What happened next occurred so quickly that Alice was caught off guard. Jess suddenly launched forward towards Bethany and the two fell heavily to the floor. Two of the girls observing started screaming. One was a high-pitched shriek of surprise whilst the other’s shrill cries of warning burst through the night.

The two fighters tussled heavily on the floor, kicking blankets and sleeping bags away from themselves whilst hair and limbs flew wildly.

Anguished cries, begging the pair of them to stop, rang through the air. Impossibly loud to Alice’s ears, before the realisation hit her that the words were hers. Camaraderie for Jess, the only girl in the room willing to defend her, kicked in. She dropped her blanket to the floor and rushed forward. She wasn’t sure how to help but it seemed most important to stop the fight before anyone was seriously hurt. She was able to pull Jess away mere seconds before the door burst open and Bethany’s mother appeared at the door. The light was flicked on and the group rushed to shield their eyes from the overwhelming influx of light.

“What on Earth is going on in here?” Bethany’s mother demanded with wide, frantic eyes.

A second of silence seemed to stretch for hours before the room erupted into chaos. A cacophony of voices clamouring for attention, each girl seeking validation or absolution for what had just transpired.

“Enough!” she yelled, “One at a time.”

Alice looked around, too nervous to speak up for herself after the earlier accusation that had been made. The other girls appeared to be just as nervous and unsure of who should speak first. Worried exchanged glances were shared between them. Kadie had begun to cry. Big wet tears were running down her cheeks as her friend Isabelle held her hand to offer some comfort.

It was no real surprise when Bethany spoke up first. Her eye looked to be going puffy in the light whilst the white of her eye glowed an angry red. “Jess attacked me!” she said with a wail.

Alice glanced at Olivia but was surprised by the way she held herself back, away from her friend. She considered it odd that despite them seeming to be best friends, she wasn’t offering Bethany a hug or support – not even a kind word for her!

“You said a swear!” Jess retorted, glowering angrily at the girl. The words, ‘the only thing injured was her pride’ sounded in Alice’s mind. Her mum’s voice, repeating a saying that she had heard often throughout her youth when the family had shared stories of her misadventures in the past. Truthfully, Jess did look uninjured on the outside. Alice wondered about what the consequences would be for throwing the first punch.

“I did not!” “Yes, you did!”

“Stop!” ordered Bethany’s mother, motioning with her hands at the two arguing girls before her. For a brief moment, she reminded Alice of a mime she had seen on TV. The stern expression and two open palms feeling for an invisible wall before her might even have brought a smile to her face on any other day.

She snapped back to reality with a start when she realised that Bethany’s mother was speaking to her.

“Alice, what did you see happen?”

Unsure if she was merely the first to recount what happened or whether her testimony would be viewed as the most truthful, Alice hesitated for a moment. She knew that if she was honest now, she certainly wouldn’t be invited back to any other sleepovers. Maybe the other girls would also avoid her in future too - all except Jess.

Her eyes swept over to see Jess standing forlornly. Her anger had seemingly evaporated, but Alice wasn’t sure what she was feeling now. Jess's eyes were fixed on the ground and a small frown marred her face. Is she upset about the fight? Or is she still thinking about what Bethany said about her dad? Alice wondered. Her mind was made up though, she knew that she couldn’t betray Jess. She would rather have one honest friend than a room full of so-called friendships like the one that Olivia and Bethany seemed to share.

Alice took a deep breath to steady her resolve before her eyes met with those of Bethany’s mother.

“Bethany was calling me a liar and being mean to everyone – “

“I was not!” interrupted Bethany shrilly but her mother shushed her with a single glare.

Alice hesitated again, uncertain of whether to continue, but was motioned with an encouraging smile to continue.

“She was being mean to everyone except Olivia. Jess told her to stop but she wouldn’t. She said… Beth said something about Jess’ dad and how she’s only here because of you or something,” Alice continued, her voice becoming quieter and more timid. She didn’t want to offend Bethany’s mother but also didn’t really understand what had been said earlier.

“It’s alright, just say exactly what happened. You won’t get into trouble for telling me what someone else said,” Bethany’s mother prompted her gently.

“Well… When Beth said that. Jess called her a bully. Then Beth called her a…” Alice paused, her insides squirming at the thought of repeating the word in front of an adult, “she called her a bad word.”

“She called me a bitch,” Jess added morosely. She hadn’t raised her eyes from the floor, but Alice gave a weak, thankful smile in her direction, nonetheless.

