Alice Parker & the Curse of Fate Read online

  BOOK 5 OF THE NEW ADVENTURE SERIES FOR CHILDREN

  Alice Parker

  & The Curse of Fate

  Nicola Palmer

  Alice Parker & The Curse of Fate

  1st Edition published March 2014

  First published March 2014

  Copyright © Text Nicola Palmer, 2014

  Copyright © Cover Nicola Palmer, 2014

  Cover art by creativebakery.eu

  The right of Nicola Palmer to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved.

  For Alice, James and Lily

  Chapters

  Chapter 1: Too Close for Comfort

  Chapter 2: A Secret Escape

  Chapter 3: Guiding Lights

  Chapter 4: The Similar Stranger

  Chapter 5: Family Frustrations

  Chapter 6: Dizzy Heights

  Chapter 7: A Country Retreat

  Chapter 8: A Flaming Disaster

  Chapter 9: Captives in the Cold

  Chapter 10: Interrogations and Revelations

  Chapter 11: The Fall of a Warrior

  Chapter 12: Nightmare Awakening

  Chapter 13: A Shocking Transformation

  Chapter 14: Something Else in Common

  Chapter 15: The Unknown Power

  Chapter 16: The Curse of Fate

  Chapter 17: Magician Impossible

  Chapter 18: Another World, Another Lifetime

  My Other Titles

  About the Author

  Chapter 1

  Too Close for Comfort

  Wrapped in cotton wool. That’s how Alice and Thomas had spent the past few months – so to speak. Finwips are not immortal, so when accidents had begun to happen suspiciously frequently, they were kept under close observation by their parents.

  Finwips, or Fully Integrated Winged People each have a special ability – or several, in Alice’s case. But no special ability was required to see that these incidents were not just bad luck. Someone was out to get Alice and Thomas Parker. Someone who was not going to give up easily.

  First there was the close encounter with an ash tree. One stormy night in October, the Parker family had been asleep when they were awoken by a deafening crash. Mum and Dad bolted out of their bedroom to see what had happened, but Alice couldn’t move. Pinned to her bed by cold, wet branches, she knew that a huge tree had come crashing through the back of their house. Horror-struck, she wriggled each limb in turn, wondering if anything was broken. Miraculously Jack, her Irish Wolfhound, who had been sleeping beside her, was unhurt and trying to fight his way through the branches.

  ‘I’m fine!’ Alice yelled from her leafy prison as her parents screamed her name in panic. ‘What about Thomas?’

  He was not quite so fortunate. With mild concussion Thomas’s telekinesis ability was useless, which meant Dad had to spend nearly an hour cutting through branches with a saw to reach him in his bed. Thomas also had two broken ribs but when his head felt better, he was able to fix those himself. His healing ability was extremely useful, since normal human hospitals were not an option for Finwips. Fortunately Alice did not require any healing – just more hard graft from her dad in order to escape.

  On that occasion the fallen tree was blamed on the high winds – until the tree surgeons arrived to take it away. It seemed the old ash had not simply toppled over. It was burnt and blackened at the base, as if it had been struck by lightning. But there was no lightning the night the tree came down. The Parkers only knew of one other source of heat as intense as that, but tried not to panic initially.

  Then there was the accident in Thomas’s car. He had only bought it a few weeks earlier and couldn’t wait to show it off to Alice when he came home from university. Feigning interest in his second-hand rust box, Alice agreed to let him take her for a spin. But down a narrow country lane they nearly had a head-on collision with a black Range Rover. Thomas had no choice but to swerve, causing his own car to finish up on its side in the ditch. He and Alice were lucky enough to escape with minor cuts and bruises, but the car suffered more serious damage. The driver of the Range Rover did not stop, and they didn’t see a face due to the tinted windows. However Alice had noticed a familiar number plate; it began with IJR.

