. Soon as I heard that accent on the plane, I knew it was real.

Dad and I gave the rest of the family welcome-home hugs, and we made our way slowly to the exit. Her little sister Pippa wasn’t little anymore. She’d gone from a seven-year-old in braids to a nine-year-old in a crop top and sneakers. Two years in New York had changed her too.

Nicky won’t recognise you, I teased her. You look like a teenager instead of his best tomboy friend.

She frowned at me a little. Does he still climb trees? I haven’t climbed a tree since we left here.

He does, I assured her. But not much now. He missed you and then William went missing and now he’s even more quiet. Maybe you can wake him up a bit.

Her eyes gleamed. Yeah! That’s what I’ll do. Wake him up!

Her mum stopped outside the doors and breathed in deeply. That smell, she said. I know it’s car fumes too, but I can still smell the green and the sea and the summer.

Dad and I grinned at each other. That’s what he’d said to me as we were driving in. He remembered having the same reaction when he came back from working in England when he was young. We moved slowly to the cars pushing two trolleys piled with teetering luggage, talking non-stop across each other. By the time we had stowed all the bags and cases in the cars there was barely room for the people, but finally, with bags on laps and under feet, we started a two-car convoy back to our suburb.

In the back seat, Jess swung her head from side to side. As it was, she swung her head from side to side, taking in all the changes and chatting away furiously.

You wouldn’t believe what it was like, she said. It was sooo different to schools here – no playing fields, security everywhere, passes to get out of the classroom to go to the loo, you have no idea. I’m just happy to be home. It’s been a loooong two years.

Yeah, but we were at intermediate school when you left. High school is a bit different. It’s a lot more disciplined, I said.

No way, can’t be as bad as where I’ve been. Oh look, a pohutukawa in bloom! Now I know I’m home.

Just in time for Christmas, summer, holidays and the beaches.

Yes! Beaches. I’ve not seen the sea since we left. Rivers, inlets, lakes, but not a good surf beach. Dad says he’s going to resurrect his surfboard. He never surfed before we went, so I don’t know why he would think he would now. Silly man, she said affectionately. Oh, she said, as we came into our town’s main street. Can we go and look at the old school before we go home?

Dad obediently turned at the next intersection and drove around the block to our old school.

There it is, she said. Look at that lovely green field, and the trees and gardens and the play area and the netball courts. I wonder if I’ll be any good at netball anymore.

You haven’t played? I asked.

Nope, we played basketball in the gyms a few times, but not netball. Okay, we can go now. Thanks, Mr Walker. I have no idea what our house is going to look like. We’ve got to get heaps of stuff out of storage, and the agent told Mum that there is a bit of damage, and the garden needs work. I don’t think she’ll mind. She’s been so bored sine we moved over there. Oh, there’s your house, and there’s your brothers outside. How cool is that. And there’s your mum waving.

I couldn’t help laughing at her excitement. I was pretty excited myself to have her home again. I had been very lonely when she first went away. It had been the worst year of my life. Then Mereana came along. I felt a twinge of anxiety as I thought about whether Jess and Mereana would get on. Jess had been my best friend since we started school in year one, then Mereana was my best friend since Jess went away. Now she was back. I suspected there might be problems ahead.

We pulled up behind her grandparents’ car and started pulling the suitcases out of the back. Along the road I saw Mum and the