CHERUB: Shadow Wave (7 page)

James hadn’t been looking forward to the wedding, but after the tedium of the ceremony he’d started enjoying himself. He’d stood in the afternoon sun playing plastic-bat-and-sponge-ball cricket with the little kids and a few mates while the wedding photos were taken, then he and Kerry had escorted seven retired agents on a tour of campus’ newer facilities.

Most of the tour group were in their thirties or forties. James and Kerry swapped mission stories and campus anecdotes with these old-timers. James took a healthy interest in what they’d all done after leaving campus. Everyone seemed to agree that adjustment to ordinary life after the specialness of being a CHERUB agent was difficult. One bearded man even confessed that he’d found university boring, tried to compensate by using cocaine and narrowly avoided prison after getting caught up in a drug deal.

But the overall picture was encouraging. Even accounting for the party atmosphere, the group seemed like a happy bunch, with families and good jobs. Even the guy who’d narrowly avoided prison pulled out his wallet and showed James a photo of his three daughters, five cats and a hot Danish wife.

‘You don’t get into CHERUB unless you’re in the top one or two per cent,’ the bearded guy explained. ‘The education on campus is outstanding, they’ll make sure you get a top university place and the campus welfare department will support you emotionally and financially after you leave. So there’s no need to look so anxious.’

James grimaced. ‘Is it that obvious I’m worried about leaving?’

‘It’s etched in every line on your face,’ the man smiled. ‘But you need to think about all the other kids your age who haven’t got half the advantages you’ve got.’

Once the tour was over, James and Kerry put their arms around each other’s backs and took a slow stroll back towards the main building.

‘If I go to university in America, will you
definitely
come too?’ James asked.

Kerry sounded a little terse. ‘I’ll definitely think about it. But…’

‘But what? You said you liked the idea of America.’

‘Why don’t we take it slowly?’ Kerry asked. ‘We’ve not been back together all that long and you’ve been on a mission for most of that time.’

‘Kerry, I’ve got to start making decisions. I really fancy living in California. The intelligence service has a long-term deal with quite a few countries. My post CHERUB identity can be British, Australian, American, Canadian. Pretty much anything I like as long as I can speak the language.’

‘Make
your
decisions,’ Kerry said softly. ‘I don’t really know what I want to do when I leave, so do what you think is best for yourself. If we’re still together when I leave CHERUB next summer, I’m sure we’ll find a way of working everything out.’

‘I guess,’ James said, before sighing sadly. ‘Kerry Chang, always the sensible one …’

*

‘I love you baybeeee!’ Kerry sang boisterously as she danced frantically in the main hall.

It was past midnight and the room was heaving. Little kids who’d spent the night chasing around were crashed out along the side walls. Older kids were still going strong, with an epic boy vs. girl water fight, while the teenagers and adults sat around the tables talking, or bopped to cheesy music on the dance floor.

‘James, get up!’ Kerry demanded, and grabbed his wrist.

James and everyone else around the table laughed as Kerry stumbled backwards and lost her footing in a puddle of spilled booze.

‘You’ve had too much champagne,’ James smiled, as he pointed at Amy. ‘Give us a minute to get my breath. I’ve just been dancing with her.’

Kerry put her hands on her hips. ‘Oh you can dance with her, but not me?’ she said jokingly. ‘OK, who wants to dance with me then? Shak, you up for it?’

But Shak was at the far side of the table with his arm around Gabrielle and didn’t even look around.

‘Ignore me then ya bastard!’ Kerry shouted, as she gave Shak the finger. ‘Kyle, how about you? You’re a good dancer.’

‘Why don’t you sit down for a minute,’ James suggested. ‘Drink some water and catch your breath. You’re gonna have one hell of a hangover in the morning.’

‘BLAGH!’ Kerry hiccupped. ‘I’m not drunk. Kyle, get your arse out of that chair.’

Kyle gave James a sort of
I suppose I’d better
look before letting Kerry drag him on to the dance floor as
Dancing Queen
by Abba started playing.

‘That’s my song!’ Gabrielle shouted, stepping over James with her insect thin legs.

She dragged the much chubbier Shakeel behind and he knocked into the table spilling several drinks. At the same moment, Bethany was coming across from the table where she’d been sitting with Lauren and their crowd and grabbed Bruce.

‘Gotta circulate,’ Amy said, and she stood up, leaving James on his own.

