An extract from The Hounded by Simon Butters

Over two weeks we're sharing summaries of and extracts from some Wakefield Press gems, in blog posts put together by work experience student Maddy. (And yes, we briefly had two Maddys in the office! Never enough Maddys, we say.)
In this extract from The Hounded, Monty finds himself alone with beautiful Eliza from next door, and in her bedroom no less …
 
"You enjoyed it, didn't you? Watching her suffer like that?"

"What if I did?" she grinned.
What if she did? She was not going to hide it. She'd accepted her nature long ago. It was now up to me to accept the darkness. I'd got her so wrong.
"I'm sorry," I said. "It was my fault."
Her look softened and she shook her head in disdain, refusing my apology. A knock on the door startled us.
"Quick! Get in there," she ordered.
I hurried into her bathroom. She closed the door on me, and I stood in the dark, trying not to move. Blood gushed through my veins. The noise was a roaring loudspeaker in my ears. I was sure the sound would give me away. Wasn't there some Voodoo guy in Haiti who could stop his heartbeat, just by thinking about it? Now, that was control. I thought I'd give it a go and held my breath. I concentrated on my heart, willing it to stop, or at least slow down a bit. It didn't work. I just made myself dizzy.
"Eliza, dinner's ready."
"Thanks Doreen," Eliza replied. "But I'm not hungry."
I pictured the scene in the bedroom. Doreen would have the door open just enough to peer in tentatively. Eliza would be seated on the end of her bed, bolt upright with not a thing out of place. By the tension in her throat, I could hear Doreen was unnerved.
"But your father won't like that," she whimpered.
"I don't care what he likes," Eliza said calmly.
The door closed. A few seconds later, Eliza came into the bathroom to find me holding my breath. I gasped. I began to wobble. A floating gaseousness invaded my feet. I reached out for the shower curtain but missed and passed out. I woke to find myself upside down behind the toilet.
"Why are you such an idiot?" she asked.
"Just the way I am," I replied.
 
Blurb
On his fifteenth birthday, Monty is at rock bottom. Ignored by his parents, bullied at school, and with a brain that's prone to going walkabout, he's all by himself.
Until he meets the black dog for the first time.
It's just like any other dog, except that only Monty can see it. And it talks. And Monty's not sure whether it's a friend – or a foe.
The black dog gets him talking to pretty, popular Eliza Robertson for the first time. It takes him to places he's never been.
Eventually it will take Monty, and the people around him, to the very edge.
 
Notable achievements
The Children's Book of the Year Awards: Notable Book
Queensland Literary Awards finalist
Shortlisted for the 2014 Adelaide Festival Unpublished Manuscript Award
 
About the author
Simon Butters is a screenwriter in film and television, living in the Adelaide Hills with his two hilarious kids, a very busy wife, and a scruffy little dog that definitely doesn't talk but does do a weird grunt when patted behind the ear. Simon's credits include Wicked Science, H20 Just Add Water, Maiko: Island of Secrets, and others.
 
We hope you enjoyed this extract from The Hounded. The book is available at our bookshop on 16 Rose Street, Mile End or online.