Pica

by Jeff Gardiner

  The cause of the incident became an enigma, giving us a similar status to Loch Ness. Psychics, scientists, religious leaders, government officials, weirdoes, and the mildly superstitious all made public comments, but with no really sensible conclusions. ‘The School Earthquake’ with its bizarre plague of ‘birds, beasts, and bugs’ would be talked about for years. There is even a YouTube video of the sky becoming black, which someone caught on their mobile. Some experts suggested the earthquake was exacerbated by volcanic activity in Iceland. Green activists blamed fracking and drilling for oil. Others created outrageous conspiracy theories. Reporters and cameras became a fixture in the local area for weeks afterwards.

  An earth tremor combined with an extremely localised, and not to mention unpredictable, climactic shift caused a freak change in atmospheric conditions which temporarily affected the balance of the natural world. Witnesses claim to have seen unprecedented flocks of birds and insects fill the skies. Mr Bostock, a local taxi driver, told us, ‘I thought there’d been an eclipse of the sun. It suddenly went dark. I don’t just mean cloudy and grey. The world suddenly turned black.’

  The freak atmospheric conditions alongside the earthquake caused animals to stampede and act aggressively, which may well account for the death of schoolboy Connor Tennant. Large branches from surrounding trees were broken off in the storm and the weight and velocity of these boughs are thought to have been the cause of the destruction of parts of Crowstone Comprehensive School. A spokesman from the Borough Council confirmed that the buildings were old and in need of repair. The students will be temporarily placed in neighbouring schools until a more permanent solution can be found.

  I got a few mentions in articles in the papers and on lots of websites, but I declined the offer to speak on the local television news programme, claiming to have lost my memory of all that had happened that day. Of course, nobody suspected me of foul play (why should they?) so I just became one of the names in a list of survivors of this inexplicable local tragedy. I had crutches for the first few weeks and physiotherapy helped me to get my legs strong again. Everyone remarked upon how quickly my body seemed to heal itself. Relearning how to use my hand with a finger missing was hard work, though.

  I felt like a murderer – unable to sleep and constantly haunted by images of Connor dying. In the small hours of each night I relived each second and wished I could go back in time and change the way I reacted. Sometimes I wondered if it actually was all down to me. Did I really have that kind of power now? The idea scared me witless. I often thought about Guy. Had he survived and was he still out there somewhere? There was no telling how long I would have to wait patiently for my only friend to make contact with me. Or if he would at all.

  Chapter Forty

  I never suspected your numen would be so strong.

  The voice in my head startled me, but it was also the only thing that could have cheered me up.

  ‘You’re alive.’

  Thanks to you, Luke. The voice was hollow and distant, but distinctly Guy.

  ‘Oh, thank God you’re alive.’

  My joy became overwhelming. It had been over a month since I’d had any sign that Guy was even alive. My health was almost as good as before, although my mind was still haunted by what I’d been through.

  ‘How is Pica?’

  The voice betrayed no emotion: I will never again be Pica. Presently, I can only exist in my simplest form.

  ‘But what about your human body?’

  You’ll never see that one again.

  This was hard to accept. Guy was alive but not as I would remember him.

  ‘Bufo?’

  When my full strength is back I will find a different numen.

  At least I had Guy here to help and guide me. I’d just have to get used to the new circumstances.

  ‘I’m so glad you survived,’ I uttered with complete sincerity.

  To be able to control nature that way … I thought only my mother could do that, but it seems you also … Guy spoke as if he, too, were trying to understand it all.

  In the ensuing silence I waited for what I assumed was a chance for him to gather his complex thoughts. I shivered in the coldness. It was night-time and I’d left my bedroom window open because of the lack of air indoors – but mostly in the hope of Guy returning.

  I got up and felt an urge to look out the window, beyond our little garden in suburbia.

  You brought me back. I owe you my life, Luke.

  It felt like an atonement for the death of Connor … sort of. Contemplating life without Guy in human form seemed unbearable now. In that sense, I’d lost my best friend.

  ‘You’d have done the same.’ I felt certain of this.

  Do you understand what happened that day? Understand exactly what you did?

  I shook my head, and sat on the edge of my bed to listen to him, pulling back my curtains fully to reveal the darkened windows.

  You have learned, very quickly, how to unleash the powers of nature; or at least how to be a stream through which nature can flow. For nobody can control nature – as you’ve already seen. You tapped into it but it is too powerful for humans to have any power over it. Nature is dangerous – beautiful and life-giving – but dangerous and deadly too. Nature gives life but also takes it away. You have a great power, but you also need help to keep this power under control. Without my help next time who knows what catastrophe you might unleash on the world.

  I sat upright and stared at myself reflected in the glass, the image of my face translucent – transposed over lights and the distant objects of the outside world.

  Somewhere inside me existed Guy. Would he only ever now be a voice inside my head?

  A twinge of pain jolted through the wound on the knuckle of my missing finger. I stared at it and then shook my hand. It made me recall what strange adventures I’d been through. But what next?

