Split Second (20 page)

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Parveen snapped, tactful as ever. ‘You’d look out of place
without
make-up. Most girls wear it.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘
You
don’t.’

Parveen batted her dark eyelashes at me. ‘I have
natural
make-up,’ she said. Her pointy little face was indeed blessed with perfect skin and her eyes framed with velvet
lashes.

‘Fine.’ I let her stroke a black eye pencil over the skin around my eyes, then looked in the mirror. My face was transformed, the slant of my eyes deeper than before and their
chocolate colour heightened by the eyeliner. I hated the fact that I didn’t look like me anymore but, though I didn’t want to admit it, the effect was actually quite pretty. I
didn’t say this of course, just smeared a little pink gloss across my lips.

I rode in the back of the van with Taylor. He was busy, hunched over his laptop. I stared at the tiny hand-shaped tattoo on the inside of his wrist. It was hard to remember how I’d been so
obsessed with tattoos last year . . . how I’d begged Mum to let me get one and how we’d argued about it just before the bomb went off. That all felt like a million years ago.

The van stopped and I got out, having first inserted an earpiece so Taylor could keep in contact while Aaron and I talked. I hadn’t really had time to feel nervous before but now, waiting
on the corner of the street with Taylor’s voice in my ear telling me to hold back until Aaron appeared from his school gate, butterflies were zooming around my stomach.

I took a few deep breaths. All I had to do was smile and maybe mention how much I loved parties. Taylor had insisted that Aaron
wanted
to see me, and the way he’d flirted at the
memorial service suggested that it shouldn’t be too hard to get him chatting. Still . . .

‘Time to go, Charlie,’ Taylor said in my ear. ‘He’s heading your way. If you start walking now, you’ll see him as soon as you’re properly around the
corner.’

‘Okay.’ I sauntered off, trying to look casual and relaxed. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the van where Taylor was parked with all his monitoring equipment.

Aaron appeared up ahead. He was talking and laughing with two other boys. I gave a horrified gasp. I’d only ever envisaged speaking with him on his own. Now what did I do? I stared down at
my shoes, feeling my face flush.

‘Take it easy, Charlie,’ Taylor warned, a low murmur in my ear. ‘He’s a boy, not a bomb.’

I swore under my breath. ‘Well you get out here and do this, then,’ I muttered.

Taylor chuckled in my ear. ‘I somehow don’t think I’d have the same effect that you’re having. Look up.’

I looked up. Aaron and his friends had caught sight of me and stopped walking. So had all the boys behind them and to the sides. At least fifteen pairs of eyes were staring at me. I glanced down
at my clothes. I had changed out of my school uniform into jeans and a jumper. Granted, the jumper was Parveen’s – she’d insisted I borrow it – and therefore smaller and
tighter than the baggy tops I normally wore, but what on earth was making them all stare at me like that?

‘Hey, Charlie?’ It was Aaron. He walked towards me, the dimple in his left cheek showing as he beamed at me. ‘What are you doing here?’

I smiled. Much to my relief, several of the boys watching melted away. Plenty were still standing around, though.

‘I was visiting a friend then I was trying to get to the tube,’ I said, the lie that Taylor had coached me in running surprisingly easily off my lips. I made a face. ‘I think
I’m lost.’

‘No problem.’ Aaron’s grin deepened. His eyes twinkled. He was actually quite cute-looking, I realised. Not properly gorgeous, like Nat, but still quite attractive, with his
small, snubby nose and an air of mischief about him. ‘I can show you to the tube. in fact, I can show you all the way home if you like?’

‘Me too,’ said one of the boys watching us.

‘Yeah, and me,’ said another.

Suddenly they were all arguing about who was going to come with Aaron to take me home. I frowned. This so wasn’t going as I’d imagined.

‘No need for a posse.’ Aaron looked me in the eye. ‘Can you run?’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Why?’

For an answer, Aaron grabbed my wrist and yanked me around and along the pavement. I could hear the sound of feet pounding behind us, but Aaron and I ran fast and, soon, the footsteps fell away.
We carried on running, Aaron darting this way and that through the crowds on the hill, until we reached Highgate underground station. We raced inside, then stood catching our breath. Aaron, I was
pleased to see, was panting harder than I was. He bent over, clutching his side, then stood up. His eyes shone with excitement.

‘You are
fast
,’ he said. ‘I’m, like, 400 metre champion at my school. That’s why they stopped chasing us. They knew we’d get away. I didn’t
think you’d be able to keep up the whole way here.’

