Hannah sighed. “It’s just been happening a lot lately. I wish you’d–”
“What?”
“I wish you’d tell me what’s going on. I could do something to help.”
I exhaled slowly. “Is this about Pete?”
“No.” We stopped outside the classroom. “Maybe. I shouldn’t let him get to me.”
“No, you shouldn’t.” I squeezed her arm inside mine and pulled her to one side as our classmates pushed to get through the door. Finally the black rings round her eyes registered with me. “A
Supernatural
marathon, or did your mum keep you up late again?”
Hannah sagged. “She made me clean the house before Carl finished his shift. The Winchesters kept me company.”
“What about your homework?”
Hannah shrugged. “I did it after.”
“Damn it, Han, what did your mum do while you were cleaning her mess?”
Hannah’s mouth curled bitterly. “She went down the pub then passed out in front of
CSI
.”
I squeezed her tighter; there was nothing else I could do. “Bet Carl was pleased.”
“They had a fight when he got in. Then they made up. Loudly.” She winced and I pressed my lips together. Sometimes I wished I could kick Hannah’s mum, but there was always this tiny traitorous voice inside saying, “at least she still has a mum”. I squashed it into silence.
“You should come over after school.”
Hannah nodded. “Your dad won’t mind me staying?”
“Does he ever? So… what colour this time?”
Hannah grinned. “I’m working my way through the neons. What do you think?”
“Love it.”
Her hair had long turned into a frizz, but it was the one thing her mum couldn’t take away. I understood that. Hannah had control over her hair and she made it glow.
I glanced back down the corridor towards Mr Barnes’ office. Tamsin and the others were still inside. “I forgot something in my locker, see you in class?”
Hannah looked alarmed. “You aren't skipping out on me again?”
I shook my head. “I'll be back before bell. Save me a seat.”
Hannah inhaled and didn't move.
“Honest, Han, I'm coming back.”
She glanced at my gloved hand.
“What?” Self-consciously I folded my arms, hiding the glove from sight.
“You bail on me a lot when your eczema is bad,” Hannah shrugged. “It's a pattern.”
“Oh.” I worried at the glove with my nails. “I hadn't noticed.”
“Whatever, it's no big. I'll save you a seat.”
“I
will
see you in a minute.”
“Sure.”
Hannah followed the last of the hags into the classroom and she didn't look back.
I wanted to go and check the waiting area outside Mr Barnes’ office. I hoped Justin might be hanging around waiting for his girlfriend. But the hallway was empty and the chairs sat unused. There was no sign of any dead.
I flexed my Marked hand and looked at the clock. There was still time for him to show up in class. If he still believed he was alive, he would come to school.
As I prepared to head back to the classroom, the door to Mr Barnes’ office opened. Pete stood with his back to me, still holding the handle down, but he made no further move to leave. Mr Barnes was just finishing up.
My breath shortened as I realised that I was alone and about to come face-to-face with the whole group. I wasn’t sure who I was more worried about, James or Tamsin. Normally I’d deal, but today they were unpredictable and with Justin missing, the teachers would let them get away with more than usual.
Swiftly I slipped into the shadow behind the drinks machine. It wasn’t the best hiding place, but it might keep them from noticing me.
I stared at the ceiling, pressing myself into the cool metal, as the door clicked shut.
“Tamsin, you gotta chill.” That was Harley.
“Mr Barnes says everything will be alright.” Pete. “He has a contact in the force, a bloke from his club. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“You – you think they’ll find Justin?” Tamsin’s voice wobbled and I almost felt sorry for her.
“Yeah, they’ll find him.” That was James. “Let’s get to class.”
“We’re still meeting this week?” They were moving further down the corridor and I risked a look around the drinks machine. Tamsin was clinging onto James’ arm as if it were a lifebelt.
James nodded at her. “We have to show. People depend on us.”
At the back of the group Pete hesitated, then turned. I pulled back too slowly and his eye caught mine. He shook his head: disappointment, exasperation? I wasn’t sure. Either way, he said nothing, simply turned and trailed his gang into class.
I knocked my head against the drinks machine making it rattle and Mr Barnes emerged from his office.
