City of Halves

by Lucy Inglis

‘Oh please. You are joking,’ she said in dismay.

  ‘It was sort of part of the deal for him telling us anything.’ He lobbed the wrappers at the waste-paper basket.

  ‘You didn’t say I’d end up tattooed! Knocked out and tattooed,’ Lily groaned. ‘Dad will kill me. I mean kill me.’ She began to pick at the edge of the plaster inside her elbow.

  He stilled her hand. ‘They look awful just after they’re done, even on me. Come on, we’d better get back to your place.’

  ‘What did he tell you?’

  Regan hesitated.

  Lily caught his hand. ‘What?’

  ‘I’ll tell you. But later.’

  She dug her heels in and held on to his hand, even though it made her head spin. ‘Tell me now.’

  He opened his mouth. To the sound of crashing glass.

  Dragging Lily to her feet, Regan hauled her from the back room. As they reached the room with the bench, he pulled her into a cupboard containing Hori’s few possessions and clothes. He had to stoop to fit the space, curving his long body over hers. Still dizzy, Lily could only watch through the slats as men in black combat gear spilled through the long corridor, invading the peaceful space. Hori, who had been resting on a white reclining chair in the corner, attempted to get up. The agent Lily was now becoming familiar with grabbed the old man by the scruff of his robe like a bundle of twigs. Lily took a breath in protest. Regan’s hand clamped over her mouth.

  ‘What did you do?’ the agent hissed. ‘What did you do, old man?’

  Hori cowered, holding up his tattooed hands.

  ‘Where is she?’

  ‘I don’t know. They went. I fell asleep. The . . . work tires me,’ Hori managed.

  The agent glanced around. ‘Look at this place.’ He glanced at the tools on the workbench. ‘Like something from the Dark Ages. What did you use on her? These?’

  ‘They are bamboo and the finest Japanese steel,’ Hori said proudly.

  Another agent began packing the tools into a bag.

  ‘No!’ Hori said. ‘You do not understand. They—’

  ‘She’s probably septic by now,’ the first agent sneered. He glanced over his shoulder. ‘Bring the inks too. Just in case.’

  Hori made a grab for the bag. The agent struck him across the temple with huge force, and the old man collapsed into a heap on the floor, clearly dead.

  Regan burst from the cupboard, felling the nearest agent, then another who came from the corridor behind him. But the agent who had killed Hori was faster, his reflexes superhuman. He pulled out a knife and a gun from a shoulder holster, and squared up to Regan. Faster than Lily could see, he’d landed a blow on Regan’s chest, a swift stab. Regan was already responding, but scarlet bloomed across his torso. The agent raised the gun and shot him, point blank in the chest, three times.

  The sound thundered through the small space and Lily covered her ears with a cry. The agent ran to the cupboard as Regan fell. He caught Lily’s arm, then recoiled from the talisman. The flesh of his snakeskin-covered hand was actually smoking this time.

  She stood taller, lifting her arm. Behind him, Regan got to his feet and silently drew a slim, curved Japanese sword from a black lacquer sheath. He spun it once for balance. The next spin detached the agent’s arm at the shoulder. The man fell to his knees.

  Lily jumped back, out of the blood spray, and watched in horror as the arm began to regrow, tiny bud-like fingers emerging rapidly from the gore. The radio strapped to the agent’s combat vest crackled.

  ‘Six. Report,’ a familiar voice said.

  The agent’s snake eyes blinked.

  ‘Try re-growing this,’ Regan said and, backhanded, detached the agent’s head. For good measure, he lodged the sword in the man’s spine, and kicked the body away. The arm stopped re-growing, stunted and grotesque.

  Lily covered her mouth with both hands, trying not to gag. Then she saw ahead of her a tiny pile of clothing covering a withered body.

  ‘Don’t look.’ Regan put his hand on her shoulder.

  She spun round, seeing his blackened, gunpowder-burnt clothes and the blood staining his T-shirt. She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him. He held her head to his chest.

  ‘I’m fine. But he was fast, caught me off guard. That never needs to happen again.’

  In the outer shop, everything was in disarray. The little fountain was overturned, spilling water across the floor, still trickling. The front window lay in one shattered sheet over everything, held together by the blackout material. Jake sat in the wreckage, blood pouring from a cut in his head.