I bridled at this. ‘If I could be bothered to run stupid school races I bet I’d win them too.’ As soon as I’d spoken I winced. I’d sounded haughty and rude. Not the
best way to get myself an invite to Aaron’s party. In my ear Taylor muttered a warning. But Aaron, to my surprise, laughed out loud.

‘I bet you would,’ he said, clearly unbothered by my tone. ‘So, can I see you home?’

I hesitated. ‘Don’t you have to get home yourself?’

Aaron shrugged. ‘I let myself in. Mum’s never back until sixish. Dad’s . . . well, you know what he does. He’s at work till eight or nine, usually.’

Another thought struck me. ‘Don’t you have a bodyguard?’ I asked, looking around. ‘I thought the Mayor of London and his family would have proper protection?’

‘Nicely done,’ Taylor murmured approvingly in my ear. I’d been told to ask about the Mayor’s security arrangements in case our information was out of date.

Aaron made a face. ‘We have security for big events, when there’s some special public occasion, but not every day. Dad said he didn’t want it. Anyway, there are so many cuts,
it wouldn’t look good for us to use taxpayers’ money to protect ourselves.’

I nodded. There was a silence. Aaron was still looking at me, his expression suddenly uncertain. I realised I still hadn’t answered his question about seeing me home. It was the last thing
I wanted. I was supposed to be meeting Jas and some of her mates in the Nutmeg Café on Park Street. However, as I didn’t yet have an invite to Aaron’s party, I couldn’t see
how I could get out of it.

‘Go on, Charlie,’ Taylor urged in my ear.

‘Sure.’ I smiled. ‘Though I’m not going straight home. I’ve got to meet some friends first.’

Aaron raised his eyebrows. ‘Girl friends?’ he asked.

I rolled my eyes. ‘I guess, yes, mostly.’

‘Excellent.’ Aaron rubbed his hands together. ‘Let’s go.’

George, Parveen and I hurried along the street. We were heading for an alley near the building where a League of Iron meeting was apparently due to take place. It was almost
5.30 p.m. and my thoughts kept straying to Charlie. She should have met up with Aaron by now. In fact, she should have already had her conversation with him, received an invitation to his party and
be safely on her way home.

‘We should put in the earpieces,’ George said. ‘Taylor said to do it at five-thirty, that he’d be finished with Charlie by then.’

My fingers trembled slightly as I slid my earpiece into place.

‘Did Charlie seem okay when you saw her?’ I asked Par.

‘Her usual charming self,’ Parveen said with a roll of the eyes. ‘Snapped at me when I suggested a bit of eye make-up, but otherwise totally cool.’ She paused. ‘So
long as Aaron isn’t into warm, fluffy girls she’ll be fine.’

‘She’ll be fine anyway,’ George said loyally. ‘And she doesn’t need make-up.’

‘For goodness sake, you’re pathetic,’ muttered Parveen. She turned to me. ‘
Both
of you.’

I had no idea what she was talking about but then that was often the case with Parveen, who was serially grouchy about practically everything. Anyway, it was stupid to worry about Charlie. My
own mission was going to be far harder to pull off; I should focus on that.

‘Are you there?’ Taylor’s voice sounded in my ear.

‘Yes, sir,’ Parveen muttered.

‘Yes, sir,’ George said.

‘Nat?’

‘Yes, sir.’ I shook myself. ‘Did Charlie do okay?’

‘We don’t know yet,’ Taylor said. ‘She got on the underground with Aaron Latimer so we lost contact. He wanted to see her home. It’s good, makes it more likely
he’ll want to be friends.’

‘More than friends, I reckon,’ George chuckled.

‘Focus, guys,’ Taylor warned.

I said nothing. I didn’t like the fact Charlie was still with Aaron and cut off from Taylor’s support. On the other hand, Aaron wasn’t one of the bad guys. I was about to meet
some of those. And I was going to need all my wits about me to deal with them.

We walked on. It had been a mild day but, as darkness closed in, the air grew colder. I shivered in my thin jacket. I had changed out of my school uniform before meeting up with the others.
Parveen had done the same. George, who had dropped out of school over two years ago, was in his trademark combats and T-shirt, despite the weather. We reached the rundown alley just off Caledonian
Road where Taylor had told us to wait. The alley walls were high. No-one could see in from either side. The stink of rotting meat filled the air from a nearby rubbish bag, its contents spilling
onto the grubby concrete ground.

