Storm and Stone (24 page)

‘Yeah. Turns out I’m not bad.’ Kieran rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the skin heat with embarrassment.

‘He’s the Fred Astaire of the twenty-first century, Isaac,’ Joe chipped in. ‘You should’ve been there.’

‘With this girl he likes?’ Isaac’s laser gaze was uncomfortable.

‘Yes, with cute Miss Stone. They made a great team.’

‘Hmm. That’s behind you, right, Kieran?’

Kieran rearranged his paperclip tower. ‘I know about your red line, Isaac.’ Truth—just not the whole truth that he was bopping on the wrong side of it.

Isaac tapped his fingers on the papers. ‘As I was saying, Mrs Bain finds more to censure than to praise. She told me you were caught pirating videos and music—a plausible lie—but she added hacking into the US military to get me really worried.’

Kieran frowned. ‘It’s possible but I don’t think I’ve done that yet.’

‘I hope not. I would sign off on this intensive course she recommends to find out what they do, but I’m worried that might leave you open to mistreatment. Their techniques have to be pretty heavy duty to get kids to change so quickly. I don’t want to put either of you at risk. What’s your judgement, Key?’

‘Going in armed with the knowledge they’re going to attempt to brainwash us means that neither Joe nor I would make susceptible subjects.’

‘Is what they’re doing illegal?’ asked Joe.

‘Tricky.’ Kieran had wondered this same thing. ‘If the students agree to be there and the parents request it, unless they hold us against our will, it might be completely above board.’

‘Ethically, it sucks,’ said Joe.

‘Yes, but bruised ethics aren’t enough for a conviction. The exchange of favours if we could prove it—now that would be illegal as it is a form of corruption. And the missing students—Johnny Minter and Siobhan Green—I’m wondering if they aren’t being held against their will. They may have turned out too difficult to influence.’

‘And I guess once they pass a certain point, the trustees wouldn’t accept failures as it risks the whole scheme coming to light. Isaac, Key’s right as usual. We’ve really got to find that pair and we can only do that from inside the manor.’

‘OK, I give my permission for you to try this. The case against them is building so just don’t mess it up. No heroics. Call for extraction at the first hint of anything that puts either of you in danger.’

‘Understood.’ Joe’s hand hovered over the mouse, ready to end the conversation.

Isaac’s gaze dipped back to Kieran. ‘Oh, and Kieran, we’ll be expecting a repeat performance here when you get back to base.’

‘I’m not the kind to dance solo.’ Kieran hoped Isaac got the message.

‘I’m still thinking about that. Goodnight.’

Joe closed the window on the screen. ‘What was that last part about?’

‘I made Isaac a suggestion.’

‘What kind?’

‘Oh, just about making sure Raven’s OK at the end of this.’

‘That’d be nice. But you know the rules—you can’t be part of her life.’

‘I’m not talking about breaking rules,’ though he was already doing that, risking his YDA place if found out, ‘more expanding them.’

Joe chucked a pen at him. ‘Did you know that speaking in riddles is an annoying habit?’

‘I’m achieving the impossible, Joe. Just another day in the office for Kieran Storm.’

‘And when did you get so arrogant? Oh, I forgot: you were born this way.’

Kieran smirked.

‘I just hope this big head of yours isn’t going to mean we’ve underestimated what they’ll do to us at the manor.’

Kieran stopped smiling. ‘Yes, you’re right. But we’ve got to make a breakthrough and this is our best hope. Watch my back?’

‘Do you need to ask?’

‘No. And I’ve got yours.’ They bumped knuckles.

‘Six pages.’ Joe started laughing.

‘I’d be more worried that Mrs Bain rather likes you.’

That comment led to a pillow fight. After tipping over the coffee table, knocking over Kieran’s paper clip tower and bursting the seams of the cushions, they reduced the room to chaos.

Joe blew the feathers from his mouth as they settled like snow on his head. ‘Hope you’ve got a genius way of clearing this up?’

‘Naturally.’

Joe perked up.

‘It involves the creation of a vacuum in a specially designed device.’

Joe flopped back on his bed and groaned.