  Regan helped him up. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said.

  Jake looked at him, dazed. ‘What?’ Then, sudden anguish in his face and voice. ‘No!’ He turned for the back room, but Regan grabbed him.

  ‘No. Don’t go back there. Not yet.’

  There was the distant wail of a police siren. People stood outside on the pavement, looking in. Some of them were on mobile phones. Lily put her hand out to Jake.

  ‘Don’t,’ he said, stepping back. ‘Just get out of here.’ When they hesitated, he bit his lips together. ‘Go on, just go.’ His eyes gleamed with unshed tears, but his voice was hard.

  *

  Lily and Regan walked back towards the station to the taxi rank. Regan buttoned up his coat, covering the mess beneath his clothes. He was quiet and preoccupied as they climbed into a black cab. Lily fumbled in her jeans pocket to make sure she had the fare.

  ‘Temple, please,’ she said to the driver.

  Regan looked at her questioningly.

  ‘I need to get a shower and some clean clothes. And Dad will be going crazy.’

  He nodded. They sat in the back in silence.

  ‘How are they following us, do you think?’ he asked after a while.

  Lily sat, thinking. ‘I bet it’s facial recognition through the CCTV.’

  ‘Those cameras can recognise faces?’

  ‘The software behind them can, yes.’

  He looked troubled.

  Ten minutes later they were walking across the courtyard in the Temple. Regan stopped outside the main door.

  ‘So I’ve been tattooed, and it cost an old man his life.’ She pushed her hand to her forehead.

  ‘He gave it willingly.’

  ‘And it was for nothing.’

  ‘It wasn’t for nothing.’

  ‘But Hori . . . why would they do that? It just seemed so pointless.’

  ‘Yes. But that agent, he seemed to think that the work the Agency are doing was at risk because of you having a tattoo. Why? “Septic”, he said.’

  Lily rubbed her forehead. ‘Blood poisoning, maybe? Maybe that’s why they intervened like that – in broad daylight.’

  Regan nodded slowly.

  ‘Poor Hori.’ Lily bit her lip.

  ‘I know. But he told me something before.’

  She leant against the wall, cold and exhausted. ‘What?’

  He scrubbed his hand through his hair, blowing out slowly.

  ‘What?’ Lily persisted.

  He put his hand to her bruised face. ‘If we stop the Agency, we can win the Chaos War.’

  Lily looked up at him, her face full of hope. ‘That’s good . . . isn’t it?’

  He looked away, biting his lip. ‘Yes. That’s good. He also said that you already knew what you had to do . . . what the answer was.’

  She frowned. ‘What?’

  ‘To restore balance to the City.’

  Throwing up her hands, she exclaimed, ‘But I don’t know!’

  ‘Maybe you do and you just—’

  ‘I don’t!’

  He nodded. ‘Okay, okay. Look, can you go on from here? I need to see Lucas and Elijah. I’ll meet you at my place in half an hour and we’ll make a plan. I don’t want to leave you, but I need to speak to him. And I’d better change my clothes too. If things carry on like this, I may outlive my wardrobe.’ He gestured to his shirt, bloody and ruined beneath the buttoned coat.
>
  Lily rolled her eyes.

  He studied her face. ‘You’re pretty bruised. Looks like the transfusion has worn off completely. Will your dad be upset?’

  She took a deep breath. ‘Probably. I’ll handle it.’

  *

  Lily let herself in and went up to the flat, pulling her keys out of her jacket pocket. Inside, her father was sitting at the counter, staring into a cup of coffee. Behind him, the television on the wall was running a news item about unprecedented high tides along the Thames. Wapping was flooded.

  ‘You went out early,’ he said. ‘Or did you not come in?’

  Lily kept her head down and said nothing. He’s testing me, to see if I lie to him. Well, I won’t.

  ‘So, all night, then.’ He said, mouth set in a line. ‘I tried calling your phone.’

  Lily pulled it from her pocket and looked at it. ‘Ah, yes, sorry. Dead battery,’ she said. ‘How long have you been in?’ she asked, plugging the phone into the charger by the toaster, keeping her head down.

  ‘The call-out was a total red herring. When I got there no one even knew why I’d been called out. Or who had called me out even.’

