“I’m happy, Fred.”
Right in the edge of my vision, I saw Andrew limping away into the forest. Should I have called him back? Offered protection? Simply said goodbye?
The answer to that, of course, would come later.
But then and there, letting him go seemed to be the only thing to do.
I watched my friends as though in a dream, watched them observing the world with wide smiles and the amazement of being able to walk however far they wanted. Little by little though, fear replaced my elation, gnawing at my nerves in its typical insidious way. I thought of the recruitment posters plastered across the city walls, the gasmasks and air raids that Demitra had proved could touch even us. The bleakness of the countryside, the hunger, the constant need to use less and less and less and Kitty’s anguish over her brother, mere years older than us, gunned down on some faraway continent.
How could I tell them that the real world wasn’t so wonderful after all?
No. Thinking like that would get us nowhere. The alternative had been staying in a false reality, suffering at the whim of twisted people like Madon and the Farthings. Yes, things were dark and dangerous here too, but this offered us something Boundary never could: the ability to choose.
And so, sun catching the ice crystals and sending rainbows spinning between trees, I convinced myself to bury the fear. Tomorrow, we would figure everything out. We were once again six: Penny, Avery, Tressa, Lucas, Fred, and me.
Nothing, I vowed, would tear us apart again. Not if I had anything to do with it.
Epilogue
Avery walked through the village with his head down. He still fitted into that golden age category—too young to be frowned at for not enlisting, and too old to be frowned at for wandering about during a school day—and as a result, no one gave him a sideways glance. Of course, had anyone decided to take a closer look, they’d soon have noticed much to be suspicious about. The pockets of Avery’s coat were stuffed with packets of crackers, tinned soup, and jars of pickled vegetables, yet he held no money. No money, no identification, no anything.
Well, except for an Enfield pistol.
Avery wasn’t sure if it was loaded or not, though having examined it, he suspected only one bullet remained. He wasn’t entirely sure how to use it, but he enjoyed the feeling of invincibility it brought. Even now, there was something unnerving about walking alone.
Alone.
He wondered how long it would take for that word to become less of a curse and more of a wish.
“Avery?”
His back went rigid in surprise. He debated ignoring the voice, but the sound of quickening footsteps made that impossible. The contents of his pockets meant running was impossible too, so steeling himself, Avery turned and faced the speaker.
“Andrew.” His lips twitched into a smirk at the sight of a bruise blossoming under the other boy’s eye. “It’s been a while, eh?”
Andrew didn’t look amused. “What’re you doing here?”
“Sightseeing.”
“Where did you get all that food?”
“What, this?” Avery glanced at the jars and cans in mock astonishment. “No idea.”
Andrew’s expression darkened. Glancing over his shoulder, he grabbed Avery’s upper arm and pulled him into a backstreet between two buildings. Avery shook him off, annoyed.
“What are you playing at?”
“Evelyn told me you were a pain in the arse,” Andrew snapped. Then he seemed to get a hold of himself, and the anger ebbed away. “You’ve been stealing, haven’t you?”
Avery regarded Andrew, considering whether it would be smart to flash the pistol. “Yeah. We’re all starving.”
“How did you ever get away with that?”
“Magic.” Avery bared his teeth in a grin. “Distracting the clerks by toppling over every display at once also helps.”
“You’re going to drag them all into trouble.”
Avery’s grin vanished. “Says the one who killed Demitra bloody Farthing and nearly half my friends to boot.”
The darkness returned, along with a flash of what was unmistakably guilt. “I didn’t mean to kill her! It wasn’t my fault that Madon chose not to save her, and it wasn’t my fault that those bombs hit when they did. Raids usually don’t happen in the daytime, and I thought…I thought by going to London I was…” He broke off, exhaling. “But done is done. I accept that.”
“Good.” Avery regarded him warily. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“You can tell Evelyn that I’ll stay away. Whatever happens between Deio Farthing and me, I won’t involve her.”
Avery stared. What was he supposed to say to that? ‘Thank you’? Clearly, Andrew had played a significant part in Evelyn’s life before Avery broke out of Boundary, but all he’d brought to Avery was trouble.
But since the alternative was returning to the forest and enduring a mixture of Penny’s still-simmering resentment and Evelyn’s infuriatingly knowledgeable life lessons, Avery didn’t move from the alley.
“You’ll be all right, though?” Andrew asked awkwardly. “The group of you?”
