Chapter 8
"E-mail!" Keely announced, under her breath. She had done this randomly for every e-mail she had received since they had been there, and Phil had to admit, even though he had found it cute the first few times, now it was just annoying.
"Nice," Phil yawned, and leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling. Apparently Via was talking to her friends back in England, but as she was still up, Keely and her kept shooting messages back and forth.
"What'd Via say?" Phil asked, lifting his head, and watching Keely as she clicked open the e-mail.
Oh my god, are you going to tell him? And what 'moments' are you talking about? I need specifics girl!
Phil would be lucky to have a girl like you. And you know it Keely. So you'd better tell him, otherwise I'll hurt him. And you. So tell him that you love him, and get it over with!
Keely squealed as she read the letter, and hurriedly closed the e-mail. She knew that Phil read faster than her, but maybe…just maybe he hadn't seen it. Maybe…
"Keel? Is there something you want to tell me?" Phil asked, not believing what he had just read.
Keely didn't know what to say. Should she pretend everything was okay, and risk him thinking she was a liar? Or should she tell him everything, and then find out that he hadn't seen anything? It was enough to tear her apart. "Um…"
Phil wanted to know what she was thinking. He wanted to get into her head, to find out whether she agreed with what Via said, or thought Via was a raving lunatic. Then he realised how uncomfortable Keely looked, and realised the truth. And the whole truth. But he didn't want to pressure her. So he just waved a hand, and shook his head. "Never mind. You can tell me later."
"Yeah. I mean, if you freaked out, then you might wake your Mom up," Keely sighed with relief.
Phil leant back, suddenly feeling lighter. Knowing that Keely liked him back, made him feel considerably better.
He smiled, remembering all the hints he had. He should have picked it up. So much for him being smart.
"What're you thinking about?" Keely asked, closing down the Internet on Phil's computer.
Phil shrugged. "Nothing much."
"Yeah, right," Keely snorted. "Phil, math geniuses, don't think about 'nothing much'."
Phil considered relenting. Telling her exactly what was on his mind. But something stopped him. And it wasn't his brain.
It was the sudden sound of Keely's cell phone, cutting through the silence of the house like a knife.
Keely pulled out her cell phone, and just threw it onto the floor. It stopped ringing, but both Keely and Phil stayed frozen. If that had woken his parents…or Pim…
After a few minutes, they both breathed a sigh of relief, and hearts still racing, tried to stay calm.
"Sorry. I guess I forgot to turn it off," Keely breathed.
Phil nodded.
Keely then scrambled over to her phone, and took the battery out, making sure that the phone wouldn't ring out of the blue again. If it did, she might have a heart attack.
"So, what do you wanna do?" Phil asked, after his pulse had returned to normal.
Keely shrugged, and sat back in her chair, trying not to make too much noise.
"Didn't you say you'd sound-proofed the room?" Keely asked, still panicking about her phone.
"Yeah, but I didn't use a strong setting. Just strong enough. To cover our voices. The sound of the phone could have gotten through the barrier," Phil explained.
Keely sighed, and then folded her arms. "What do I want to do? I want to turn back time, to the day my Mom decided that moving was a good idea, and then be there to talk her out of it. But I don't have a time machine, so I won't be doing that."
"Well…" Phil said, trying not to let on too much.
Keely sighed. "Okay, so I know there's a time machine in your garage, but it's out of order, so I wasn't being blonde."
"Whatever you say Keely," Phil smirked.
Keely threw the pillow on her chair at Phil, narrowly missing his head. Then her face resumed her serious expression. "Phil, what am I going to do? How am I going to persuade my Mom that moving isn't the way to go?"
"We'll find a way Keels, promise," Phil reassured her, wanting to hug her. Unfortunately, if he leaned forward and held out his arms, he'd fall on his face.
A noise outside disturbed them.
The door handle turned, and both Phil and Keely held their breath.
"Can you both shut up? Because I'm presuming that Blondie isn't supposed to be here, and so you soundproofed your room. Yet, as I have ultra-sensitive hearing, I have heard everything that has been said," Pim stuck her head in.
"What're you doing up this late?" Phil hissed, hoping his sister wouldn't rat him out.
Pim rolled her eyes. "Look. This may be past your bedtime, but midnight hours are the best chance to be digging. And I need to put the finishing touches to Tunnel 8. It's caving in a little."
Keely sniggered.
"So, goodnight," Pim said, but before she shut the door, she added, "and don't be worried that I'll tell Mom. You didn't tell her about the tunnels, I won't say a thing about Blondie. So, then we'll be even."
And then the door was closed.
"Well, let's hope that your Mom didn't hear her," Keely said, and then yawned.
"I doubt it," Phil said, also yawning.
Keely smiled. "You can sleep if you want."
"No, you go first. I can wake you up if Mom comes in," Phil said, not wanting to fall asleep in front of Keely.
Keely looked over at Phil's bed.
"Sit with me?" she asked, and crawled up, resting her back on the headboard.
Phil nodded, and sat next to her.
The clock ticked to half past three.
Hmmm…don't like this chapter. I'll live with it, but there's something not quite right.
Review anyway.