James didn’t mind at first. He drank half a bottle of water and laughed as he saw Jake Parker, Kevin Sumner and a couple of their mates sneaking past on the grass outside armed with water-filled balloons. But after a few minutes he started feeling lonely and stood up, looking for a conversation.

Lauren was sitting with Rat a few tables along, but James didn’t have anything to say to them. He thought about sitting down again, but his shirt was drenched with sweat so he decided to head out and grab some fresh air.

As he edged around the outside of the dance floor he walked straight into his ex-girlfriend Dana Smith. She wore ripped jeans and a giant baggy smock, and sat with a couple of shaggy-haired blokes, who James vaguely remembered from his early days on campus.

‘Look who it ain’t!’ Dana said.

James put on a false smile. ‘Hey … Good to catch up. How’s art college?’

‘All right,’ Dana replied. She closed in on James and whispered in his ear. ‘Fancy a roll in the hay for old times’ sake? I’ve got some great spliff in my bag.’

‘Love to,’ James said. ‘But Kerry might kill me, and err … I’ve got to meet someone outside.’

James shuddered as he hurried away from Dana. He could hardly believe that he’d gone out with her for eleven months and been in love with her for at least three of them. Dana was quite butch, she didn’t get on with any of James’ mates and she always wore battered old Converse trainers that made her feet stink. On the other hand, she had boobs like basketballs and he missed them dearly.

James stepped out through the fire exit into the night air. He felt slightly drunk as he moved aimlessly between the smokers gathered around the door, then almost tripped over Dante, who was making out with some random younger girl who appeared to be wearing net curtain.

‘Get a room you dirty bugger,’ James laughed, and swiped the unopened Budweiser can on the grass besides Dante. ‘You’re too young for this. I’m confiscating it.’

Dante looked up as James started drinking the beer. His eyes flashed with anger, but he was more interested in getting his hands up a party dress than arguing with James.

It was spring and the wind had a bite that chilled the sweat on James’ back. He kept walking aimlessly into the night until he could barely hear the pounding music inside the hall. Some girls screamed as Kevin and Jake launched their water-balloon ambush and two red shirts protested that they weren’t tired as they got marched off to bed by one of the carers.

James squatted down on a tree stump and tipped his head back to drink some of the tepid beer. He’d barely moved ten minutes later when he spotted Kyle helping Kerry out through the fire door. She’d abandoned her heels, but was wobbly even on bare feet.

‘You OK?’ James asked, jogging across the grass towards them.

‘She said she feels sick,’ Kyle explained, as Kerry hung off his arm.

‘It’s all the rich food,’ Kerry slurred.

James smiled. ‘Four glasses of champagne and the illicit supply of Bacardi Breezers in the girls’ bathroom can’t have helped.’

‘I think we’d better take you up to your room,’ Kyle said gently.

‘I’m just dehydrated,’ Kerry said, as she shook her head. ‘Just give me a … oh god …’

James jumped back as Kerry spewed up in the grass between her feet. Kyle was closer and looked horrified as the puke spattered his shoes.

‘Sorry,’ Kerry said, gasping tearfully.

As Kyle dashed inside to grab some water for Kerry to wash out her mouth, she crashed into James’ arms and started to sob.

‘You’ll be OK,’ James said soothingly, and gently rubbed Kerry’s back. ‘Better out than in, eh?’

After she’d rinsed her mouth, James suggested to Kerry that she go back to her room. She looked sad at the idea of leaving the party, but she was pale and shivery.

‘You go ahead,’ James told Kyle. ‘Open the doors and keep lookout for any staff. She’ll get punishment laps if they see her this drunk.’

‘It’s something I ate,’ Kerry protested, as James grabbed her around the waist and threw her over his shoulder.

‘Tell me if you feel sick again,’ James said, as he started to walk. ‘Don’t you
dare
spew on me.’

Kerry found this prospect mildly amusing. ‘I love your arms,’ she sang, as James carried her the long way around the outside of the main building. ‘Big manly arms, carrying little Kerry.’

Kyle opened the front doors into the main building and called the lift. James waited outside, keeping Kerry out of sight until the lift arrived and Kyle gave the all-clear. Kerry’s weight wouldn’t normally have been a problem, but James’ injured thighs strained as he got her into the lift, so he flopped her down against the mirrored back wall.

‘I owe you Jamesey,’ Kerry slurred dopily. ‘And you Kyle. I’ll do you both a special favour some day.’

