have a clue what you were doing.’
Callum eyed her suspiciously. ‘That had better not be sarcasm.’
Orlaith sighed, and turned to Pete.
‘Pete,’ she said. ‘I’m not going to let you be led along by these two morons.’ She held up the rope thatconnected their wrists. ‘If Pete’s in, I’m in too.’
Callum took a step towards her. ‘Oh, are you now? Says
who
?’
‘Says my dad,’ said Orlaith, stepping forwards to meet him. ‘
That’s
who. As long as he’s patrolling the streets, you can forget ever getting out of Barrow.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Unless, of course, you have someone in your gang who knows his routes round the village each night. Who knows how to get past him. Me.’
I glanced at Callum.
‘She … she’s got a pretty good point, Callum,’ I said. ‘You saw what her dad’s like.’
Callum’s eyes widened. He looked hopelessly from Orlaith to me, and then back again. His eyes struggled to process whatever was going on in his head. Finally he threw up his hands with frustration.
‘Fine!’ he cried. ‘Whatever! She can be in this stupid gang if she has to be, I don’t even care about it! God!’
Orlaith beamed. ‘Glad to hear it. What shall we say: first meeting tomorrow afternoon? We might as well use your storm shelter, Callum. So long as your babysitter doesn’t notice us.’
Callum trembled with frustration, and smacked me on the helmet.
‘Nice one, idiot!’ he hissed. ‘“Oh, let’s go invite Pete”… great idea that turned out to be! Any more of your
loser
friends you want to tell about our top-secret gang while you’re at it?’
‘Oh, what,’ said a voice behind us, ‘you mean the Tornado Chasers?’
I froze. Callum froze.
We turned round. Behind us stood Ceri, calmly changing a lens on her camera. Flossie stood linked to her wrist, weighed down with several bags of camera equipment.
‘W … what did you say?’ Callum managed to choke out.
Ceri looked up. ‘Your gang. The Tornado Chasers. The one Owen told me about in our interview last night.’
I had already started trying to scramble away, but Callum wrenched me back. He was making short spluttering noises, like the type an engine makes before it explodes and kills everybody.
‘He … told you … about it?’ he croaked.
Ceri snorted. ‘Well, of course he did! He invited me to join the gang.’ She frowned. ‘Wait – that’s the right word, isn’t it? “Gang”? I think that’s right …’
The ground swallowed me up. Or rather, I wish it had. At least then Callum wouldn’t have been able to start using me as a human maraca.
‘I’m sorry!’ I cried as he shook me. ‘I didn’t realise weweren’t supposed to tell people!’
Ceri leant in between us, completely unaware that anything was the matter.
‘Great!’ she said. ‘So, when’s our first meeting? How about in Callum’s storm shelter? You know, when his babysitter’s not looking.’
Without warning Callum spun round and lunged hard, shoving her backwards. Ceri stumbled, her leg braces scraping on the dusty cobbles. She glanced up angrily.
‘Hey!’ she said.
‘There
is
no first meeting!’ said Callum. ‘Not for you!’
A gust of wind suddenly picked up across the zoo, blowing hard against us. Ceri stepped forwards.
‘
Why not?
’ she demanded.
I glanced around nervously. Miss Pewlish was nowhere to be seen.
‘Because,’ Callum shouted, ‘it’s for the bravest, and the strongest! It’s for people who aren’t frightened of anything! And look at you … for God’s sake, you can’t even
walk
properly!’
It silenced us. No one knew what to say. Ceri stared at Callum, shifting the weight on her legs.
‘I’m ten times stronger and braver than you, Callum,’ she muttered.
Callum let out a bitter laugh. ‘Oh you are, are you?Go on then, prove it!’
He turned around and jabbed a finger into the bear enclosure.
‘Climb inside that pen then, seeing as you’re so
brave
,’ he said. ‘Go
Callum eyed her suspiciously. ‘That had better not be sarcasm.’
Orlaith sighed, and turned to Pete.
‘Pete,’ she said. ‘I’m not going to let you be led along by these two morons.’ She held up the rope thatconnected their wrists. ‘If Pete’s in, I’m in too.’
Callum took a step towards her. ‘Oh, are you now? Says
who
?’
‘Says my dad,’ said Orlaith, stepping forwards to meet him. ‘
That’s
who. As long as he’s patrolling the streets, you can forget ever getting out of Barrow.’ She cleared her throat. ‘Unless, of course, you have someone in your gang who knows his routes round the village each night. Who knows how to get past him. Me.’
I glanced at Callum.
‘She … she’s got a pretty good point, Callum,’ I said. ‘You saw what her dad’s like.’
Callum’s eyes widened. He looked hopelessly from Orlaith to me, and then back again. His eyes struggled to process whatever was going on in his head. Finally he threw up his hands with frustration.
‘Fine!’ he cried. ‘Whatever! She can be in this stupid gang if she has to be, I don’t even care about it! God!’
Orlaith beamed. ‘Glad to hear it. What shall we say: first meeting tomorrow afternoon? We might as well use your storm shelter, Callum. So long as your babysitter doesn’t notice us.’
Callum trembled with frustration, and smacked me on the helmet.
‘Nice one, idiot!’ he hissed. ‘“Oh, let’s go invite Pete”… great idea that turned out to be! Any more of your
loser
friends you want to tell about our top-secret gang while you’re at it?’
‘Oh, what,’ said a voice behind us, ‘you mean the Tornado Chasers?’
I froze. Callum froze.
We turned round. Behind us stood Ceri, calmly changing a lens on her camera. Flossie stood linked to her wrist, weighed down with several bags of camera equipment.
‘W … what did you say?’ Callum managed to choke out.
Ceri looked up. ‘Your gang. The Tornado Chasers. The one Owen told me about in our interview last night.’
I had already started trying to scramble away, but Callum wrenched me back. He was making short spluttering noises, like the type an engine makes before it explodes and kills everybody.
‘He … told you … about it?’ he croaked.
Ceri snorted. ‘Well, of course he did! He invited me to join the gang.’ She frowned. ‘Wait – that’s the right word, isn’t it? “Gang”? I think that’s right …’
The ground swallowed me up. Or rather, I wish it had. At least then Callum wouldn’t have been able to start using me as a human maraca.
‘I’m sorry!’ I cried as he shook me. ‘I didn’t realise weweren’t supposed to tell people!’
Ceri leant in between us, completely unaware that anything was the matter.
‘Great!’ she said. ‘So, when’s our first meeting? How about in Callum’s storm shelter? You know, when his babysitter’s not looking.’
Without warning Callum spun round and lunged hard, shoving her backwards. Ceri stumbled, her leg braces scraping on the dusty cobbles. She glanced up angrily.
‘Hey!’ she said.
‘There
is
no first meeting!’ said Callum. ‘Not for you!’
A gust of wind suddenly picked up across the zoo, blowing hard against us. Ceri stepped forwards.
‘
Why not?
’ she demanded.
I glanced around nervously. Miss Pewlish was nowhere to be seen.
‘Because,’ Callum shouted, ‘it’s for the bravest, and the strongest! It’s for people who aren’t frightened of anything! And look at you … for God’s sake, you can’t even
walk
properly!’
It silenced us. No one knew what to say. Ceri stared at Callum, shifting the weight on her legs.
‘I’m ten times stronger and braver than you, Callum,’ she muttered.
Callum let out a bitter laugh. ‘Oh you are, are you?Go on then, prove it!’
He turned around and jabbed a finger into the bear enclosure.
‘Climb inside that pen then, seeing as you’re so
brave
,’ he said. ‘Go
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