  Ellis. Again.

  ‘But then I got talking to the duty manager and . . .’ He rubbed his eyes. ‘But that doesn’t justify you spending the entire night out and not even calling to let me know you’re okay.’

  ‘Yes, I’m sorry. I’m going to grab a shower.’ Lily walked towards the bathroom.

  ‘Stop right where you are.’

  She froze.

  He walked up behind her. ‘Turn around and look at me.’

  Lily kept her head down.

  ‘Turn. Around.’

  Lily turned. Her father lifted her chin. ‘What in God’s name happened?’

  ‘I fell.’

  His face hardened. ‘Again?’

  Lily closed her eyes and took a long breath.

  ‘If he’s done this to you, I’ll see him prosecuted to the full extent of the law.’

  Lily knocked her father’s hand away from her face. ‘He never, ever would.’

  ‘How long have you known him?’

  Lily met her father’s eyes. ‘Someone else did it.’

  ‘What the Hell does that mean?’ he asked, angry.

  ‘It means I am getting into the shower now.’

  She went to her room and examined the plaster on her arm, but decided to leave it. Through the gauze she could see a dark patch, roughly the size of a two-pence piece. She sighed and pulled on her robe, tying her belt tightly. Ten minutes later she was showered and dressed warmly in a long-sleeved white T-shirt with a loose knit over it, her usual skinny black jeans and trainers.

  In the kitchen, she looked at her phone, which was still charging. It had moved from its previous position. Her father didn’t know the code to get into it; he’d never asked, and it had never been a topic of conversation. She placed it back down and looked at him, frowning at the idea that he would start snooping. He was pouring himself some more coffee and avoiding her eyes.

  ‘Lily, we need to talk.’

  ‘Fine. Coffee first, though, please?’

  He poured her a cup. Lily added milk and sugar and made herself some toast, packing a spare jumper and her wallet into her bag. She didn’t look at her father as she did it.

  ‘Going out again?’ he asked, non-committally.

  She nodded, a triangle of toast in her teeth as she buttered the next one.

  ‘To meet Regan?’

  Lily took the toast from her mouth. ‘Yes.’

  ‘And what if I told you I didn’t want you to go?’

  ‘Non-negotiable, Dad. Sorry.’

  Her father rubbed his face. ‘What’s so important that you have to go out again right now?’

  Trying to thwart a government conspiracy, find two, possibly three, abducted girls, restore the balance between a community of mythical creatures and humanity. Not get dead.

  ‘No big plans.’

  ‘Doesn’t he have to work?’

  ‘He works nights mostly.’ Lily pushed her sleeve out of the way and picked up her mug. Her father frowned and reached out, touching her arm.

  Hurriedly putting her mug down, Lily tugged at her cuff. ‘It’s nothing. I cut myself, that’s all.’

  Her father caught her wrist, pushing her sleeve up. ‘You don’t mean you actually cut your own arm? Not deliberately?’

  ‘Not like that,’ she said. The dismay was plain on her father’s face as he saw the other plaster.

  ‘What in God’s name have you been doing to yourself?’

  ‘That’s not a cut—’

  ‘Oh, Lily, please tell me that’s not a tattoo.’

  Lily took a deep breath. ‘It’s a tattoo.’

  He stood up, throwing his coffee into the sink. ‘What on earth were you thinking? You haven’t even got your ears pierced, for goodness’ sake. You’ve known him five minutes and he’s already talked you into—’

  ‘He didn’t talk me into anything!’

  ‘I am so disappointed in you.’

  ‘Why?!’ Lily exploded. ‘For having a tiny tattoo? The world won’t end.’

  ‘But it might make it harder to get a job, people might judge you—’ Her father ticked things off on his fingers.

  ‘Like you’ve judged him, obviously,’ Lily snapped back.

  He put his head in his hands. ‘I’m trying not to. But . . . staying out all night . . . your face? And . . .’ He shook his head, gesturing at her arm. ‘And I thought perhaps to start off with you’d have a boyfriend more your own age.’

  ‘Dad, please. We’ve been over this. It’s not like he’s thirty or something.’

  ‘But he is older than you.’

  ‘Three years? I’m sixteen, not twelve.’

  Her father sighed. ‘He just seems older than nineteen.’

