The Ability (Ability, The) (13 page)

“Young man, do you know where you are?” he asked in a snooty voice.

Chris opened his mouth to reply, but the man didn’t give him a chance to speak.

“You are not allowed up here. This is for our VIP customers only. Now, get out of here before somebody sees you. We have a reputation to uphold,” he said, and plucked the magazine from Chris’s hands, then wiped the cover with the corner of his Cleaver and Hawkes jacket.

“I was—” said Chris.

“Just leaving. Yes. Now get out before I have to disinfect the place.”

“Ahh, Julian, there you are!”

Julian and Chris looked up to see Victoria.

“I see you’ve met Christopher. Christopher is a guest on the Millbank account.”

Julian’s eyes widened in shock.

“The Millbank account?” repeated Julian.

“Yes,” said Victoria, “he is a personal guest of Sir Bentley.” She raised her eyebrows on Sir Bentley’s name, as if to stress the importance of it.

Chris watched as Julian processed the information and squirmed.

“Yes, of course,” said Julian uncomfortably. “Christopher and I were just sharing a little joke.” He turned back to face Chris and gave a small bow.

“Would you like to follow me, sir. Your fitting room is ready for you.”

The fitting room was larger than his bedroom at home, and Chris looked around in awe at the opulent surroundings. Large vases of fresh flowers surrounded him, and an ornate crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. The room was almost empty, except for a long cream sofa in the center; a changing cubicle to the side, cordoned off by a heavy blue velvet curtain; and a tall, ornate mirror at the other end. Chris noticed the light carpet, which looked as if it had never been stepped on, and then behind him with sudden panic, hoping that his dirty shoes hadn’t left a mark. Thankfully, they hadn’t.

Julian took a measuring tape and notebook out of his jacket pocket and began to take notes as he measured Chris. Chris stood awkwardly as Julian rushed round him with the tape, moving his arms and legs around as if he
were a puppet. Both stayed completely silent throughout, until finally Julian stepped back with a sheepish smile.

“Thank you for your patience, sir. I’m all done. If you would care to take a seat while I make some notes. Breakfast will be served in just a moment.”

“Okay, thanks,” said Chris, still feeling very much out of place. He walked over to the cream sofa and sat on the edge of it awkwardly, his back straight and hands on his lap, while Julian began to scribble numbers furiously in his little black notebook.

After a few minutes Victoria walked in, followed by another woman pushing a cart covered with a white tablecloth. On it was a lavish selection of pastries, toast, cereals, juices, tea, and coffee and a collection of magazines. Victoria directed the trolley over to Chris, then handed Julian a clipboard, and Julian scurried off.

“Miss Sonata forwarded a list of items you’ll need. We’ll just put together a selection for you to choose from and bring them up to you. In the meantime, enjoy your breakfast.”

“Great, thanks,” said Chris, standing up as Victoria walked out of the room. He looked over at the feast on the table and picked up a croissant. Taking an enormous bite, he took the car magazine on the top of the pile and sat back on the sofa.
Maybe this isn’t so bad after all
, thought Chris as he began to relax.

•  •  •

Two hours later Chris walked out wearing crisp new jeans, a white shirt, a green sweater, a black jacket, and a pair of brand-new sneakers. Behind him Julian and another
member of staff carried bags laden with new clothes and shoes and loaded them up in the trunk of the waiting car.

“Thank you very much, sir. I hope you’ve enjoyed your time with us, and, well, I’m terribly sorry for the misunderstanding earlier,” said Julian, shaking Chris’s hand.

“It’s fine,” said Chris cheerfully, getting into the car. “I had a great time. Thank you.”

Julian bowed his head gratefully. “No, thank
you.
I very much hope you’ll visit us again soon,” he said, closing the door behind Chris.

“Thanks for waiting for me,” said Chris to Ron and John, as the car pulled away.

“Not a problem,” said John cheerfully, clearly trying to make up for Ron sulking in the seat next to him.

“Can’t believe it,” muttered Ron, looking out the window. “He really
was
doing some shopping.”

John leaned over and turned the radio on, much to the relief of Chris, who was for once quite happy to sit back and listen to country music.

•  •  •

Maura greeted Chris on his return to Myers Holt and helped him carry the bags down to his room, cooing the whole way about how handsome he looked in his new clothes. Chris had to admit he felt good, although a bit embarrassed at all the attention.

