AN- Why hello there. I'm sorry that this chapter has taken so long, but I have exams coming up, so I have to make them my priority. So expect later chapters to take a little longer.

Though, to make up for it, this is the longest chapter so far!

Better a Freak Thank A Fake- Yeah, I wanted to try something different with the pairings, and I think that it works. Lets hope that Flaky can put more pieces together.

HTFan- Don't bother apologising, as I always say, better late than never! I hope that this chapter adds some more mystery!

Guest- Well at least someone gets it! But, honestly, I'm so glad that you are enjoying the story.

Chapter 7

"A message?" Cuddles shoved his dark glasses up and gave Flaky a doubtful look. "Don't you think there are easier ways of doing that, even for somebody like Giggles?"

The two of them, along with Toothy and Lammy, were in the car park near the garages. Flaky hadn't had a chance to test her theory that Giggle was trying to tell her something. Just as she'd been about to. Mrs. Joy had come into the library, told her that she'd been reading an hour and that she could go.

But Flaky was almost positive she was right. And when she'd seen Cuddles and the others roll up the drive in Cuddles' red car, she'd waited to tell them. She was sure Cuddles, at least, would be as excited as she was. Instead, he looked skeptical.

"It's probably just a coincidence," he said.

"I don't think so," Flaky said. "I mean, the only time she moves her hand is when I'm reading something."

"Maybe she's bored. Maybe the message is stop." Lammy said coldly. "Did you ever think of that?"

"No. Lammy," Flaky said. "I'm sure you'd be bored, but Giggles certainly isn't."

Lammy shot her a dirty look. Flaky ignored it and turned to Cuddles.

Cuddles was staring at her. "I've seen Giggles every day since she came home," he said. "Sometimes two or three times a day. I talk to her, I tell jokes, I sing, I do everything but stand on my head. No, wait, I think I did stand on my head once." He took a step towards Flaky. "Giggles and I have been together for a long time. If she had something to say, she'd say it to me."

"But..."

"And no offence, Flaky," Cuddles went on, "but I don't think you ought to mess around and play guessing games with Giggles."

Cuddles message was perfectly clear.

Back off.

But why? Flaky wondered. Was he just being protective?

Flaky didn't know. She thought Cuddles was wrong about Giggles, she didn't need protecting, she didn't need someone to stand on his head. She needed someone to listen. But Flaky decided not to argue. "Is that another present?" she asked, pointing to a small white box he was carrying.

"Huh? Oh, yeah," he said. "It's a necklace, a gold chain with a heart."

Lammy took the box and opened it. "Hey, it's just like the one you gave her last year, when you started going out," she said. "What happened to that one anyway?"

Cuddles didn't answer. He was staring towards the end of the yard.

Flippy was there. He was moving along the edge, carrying a pair of long bladed clippers.

"I don't know what happened to it," Cuddles said. He kept his eyes on Flippy. "When I gave it to Giggles, she said she'd never take it off. And she didn't she wore it all the time."

Remembering the thin red line around Giggles' neck, Flaky shivered. The necklace must have caught on something when she fell, slicing into the skin until the chain finally broke.

"Hey, what am I doing?" Cuddles said suddenly. "My girl's waiting. See you, Flaky. And be careful when you leave, that drives pretty narrow." Laughing, he started up the walk towards the house.

Lammy followed after Cuddles, but Toothy didn't move. He was watching Flaky. Not again, she thought with a sigh. "Aren't you going to see Giggles?" she asked.

"In a second, he said. "I wanted to talk to you first."

Flaky shifted her weight and looked at her watch. Maybe he'd take the hint.

"It won't take long." Toothy moved closer to her. "It's about yesterday, at the diner," he said quietly. "I wanted to apologise. I know I embarrassed you, but i wasn't trying to." He smiled his slow, easy smile. "I hope you wont hold it against me."

This guy was really something, Flaky thought. He wasn't trying to embarrass her, just his girlfriend. The girlfriend who was standing on the walk right this minute, watching them together and ready to explode.

Flaky had had enough. "Look, Toothy," she said. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but just leave me out of it, okay? And if you really want to apologise to somebody, try Lammy."

Flaky stepped around him and walked towards her car, hoping he wouldn't follow. When she looked back, Toothy was ambling up the walk. Lammy hadn't waited for him, though. She was just going inside, and as Flaky watched, she slammed the door in Toothy's face.

