They were from Coonagh, the smallest town in Ireland. Apparently, the place was so small that everyone looked out for each other. It was like one big family. Which was why, when they arrived in Colebrook, and they saw that Tammy was getting bullied by not one butseveralpeople at school, they came to her aid.
Now, they were her protectors. She hadn’t been bullied once since.
It was still confusing to her, though. She was so shy and boring, and they were so cheeky and bold. Not to mention two years older than her — except Shay, who was just a year older. What did Conor and Finn see in her?
Shay didn’t seeanythingin her, obviously. Shay hated her guts. He only hung out with her because his brothers were always stuck to her like glue. He hadn’t made any friends of his own since moving to the States. He just wasn’t a friendly sort of guy.
‘So, whaddya say?’ asked Conor. ‘Want to spend the day here studyin’, I dunno, the human urinary system, or do you wanna come hang out in a super-secret den in the bushes with a couple of Irish rogues?’
Tammy closed her eyes, breathing deeply. She wanted to go to the den so badly. She’d even stowed away a little sewing kit there, so that she could sew leaf necklaces for them all. Leaf necklaces were her latest craze. She liked them all to wear them like garlands when they were at the den. It was dumb, but it felt kind of ceremonial. Like she was married to them.
‘I…’ Tammy said. She could feel her willpower disappearing with every second that ticked by. ‘I…’
Just then, Shay burst into the room.
He banged the door open so hard that it caused her closet door to burst open too, and before she had a chance to do anything about it, all her toys tumbled out the door and onto the floor.
‘Oh no!’ Tammy cried out.
There were teddy bears, building blocks, jigsaw puzzles, and even — gulp — pacifiers strewn everywhere.
Tammy winced, bracing herself for the boys to tease her. And, sure enough, it came.
‘You got enough toys there, Tamster?’ asked Finn.
‘Are those… pacifiers?’ asked Conor, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.
Shay just looked at the mountain of toys, expressionless. He didn’t mock Tammy, which amazed her.
But then he did something else. Something way shittier.
‘Conor, Finn,’ he said. ‘We have to go. Now.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Conor.
‘Go where?’ asked Finn.
‘Something’s come up,’ said Shay, his eyes piercing Tammy like knives.
Slightly confused, the twins stood up and started following Shay out of the room.
‘We’ll see you soon, Tam-Tam,’ called Conor, pausing momentarily to look back at her.
‘Very soon,’ said Finn. ‘Maybe even—’
‘—tonight?’ finished Conor.
But they didn’t see her that night.
Because that was the last time that Tammy ever saw them.
*
Conor was fecked off.
‘What the hell, Shay?’ he asked as they left.
He was so angry he could have punched his brother. But they didn’t do that. They never did that. No matter how angry they got.