Another fifteen minutes passed and my thoughts strayed again to Charlie. She must be almost home by now. Was she still with Aaron? Suppose he tried to kiss her? Suppose Charlie kissed him back?
I couldn’t bear the thought of it. Which was ridiculous. I’d already kissed Charlie myself then pulled away. I’d made my decision about her. End of.

‘Nat, are you listening to me?’ Taylor’s irritated voice sounded through my earpiece.

‘Er, yes, sir,’ I said.

‘Good. Our inside man tells me WhiteRaven is on her way to the meeting. She’ll be passing the alley in about ten seconds. Get started.’

‘Yes, sir.’ WhiteRaven was the Goth-looking woman I’d seen at the League of Iron meeting I’d gone to before. Taylor said she was a central member of the group – so
had almost certainly been involved in planning the Canal Street market bomb.

‘Go on, Par,’ George said.

‘Okay, okay.’ Parveen started groaning and clutching at her stomach. She rubbed her hand on the dirty ground, then smeared some of the dust on her face. ‘No,’ she cried,
‘stop, please.’

‘Louder,’ hissed George.

‘Make it sound real,’ I added.

Parveen made a face. ‘Well attack me, then,’ she muttered.

‘Fine.’ I stepped forward and gave Par a gentle shove in the stomach. It was the lightest of taps, barely making contact, but Par doubled over, yelping with fake pain.

‘Serves you right, you stupid Paki bitch,’ George shouted.

I glanced to the top of the alley. No sign yet of WhiteRaven, but she must be about to appear. I edged closer to Par again and shoved her shoulder. She collapsed onto the floor.

‘Don’t hurt me,’ she begged.

She sounded completely convincing. A wave of nausea washed over me. How could people do this for real?

‘Why shouldn’t we hurt you?’ George snarled.

‘Yeah, you’re nothing,’ I shouted. ‘Not even really human. Like an animal.’

‘No, please.’ Parveen curled up on the ground. She was sobbing, her hands over her face.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see WhiteRaven come into view. She stood a couple of metres away, watching us. I aimed a careful kick at Parveen’s thigh, making sure I pulled my boot
short of actually thudding into her.

‘What you need is a freakin’ lesson,’ I yelled.

‘More,’ Taylor urged in my ear. ‘Make it bigger.’

I swore loudly then carried on, timing each curse with each kick of my boot.

‘Stupid bitch.’ George joined in the kicking, aiming his foot over and over at Par’s stomach. She writhed and groaned with each strike. Her pain and fear were totally
believable, even though I was close enough to see George was barely touching her.

‘What’s going on?’ WhiteRaven called.

I turned. She was walking over. This was it.

‘Get lost,’ I shouted.

Beside me, George stopped his pretend kicking of Parveen and clenched his fists. ‘We’re not doing anything wrong,’ he mumbled.

‘What did she do?’ WhiteRaven asked.

I steeled myself. ‘She was born,’ I spat. ‘Then she had the nerve to ask us for a light.’

George nodded. ‘Yeah, stupid cow.’

WhiteRaven laughed. I held my breath. The biggest risk of our mission was that the League members who found us might want to join in our attack on Parveen. Much to my relief, however, WhiteRaven
wasn’t focusing on Parveen.

She seemed more interested in me. ‘Haven’t I seen you before?’ she asked.

‘Dunno,’ I said, ‘I did go to one League meeting but I haven’t been for a while . . .’

‘Why’s that?’ WhiteRaven’s small, dark eyes bored into me.

‘Wasn’t sure it was my thing,’ I went on. ‘But I heard about tonight. It’s in some place called Totton House, isn’t it?’ I glanced at Parveen, who was
now crawling away from us. Fake blood – from the sachet Taylor had given her to bite on – trickled from her lip. ‘This cow got in our way.’

‘You’re doing well,’ Taylor whispered in my ear. ‘Give WhiteRaven a chance to think about you.’

I held my breath. A beat passed. WhiteRaven folded her arms. ‘So, do you think the League is your “thing” now?’

I glanced at Parveen. She was on her feet and staggering away holding her stomach.

‘Yeah, I do,’ I said. ‘I didn’t really get it before, but I do now.’

‘Are
you
in the League?’ George said. Unlike the kicks, which he’d faked convincingly, his tone of admiration sounded slightly forced to my ears. Would WhiteRaven
notice?

‘I am.’ She cast George a quick, dismissive glance, then turned to me again.

‘How did you hear there was a meeting?’ she asked.

‘Same way as before,’ I said with a shrug. ‘Forums.’