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First published in Great Britain in 2017
by Electric Monkey, an imprint of Egmont UK Limited
The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN
Text copyright © 2017 Lisa Heathfield
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
First e-book edition 2017
ISBN 978 1 4052 8590 2
Ebook ISBN 978 1 7803 1779 3
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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To Frank, Arthur and Albert – for being my extraordinary.
Contents
CHAPTER FOUR: LO
RITA
LO
RITA
CHAPTER FIVE: LO
RITA
CHAPTER SIX: LO
RITA
LO
CHAPTER SEVEN: LO
CHAPTER EIGHT: LO
RITA
CHAPTER NINE: LO
RITA
CHAPTER TEN: LO
RITA
LO
RITA
LO
CHAPTER ELEVEN: LO
CHAPTER TWELVE: LO
RITA
LO
RITA
CHAPTER THIRTEEN: RITA
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: RITA
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: RITA
Acknowledgements
Praise for Lisa Heathfield’s SEED
Praise for Lisa Heathfield’s PAPER BUTTERFLIES
The air in the alleyway sticks to my skin. The bricks sit too close, pushing grief deeper into me. I stop to touch the walls.
Were you here, Lo?
I listen for a reply. Listen hard for her laughter, but it’s not here. The silence grips so hard at my heart that I don’t know how I breathe.
Dean stands waiting at the end of the alley, framed by daylight. It’s only a few weeks since I’ve seen him, a few weeks since he was my sister’s whispered secret, but he looks so different. Lo loved his eyes, but they’re raw with a sadness I never knew could exist.
‘Are you ok?’ he asks, but he knows I’m not. Neither of us are.
‘She
