Voices in Stone (12 page)

“No,” said Stu. “What I’m saying is this quarry isn’t about what they tell you. It’s about what they
aren’t
telling.”

And then Dad and Stu started arguing about whether or not the world’s super-rich are secretly using alien technologies themselves, and Stu got very het up about film stars who look really young but are actually in their
sixties. I stopped listening, because I don’t really care if facelifts were invented by aliens.

I mean, it’s not true, is it? There isn’t some secret organisation paid for by the world’s super-rich, with agents creeping about and trying to mind-control people…

“What’s going on?” Isis asked. It was Monday morning and they were trying to get to geography, but were blocked by a crowd ahead of them in the corridor. Pupils seemed to fill every bit of space, stopping anyone from getting by, talking over each other. The crowd centred around the entrance to the girls’ toilets.

Isis sighed, feeling irritable. She’d felt this way ever since they visited the standing stone: ready to snap, her temper on edge. As if something had shifted with the world, and nothing quite fitted any more. She felt anxious too. She’d managed to explain away Mandeville’s words at the seance, but her new friends were more wary of her than they had been, as if she was a bomb and they
couldn’t trust her not to go off. Only Jess seemed unaffected.

“Out of the way!” shouted Jess, trying to push her way through the mob. She got pushed back and gave up, shaking her head.

Isis could hear a girl sobbing. She stood on tiptoe, but still couldn’t see what was causing this crowd.

“None of them will budge, must be a fight or something,” said Nafira.

A Year Seven boy turned around. “It’s not fighting, is it? Something’s
in
there!”

“What’s in there?” asked Isis.

The boy pulled his eyebrows into a puzzled frown. “
You
know. You’re the one who said it.”

“Said what?”

“That it’s haunted!” The boy’s voice was thick with astonishment. “
You
saw the ghost! You said the ghosts want to kill us all. Johno says your eyes went all weird, like this…” he rolled his eyes back, leaving mostly the whites showing, “and then you said—”

“I didn’t!” said Isis. “I mean, I did, but it was a misunderstanding.”

The boy looked disbelieving, and a little disappointed. “What about the ghost in the toilet that sucks your life out?”

“I never said there was a ghost in…” Isis stopped. Because she
had
. Those toilets were where she’d held the seance for Summer, introducing her to her ancestors, with Mandeville’s help.

“I never said the ghosts were bad,” she said, sounding lame even to herself.

The boy gave her a look, obviously thinking she was just trying to backtrack.

The sobs of the girl in the middle of the crowd continued.

Another boy, further into the scrum, called over his shoulder to report what was going on.

“It’s someone from 2F,” he said. “She’s completely lost it! Says she saw something inside one of the cubicles.” He paused to listen. “She’s totally freaking out!” he cried gleefully.

A horrified hot feeling ran through Isis. Whoever the girl was, this would follow her all through the rest of school!

“I should do something,” Isis said, holding tight to her
school bag. “Tell them there’s nothing to be scared of, or tell them it was only a joke.”

“No!” snapped Jess. “If you say it was a joke, no one will believe any of the rest! What’ll happen if people think we’ve been messing with them?” She shook her head. “Let’s go another way.”

“But that means right around the school!” said Nafira. “We’ll be really late!”

Jess shrugged. “So? It’s not like this is our fault,
is it
?”

As they left, Isis glanced back to see a teacher wading into the middle of the crowd, shouting for everyone to calm down. She tried to convince herself that Jess was right and this hysteria wasn’t her fault, but her thoughts kept fixing on the girl, crying in the middle of it all.

There was a strange atmosphere as they hurried through school. Everywhere students huddled in groups or went too fast along corridors, their voices louder than usual, every conversation full of exclamations. She noticed how many eyes turned to look at her as she passed, and while she’d got used to feeling like a kind of celebrity over the last few weeks, the incident with Mandeville had changed things. The looks she got today weren’t admiring
or curious: there were frowns, and even hints of hostility.

As they made their way past the library, a girl from their year was coming the other way. She started when she saw Isis, then made to intercept them, her face lit with excitement.

“I saw a ghost!” she said. “I must be like you!”

“You didn’t!” said Nafira, eyes wide.

The girl nodded.

Isis stared at her. “Where?”

“At the school gates, after Mum dropped me off. A woman with dark hair. She was all blurry, so she
had
to be a ghost. She came right up to me and said, ‘Please stop!’”