  Isabella Jocelyn Rowbottom had not been a problem for several months. She was a Sinwip, a corrupt breed of Finwip, daughter of the infamously corrupt entrepreneur, Brian Rowbottom. Earlier that year, after stealing Alice’s unique books about her future, Isabella had discovered something that filled her with rage. A rage so consuming, she had been attempting to kill Alice until her cousin, Hugh Rowbottom, wiped her short-term memory. But now Alice feared that somehow, Isabella remembered everything clearly.

  When a mysterious fire started half way up the stairs at home, Alice knew exactly who was responsible. The damaged stairs were level with the height of the letterbox, so Isabella must have peered through it and used her ‘super-thermal’ ability. There was no doubt in Alice’s mind this time. Isabella was up to her old tricks again. But why?

  Whatever the reason, Alice and Thomas’s parents were worried sick about them. They did not even feel safe in their own home. Mum was having trouble sleeping, through fear of what might happen next. Isabella would not simply fry someone on the spot – that would attract too much attention. Whatever she did was planned to look like an accident. Gran suggested that as soon as Alice finished school for the Christmas holidays, she should take her and Thomas to Germany to stay with her sister.

  ‘It’s a good idea,’ Mum agreed. ‘We need to get you away from here for your own safety. If this nonsense continues, you might not see Christmas.’

  ‘I’m not looking forward to it anyway,’ said Thomas. ‘I feel trapped here since you lot won’t allow me to drive.’

  ‘It’s for your own good,’ Grandma reminded him. ‘That Isabella is clearly on a mission. Something must have got up her nose to make her so persistent.’

  ‘Just book the flights to Berlin, Erika,’ pleaded Grandad. ‘Get them away from here.’

  ‘I’m twenty-one. I’m too old for family holidays,’ moaned Thomas. ‘Unless Ellie can come with us.’

  ‘No, she can’t. Brigitte’s apartment isn’t big enough for all of us. Anyway, it’s not a holiday to entertain your girlfriend. It’s a safety measure. And an opportunity for you to visit your aunt, of course.’

  ‘Well, I’m fifteen and I don’t like flying. Does that count for anything?’ asked Alice.

  ‘No,’ said Thomas promptly. ‘It doesn’t make sense that you’re happy to fly using your own enormous wings, but you’re scared of travelling by plane!’

  ‘I’m not in control of the plane. That’s the difference. Anyway, can you take time off from the lab or does Nona need your help at the moment?’

  Nona was the resident scientist-engineer in Finwip village and Thomas worked as her assistant during the holidays.

  ‘Unfortunately there isn’t much for me to do at the moment,’ said Thomas, sounding disgruntled. ‘She says she’s dealing with a project “of delicate subject matter” and prefers to work on it alone.’

  Alice sighed. ‘What about you, Grandad? Are you coming with us?’

  ‘I’d rather stay here and keep my ear to the ground. I’m determined to find a way to stop Isabella once and for all. Then we won’t need to worry any more. Besides, I was only there in summer! And I know Brigitte doesn’t really like me!’

  ‘Oh, that’s not true!’ protested Grandma. ‘She just finds you a little strange. Perhaps all Finwips seem odd to people who don’t know about them!’

  That was another i
ssue. Aunt Brigitte was older than Grandma and not as open-minded. Needless to say, Grandma had never told her about the existence of Finwips. Grandad felt sure she sensed there was something different about him, and often caught her staring at him across the room. He found it so uncomfortable, he usually spent most of his time in Berlin’s Finwip village and told Brigitte he’d been out exploring the city. But these days Brigitte was growing suspicious at how often he left her and Grandma alone.

  ‘After fifty years of visiting Berlin there can be nothing more to see!’ she would argue.

  Her English was excellent, though that didn’t matter to Alice. Thanks to her super-intelligence, she could speak any language fluently. Most of the time she chose not to – it prevented arguments with Thomas, who would accuse her of showing off.

  Eventually Alice and Thomas agreed to go to Germany. Alice decided she would like to visit the Christmas markets, and could remember from several years ago how much she liked the food. She and Thomas were not Finwips then, so had not experienced Berlin’s Finwip village. This time everything would be different.

  In truth Alice realised it made sense to get away for a while. She was tired of living in fear; always looking over her shoulder instead of enjoying what should be a fantastic life.

