UP ABOVE THE CITY
Cover illustration © 2025 Rebecca Sheerin
It’s the Christmas holidays, and Jake has nowhere else to go but to work with his mum in a London bank. But Jake notices things that other people miss.
Who is the girl he glimpsed in the attic room across the road? She’s clearly hiding, but is she trapped too? Does she need help?
If Jake tries to help her, what kind of people will put a spotlight on him?
Published by Knights Of.
(read an extract below)
UP ABOVE THE CITY
Chapter One
There she is again in that little window, just under the roof across the street from me, where nobody should be. Nobody. Mum says the attics over there are full of boxes and rat droppings, and that’s all. The banks and offices don’t use them anymore.
But for the second day running, I can see her, a pale girl with her chin on her arms, staring straight ahead, looking just as bored as I feel. And she still hasn’t seen me. We’re at different heights and she’d need to look down, but I can’t believe she hasn’t. This street is so narrow that the buildings on each side seem to lean towards each other.
I lift my hand and wave slowly, in case she scares away. She doesn’t notice. I do it again, faster this time. Still nothing. She hasn’t moved, so I lift my camera, take a picture of her and check it out. And now there’s a funny feeling in my chest, because there’s something strange about the image of her. It looks like a photo of a photo. It’s weirdly flat, and the light isn’t right. In fact, she looks like she’s made out of light. Holding my breath, heart thumping fast, I let myself say the word ghost in my head.
© Clare Weze © Knights Of