As the lift cruised upwards, Kerry hiccupped and brought more sick up into her mouth. It wasn’t much, but in the confined space it made James and Kyle heave and they gasped with relief when they burst into the sixth-floor corridor and breathed clear air.

Kerry seemed less shaky, so rather than letting James pick her up, she staggered along the hallway using the walls for support. When Kerry reached her room James expected her to go inside.

‘Hey, you missed your door,’ James warned.

‘I don’t want to be sick on my carpet,’ Kerry said, and she opened James’ door.

Kyle grinned as James shook his head in disgust.

‘But it’s OK to be sick on mine I take it?’ James growled. He followed Kerry into his room and flipped on the light.

‘Where’s my shoes?’ Kerry said, as she crashed backwards on to James’ bed.

‘Someone will bring them up,’ James said. ‘If not we’ll find ‘em in the morning.’

‘Everything’s spinning,’ Kerry moaned as she tried to sit up. ‘I’ll use your shower. It’ll sober me up.’

‘I thought it was the food,’ Kyle noted sarcastically, while James gave Kerry an arm-up.

James turned his shower on full blast, then unzipped the back of Kerry’s dress. Usually James would have enjoyed this, but Kerry was stumbling around and humming to herself. Her sweat smelled like booze and her breath like puke.

Still wearing her bra and knickers, Kerry stepped into James’ bathtub. She sat herself down under the jet of cool water. One hand hung over the side of the tub, while she used the other to inspect the soles of her feet.

‘Muddy toes!’ Kerry said whimsically, as she tipped her head back and let the shower nozzle flood her mouth. Then she spat a jet of water at James’ crotch and laughed. ‘Gotcha.’

‘Oh that’s nice,’ James said. He reached up and flipped the temperature control around to full-on cold.

‘Bastard,’ Kerry squealed, as she flipped over on to her belly and turned the nozzle back to warm.

‘Give us a shout if you want something,’ James said, backing out.

Kyle was sitting on James’ bed, wiping his puke-spattered shoes with a clump of tissues.

‘Turning into a bit of a wild one,’ Kyle said. He looked up at James. ‘You look like you’ve pissed yourself.’

‘Girls can’t take their drink,’ James sighed. ‘Lauren’s exactly the same. Three beers and she’s running round nude trying to snog street furniture.’

As the boys spoke, Kerry said something from the bathroom.

‘What?’ James asked irritably, as he leaned through the doorway.

‘You’re a good boyfriend James,’ Kerry said, giving James a thumbs-up before doing a great big sob. ‘I don’t give you enough credit, you know?’

‘Cheers,’ James said half-heartedly. ‘All part of the service.’

‘I see you’ve got a mission briefing,’ Kyle noted, as he pointed to a folder on James’ desk. ‘I thought you were done.’

James shook his head dismissively. ‘It’s barely a mission: two days of babysitting, week after next. Some Malaysian defence minister is coming over to sign a massive deal for British armoured vehicles and jet engines and stuff. Me, Kevin and Lauren have to chaperone his kids. You know, keep them entertained and show ‘em the sights, while making sure that there’s no human rights protestors trying to blow them up or abduct them.’

Kyle looked far more interested than he ought to have been. ‘Malaysian defence minister? You’re talking about Tan Abdullah, right?’

James raised one eyebrow. ‘How the hell could you know that? Did you peek while I was in the bathroom?’

‘Me and Mr Abdullah have some history,’ Kyle said mysteriously. ‘You mind if I take a look at your mission briefing?’

James looked baffled and shrugged. ‘Knock yourself out mate.’

Kyle Blueman had just turned fifteen and looked relaxed as he lay in the narrow hull of an open motorboat, with his head resting on his rucksack. It was early morning, but the sun was baking. The sky was clear and the sea still like a pond.

Only the boat’s outboard motors disturbed the peace, as it carved through the water close to the dense forest and unspoiled beaches of Langkawi island, fifteen kilometres from the Malaysian mainland. Kyle felt grotty after thirteen hours inside a 747 and couldn’t wait for a shower and clean clothes.

‘How long now?’ he asked, as he looked up at Aizat, the boat’s young captain.

‘Fifteen, twenty minutes,’ the Malaysian answered.

Kyle guessed that Aizat was his own age, maybe a little older. With ragged shorts, shoulder-length hair and a stained Jimi Hendrix T-shirt, Aizat moved about with total confidence, oblivious to the motion of the boat as he placed his feet amidst the benches, ropes, fuel cans and fishing gear without ever having to look down.