“The other children will be here in a couple of hours,” said Maura as they hung up the clothes in his room. “Are you looking forward to it?”

Chris shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

“You’ll get along grand,” said Maura, reassuring him,
but Chris wasn’t convinced. He always felt like an outsider around other children, partly because he didn’t know anything about the latest films or toys and partly because he knew that none of them were worrying about paying bills or taking care of their parents. Maybe this time would be different, he hoped.

•  •  •

Chris spent the next couple of hours watching television and playing pool against himself. Finally, at half past eleven, the door opened, and Sir Bentley walked in with a girl in a pink dress and pink cardigan following behind him, sniveling.

“Good morning, Christopher,” said Sir Bentley. Chris laid the cue down on the table and walked over.

“This is Daisy Fields. Daisy, this is Christopher Lane.”

“Hi,” said Chris. “Cool name.” The girl took one look at him and burst into tears.

Sir Bentley patted the girl on the back awkwardly.

“Daisy is a bit upset about saying good-bye to her parents. Perhaps you could reassure her. I’ll, uh, leave you to it,” said Sir Bentley, making a quick exit.

Chris and Daisy stood awkwardly facing each other, not speaking. Daisy looked down at the floor, her straight blond hair covering her face, and brushed the tears away with the back of her hand.

“It’s all right here,” said Chris, trying to reassure her.

Daisy nodded but didn’t look up.

“Look at this,” said Chris, and walked over to the button by the armchair. He pressed it, and the television appeared from behind the painting.

He turned back to Daisy, who was looking at the screen. She smiled weakly and sniveled.

“That’s nice,” she said quietly.

“You can watch whatever you want,” said Chris, handing her the remote control. Daisy took it and walked over to the sofa. He watched her take off her shoes, pink also, and curl up on the sofa. Chris stood for a moment, wondering what to do next, then finally walked back over to the pool table and resumed his game.

Ten minutes later the door opened again, and Sir Bentley walked in behind a boy and a girl. The girl was wearing a blue tracksuit and had light brown skin and piercing green eyes, which were framed by a mass of wild dark hair. The boy next to her was chubby, and his face was covered in freckles. His hair had been shaved close to his head, and he had an air of confidence about him that was immediately obvious.

“All right,” he said to Chris. Chris nodded.

“Christopher Lane, this is Rex King and Lexi Taylor,” said Sir Bentley. Lexi nodded at him but didn’t say anything. Chris returned the nod.

“Where’s Daisy?” asked Sir Bentley, and Chris pointed over to the back of the sofa. Slowly, they saw the back of Daisy’s head appear and look round. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked terrified.

“What’s up with her?” asked Rex.

“She’s missing her parents,” said Chris.

“Blimey, it’s only been five minutes,” said Rex, and Daisy burst into tears once more.

“Yes, well, perhaps you could try to cheer her up,” said Sir Bentley. “I imagine the others won’t be too long; I’d
best get upstairs to greet them.” Sir Bentley walked out and left the children standing in the room.

“Fancy a game?” Rex asked Chris. Chris nodded and walked over to the pool table to set up the balls.

“What is this? Some kind of boys’ club? I can play too,” said Lexi, following behind them.

“Actually, I think you’ll find you can’t,” said Rex, chalking up his cue.

“What makes you think that?” asked Lexi, angrily.

“Well, let me see. Oh yeah, that’s right—you’re
a girl
.”

“Who you calling a girl?”

“You,” said Rex with a smirk, “or aren’t you a girl?”

A flustered look crossed Lexi’s face, replaced quickly by a frown.

“Whatever. Just let me play.”

Rex shrugged his shoulders. “Fine. Just don’t cry like Princess Snotty over there when you lose.”

A loud sob came from behind the sofa.

“Hey, come on,” said Chris.

“Sorry. Didn’t realize she was your girlfriend,” said Rex.

Chris rolled his eyes and passed the cue to Lexi.

“Make sure you win and shut him up,” said Chris, standing back to watch.

“Stay out of it, rich boy,” said Rex, looking Chris up and down. Chris looked confused for a moment and then realized that Rex was looking at his new clothes. For a moment he considered correcting him, then decided to keep quiet. “You can break,” said Rex, turning to Lexi. “Probably the only shot you’re going to get.”

