message. ‘Forget him; much more important is whether you want pineapple with your ham?’
‘Too right: who needs rock gods when there is pizza? Tell Will that I want as many toppings as possible.’ I ordered extravagantly partly in defiance of guys with the Marcus Cohen approach to life. As far as I was concerned, life was for living, not for sitting on the sidelines, and if that meant overloading the pizza, then I was in.
Alex and Will had bagged us a spot on some hay bales by the pizza van.
‘Hi, guys! Sorry to abandon you all afternoon!’ I called cheerfully, jumping up on the nearest bale to give each a hug.
Will offered a hand to help me down. ‘How can I complain when you’re here for me? Any progress?’
I cracked open the nearest pizza box. ‘What flavour?’
‘Every flavour—as you requested.’ Will snagged a slice and took a bite. He chewed thoughtfully. ‘It tastes kinda … confused, but good.’
Tasting a piece, I agreed with his assessment. ‘My sort of pizza then. I did find out, Will, that Gifted are expected later. They don’t perform until Friday but will rock up tomorrow. I met one of their support band so I guess some of the team will be coming ahead and then the big stars. If they’re doing a big show there must be technical rehearsals the morning before when all us happy campers are sleeping off our late nights.’
Summer wiped her fingers on a serviette. ‘I’ve been thinking: that name—Gifted. They’ve been around a while so I never questioned it before, but do you think that, if they’re like us, that the name is deliberate?’
‘You mean so in-ya-face no one notices their gifts?’ asked Misty.
Alex frowned, his dark blue eyes pensive. ‘I’ve never heard a whisper about them on the Net before; have you, Will?’
‘No, and, trust me, I checked thoroughly before I left.’
‘But it would explain part of their phenomenal success, if it’s true,’ added Misty. ‘There’s no other band like them.’
‘If it is a clue, isn’t the real question who else might be in on the secret?’ I asked. ‘We’ve already ruled out the band members on grounds of gender, so if Gifted are like us, maybe there’s also another in their circle?’
Will sat forward, excited by the new lead. ‘And gifts often run in families—just look at us. I’ll need to go back and examine the links between the band and their entourage. And we may just have discovered a bunch of savants who work independently of the rest of us: that’s a good outcome whatever else happens. The Net could help them stay undetected.’
‘Oh, we can do much better than that.’ I picked up the last piece of pizza, thought twice about my tight skirt, and handed it to Will. ‘As much as I like tidying up the loose ends of the savant world, we’re really here for love, and don’t you forget it.’
‘No danger of that.’ Will held out the pizza. ‘Go on: take a bite. You know you want to.’
‘I’ll be the size of a house.’
‘Eat all you like and you’d never make more than a decent-sized dog kennel, Angel. Go on.’
Grinning, I nibbled a corner then pushed it back at him. ‘Really, I’m stuffed.’
While the guys finished up the pizza, I looked round, enjoying the sights of the festival. Brightly coloured flags fluttered overhead against the flush-pink sky. Strings of lights decorated the stalls and food concessions, adding a magical element. The folk-tent flaps were thrown back and a woman with long dark hair strummed a guitar, singing to the small gathering of fans. She was good, giving a modern twist to a traditional song. Might be worth listening to from inside.
Before I could make the suggestion, Misty gasped and grabbed Alex’s arm.
‘Don’t use telepathy!’ she hissed.
‘What? Why?’ I asked.
‘It’s him—over there! No, don’t all look round. Alex, you check. You remember him?’
Alex soothed her by putting his arm around her shoulders and rubbing
‘Too right: who needs rock gods when there is pizza? Tell Will that I want as many toppings as possible.’ I ordered extravagantly partly in defiance of guys with the Marcus Cohen approach to life. As far as I was concerned, life was for living, not for sitting on the sidelines, and if that meant overloading the pizza, then I was in.
Alex and Will had bagged us a spot on some hay bales by the pizza van.
‘Hi, guys! Sorry to abandon you all afternoon!’ I called cheerfully, jumping up on the nearest bale to give each a hug.
Will offered a hand to help me down. ‘How can I complain when you’re here for me? Any progress?’
I cracked open the nearest pizza box. ‘What flavour?’
‘Every flavour—as you requested.’ Will snagged a slice and took a bite. He chewed thoughtfully. ‘It tastes kinda … confused, but good.’
Tasting a piece, I agreed with his assessment. ‘My sort of pizza then. I did find out, Will, that Gifted are expected later. They don’t perform until Friday but will rock up tomorrow. I met one of their support band so I guess some of the team will be coming ahead and then the big stars. If they’re doing a big show there must be technical rehearsals the morning before when all us happy campers are sleeping off our late nights.’
Summer wiped her fingers on a serviette. ‘I’ve been thinking: that name—Gifted. They’ve been around a while so I never questioned it before, but do you think that, if they’re like us, that the name is deliberate?’
‘You mean so in-ya-face no one notices their gifts?’ asked Misty.
Alex frowned, his dark blue eyes pensive. ‘I’ve never heard a whisper about them on the Net before; have you, Will?’
‘No, and, trust me, I checked thoroughly before I left.’
‘But it would explain part of their phenomenal success, if it’s true,’ added Misty. ‘There’s no other band like them.’
‘If it is a clue, isn’t the real question who else might be in on the secret?’ I asked. ‘We’ve already ruled out the band members on grounds of gender, so if Gifted are like us, maybe there’s also another in their circle?’
Will sat forward, excited by the new lead. ‘And gifts often run in families—just look at us. I’ll need to go back and examine the links between the band and their entourage. And we may just have discovered a bunch of savants who work independently of the rest of us: that’s a good outcome whatever else happens. The Net could help them stay undetected.’
‘Oh, we can do much better than that.’ I picked up the last piece of pizza, thought twice about my tight skirt, and handed it to Will. ‘As much as I like tidying up the loose ends of the savant world, we’re really here for love, and don’t you forget it.’
‘No danger of that.’ Will held out the pizza. ‘Go on: take a bite. You know you want to.’
‘I’ll be the size of a house.’
‘Eat all you like and you’d never make more than a decent-sized dog kennel, Angel. Go on.’
Grinning, I nibbled a corner then pushed it back at him. ‘Really, I’m stuffed.’
While the guys finished up the pizza, I looked round, enjoying the sights of the festival. Brightly coloured flags fluttered overhead against the flush-pink sky. Strings of lights decorated the stalls and food concessions, adding a magical element. The folk-tent flaps were thrown back and a woman with long dark hair strummed a guitar, singing to the small gathering of fans. She was good, giving a modern twist to a traditional song. Might be worth listening to from inside.
Before I could make the suggestion, Misty gasped and grabbed Alex’s arm.
‘Don’t use telepathy!’ she hissed.
‘What? Why?’ I asked.
‘It’s him—over there! No, don’t all look round. Alex, you check. You remember him?’
Alex soothed her by putting his arm around her shoulders and rubbing
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