“Are you waiting for me, Miss Oh?”
I clutched my bag. Moron. “No. I was just on my way to class.”
He frowned at me over his glasses and his pudgy fingers worked around his tie. “I don’t want any trouble today, Miss Oh. I’m thinking particularly of Justin's friends. They are having a difficult time and I do not want to hear reports of you antagonising them.”
“That’s not fair–” Heat flushed my chest.
“I don’t want to hear it, Miss Oh. Get to class.”
He closed his door in my face and I stood for a moment, shaking. My gloved hand wound around the straps of my pack and I tried not to picture winding it around his neck. Then I closed my eyes and exhaled. If only he was the sort to commit murder, I could stamp him with a one way ticket into the Darkness.
Stifling the fantasy I smirked, Mr Barnes wouldn’t be earning a trip to Anubis any time soon. But I could dream.
Above my head the class bell rang. Still no sign of Justin. I ground my teeth and ran down the corridor. If he didn’t show up in school today I’d have to start looking elsewhere. In a few short weeks the Darkness would be coming for the bearer of the Mark and I wasn’t going to be the one wearing it.
I slid into the chair next to Hannah, earning a tut from Mrs Pickard.
“I’m writing you up for lateness, Taylor.” She made a note in her book.
I nudged Hannah as I opened my bag. “Told you I’d be here.” I pulled out my pencil case and tried not to be stabbed by the fact that Hannah was relieved that I had shown. My heart tied in knots as she forced a grin.
“I know.” She cut her eyes towards Tamsin. “Check out the new seating arrangement.”
I hadn’t noticed. I raised my head and my eyebrows followed. James was now in Justin’s seat and Tamsin had left her table of hags and moved onto his right. Pete and Harley sat facing them, still opening their books.
We weren’t the only ones who had taken note. Murmurous comments blew through the rest of the class, earning defiant glares from a flush-faced Tamsin.
Mrs Pickard sat for a moment at her desk then seemed to come to some sort of decision. She stood.
“Right, class, I know that one of your number isn’t here today and that things aren’t quite as normal. I know you all have questions and we hope and trust that Justin will be back with us very soon and that he will be able to answer some of those questions for himself. In the meantime…” she glanced out of the window. “You won’t be taking much in today. I wasn’t going to do this till later in the term, but we’ve been looking at
Romeo and Juliet
, so I’ve got two films for you – one by Franco Zeffirelli and the other by Baz Luhrmann. Over the next few lessons I’m going to let you watch both.” She glowered at us as she patted towards the light switch. “I give you fair warning, next week I’ll want essays comparing their treatment of the material, so this isn’t time off. Pay attention and take notes. It’ll be Zefirelli’s version first. Boys, I don’t want any silliness during the balcony scene.” She turned off the light. “Harley, get the blinds will you?”
I tensed up. I was probably the only person in class who hated it when the teacher put on a film, purely because I couldn’t see out of the window. From my seat I normally had a good view of the entrance and of any ghosts drawn to the school.
“Taylor, are you with us?”
“Yes, Miss.” I dragged my eyes away from the tiny slice of car park revealed by the pulled blind. Justin remained absent. I shifted my chair so I would have a good view of the classroom door. If he came in, I’d spot him.
Halfway through the lesson I gave up. Justin wasn’t coming. I shifted my attention to the screen. Juliet had just discovered Romeo’s true name. I sighed and reached for my pencil, knocking my notebook onto the floor as I did so.
Mrs Pickard glared pointedly and I bent over to pick it up. In the darkness beneath the table across from us, James and Tamsin were holding hands.
“I'm back.” I dropped my bag in the hall. Not one teacher had given us homework and we’d spent the day watching films or reading quietly. During break nervous energy overspilled into fights and races around the quad. Tamsin had gone home at lunchtime. I’d considered following her, hoping Justin might be lingering at her house, but I’d shelved that idea. Hannah needed me to be in school for at least one full day and I still had time to find him, at least for now.
Dad rolled out of his office, his face grave. “Hannah’s mum called. She said there’s a kid from your class gone missing.” His face told me what he thought of Hannah’s mum calling him. He liked her as much as I did.