Raven’s last exam was an English literature paper on the set poetry text. Kieran also took it in the hall with her, only a seat away thanks to the alphabet. Never one to shine academically, she felt it went well, as being near him settled her jitters and helped her concentrate. Maybe he was sending her clever vibes or something. Nice if his intelligence was catching. More likely he just made her feel happier. After their papers were collected in, she got up, hoping to walk out with him. He started moving towards her.

‘Mr Storm, could you come here please?’ Mrs Bain was waving to him from the front of the hall.

‘Uh-oh, bad luck.’ Raven narrowed her eyes at her nemesis.

‘And I was hoping to celebrate end of the exams.’ Kieran brushed a kiss over her cheek. ‘Catch you later.’

‘OK. I’ll be at the cottage.’

She didn’t have long to wait. Kieran rushed in, a backpack in one hand. ‘I’m sorry, Raven, but the course my godfather wants Joe and I to go on has been brought forward. It starts today. The minibus leaves,’ he checked his watch, ‘five minutes ago. But I told them they had to wait. I couldn’t go without saying goodbye.’

‘You’re going on a course?’ Raven felt a heavy sensation in her stomach: dread. Not him, please—not when she and Kieran had just been getting back on track. ‘Where?’

‘The manor. For two weeks.’

She swore under her breath. ‘Please, don’t go. That’s where Gina went. People change there—in bad ways.’

He ran his fingers over the tense muscles of her neck. ‘Sssh, it’s OK. Really it is. I won’t change. I’m too pig-headed. Joe and I will look after each other.’

‘No, listen to me. That place isn’t normal—it can’t be if they come back good girl and boy zombies.’

Kieran sniffed in disdain. ‘I wouldn’t call them good.’

‘You know what I mean—good from their parents’ viewpoint.’

‘Now that would be interesting—coming back in a form Gloria would approve.’ He smiled wryly. ‘When I get bored, I’ll think about what that might be.’

‘Kieran, please, listen to me: you’ll go in as a prince and they’ll turn you into a frog.’

‘I always thought the guy in the story was more interesting as the frog.’

‘That’s not what I mean and you know it! Please take this seriously.’

‘Don’t worry about me.’

‘I can’t help it.’ She buried her head in his jacket, just wishing she could wave a magic wand and stop him going. ‘I’m afraid for you.’

‘No need to be. Trust me.’ He soothed her by running his palm gently up and down her back. ‘I’m your Frog Prince, am I?’

‘Maybe.’ She hadn’t meant to admit that. She didn’t want him to distract her from the warning she was trying to give.

‘Interesting. In that case, I know that I get a kiss from the princess—it’s in the small print.’

‘But … !’

‘Ah-uh. Kiss first.’

He was trying to tease her out of her worry and, foolish though it was, she couldn’t resist him. ‘You want a kiss? Where? Nose?’

He pretended to frown. ‘Nope. Frogs don’t have noses.’

‘Webbed toes? I’ll tell you now, pal, I don’t kiss anyone’s feet.’

‘Not my webbed toes.’ He pointed to his big smiling mouth. ‘Here.’

She moved forward, then stopped. ‘No, I can’t.’

‘Yes, you can.’

‘No, I mean, what if you change?’

‘Then you’ll just have to kiss me again to change me back. Problem solved.’

She hesitated.

‘Ri-bik.’

She smiled.

‘Ri-bik.’

‘Are you going to keep croaking until I kiss you?’

His eyes twinkled. ‘Ri-bik.’

‘OK, OK, two kisses—just to be safe.’ She closed the gap. Somehow the kisses merged into each other—there could have been four or fourteen, she was no longer counting. The teasing game was forgotten and it became a heated exchange, an exploration of mouths as first his tongue caressed hers and then she reciprocated. For a moment it felt as if they were one person, almost sharing the same skin. Finally, he let her go.

She took a moment to recover. How did you come back from that? Sass was her usual answer.

‘So, frog or man?’

‘You tell me.’ He pressed a kiss to the tender spot below her ear, sending renewed shivers down her spine.

‘You’re still Kieran.’
My Kieran
, she added to herself.

‘That’s right.’ He tucked her hair behind her ear and met her eyes, expression solemn. ‘Please don’t worry about me. I promise I’ll be back for the prom. If anything really serious crops up before then, I’m giving you this.’ He pressed a piece of paper in her hand.