  *

  It was the last week of term and Alice was not looking forward to telling Sarah she was going away. They were very close friends and spent a lot of time together in the holidays. Sarah Wiseman was Alice’s only ‘normal’ friend who knew about Finwips. Having witnessed Alice’s metamorphosis and stood by her through every crisis since, Sarah was very protective of her friend. This unexpected trip before Christmas did not go down well when Alice broke the news at lunch time.

  ‘How long for? Why?’

  ‘Um, just a few days,’ replied Alice, red-faced. ‘To see Aunt Brigitte.’

  ‘Your aunt in Germany? I thought you weren’t keen on that old bat,’ replied Sarah. ‘You’re running away from something, aren’t you? It’s to do with all these accidents, isn’t it? What’s going on? Tell me!’

  Before Alice could answer, Lucinda Rowbottom, Isabella’s younger sister, joined them at the table. She was a normal human who had been looking quite ill lately; pale and gaunt with dark rings under her eyes. Of course, it couldn’t have been easy for her, finding out that her sister and father were Sinwips. But that had happened months ago. Today Lucinda looked more stressed than ever. Anxiously she looked all around then leaned over and whispered to Alice.

  ‘I need to talk to you in private. Follow me outside in a minute.’

  Mystified, Alice nodded. After Lucinda had left the dining room, Alice shrugged her shoulders at Sarah and did as she was told. It was drizzling outside, so no one was in the playground.

  ‘Over here,’ hissed Lucinda, sheltering under a small tree. ‘Listen, I’ll make this quick. I know all about Isabella and my father. What they are, I mean.’

  Alice nodded. ‘I know.’

  ‘I also know what you are because Isabella told me. Don’t worry, I don’t care. It doesn’t change anything.’

  ‘Oh! Er, that’s good.’

  ‘Listen, I know I should be loyal to my own family but ... I don’t like this. I don’t understand what’s going on.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I don’t know how to say this without sounding completely insane. But I think Isabella’s losing the plot. I keep finding her talking to a statue in my dad’s office. She seems to have conversations with it, as if it’s real.’

  ‘Oh!’ gasped Alice, her heart pounding. ‘What sort of statue is it?’

  ‘Well, it’s an ugly thing made of blue stone. It looks like a man but it’s more of a monster really, with scaly skin. Weird or what? Anyway, this is the part I really need to tell you. I heard her promising it that she would get revenge on the Parkers. I actually heard her mention you and Thomas. I’m so sorry. Does any of this make sense or is my sister really ill?’

  Mortified that Lionel was in the same town, Alice closed her eyes and tried to compose herself. Lionel, the Sinwip who Thomas had accidentally killed by turning him to stone, was residing with the Rowbottoms just minutes away from the Parkers’ home. ‘It ... it does make sense, thanks,’ she stuttered. ‘But it’s bad news for me. How long has that statue been in your house?’

  ‘Quite a while. Since May or June, I think. Horrible thing. It gives me the creeps. I don’t know how Isabella persuaded Dad to buy it. I really don’t understand her any more. Or him.’

  A tear ran down Lucinda’s face. She brushed it off hurriedly. ‘I just thought you should know. Isabella would kill me if she ...’

  ‘I won’t say anything, I promise,’ Alice assured her. ‘I really appreciate this. You will tell me if you hear anything else, won’t you?’

  Lucinda nodded and hurried back indoors. For a moment, Alice paused in the rain. No wonder Isabella had been pursuing them relentlessly. She had a partner in crime now, fuelling her motivation. The last time they had seen Lionel, he was being exhibited as a statue at the British Museum. That was when Alice realised that Isabella shared one of her abilities; she could communicate with the dead. But Alice had no intention of telling Lucinda why her sister was talking to a statue. She had been through enough already, without discovering that her father’s latest art acquisition was actually a corpse.

  Chapter 2

  A Secret Escape

  After the initial shock of learning that Lionel was just down the road, Thomas couldn’t help seeing the funny side of it.

