mum?’ I ask.
‘I think she’d be gone and so would I if it wasn’t for her research. Don’t know much about it, but they want her to continue. They shuffled me off to keep her on side.’
‘How horrible. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have asked.’
‘It’s not your fault. You weren’t close enough to use your secret disappearing skills! Unless your powers extend up a few hundred miles north of here?’
And Cam is back to kidding about. But he’s not fooling me any longer. There is more going on inside him than I ever imagined.
‘Listen,’ he says. ‘Do you want to go for a drive later? I really need to talk. More than we can here.’
Curiosity wars with caution. But no need to decide, not yet. ‘I can’t today. I’m going to be here late.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘Things to do.’
‘What?’
‘Stuff.’
‘What sort of stuff?’
‘Look Mr Curious, I’m just busy; that’s all.’
He pauses. ‘I’ll hang. Give you a lift home?’
‘I don’t know how long I’m going to be.’
‘Doesn’t matter. I’ve got nothing else to do.’
I try to talk him out of it. Last thing I want is for my disappearing powers to manifest if any trouble I land in spreads his way. His mother has had enough of that, already. But he insists he’ll wait by his car until I show, so unless I want him to still be there the next morning, I best turn up.
The hall is empty. I knock once; Nico’s door opens. I go in and he locks it.
‘How is Tori?’ I ask.
‘She scrubs up pretty good,’ he says. ‘A few hot meals and staying off her sprained ankle is all she needs. Physically.’
‘She’s not been any trouble?’
‘No. Not yet. If she is, you will hear about it. I’ve got somewhere I can move her soon; just sorting details. Though she says she can cook. Maybe I’ll keep her.’
She scrubs up good; she can cook. A flash of the green-eyed monster inside sees them sitting down over a cosy dinner tonight. Using the candles I’d noted on his table, and finishing the open bottle of wine on his worktop.
Nico smiles as if he can see exactly what I’m thinking, a smile that says if you don’t like it, it is your own fault .
I flush, and when he points at the chair next to his desk, sit down.
‘I realised something last night,’ he says, sitting on the other chair and pulling it close in front of mine, so we are facing each other. My eyes are locked onto his. The long lashes that seem too dark for pale blue irises. The lock of hair falling across his forehead that I have to suppress the urge to brush back.
I swallow. ‘What is that?’
He leans in close. ‘Rain is back,’ he whispers in my ear, and his words, his breath, are shock on my skin.
He smiles and sits back in his chair, a small school chair that looks ridiculous under him. ‘She really is back. I wasn’t sure how much of her was in you. But what you did last night was her, wasn’t it? Sneaking out in the night. Kyla wouldn’t have done it.’
‘No. She wouldn’t have,’ I say, and realise he’s right. I’ve changed, so much. I’m still changing. My head is spinning. The room is a kaleidoscope, everything shifting, moving inside. I blink, and the world, Nico at its centre, snaps into sharp focus.
‘Yet something isn’t quite right.’
‘What’s wrong?’ I say. ‘I’ll fix it.’
‘Will you?’ He smiles. ‘That whole thing with Tori. Now, the Rain I knew wouldn’t have risked any exposure to Free UK for the sake of one girl. She’d have dealt with it, and there’d be no Tori, and no problem.’
The safety of the group is paramount: any risk of drawing Lorder attention must be dealt with by any means necessary. But could she – I – really have just twisted Tori’s neck? Or smashed her skull. A vision of Tori, head bashed against a tree, floats into view, and I flinch. No. I could never have done that. Could I? But I almost did; I just stopped when I recognised her. With wondering, memories stream in my mind –
‘I think she’d be gone and so would I if it wasn’t for her research. Don’t know much about it, but they want her to continue. They shuffled me off to keep her on side.’
‘How horrible. I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have asked.’
‘It’s not your fault. You weren’t close enough to use your secret disappearing skills! Unless your powers extend up a few hundred miles north of here?’
And Cam is back to kidding about. But he’s not fooling me any longer. There is more going on inside him than I ever imagined.
‘Listen,’ he says. ‘Do you want to go for a drive later? I really need to talk. More than we can here.’
Curiosity wars with caution. But no need to decide, not yet. ‘I can’t today. I’m going to be here late.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘Things to do.’
‘What?’
‘Stuff.’
‘What sort of stuff?’
‘Look Mr Curious, I’m just busy; that’s all.’
He pauses. ‘I’ll hang. Give you a lift home?’
‘I don’t know how long I’m going to be.’
‘Doesn’t matter. I’ve got nothing else to do.’
I try to talk him out of it. Last thing I want is for my disappearing powers to manifest if any trouble I land in spreads his way. His mother has had enough of that, already. But he insists he’ll wait by his car until I show, so unless I want him to still be there the next morning, I best turn up.
The hall is empty. I knock once; Nico’s door opens. I go in and he locks it.
‘How is Tori?’ I ask.
‘She scrubs up pretty good,’ he says. ‘A few hot meals and staying off her sprained ankle is all she needs. Physically.’
‘She’s not been any trouble?’
‘No. Not yet. If she is, you will hear about it. I’ve got somewhere I can move her soon; just sorting details. Though she says she can cook. Maybe I’ll keep her.’
She scrubs up good; she can cook. A flash of the green-eyed monster inside sees them sitting down over a cosy dinner tonight. Using the candles I’d noted on his table, and finishing the open bottle of wine on his worktop.
Nico smiles as if he can see exactly what I’m thinking, a smile that says if you don’t like it, it is your own fault .
I flush, and when he points at the chair next to his desk, sit down.
‘I realised something last night,’ he says, sitting on the other chair and pulling it close in front of mine, so we are facing each other. My eyes are locked onto his. The long lashes that seem too dark for pale blue irises. The lock of hair falling across his forehead that I have to suppress the urge to brush back.
I swallow. ‘What is that?’
He leans in close. ‘Rain is back,’ he whispers in my ear, and his words, his breath, are shock on my skin.
He smiles and sits back in his chair, a small school chair that looks ridiculous under him. ‘She really is back. I wasn’t sure how much of her was in you. But what you did last night was her, wasn’t it? Sneaking out in the night. Kyla wouldn’t have done it.’
‘No. She wouldn’t have,’ I say, and realise he’s right. I’ve changed, so much. I’m still changing. My head is spinning. The room is a kaleidoscope, everything shifting, moving inside. I blink, and the world, Nico at its centre, snaps into sharp focus.
‘Yet something isn’t quite right.’
‘What’s wrong?’ I say. ‘I’ll fix it.’
‘Will you?’ He smiles. ‘That whole thing with Tori. Now, the Rain I knew wouldn’t have risked any exposure to Free UK for the sake of one girl. She’d have dealt with it, and there’d be no Tori, and no problem.’
The safety of the group is paramount: any risk of drawing Lorder attention must be dealt with by any means necessary. But could she – I – really have just twisted Tori’s neck? Or smashed her skull. A vision of Tori, head bashed against a tree, floats into view, and I flinch. No. I could never have done that. Could I? But I almost did; I just stopped when I recognised her. With wondering, memories stream in my mind –
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