Zoe Markham - White Lies

Everybody hurts

For Abigail, a new school could be the fresh start she so desperately needs. With her parents in the army and her sister Beth too far away to run to, she knows this year needs to be different. Shes never been part of the cool crowd and for the first time Abby wants to fit in. And all it takes is just one little white liebecause some truths are too painful to share.

Everybody lies

But at Cotswold Community College, Abby isnt the only one with a past shed rather forget. And when she stumbles across a closely guarded secret, Abigail realises that her one little white lie could reveal everything shes worked so hard to hide

Its a wonderful take on the often fractious relationship between teens and their parents, beautifully transmitted by Markham. Jack Croxhall

In a nutshell, if you like young adult books then read this, if you like zombie books then read this and every kind of book in between you need to read this. Random Redheaded Ramblings

A brilliant story this addictive, dark, compelling and very clever. I read it fast, one of those books that hooks you in and wont let go. Liz Currently Loves

Read this book! If youre at all a fan of anything YA, Gothic and/or Frankenstein then you will love the story of Chloe. Started reading this at 12.15a.m. and didnt put it down until I was finished. Fi on Goodreads

A great Gothic YA that will appeal to adult readers as well Rosee on Goodreads

Under My Skin

White Lies

Zo Markham

ZO MARKHAM

Having recently pulled off a dramatic escape from the rat race, Zo now spends her days endlessly monkeying about with words.

In a tiny, tumbledown bungalow in the wilds of West Oxfordshire she creates, destroys, giggles maniacally and cries dramatically whilst consuming epic amounts of builders tea and trying to keep the cats off the keyboard.

Her husband has learned to ignore her fictional delusions, but her five-year-old son still thinks theyre pretty cool, and often offers helpful advice usually involving dragons.

Find out more about Zo at her website: www.zoemarkhamwrites.com

With many thanks to Victoria and Rhea for helping Abby find her way.

For Tigerlilly, who always understands, and always texts me back.

I dont think I meant to kill her.

I probably wouldve been OK with hurting her. I didnt want her dead though. Im not a complete psycho. And however much I might have hated her, I wouldnt have wanted to go to prison. Or to end up in here.

The problem is, I didnt not want her dead.

They said I was contradicting myself, but Im just being honest. I would never have actually set out to kill her. Its just that I maybe wouldnt have been all that bothered if someone else had.

Anyway, what would I know about killing someone? Im just a kid.

So was she, they said.

In the end I just closed my eyes and waited to wake up.

But I never did.

Shes dead and Im in here and Im scared to death of what happens next.

I saw it as soon as we turned off the motorway. The sun lit up the old building like some kind of celestial spotlight, turning it into something straight off a postcard. The satnav politely suggested that Mum make a U-turn. I couldnt help thinking it might be on to something: that turning up as the nervous new girl at my fifth school in five years was going to be one more fresh start than I could handle. Turning around and heading back in the opposite direction didnt sound like such a bad idea.

Mum disagreed.

It wants me to go the wrong way down the M40! Turn her off, Abigail. I can see the place from here for goodness sake.

I flicked the power button with a sigh. There was no last-minute reprieve on the horizon just the sprawling mass of Cotswold Community College: Day and Boarding School, Established 1571. All pale Cotswold stone and leafy oaks and hundreds of kids I didnt know.

Dads voice floated into my head: There arent many state boarding schools around you know, Abs. Id heard that a million times down the phone and over Skype all summer long. That and: Youre lucky to have got a place; this is your chance to really get settled and stay put for a while. Every time he said it, it was like wed won the lottery or something. A boarding school that didnt cost the earth. One the MoDs Continuity of Education Allowance would almost cover.

Mum thumped the horn, tearing me out of my thoughts as a gleaming 4x4 overtook us on the inside and flew straight across the empty roundabout ahead.

Look at that! Thinks he owns the bloody road, she shouted, narrowing her eyes and squeezing the accelerator. The sun danced on the back windscreen of the speeding car ahead, winking at us, teasing us. Mums fingers tightened around the wheel and her knuckles flashed bright white. I pushed back in my seat and she leaned forward in hers me trying to hold our ancient Ford Fiesta back and her trying to spur it on.

I watched the speedo as it slowly climbed. 75. 80. 85

I took a deep breath and felt for the frayed friendship bracelet on my left wrist, running it between the thumb and forefinger of my right hand, like I always did when I felt that first icy prickle of panic coming on. Sometimes just the feel of the old thread, knotted together just for me, only me, would be enough to drive my mind away from the places no good ever came of going.

87. 89. 91

The engine whined desperately in protest. My legs were frozen in place muscles locked in fear.

Mums mouth curled into a determined grimace.

Isnt it 60 through here? My voice cracked. Mum?

I rubbed harder at the thread, worried one of these days Id rub it clean away to nothing. Mum, please.

80. 70. 60

She sighed as the 4x4 disappeared into the distance, and I could breathe again.

When we came to the next roundabout, I recognised the Little Chef and the open playing fields beyond. Rugby posts stood tall and bright, shining sentinels in the Sunday sun. We were almost there. Cars swarmed around us, bursting out of side roads now, flying across the roundabout in a steady stream. The sun sparked across each bonnet in turn, and I lowered my eyes as I tried to blink away the glare.

Abigail Mums voice dripped a tired warning. Weve been through this

Its just the sun! Im not

I could see in her face that she didnt believe me. I could also see the black Volkswagen barrelling towards us as she made her exit, blind, her eyes on me instead of the road.

Mum!

She whipped her head back around and wrenched the wheel, swerving out of danger with inches to spare as every muscle in my body braced for the impact that didnt come. The sound of the VWs angry horn faded into the distance; my muscles stayed firmly locked. The next turn, sharp and angry as Mum took her frustration out on the kerb, flung us down a narrow lane off the main road, and we jerked to a standstill in the middle of a brightly zigzagged School No waiting zone.

Here we are then, Mum said in a voice filled with over-the-top cheer. I slowly let out my breath and rolled my shoulders a couple of times. She didnt kill the engine. I looked over at her, and followed her gaze out across the wide, empty courtyard to the boarding house beyond. It was smallish, but still proper Sunday night drama material from certain angles. It was an old building,