“I see,” said Bethany’s mother flatly. She gave her daughter a flinty stare and, surprisingly to Alice, Bethany seemed ashamed. Her mother gave her a small, disappointed shake of her head before turning back to Alice. “… and then what happened?”

“And then Jess… erm…” she glanced again towards Jess but there was no response. “and then Jess started to fight her,” she finished lamely, feeling guilty that she might be getting her companion into trouble.

The sleepover had been officially ended at that point. Parents were called and one by one, the girls were sent home until only Alice and Jess remained. Jess had remained silent throughout, silent in her melancholy brooding.

Whilst Bethany was restricted to her bedroom and Bethany’s mother was in the other room, attempting once more to get in touch with Jess’ family, Alice took the opportunity to talk to Jess. She shuffled over on the sofa, shaving inches off the distance between them. In a timorous voice, she finally managed to speak. “I thought you were pretty brave earlier.” She didn’t dare look up at the other girl and instead, focused solely on her toes which she was flexing within her shoes.

After a ponderous delay, Jess finally replied, “My Mama says that only alley-cats start fights.”

“Wish I was an alley-cat then,” Alice said honestly.

Jess huffed a short, quiet giggle. Though Alice didn’t understand what was so funny, she was glad that the awkward silence between them seemed to be broken.

“Alice the alley-cat,” Jess said to herself, with a short-lived mischievous smile on her face. Words drifted through from the kitchen. Another voicemail being left asking for Jess to be collected.

Alice tried to think of something to say that would dispel the incoming gloom but was surprised when Jess asked her a question.

“Did you take the necklace?”

“I didn’t take it,” said Alice bitterly. She had hoped that Jess thought better of her.

“I knew you hadn’t,” Jess said, affirming Alice’s hopes, “I bet it was just an excuse to be mean to you. She does that a lot. Not saying people stole. Just being mean to them.”

Unsure of what to say, Alice merely smiled in return.

There was a sudden knock at the door which caused the pair of them to startle. Bethany’s mother answered and Alice was encouraged quickly to leave with her father. Before she left, she waved a solemn goodbye to Jess and was led out to the car to head home.

During the drive, as she stared out of the window at the passing lights, she reflected on the evening. Though the night hadn’t gone as expected, she was pleasantly hopeful that at least a new friendship may be blossoming due to it.

Once home and happily snuggled in her bed, Alice pulled the blanket over her head out of habit. She was just beginning to feel drowsy enough to fall asleep when she heard a small metallic tinkle on the mattress beside her. With a frown, she reached an arm out and blindly groped for the source of the noise. An icy pang of dread speared her as her fingers met with the delicate jewellery chain. She scrunched her eyes tightly shut as she gently felt the shape of the pendant attached to the chain. There could be no mistake, it was Bethany’s, but Alice couldn’t understand how it had ended up on her bed. She hadn’t taken it. She had been honest throughout the evening.

How? Wondered Alice, puzzled. An insidious thought wormed its way into her young mind.

What if? She questioned herself, debating whether she dared ask the question. Was she brave enough to hear the answer?

She knew the darkness would be listening. It was always waiting, ready to respond.

“Do you know how Bethany’s necklace got here?” she asked quietly, whispering into the night.

Tap tap.

Alice pouted. She had expected the answer but was nonetheless displeased by it.

“Did you take it?”

Stifling silence followed the question, followed by a hesitant tap tap.

“Why?” was Alice’s heartfelt question, which went unanswered. Stupidhead, he can’t answer that, she chastised herself. She wracked her brain, trying to put her feelings into words.

“Was it a present?” she asked. A single tap was offered for this question. Still confused, she continued her questioning. “Did you think it would make me happy?” There was a rapid taptap this time.

“So… it’s not a present but you did want me to feel happy,” Alice mused out loud, trying to make sense of this conflicting information. A flicker of guilt washed through her, and she asked another question of the darkness. “Did Bethany make you mad?” Again, a rapid tap tap was felt, radiating a feeling of increased energy from the unseen companion, though whether it was excitement or anger was anyone’s guess. This was a sleeping bear that young Alice was unwilling to prod. “You need to give it back,” she implored.

Tap.

“You have to,” Alice asked again of the darkness. She hesitated, unsure of how to persuade the malignant entity which had clearly taken a dislike of her new enemy. “If you don’t then I’ll get into trouble for taking it. Friends are supposed to protect friends. We are friends, aren’t we?”

She pushed the necklace out from under the blanket and heard it slide over the edge of the bed and hit the floor. Alice hadn’t realised that she had been holding her breath until she felt the final reassuring tap tap.