“Is she worried?” I sat on the stairs so I could be at his level.
“I think she just wanted to gossip.” Dad pushed his chair closer. “It’s that boy you were in trouble with last week, isn’t it? Are you OK?”
“I didn’t even like him.” I shrugged.
“Sometimes that makes it worse.” Dad pressed forward. “Do you feel... guilty?”
“Why would I?”
Dad cleared his throat. “No reason.” His eyes froze on my white glove. “You didn’t tell me your condition had returned.”
I shoved my hand behind my back. “It was yesterday.”
“Still.” His chair pinned me to the stairs as he reached for my arm.
I snatched it out of reach. “Do you really need a sample?”
Dad dropped his hand. “No, that’s not it. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”
“I’m fine, Dad.” I tried on a smile. “Hannah’s coming over later.”
He glanced at my gloved hand again. “You aren’t… going out?”
Out after a killer
. He hated saying it and didn’t believe it anyway.
“Not yet.” There was a loose thread on my glove from all my picking. I tugged at it, avoiding his eyes.
“Good.” He glided back, gave me some room. “I have to do a bit of work – a teleconference with the bank. They want to talk about diversifying the mutual fund we got with your mum’s life insurance. And I need to check on our stocks and shares, make sure her family money is still working as hard as it can.” He rubbed his hands through his hair and glanced at his office. “We’re fine financially, but my research has thrown up a couple of ideas I want to run with, so I’m going to set some wheels in motion with the patent office. Anyway, when I’m off the phone, I thought I might take you out… and Hannah of course. We could go down the river. I know you usually prefer to stay in, but it’s such a nice day.”
Was it? I’d spent the whole journey home watching for Justin and keeping an eye out for other restless dead. I looked out the window and saw the sun streaming through Mum’s ivy in a lacework of green and gold.
I closed my hand around the Mark on my fist. Normally I’d argue to stay in and order a pizza and it was true that I didn’t want to risk getting a second Mark, but I’d seen Justin hanging out at the river before. He hadn’t been at school, so I’d have to start looking further afield.
“OK, Dad.” I smiled at him. “We’ll go out.”
“We will?” For a moment surprise made his face comical. Then he grinned. “You can push me from Hammersmith Bridge and I’ll feed you guys at the Blue Anchor. What do you think?”
“Sounds great, Dad.” I remembered that there was a good view from the tables there. I could sit and keep watch while I ate. “I’ll call Hannah.” I jumped to my feet and Dad’s arms pumped purposefully as he rolled towards his office.
“I’ll be as quick as I can,” he called over his shoulder. “It’ll be great to have a date with my favourite girls.”
I sniggered. “Right.” I ran upstairs already pulling off my uniform and his wistful tones trailed me up the stairs.
“It’s been such a long time.”
11
NO SIGN OF JUSTIN
My burger was growing cold and I was half listening to Hannah and Dad talking about school, half watching out of the pub window. There had been no sign of Justin. Dad grunted irritably and placed his pint meaningfully on the table.
“Are we keeping you from something, Taylor?” he snapped.
Hannah laughed uncomfortably. “She’s always like this, Mr Oh, I think it’s her eczema. It’s distracting when it’s bad.”
“How many times have I asked you to call me Gabriel?” Dad reached for her hand, squeezed it and withdrew. “Oh was Emma’s name, she wanted me to take it when we got married, a family tradition. Now when people say it, well… it reminds me what I’ve lost.”
“Sorry.” Hannah looked mortified. “I can call you Gabriel. It’s a nice name.”
“I didn’t mean to upset you.” Dad took a drink of his beer. “If we can just stick with Gabriel, or even Gabe, from here on out…”
“Of course.” Hannah looked at me, panic stricken.
“You’re right, Dad, it is a nice day.” I tried to focus on his face as I changed the subject, but my eyes kept slipping to the walkway outside. Was that man in jeans and a jumper really dressed for the weather? Was that woman casting a shadow?
Dad sighed and rolled his eyes at Hannah. “It’s just like being with her mum, she never gave me her full attention either. I started to feel like the most boring man alive. And now she’s older, with the glove and that hair, it’s easy to think I’m out with Emma.”