  ‘Imagine that! Lionel standing in Brian’s office as a talking point for his clients! I wonder how many of them comment how ugly he is? His face would put me off my lunch, never mind a business deal!’

  ‘It’s not funny,’ snapped Alice. ‘We knew Lionel and Isabella would be a deadly combination if they managed to work together.’

  ‘I never thought they’d end up living together, though.’

  Alice grimaced. ‘Well, she’s always had bad taste.’

  Thomas ignored that dig at his brief but disastrous relationship with Isabella. ‘I’m actually quite glad we’re going away now,’ he admitted. ‘Lionel’s a bit too close for comfort. Isabella’s bad enough but now we know he’s involved ... I dread to think what they’ve got planned for us.’

  ‘I’ll try and find out,’ said Benedict, who had been pacing up and down on the back of Alice’s chair. ‘I could slip in and hide. The maid always opens windows while she’s working.’

  ‘No!’ insisted Alice. ‘It’s too risky. Even for you.’

  ‘I’ve nothing to lose. I’m dead already, remember, inside this stupid bird body.’

  ‘I’m still not keen on that idea.’ Benedict may have been dead, strictly speaking, but Alice had grown very close to him in the last few months – partly because she was the only person who could understand him.

  Thomas guessed what their peculiar white pigeon friend was suggesting. ‘Make sure you go with an empty stomach, Benedict. If you make a mess on Jacqueline Rowbottom’s upholstery, Lionel will be the least of your concerns.’

  *

  ‘Promise me you won’t tell anyone where we’re going,’ Alice pleaded with Sarah on the last day of term. ‘Otherwise it will be a waste of time.’

  ‘Of course I won’t tell, silly. When have I ever dropped you in it? I still don’t see the point of this trip, though. I mean, nothing will have changed when you get back, will it?’

  ‘Probably not. I think Mum and Dad just want us out of the way for a while, somewhere safe. Grandad thinks he’s going to find a solution to all this. I don’t see how, though.’

  ‘Nor do I. Unless you peek inside your books.’

  ‘You know I don’t want to. And I don’t really need to. I know I’m not going to die any time soon, because the books about me are dated way in to the future.’

  ‘But you could still be injured. And what about Thomas? You said there are very few books about him, compared to you.’<
br />
  Alice fell silent. She had forgotten about that. Could Thomas really die while he was young?

  ‘This is why we need to get away,’ she said quietly. ‘For his sake, not mine.’

  ‘I thought you couldn’t change the future,’ Sarah pointed out.

  ‘Um, no. But if it makes Mum and Dad feel better, it will be worth going.’

  ‘Hmm,’ grunted Sarah. ‘Have a nice time, then. I’ll just sit at home and watch the news. If something horrendous happens in Berlin I shall know who’s responsible.’

  *

  When Alice got home from school, Benedict was waiting in the kitchen with Thomas.

  ‘He’s just arrived,’ said Thomas, nodding at an extremely impatient Benedict. ‘I think he needs to tell you something.’

  ‘You don’t say!’ cooed Benedict. ‘Listen, Alice, Lionel has gone! When Isabella went to the study to see him this morning, he wasn’t there!’

  ‘What?! What happened?’

  ‘A huge row broke out,’ explained Benedict, flapping his wings in agitation. ‘Isabella was furious, demanding to know where the statue had gone. Eventually her dad admitted he’d sold it! Apparently one of his clients made him an offer and he was glad to get rid of it. He said it made him feel uncomfortable, as if it was watching him all the time.’

  ‘But where is Lionel? Who bought him from Brian?’ squealed Alice.

  ‘I’m afraid I don’t know for sure. Brian refused to tell Isabella. But I suspect Lionel may have gone to Switzerland. I saw a van with Swiss plates arrive at their house yesterday evening. It was collecting a large crate. Whatever it was, it was heavy. Four men struggled to lift it in to the van.’

  ‘Well, this is marvellous,’ grouched Thomas when Alice repeated what Benedict had told her. ‘Lionel’s already on the move and we haven’t left the country yet!’