The Invisible Girl. Laura Ruby

      “What do you mean, you don’t know?” cried Jules.

      Gurl peered into the mirror. She had never spent much time looking at herself and no one ever seemed to notice her anyway. While she wasn’t exactly gorgeous, she did look better than before. Sort of. Her wild, silvery hair now poured softly over her shoulders like a waterfall and she didn’t have to push her fringe from her eyes to see. Her normally pale, dull skin and bloodless lips were fresh and rosy. “I don’t recognise me.” Jules clicked his tongue on the roof of his mouth and smiled. “I guess I wouldn’t either. Anyway, start trying on these clothes and let us know if you need any help.”

      Gurl nodded and Jules shut the door. Gingerly touching her new hair, and then the rack of expensive jeans, dresses and skirts, Gurl swallowed back tears. She hadn’t had this much attention since, well, never. No one had ever told her she looked gorgeous (even if she didn’t); no one had ever picked out clothes especially for her. For a minute she could imagine what it might be like to live someone else’s life—a rich person’s life, a happy person’s life—and instead of making her feel better, like her daydreams always did, it made her feel terribly alone. But she didn’t have time to feel sorry for herself. It was true: she was an orphan, she was hungry, she had been chased by a babbling rat man with an umbrella. She was not a rich person and she was not a happy person. She also was not alone. She had Noodle, didn’t she?

      At least, she would have Noodle if she got Mrs Terwiliger those scarves and shoes. But how would she do that now that the salespeople knew she was here? She couldn’t just hide in another changing room; they would look for her. She would have to make herself fade or blend in or become invisible, or whatever it was that she’d been doing inadvertently for days. But this time she’d have to figure out a way to it on purpose and that’s all there was to it.

      Someone rapped on the door and Gurl jumped higher than any of Ruckus’s practice leaps. “How are you doing in there?” said Jules. “Is everything fabulous?”

      “Yeah,” said Gurl. “I’ll be out in a second to show you.”

      “I can’t wait,” Jules rasped with his odd, deep voice, sounding as if he really couldn’t wait. Gurl felt a stab of guilt at the thought of tricking them, of stealing even more than she already had. But she couldn’t worry about that now.