But not before she gave Flaky another acid look.

Forget about her, she told herself. She should be mad at her boyfriend, not me.

But she could still feel the hatred in that look.

Flippy walked up to her.

Flaky asked, "So are you finished for the day? I thought you'd be busy pulling down those killer vines."

"I was going to, but Mrs. Joy told me to put it off. She said something about not disturbing Giggles." Flippy's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the terrace. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't the real reason though," he said under his breath.

He was tense again. Angry. "What do you mean?" Flaky asked.

"I mean she wants me to stay away from..." Flippy stopped. "Hey, never mind that," he said quickly. "Since we're both through for the day, how about getting something to eat?"

He moved closer, carrying the sharp-bladed clippers in one hand.

He smiled, and his dark green eyes sparkled.

Suddenly, Flaky remembered what she'd felt in her dream.

A sense of excitement.

And of danger.

"Flaky?"

She blinked.

Flippy was staring at her curiously.

Flaky took a deep breath. "Sure," she said. "I'd love to get something to eat."

Flippy's smile widened.

Flaky felt as if she were right at the edge of the cliff.

Ten minutes later, she was sitting at a booth in the diner, talking to Petunia and waiting for Flippy, who'd gone home to have a shower.

"I happen to know that you're the first girl Flippy's asked out since he moved here, Flaky." Petunia said excitedly. She glanced over her shoulders to check if there were any more customers. "How did you manage to get a date with him?"

"I didn't manage it," Flaky said. "He just asked me if I wanted to get something to eat. Maybe I looked hungry," she added dryly.

"Well, whatever," Petunia said. "But listen, if you learn any secrets, you have to promise to tell me."

"Secrets?"

"Flippy's secrets," Petunia said. "He's Mr. Mysterious remember?" She looked over as the door opened. "Here he is!" she hissed.

As Petunia sped back behind the counter, she stopped and spoke to Flippy, then waved frantically to where Flaky was sitting.

"Hi," Flippy said, sliding into the booth across from Flaky. "Petunia told me not to let you leave until you talk to her. She said it was really important."

She wants to know everything about Flippy, Flaky thought, frowning. She liked Petunia, but she was awfully nosy. No way would Flaky tell any of Flippy's secrets.

She wished Petunia hadn't even mentioned the word. Was it some secret that made Flippy so exciting... and scary?

"Hey, is something wrong?" Flippy asked.

Flaky shook her head. "Nothing except I'm hungry," she said. "Let's eat."

When the food came, they talked about the usual things. Where they'd moved from. What they liked and didn't like. Where they wanted to go to college. There was nothing scary or exciting about any of it, and Flaky started to relax.

Flippy was crazy about military history.

"Not horticulture?" Flaky asked.

Flippy laughed. "I don't think so, but it's a good job, actually. I was lucky to get it. And I like being outside."

"Especially today, I bet," Flaky said. "I tried to talk Mrs. Joy into letting me read to Giggles on the terrace, but she didn't like the idea. She said Giggles wad tired."

"Was she?"

"I didn't think so. Anyway, being on the terrace wouldn't exactly wear her out." Flaky drank some milkshake. "I know Giggles' friends come visit her," she said. "But I get the feeling everybody treats Giggles like she's... not really there. Or not really part of things. And I know how that feels." She smiled at him. "I guess you do too right?" Being new here."

Flippy nodded. "But it doesn't really bother me."

"Well it bothers me," Flaky said. "And I bet it bothers Giggles too. I think she's trying to tell me something. Maybe not about that, but..."

"Trying to tell you something?" Flippy broke in. He looked startled. "You mean, she tried to talk?"

Flaky shook her head then explained what had happened when she was reading 'Jane Eyre'. "She tapped the chair yesterday, too," she said. "Mrs. Joy told me to give her some water. And I guess I was too busy worrying about myself, you know, how I sounded and whether I was being watched on the monitor, to pay any attention." She leaned her elbows on the table. "But today, i didn't do that. I tried to get Giggles to work out some kind of signal with me, blinking for yes and no."

Flippy was leaning on the table too. He looked interested. Very interested. "Did it work?"