  ‘He had to grow up early, that’s all.’

  ‘It’s not drugs, is it?’

  ‘Drugs? Are you insane? I doubt he’s taken so much as an aspirin in his whole life.’

  ‘I’m sorry, I just worry. I see so many young girls who are exploited every day.’

  Lily almost stamped her foot. ‘He isn’t exploiting me!’

  ‘That’s what they say—’

  ‘But “they” aren’t me, with you for a parent. And he isn’t. He wouldn’t.’

  ‘It’s—’

  ‘Dad, stop. He isn’t . . . easy, I know. But he’s not some console-obsessed idiot who only thinks about one thing when he’s not gaming.’

  Her father held up his hands. ‘Okay, I’m convinced! I wouldn’t want to come up against you in court!’ He dropped his hands. ‘Look, perhaps you’d like to invite him round? Or we could go for dinner. Tonight, maybe?’

  ‘The next few days might be busy.’

  ‘Why? What’s happening?’

  She picked at the seal around the hob. ‘Nothing definite that I know of. His work is kind of demanding.’ Lily felt the familiar burn in her cheeks. ‘Dad, will you trust me if I tell you that I’m trying to do the right thing? And that there are people he needs to help, who don’t have anyone else to help them, apart from him? And maybe me.’

  ‘Lily, are you in some kind of trouble?’

  Only massive, possibly fatal trouble. She shook her head. ‘Nothing for you to worry about.’

  ‘Does that mean yes but you’re not going to tell me?’

  She gulped down the rest of her lukewarm coffee. ‘I have to go.’

  ‘I’m asking, as your father, that you stay here.’

  ‘I have to go.’

  ‘Go to your room.’

  ‘No. And you won’t physically make me. I will hate for the rest of my life if you try.’

  He studied her for a long time. ‘That’s emotional blackmail, and I have taught you better than that.’

  She pouted and said nothing.

  He sighed. ‘Lily, you look absolutely exhausted. You’re thinner than you were a week ago. You’r
e covered in bruises and sticking plasters. Your clothes are torn as if you’ve been in a fight. And all this is happening since you met a young man who appears to be straight out of every father’s worst nightmare.’

  ‘Don’t say that about him. None of this is his fault.’

  Her father went on as if she hadn’t spoken. ‘And it’s quite clear whatever’s going on between the two of you is serious. The way he looks at you . . . I’ve never seen anything like it – which is a point in his favour. I can’t let it put you in harm’s way, though. I won’t.’

  Oh God, how can I ever explain? Lily took a breath. ‘Dad. You’re right. You have taught me right from wrong. And you’ve raised me to make my own choices too. And today, this is my choice.’

  He turned away, hunched on the stool. Lily hugged him from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. ‘Let me go. I need to.’

  Her father held her hands tightly in his own, pressing them against his chest. He sighed. ‘You were always going to be trouble. I just always thought I had time.’

  ‘You do.’ I hope.

  ‘I love you, Lily.’

  She pressed her cheek to his. ‘I know, Dad. I love you too.’

  Lily hurried back towards Ludgate Circus, her head down and her hoodie pulled up over her hair. Heading out of Temple Gate, she saw a figured slumped on the frozen pavement.

  ‘Gamble?’

  He sat up suddenly, uncoordinated. Lily saw the dark stain spreading out from his crotch. The stone slabs beneath him were spreading with wet.

  ‘I bin waiting for you,’ he slurred, trying to put a hand to his face and missing. He stank.

  Lily watched him. ‘What is it?’

  ‘The . . . the . . . it’s not where it should be. That’s the . . . the . . . s’why iss all wrong. S’what brings th’Chaos.’

  ‘What does?’

  He squinted up at her. ‘Cahn remember.’

  Lily looked at the sky and swore. ‘Come on, Gamble, try to think.’

  ‘I AM THINKING,’ he bellowed from the pavement, sitting in his own piss.

  ‘Oh, for God’s sake.’ She walked off, leaving him shouting incoherently after her. As she passed the dark mouth of a car park on Bouverie Street, a manic chattering noise caught her attention. She ventured inside, her eyes adjusting slowly to the dark. In the corner sat a mothwing, hugging her knees and making inconsolable noises. Lily walked over cautiously.