Lexi walked up to the table with a determined look on
her face. The boys watched as she placed the cue awkwardly over her hand. She pulled back and slammed the cue forward, completely missing the white.

Chris grimaced.

“Ouch. That’s embarrassing,” said Rex. “Two shots to me.”

Lexi looked at the cue as if it were to blame, as Rex fired off the balls in all directions, potting three. He took a couple more shots and then finally missed.

“Feeling sorry for you,” he said as Lexi leaned down to try to line up the shot. She pushed the cue forward, but instead of hitting the red, the white ball went straight into the corner pocket.

Chris put his hand to his forehead, shaking his head in disbelief and embarrassment for Lexi.

“Argh!” cried Lexi in frustration. She kicked the table.

“Oh, dear,” said Rex, laughing. “Looks like it’s going to be a short game after all.”

“I’m sick of this,” said Lexi, putting the cue back in the rack.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Rex.

“Want to show the girls how it’s done?” asked Rex, offering Chris the cue.

Chris shook his head. “No, thanks,” he said, turning away.

“Suit yourself,” said Rex, shrugging his shoulders.

Lexi and Chris left Rex playing on his own. They walked over to the sofa next to the one that Daisy was sitting on and sat at opposite ends.

“What are you watching?” Lexi asked Daisy. Daisy shrugged, still huddled in a ball.

This is not going well at all
, thought Chris. He couldn’t have been more grateful when Sir Bentley opened the door once more and walked in with two boys.

“And these are the last two students. This is Sebastian White,” said Sir Bentley, placing his hand on the shoulder of a good-looking boy with olive skin and black hair. “And this is Philip Lowry,” he said, gesturing toward a skinny, pale boy in a three-piece brown suit and glasses.

“Ready for a day at the office?” Rex asked Philip from the other side of the room. Philip smiled.

“Dress to impress,” he said.

“Impress who? My grandmother?” laughed Rex.

“Rex, perhaps we could try to tone down the humor,” said Sir Bentley, sternly. He turned to the two boys next to him.

“Philip, Sebastian, this is Christopher, Lexi, Daisy, and Rex.” Philip gave a small salute, and Sebastian bowed.

“Encantado.”

“Eh?” said Lexi.

“It means ‘enchanted.’ I am Spanish,” explained Sebastian in a strong accent.

“Knock it off! Your dad’s from Manchester,” said Rex, walking over. “You were standing outside when I came in—I heard him. You’re about as Spanish as a Sunday roast.”

Sebastian curled his lip and glared at Rex.

“Half-Spanish. My mother is Spanish, and I lived there until last year. You are . . .
un idiota
,” said Sebastian, waving his arm at Rex dismissively.

“Boys, boys. Enough!” said Sir Bentley. “You are all
going to have to learn to get on. And Rex, if you can’t say anything nice—”

“Don’t say anything at all. Yeah, I hear that a lot,” said Rex, sulking.

“Perhaps this will be the last time, then. If you don’t think you can manage to conduct yourself properly at Myers Holt, then we have no need for you here. Do you understand?”

Rex nodded.

“Right then, let’s start again. Why don’t you all take a seat and we’ll begin.”

Rex plopped himself down between Chris and Lexi, and the other two boys sat next to Daisy, who by this point had managed to stop crying and was sitting up.

Sir Bentley pressed the button by the lamp, and the screen flipped back round to the painting, which he stood in front of. All the children, apart from Chris and Daisy, who had already seen it, looked impressed. Sir Bentley walked over to stand in front of it and addressed the children.

“Welcome to Myers Holt. I hope you’ll enjoy your year here with us. You have all been picked for your unique talents, of which you will all become aware very soon. In the meantime I’d like to remind you that you all signed the Official Secrets Act, and what you learn here is not to be discussed outside of this facility. This is very important. Do you understand?”

The children all nodded in unison.

“Good. You will learn more later, but I will say this. Your stay here will teach you many things, and you will leave Myers Holt with an academic foundation that will
stay with you for life. Of that I can assure you. However, there are other reasons that you are here. To put it simply, as pupils of Myers Holt you will be expected to do some work for the government in addition to your studies. Some of you may not feel comfortable about this, and at the end of today, when you have been given more information, you will be asked to make a decision as to whether you choose to remain here or prefer to leave. That is a personal decision for each one of you, and I can’t stress enough that you are under no pressure to stay.”