"I didn't think so," Flaky said. "Then I got the idea that she was trying to use the book to say something. Because she tapped when I was saying certain things. And just when I thought that, she blinked, twice." She sat back. "But then Mrs. Joy came in, so I didn't get the chance to ask Giggles if I was right. I will tomorrow though."

"When did she tap the chair?" Flippy asked. "I mean, what words?"

"I don't know if it's a word or a sentence, or a paragraph, or what," Flaky said. "I don't remember what I was reading every time she did it either. I'll have to go back and check int he book."

Flippy stared at her for a moment. Finally, he said, "Let me know if you figure it out, will you? I'd like to know what Giggles has to say."

"Sure. Did you know her before she fell?"

He shook his head. "I'd seen her at school and I'd just started working on the grounds at her house," he said. "I think we'd said hi a couple of times. Why?"

"I just wondered, that's all." Flaky hesitated. "Petunia told me you found her," she said.

He stared at her again, now he looked angry. "And you want the gory details?"

"No!" Flaky said. What was the matter with him? "I just... forget it. Forget I even mentioned it."

"No, that's okay, Flaky. Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." With a sigh, Flippy slumped back against the booth. "It was about eight in the morning," he said. "I was working on the far side of the house, where the cliff cuts in all the way back into the woods. It was windy the night before. There were branches all over."

He sounds so cold, Flaky thought. So remote. As if he's talking about something that didn't rally happen to him.

"I was cleaning up the branches when I saw the black and white cat climb up over the edge of the cliff. I don't know why I walked over and looked down, but I did. And I saw Giggles. She wasn't moving. I called out, but she didn't answer. I climbed a little way down, and I called out again. She mumbled something."

He stopped, as if he were listening to Giggles' voice, trying to understand what she'd said. "Then I realised I couldn't do anything by myself and I might fall, too. So I ran to the house and got help."

Flaky waited.

But Flippy's face closed up, the way it had yesterday.

There was more to the story. Flaky had no idea what. But she knew that there was more.

She also knew she wasn't going to find out from Flippy. He'd said all that he was going to say.

But he hadn't told her everything.

Maybe Petunia was right. Maybe Flippy did have a secret.

At home later, Flaky tried to put the thought of Flippy's secret out of her mind.

He's exciting, she told herself. He's different. You like being with him. That's all you need to know.

Standing in her living room, Flaky looked at all the unpacked boxes lining the walls. Most of them were full of books, which couldn't be put away because the shelves haven't been built yet.

One of the boxes held her copy of 'Jane Eyre'. After digging through eight boxes, Flaky finally found the book and brought it to her room. Smudge followed and curled on her bed with her, while she paged through it, trying to find the parts where Giggles tapped the arm of her wheelchair.

She's tapped in five places that Flaky could remember. The first one was when Jane save Rochester from being burned. The second was a description of Blanche Ingram. The third was when Jane told how she'd stopped noticing Rochester's bad points. The last two were about the new man who came to Thornfield Hall.

Actually, she couldn't be completely sure that Giggles meant to tap in those places. Maybe it was hard for her to lift her hand. Maybe she was trying to do it a few sentences earlier, or even a paragraph.

Flaky places post-it notes on the pages and shut the book. She'd ask Giggles tomorrow.

Giggles had something to say, and Flaky was going to help her say it.

With the sun out for a second day in a row, Flaky thought for sure she could get Giggles onto the terrace. But as soon as she got to the house, Mrs. Joy nodded towards the library. Then she hurried away before Flaky could say a word.

Looking down the hall, Flaky saw Giggles' father. He had a pile of papers in one hand and a suitcase at his feet. He'd obviously come back form his trip, but it looked like he would be leaving again soon.

"Hi, Giggles," she said, walking into the library. "Hey, you're wearing Cuddles' necklace. It looks beautiful."

Giggles stayed still.

Flaky dragged the stool across the floor again. At least nobody kept putting 'Jane Eyre' back on the shelf. It was exactly where she'd left it, on a low table near the windows.

She picked it up and opened it to her place as she walked back to the stool. As she did, something slipped out and drifted to the floor by her feet.

It was a small piece of white paper, folded in half. Flaky bent and picked it up. Moving towards the stool again, she opened it.

And then she stopped moving.

Her mouth went dry and she felt the blood running through her ears.

The paper held a single sentence.

If you want to keep reading, be careful who you talk to.

It was a message. A message for Flaky.

But it wasn't from Giggles.