“A woman?” asked Isis, trying to think of all the ghosts she’d ever seen in the school. “Was she wearing a long green dress, really old-fashioned?” The green lady was the only ghost of a woman Isis could think of, but she was usually outside the back of the canteen, walking the same route before disappearing through a now bricked-up doorway.

The girl shook her head. “Not old-fashioned – she was wearing jeans and this bright orange blouse.”

“I’ve never seen a ghost like that in school,” said Isis.

“If she was wearing jeans,” said Jess, “then you saw a substitute teacher or a parent, not a ghost!”

The girl pulled back, her cheeks blushing in spots as if Jess had slapped her.

“I didn’t, I know what I saw! The ghost said, ‘Please, please!’ Why would a teacher say that?”

“I don’t know, they probably didn’t!” Jess pulled at Isis’s arm. “Come on, we’re going to be late.” She led the way, taking them through the library. As they walked quickly past the stands of books, Isis tasted a waft of dust, and Nafira went into a paroxysm of coughing.

They stopped, Jess patting Nafira’s back while she coughed into her hands.

Mandeville slid out of the air next to Isis.

“So, what appointments have we today?” he asked. “Cats, dogs and departed rabbits, no doubt.”

Isis widened her eyes, shaking her head a little. Jess had decided they shouldn’t hold any seances for a while, after what had happened in the alleyway. She still hadn’t decided when to start again, which Isis was relieved about.

“No seance,” Isis mouthed silently, facing away from the others.

Mandeville shook his head, the disappointment plain on his dried-out features. “How long will this hiatus last? It’s no way to go forward with our endeavours.”

Isis gave the tiniest shrug of her shoulders. Not today anyway, with the fuss at the toilets and the weird atmosphere in school. Not with the way she was feeling either.

“Not a good day,” she mouthed.

Mandeville’s patchy eyebrows gathered in a frown. “Well today is more unusual than some I have known. But I don’t see why we can’t carry on…”

Nafira had recovered now and the others started walking again. Isis held back for a moment.

“Why is today unusual?” she whispered. What could Mandeville see that she could only sense as atmosphere and oddness?

He smiled. “So I’ve caught your attention?” He tapped her shoulder with a bony finger. “Allow me to clarify the difference between the psychic and untalented mind. The psychic sees what is truly there. The untalented mind sees projections of its own imaginings, and believes them to be real.”

She glared at him. Why couldn’t he tell her, instead of giving little lectures?

He tilted his head. “It surprises me that you are unable to make this distinction today, given the reach of your powers.”

“What’s going on?” she hissed. “Tell me!”

Mandeville put a finger to his lower lip. “Well perhaps I shall, if you allow me to continue my work.”

Isis shook her head, but Mandeville looked smug, in the way of someone who knows they’re in control.

“Then we have nothing more to discuss,” he said. “Maybe we will, if you change your mind?”

Isis spun around and hurried after the others. He was so infuriating, and completely selfish! She didn’t need him to tell her then, she’d work it out…

A large window was on her right, looking out over the playground. Through it she could see a boy, Gray’s friend from UFO club. He was running, flapping his arms as if fighting off a swarm of bees, and his shouts could be heard even inside.

“Go away! Go away! Go away!”

People outside had stopped what they were doing, staring or laughing uncertainly, as if maybe this was a joke.

“What’s going
on
today?” she asked, catching up with
the others, who’d stopped facing the door leading from the library. Mr Gerard, the deputy head, had just pushed it open and was heading straight towards them.

He was wearing the expression of someone who’d found what they were looking for.

Jayden was freaking out. Shouting, running a couple of steps one way, spinning around and running the other way. People were laughing and making jokes, but none of them were helping him.

I shoved past a couple of Year Eight boys, grabbed hold of Jayden’s arms and tried to pull him to a stop. “Jayden!” He was looking past me, his eyes not quite focused. “Jayden, what are you doing?” He noticed me at last.

“They won’t leave me alone,” he said.

“Who?”

“The boys.”

“Get lost!” I shouted at the crowd gathered around. “Leave him alone!”

But Jayden shook his head, his eyes too wide. “Not them.” He pointed, his arm swinging in a wide arc.
“Them!”

“Come on,” I said, pulling him out past the gathering. The Year Eights tried to follow, but I swore at them until they went away.

“What are you talking about?” I asked Jayden. “What are you doing?”

“There’s loads of them…” He was looking behind us, counting quietly. “Fifteen!” He dropped his voice to a whisper. “They’re all different ages, from babies to old men.” He gripped onto my arm.

“Who are?”

“Them,” whispered Jayden. “The ones no one else can see.”