  No reply came.

  I smiled to myself, and felt the new strength ripple through my entire being. With an effort of concentration, I transformed into Felis and slipped out of the open window and into the unknown shadows outside …

  Accent YA is an exciting new list of young adult titles which launches in spring 2016. Accent YA works with readers, bloggers, vloggers – online and in schools – to make sure that our books are as good as they can be!

  If you’d like to be part of our Editor Squad or our Blog Squad and get to see early material and give your feedback on things like cover design and even which books we should publish, please get in touch. You can also sign up for our newsletter – and you could even contribute to it…

  http://accentya.com/contact/

  or email

  info@accentpress.co.uk

  With Special Thanks to

  The Accent Press YA Blog Squad

  Alix Long;

  Anisah Hussein;

  Anna Ingall;

  Annie Starkey;

  Becky Freese;

  Becky Morris;

  Bella Pearce;

  Beth O'Brien;

  Caroline Morrison;

  Charlotte Jones;

  Charnell Vevers;

  Claire Gorman;

  Daniel Wadey;

  Darren Owens;

  Emma Hoult;

  Fi Clark;

  Heather Lawson;

  James Briggs

  With Special Thanks to

  The Accent Press YA Blog Squad

  James Williams;

  Joshua A.P;

  Karen Bultiauw;

  Katie Lumsden;

  Katie Treharne;

  Kieran Lowley;

  Laura Metcalfe;

  Lois Acari;

  Maisie Allen;

  Mariam Khan;

  Philippa Lloyd;

  Rachel Abbie;

  Rebecca Parkinson;

  Savannah Mullings-Johnson;

  Sofia Matias;

  Sophia;

  Toni Davis

  With Special Thanks to

  The Accent Press YA Editor Sq
uad

  Aishu Reddy

  Alice Brancale

  Amani Kabeer-Ali

  Anisa Hussain

  Barooj Maqsood

  Ellie McVay

  Grace Morcous

  Katie Treharne

  Miriam Roberts

  Rebecca Freese

  Sadie Howorth

  Sanaa Morley

  Sonali Shetty

  Luca, Son of the Morning

  Tom Anderson

  The water is warm … but can you be in too deep?

  Luca loves reggae, hates his parents’ rum habit, and wishes his dad could get a proper job. He also loves Gaby (though he’d never admit it to her face) so upsetting her is enough to push him into a dark place. Retreating to the local beach, as he always does when he can’t sleep, watching the waves gives his life some sort of rhythm.

  One night, as he lets the tide lull him, a group of figures emerge from the water and walk past him, unseeing. Spellbound by these impossible sea-men, Luca holds nightly vigils at the beach. Until one night the sailors beckon him to follow them back into the sea…

  For fans of Mark Haddon and Neil Gaiman, Luca, Son of the Morning is a haunting book about imagination, delusion and the grey places in between.

  Rosie Goes to War

  Alison Knight

  Stuck at her gran's house all summer with nothing to do, fifteen-year-old Rosie goes searching through some old junk and comes across a mysterious suitcase. It’s full of vintage clothes, but when Rosie tries them on she finds herself suddenly flung back in time – into the same house in war-torn London.

  With no idea of how she got there or how she can get back, she is soon caught up in a whirl of rationing, factory work, and dances. But Rosie comes crashing back to reality when she realises that if she can’t find her way home, she may never be born at all …

  The Deepest Cut

  Natalie Flynn

  ‘You haven’t said a single word since you’ve been here. Is it on purpose?’ I tried to answer David but I couldn’t … my brain wanted to speak but my throat wouldn’t cooperate…

  Adam blames himself for his best friend’s death. After attempting suicide, he is put in the care of a local mental health facility. There, too traumatized to speak, he begins to write notebooks detailing the events leading up to Jake’s murder, trying to understand who is really responsible and cope with how needless it was, as a petty argument spiralled out of control and peer pressure took hold.

  Sad but unsentimental, this is a moving story of friendship and the aftermath of its destruction.

  Shome Dasgupta

  There was a voice once that sang the ocean to sleep…

  March is born in April, just as the sun is setting. A singing baby who cannot sleep, she sets Kolkaper on edge. The Town Council orders scientists to take her away and study her at the Cave Forest, a place for freaks like her. Acting quickly, March’s parents send her away to the distant town of Koofay. But March’s destiny is tied to that of Kolkaper. She must return to save the city from itself.

  An enchanting fable about love and faith and accepting the odd ones among us.

  For more information about Jeff Gardiner

  and other Young Adult titles

  please visit

  www.accentYA.co.uk

  Published by Accent Press Ltd 2016

  ISBN 9781783759279

  Copyright © Jeff Gardiner 2016

  The right of Jeff Gardiner to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  The story contained within this book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permission of the publishers: Accent Press Ltd, Ty Cynon House, Navigation Park, Abercynon, CF45 4SN