Avery gestured to his full pockets. “We’ll do the same as you, I suppose. Manage.”
Andrew inclined his head, accepting this. “At least she seemed happy. Evelyn, I mean. With that Fred.”
“Yes.” Avery wrinkled his nose. “They’ll be insufferable now. If he can tolerate new tough-girl Evelyn—and if she can tolerate him. Out of all of us, I think old Freddie changed the least.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“I’m not sure yet.” Stomach rumbling, Avery reached into his coat and withdrew the packet of crackers and opening it took one out. Through a full mouth, he added, “You really need to work on your fugitive skills, by the way. Running to the closest village and jumping out the second you see someone you recognize? That’ll get you into trouble, my friend.”
“I can’t just ‘magic’ myself food.” Andrew frowned at the main street behind them, as though only just realizing how exposed they were. “And I…I don’t know where else to go. Madon promised to help me, but—”
Avery snorted. “Surprise, surprise, he didn’t.”
“No.”
Perhaps that would change, Avery thought. To any of Deio’s enemies, Andrew Pearson had become an incredibly useful weapon—someone who he not only blamed for the death of his sister, but was incapable of tracking the usual way, although, if he kept flaunting himself in public, the game wouldn’t take long to be over.
“You’ve got an odd look,” Andrew said uneasily. “What’s on your mind?”
“I forgot to grab a can opener.” Avery didn’t skip a beat. “Oh, well. I better get going.”
Something in Andrew’s expression fell. “Right. Tell Evelyn…” He stumbled over his words for a moment, and then looked away. “Never mind.”
When Andrew didn’t move, Avery tucked everything out of sight within his coat as best he could and strode out of the alley without looking back. He couldn’t offer further help—he had enough to worry about without harbouring Deio Farthing’s number one target.
Besides, Andrew had left his own bruises on Avery. And Avery Sadler wasn’t the type to forgive quickly.
He’d nearly reached the edge of the village when he heard something odd amidst the chatter and general bustle of cars and crowds—tinny, droning, mechanical, an odd enough noise that Avery stopped and looked around in confusion.
The telephone box, red, cast iron, the glass panes covered with moisture from the recent snowfall and almost opaque was emitting a noise. The telephone inside it was definitely ringing.
Avery frowned at it, trying to remember how they worked. He was quite certain that, in the event of a ringing phone, someone was supposed to pick it up, but the box was empty. No one but he stood anywhere near it.
When the ringing stopped, he shrugged and kept walking.
Then the ringing started again.
He stopped and it sta
rted yet again, seeming to pick up intensity.
Avery was good at many things. He had a sharper memory than Lucas, an ability to think with a clear head and competitiveness that made learning practical skills all too easy. However, when it came to leaving things alone…Avery had never been good at turning and walking away.
So when the phone started trilling for a sixth time, and still no one moved to pick it up, Avery cursed under his breath and stepped into the box. It took him a moment to figure out exactly what to do, before he raised the receiver to his ear.
Static crackled.
“Hello?” He felt silly, talking to nothing but his fragmented reflection in the glass panes. He was about to put it down and leave when the voice broke through the other line.
“Avery?” A pause. The voice sounded unsteady, like whoever it was had been crying. Or laughing, or shouting, or something else equally hysterical.
Avery stiffened.
“I’m going to need that favour.”
Boundary
The Other Horizons Trilogy – Book One
Never try to open the locked doors. Never question what you are told. And never attempt to cross the Boundary.
Kept inside an eerie estate for their entire lives, Penny and her five friends have had no contact with the outside world, with their only windows being a handful of books, a sinister master and a secretive housekeeper.
Fed up with living a mystery, Penny begins breaking all the rules and finally tries to escape; but what she uncovers is far more devastating than she could have imagined. It rapidly becomes a deadly struggle for the truth in a world where nothing is what it seems, and friendship can be either your greatest weapon…or your biggest liability.
Lodestone Books
978-1-78279-918-4
Lodestone Books
YOUNG ADULT FICTION
Lodestone Books offers a broad spectrum of subjects in YA/NA literature. Compelling reading, the Teen/Young/New Adult reader is sure to find something edgy, enticing and innovative. From dystopian societies, through a whole range of fantasy, horror, science fiction and paranormal fiction, all the way to the other end of the sphere, historical drama, steam-punk adventure, and everything in between (including crime, coming of age and contemporary romance). Whatever your preference you will discover it here.
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AlphaNumeric
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