LITMIR.BIZ

       CHAPTER ONE – STRANGE TALENTS

      JIMMY KNEW WHAT was coming, but he was too late to dodge out of the way. Georgie pounced on him and they both landed with a thump on the bed. She moved quickly, and easily locked her arm round Jimmy’s neck. Then she dug her knuckles into the top of his head, kneeling over him. Not again, Jimmy thought. All these years he had never been able to escape his sister’s hold.

      “Looks like I’m still bigger than you!” Georgie jeered. It was true–Jimmy was waiting for a growth spurt. But he never gave in easily.

      “I don’t care! Get out my room!” he roared.

      “I need your computer.”

      She released him and took a seat at Jimmy’s desk. Then she asked as casually as she could, “Is Westminster Bridge actually part of Westminster, or does it just go to Westminster?”

      “Find a tramp at Westminster Bridge,” Jimmy suggested, a huge smile on his face. “He’d tell you. And he’d probably smell like you too; you could be really good friends.”

      “That’s it–you’re done for.” She was at him again. This time she pinned him down even harder and pulled his hair. Even though he knew she was just messing around, it still hurt.

      “Mum!” Jimmy cried.

      “I’m not doing anything!” Georgie shouted in response.

      Jimmy flapped his arms about and slapped his sister on the back a couple of times, but it didn’t do any good. Then they heard the familiar pounding on the wall from next door, followed by their father shouting up the stairs.

      “Keep it down. You’re disturbing Mr Higgins.”

      “I hate that old weirdo,” muttered Georgie. It was remarkable how a next-door neighbour who claimed to be nearly deaf could have such sensitive hearing.

      Jimmy was still struggling. But then, without knowing why, he stopped moving for a split second. Suddenly, his arm scooped up underneath his sister’s body as fast as it would move. She lost her balance and had to release Jimmy’s head. But his arm kept going. Georgie flipped backwards into the air and landed on the bed with a splat, gawping straight up at the ceiling.

      They were both stunned.

      Jimmy stared at his hands. Then he laughed and straightened his hair.

      Georgie was not impressed. “What was that?” she shouted, but before she could grab him, Jimmy had run out of the room and made it to the stairs. Halfway down, he started walking very sedately and caught his breath. In the living room, his parents were watching the news.

      “What’s all the noise about?” his father shouted to no one in particular.

      Jimmy bounced on to the sofa feeling very pleased with himself.

      “Your sister needs peace and quiet to work on her history project,” his mother said sternly. Before Jimmy could think of the best way of answering, Georgie burst in.

      “We were just messing around, but then he started fighting properly.”

      “That’s a lie!” Jimmy was ready for action again, dying to have another go at what he’d managed upstairs, but a chocolate wrapper hit him on the side of his head. He spun round to see his father watching the television, grinning. Jimmy knew he’d never be able to return fire without his mother noticing, so he turned back to the television.

      “Oh forget it. I’ll be in my room,” announced Georgie, flustered and red in the face.

      She wasn’t really upset, was she, Jimmy wondered? Had he hurt her? He hadn’t meant to. It was just satisfying to beat her for once. Jimmy told himself that maybe later he’d apologise. He wouldn’t mind doing that–it might even be fun, apologising because he’d won for

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