I got this shivery shock.

“You don’t believe me!” he said.

“I do.” I was so relieved it wasn’t just me, but terrified at the same time.

“They’re following me around,” said Jayden, staring at nothing. “They won’t leave me alone.”

“Are they still here?” I asked, and Jayden nodded silently.

“I wish they’d shut up. They keep going on, but I’m not
doing
anything. I haven’t even touched them!”

Another cold shiver. “What are they saying?”

Stop, stop, stop!
Except it wasn’t Jayden who said that; the voice was much deeper. I turned around, and my heart nearly stopped in fright. Standing next to me was this tall man. His hair was clipped in angles, and he was wearing a blue hoody, these stupid, ultra-wide trousers and mirrored sunglasses. On his wrist was a massive watch, with a touchscreen display. He looked like someone, but I couldn’t think who.

“Stop what?” I said. “What are you talking about?”

Jayden squeaked. “Are they talking to you as well?”

I shook my head, not taking my eyes off the man who’d just appeared.

“How do you know what they’re saying then?”

“Because there’s a man next to me who’s saying the same thing.”

Jayden looked either side of me, his face more scared than ever. “I can’t see any man.”

“And I can’t see any babies, Jayden.”

Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!

It was hard to think through the shouts of the ghost-man.

Jayden was shaking now. “Someone told me Isis has cursed the school, so it’s full of ghosts.”

“Do you actually
believe
that?”

“I don’t know!” he shouted. “I don’t even believe in ghosts, and now there’s a whole gang of them following me around!”

For a moment even I wondered if Isis had done it, somehow. I mean, she’s done a lot of stuff you’d never believe. I’ve seen a monster go inside her, and light pour out of her like the sun.

Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!
said the man, like a broken record.

Angel and that creepy Mandeville were ghosts, I knew that, but urban-future man didn’t look the way they did. He was more solid, and more… blank. Like, if you see a photograph on a computer and then you see it printed out, the picture’s the same, but they’re different too. The man in front of me, he wasn’t ghostly, you know? He was something else. He was like the figures at the standing stone, but more… finished-looking.

He took a step towards me.
Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!

“They’re getting
closer
,” said Jayden, panicking.

“Merlin walked straight through one,” I said to myself.

“What?” squawked Jayden.

I took hold of Jayden’s wrist. “Run for the door into school.”

“What?”

“Just do it. Come on!” This time I didn’t count; I set off at a flat-out run with Jayden shrieking and pulling behind me.

“You’re crazy! Don’t!”

But I didn’t let go of him, just kept my eyes on that door and forced my legs to go as fast as I could manage. Across the playground, a girl from our year started screaming like she was getting murdered, even though there was no one near her.

Stop! Stop!
The voice was right by my ear, making me stumble, sending my heartbeat so fast I thought it might explode.

“Argh!” cried Jayden, suddenly speeding up, getting ahead of me. He’s not a brilliant runner – he must’ve been half killing himself.

“They’re keeping up with me!” he panted.

“We’re nearly there!”

And then Gav came running out of nowhere and crashed straight into us.

“They’re after me!” he shouted, eyes wide and staring. “They won’t leave me alone!”

That was more than Jayden could cope with. He twisted in my grip and started yelling at nothing.

“Get away from me!”

“Leave me alone!” shouted Gav, also at nothing.

“Go away!”

“Get back!”

They were shouting and hitting at thin air, while my own invisible man was closing in, hands reaching out towards me.

Stopstopstopstopstopstopstop.

I lost it too, starting to shout myself. It was the way he just kept coming, and wouldn’t give up…

“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?” Mr Watkins came out of the door. It shocked us all still for a second. “GET INSIDE, right now!”

He hauled us through the doorway.

“What do you think you’re doing? There’s enough trouble today without you three mucking about!”

Normally I would have hated getting told off in front of everyone, people stopping to watch. But I was glad, if you can believe it, because it was only us. No ghost, zombie or whatever he was. Just me, Gav and Jayden, getting shouted at by an ordinary, human teacher.

As Mr Watkins went on about us setting a good example for the younger pupils, Gav and Jayden both kept glancing at the door.

“Break’s nearly over,” finished Mr Watkins, “so get to your lessons.” He gave us a last glare and walked away.

“You all right?” I asked Gav.

He nodded. Slowly, and sort of surprised.

“I was fine until I went outside,” he said, “then they all…” He frowned, as if trying to puzzle out a dream, then shook his head, looking at his feet.

“Was it someone no one else could see?” I asked.

“Did they look like you?” said Jayden.