‘What is it?’

‘Don’t open it unless you have to. It’s Isaac’s number. For emergencies when I’m not around.’

‘You’re giving me Isaac’s number?’ She clenched her fist around the paper. ‘You really do trust me, don’t you?’

‘One hundred per cent. I’ve never lied to you about that.’

She had to say it. If he was going to change, she had to say this now, before anyone got hold of him. ‘I’m falling in love with you, Kieran Storm.’

He wrapped his hand around her fist. ‘So am I.’ He frowned. ‘Not the Kieran bit—Kieran is a fool sometimes—especially when it comes to his girl.’

‘Kieran,’ she said gently.

‘I’m being too pedantic?’

She nodded.

‘OK, second attempt. What I mean is I think I’m falling for you too. How was that?’

Of course thinking would have to be part of the deal; he wouldn’t be Kieran without that. ‘Much better.’ They hugged for a long minute until a hooting outside the cottage disturbed their privacy.

‘That’s them. I’ll be back before you know it.’ He pushed something else in her hand before leaving.

‘What’s this?’

‘A present!’ he called, jumping into the back of the minibus and sliding the door closed.

She waited for the bus to wind out of sight then opened the parcel. A phone dropped out of the package and on to her palm. A nice one—not too flashy to attract attention but top specifications. It came with a note.

No point giving you a number without something to call it on. Elementary logic so you can’t refuse. Kieran xxx.

A full moon rose over the trees of the deer park, turning the view to greyscale lawns and silhouetted oaks. This was Kieran’s first in-the-flesh sight of the manor. He had studied the satellite imagery so knew the layout but it was more impressive than he had expected. He had been shown to a room on his own, Joe billeted on a different floor. The noble family that owned Westron had abandoned the old-fashioned Tudor castle and moved a few miles to a new site in favour of living surrounded by the best the eighteenth century could offer. What they had built was a Palladian gem of a country house, architecture by Vanbrugh and gardens designed by Capability Brown.

Joe slid into the room. ‘Nice digs.’

‘Not bad.’ Kieran unpacked his shaving stuff and put it in the en suite bathroom cleverly built into the corner of the room. No external windows, the extractor fan hummed loud enough to kill any hopes of overhearing them. He nodded to Joe, giving him the signal it was safe to talk.

‘Mine’s one floor down, two over. The Cavalier’s Chamber. I see they put you in the Pagoda Bedroom.’ Joe perched on the edge of the bath.

‘The Chinese pattern on the wallpaper is hand painted. Worth a fortune. The housekeeper told me not to touch it.’

‘So a game of darts is nixed then. Why do you think they brought the course forward? I thought this place was dedicated to conferences during term.’

‘Perhaps they had a cancellation.’ Kieran let his scepticism seep into his tone.

‘Or?’

‘Maybe they didn’t like us sticking by Raven.’

‘I can’t see why that should worry them.’

‘I agree it doesn’t make a lot of sense. So I’ve been thinking. Maybe we were wrong to assume Raven is their chief target? At least, I’m wondering now if they aren’t also aiming for Robert Bates.’

‘Her granddad? Why?’

‘I’m thinking they’re easing him out—him and other staff members who wouldn’t go along with this system. When Raven leaves, they’ll make him choose: his job or his granddaughter. He’ll have to go and they’ll have got away with bullying her into quitting and forcing him to resign. And the dance teacher, Miss Hollis, told me after our exam that this was her last term teaching at Westron. Her contract hadn’t been renewed.’

‘Yeah, I get it. And the caretaker goes everywhere, knows everything happening in a school—he’d soon notice a pattern if all these kids keep coming back changed.’

‘I predict the next move, if they’ve not already done it, is that he will be told he can’t continue to house her. His job means he has to live on site. They are making it so he has to choose between his position and his granddaughter.’

‘And he’ll choose Raven.’

‘Of course. They may offer him early retirement to sweeten the pill but it has to look to the world that they aren’t kicking out a man with thirty years’ service. He has to choose to go.’ Kieran took his bull whip out of his backpack and threaded it through the loops of his jeans so it went round his waist several times. An odd belt, but unless you looked very carefully it would pass inspection.