Gav flicked his gaze up and nodded. “There were about ten of them,” he mumbled. “Four of them in school uniform. They looked like me, even the older ones.”

“Mine too,” whispered Jayden.

“I only saw this one guy, but he—” I stopped, this
horrible thought in my head. When I’m older, I’ll easily be as tall as the man I saw.

“And now they’re gone!” said Gav, staring out through the door.

Outside a teacher ran past, chasing the girl who’d been screaming. We all backed away, like we were safer further from the door, but I could still see Imran, this boy from our geography class, standing stock-still in the middle of the playground, crying.

“What’s going
on?
” asked Jayden, shaky-sounding, like he was only just holding it together.

“Everyone’s on about ghosts,” said Gav.

I shook my head, trying to untangle it all. “How can you have a ghost of yourself?”

“Maybe it’s a ghost’s trick?” said Gav. “Like a disguise?”

Jayden frowned. “Ghosts float, but this lot walk, like zombies.”

“They aren’t zombies!” said Gav. “Zombies are other people. These are
us
.”

“Clones?” said Jayden.

“Then why did they vanish when we came inside?”

“I don’t know!” said Jayden, peering anxiously through
the door. “Do you think they’re out there waiting for us?”

Gav backed further away from the door. “I’m not going to find out.”

“What about walking home after school?” said Jayden.

We were all silent, thinking the same horrible thoughts, then Gav said, “I’ll ring my mum, ask her to pick us up. She would if it’s an emergency.”

Jayden held an imaginary phone to his ear. “Hi, Mum, can you give me a lift home, because I’m seeing loads of ghosts that look like me, or maybe they’re zombies. I’m not sure cos no one else can see them. Oh no, it’s fine, we don’t need to stop at the psychiatric hospital on the way.” He looked at Gav.

Gav scowled back. “All right, what do
you
think?”

“Maybe terrorists have sprayed weird drugs into the school and we’re hallucinating?”

“Oh God,” groaned Gav. “It’s a genetically engineered virus, and this is the first symptom. Next we’re all going to bleed out through our eyes and die.”

“It’s not that!” I said. “Come on, let’s think. We only see them outside, right?”

They nodded.

“So they aren’t zombies or clones, but they could still be some kind of ghost?”

“An outdoors-only ghost?”

I sighed. That didn’t sound very likely either.

“When did you first see them?” Jayden asked. There was something about the way he said it. That’s when I started to realise.

“Three weeks ago,” answered Gav quietly. “I saw a boy who looked like me. Only a glimpse, and I thought maybe I’d imagined it.”

“I saw this thing on the school trip,” said Jayden. “Just a shape, but it had my face.”

“I saw shapes too,” I said.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” asked Gav.

“Why didn’t
you
?” I took a breath. “And I saw this kid in our back garden, the day after. He looked just like a photo Mum’s got of me when I was five.” I didn’t tell them about the standing stone though. I was still worrying about the wrong things then, like them thinking I was the craziest of all.

The same thing clicked in our heads, all at once.

“The school trip,” said Jayden.

“Something at the quarry?” I said.

“This is because of that?” asked Gav. “But that was ages ago!”

“Oh!” yelped Jayden. “Remember in physics, we did all that stuff about radioactivity? How when they first discovered it they didn’t know it could make you ill and they used radioactive paint in watches, and made necklaces out of uranium and stuff?”

Me and Gav both nodded, even though Gav probably didn’t have a clue.

“So what if that rare earth stuff they’re mining is like that? Except instead of radioactivity, it gives you hallucinations?”

It made sense, and even if hallucination-inducing rock wasn’t the best, it was way better than seeing stuff with no explanation…

Gav shook his head though. “They quarry for rare earth metals in China and America and places. Wouldn’t it be all over the internet if it made people go loopy?”

We were quiet for a minute, then Jayden piped up. “Mr Watkins went on loads about it being a really unusual deposit or seam or whatever. Maybe what they’re mining there is so special that…”

“It makes you hallucinate?” Gav pulled a face. “It won’t be much good for touchscreens then, will it? Anyway, why would that Dr Harcourt take us into the quarry if she knew it would make us like this?”

“An experiment!” said Jayden. “Like Frankenstein?”

“Then why is this all happening today?” asked Gav. “Why not when we actually went to the quarry?”

“Perhaps it’s slow-acting?” said Jayden. “Like when that Russian man got poisoned using radioactive polonium? He didn’t die for ages.”

We all went quiet.

“Are we going to die?” asked Gav.