Pick Your Poison

by Lauren Child

  As she walked, she looked around her like she was watching to see if anyone was coming, then out of her satchel she took a file. On the file was written, clear as day: Vapona Begwell. The quality of the picture captured by Clancy’s camera was really very good.

  The girl could then be seen reaching for something in her back pocket. Her hair was kept in place by a fly barrette; the barrette kept her hair from falling too far over her right eye.

  The girl pushed the key into the lock of locker 237, Del’s locker, and looking around her again, just checking the coast was clear, she yanked open the door and quickly but deliberately stuffed everything in. When she was done, she could be seen hurrying off in the opposite direction.

  She looked shifty, sure, she looked satisfied, and most of all she looked like Ruby Redfort.

  IT WAS NOT A HALF HOUR AFTER THIS REVELATION THAT MRS LASCO GOT A PHONE CALL. It was from the school secretary, Mrs Bexenheath.

  ‘Mrs Lasco, could you please bring Del back to school. Principal Levine would like to have a chat with her.’

  Mrs Lasco replied, ‘I don’t see how she can have got in any more trouble, she’s been sitting right here in my study – I’m watching her.’

  Ruby Redfort was blissfully unaware of what had just transpired. She had been deep in a movement in E minor when at 11am the behavioural science group was being given an inside track into her true nature. She didn’t actually leave the library and arrive back at school until noon and by then everyone in Twinford Junior High knew what kind of kid Ruby Redfort really was. By now, Del Lasco also knew.

  As Ruby walked her way down the main corridor she got a weird feeling like a tsunami might be about to hit. People weren’t quite looking her in the eye, they were muttering. It all seemed eerily quiet.

  ‘Is it me who’s the zombie? Or is it everyone else?’

  No answer.

  ‘Hey, Del,’ she called.

  Del didn’t answer.

  ‘Del!’ she shouted. ‘Is all forgiven? Did they catch the true culprit?’

  Del Lasco merely turned her head, pausing for just a few seconds, barely giving her the time of day. ‘Redfort, I just thought you were cooler than this,’ she said.

  ‘What?’ said Ruby. ‘I have no idea what you are talking about.’

  ‘Yeah right, you get in a bit of trouble with your mom and dad, your crabby neighbour and the local law enforcement, and it’s payback time, is that it?’

  ‘What …?’

  But Del had already turned on her heel and was walking off down the corridor, her hand raised in the internationally understood ‘Save it for someone who gives a darn’ gesture.

  Ruby was sort of frozen, unsure what she was meant to do. What exactly had just happened and why was Del so mad at her? She didn’t need to wait long to find out – five minutes later and she too was sitting in front of Principal Levine trying to figure out what on earth was going on.

  She was then sent straight home. Neither of her parents could be contacted and it was Mrs Digby who picked up the happy news.

  ‘Child, what in tarnation is going on?’

  ‘Beats me, Mrs Digby, but I swear someone is out to ruin my life.’

  Mrs Digby put her hands on her hips. ‘Something is strange, that’s for darn sure. I might have to start reading your horoscope, see if I can’t figure it out.’

  Ruby glanced at the kitchen clock.

  ‘So when are mom and dad getting back?’ she asked. ‘I don’t think I’m in the mood for a grilling.’

  ‘You’re in luck,’ said Mrs Digby. ‘They decided to leave for Washington this morning. They won’t have to hear about this little fiasco until Monday night.’

  Ruby spent the next couple of hours reading a book on psychological training. It was all about how to develop strength of mind and character. With Blacker out to get her and someone framing her at junior high – not to mention some threat out there that had got Hitch worried enough to send her to kung fu school – Ruby figured her mind could use some strengthening.

  She read until her stomach reminded her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and decided it was time to head down to the kitchen.

  Hitch was there, eating a Digby club sandwich (a Mrs Digby special) and he raised a hand in greeting when she walked in.

  She returned the gesture, took some juice from the refrigerator and picked up the evening paper that was lying on the counter top.

  Drip, drip, drip.

  ‘What’s that sound?’ she said.

  ‘Leaking tap,’ said Hitch. ‘The plumber is on his way.’

  ‘You couldn’t fix it yourself?’

  ‘Sure I could,’ said Hitch. ‘It’s a simple case of replacing the valve, which if I’m looking at it correctly is a 3/4 inch ceramic. But I’ve got bigger fish to fry.’

  ‘Some butler you are.’

  ‘House manager,’ corrected Hitch, ‘and nowhere in my job description does it say I have to fix taps.’

  ‘You don’t have a job description,’ said Ruby, ‘you’re not actually a house manager.’

  ‘Exactly, so let’s wait for the plumber.’

  Ruby spread out the paper. There was a piece titled TELL US YOUR WORST FEARS. Several interviewees had told the Twinford Hound about the things they most dreaded. One woman, Julia from Apple Oak County, had claimed dry hands were right up there in the nightmare department. Greg from Mountain View had claimed meeting a brown bear as his greatest fear and this Ruby felt was a little more on the scale.

  ‘One of my worst fears, I guess, would be having the whole of my junior high school think I’m a lowdown lying sneak.’

  ‘I’m sorry to hear that worst fear came true,’ said Hitch.

  ‘Oh it’s OK,’ said Ruby. ‘I’m sure it’s character building – I’ve been reading up on psychological strength and training.’ She took a big swig of juice. ‘Mrs Digby told you what happened, huh?’

  ‘Yep,’ said Hitch, ‘she thinks there is something wrongly aligned in your stars.’

  ‘Maybe’s she’s right,’ said Ruby. ‘Something somewhere is out of whack, that’s for sure, not that my parents are going to see it that way.’ She made a face. ‘Nope, when they find out about this I’ll be right back in the dog house.’

  ‘You’ve got a couple of days until they get home, you might as well enjoy your freedom because by Monday evening I reckon you’ll be back on Lemon duty.’

  ‘You’re right,’ said Ruby. ‘I think I might go out, breathe the air as a free person while I still can.’

  She took Bug with her and she was glad of his company. She rode the subway to Chinatown, and left the dog sitting outside the dojo while she trained. There was no chance of Bug walking off: he would wait for her no matter what. There was no chance of him being dog-napped either: he knew how to defend himself.

  It was after her training, as she stepped off the train at Greenstreet, that she was particularly grateful to have him at her side. The feeling of being watched, observed, followed, was perhaps heightened by the day’s dramatic events, but however much she wanted to, she didn’t think she was imagining it.

  It was a relief to slam the door behind her, turn all three locks and sit in the cosy light of the kitchen, drinking her drink and listening to the drip, drip of the tap.

  The plumber had obviously not made it after all. The drip of the tap was not so different from the drip drip beyond the window; the rain seemed to have set in for the duration and Ruby stared at the droplets running down the huge expanse of glass.

  She sat there for a long time just thinking, until the kitchen sounds were interrupted by the perky ping of the doorbell. Ruby didn’t answer. Mrs Digby was out at her blackjack class, and Hitch … she had no idea where he was.

  She didn’t stir from her seat until she became aware of the knocking on the back door and then a familiar …

  ‘It’s me, Clancy – are you there?’

  Only then did Ruby finally get up and open the door.

  He sat down
next to her and without any preamble came straight to the point.

  ‘I know it wasn’t you in the video footage, and don’t worry because I am going to prove it, though I feel kinda bad that it’s because of me that you are in this mess.’

  ‘It’s not your fault,’ said Ruby.

  ‘I know, but I still feel bad,’ said Clancy.

  ‘Well don’t,’ said Ruby. ‘Do you remember how you were telling me about that magician guy a month back?’

  ‘The one with the stupid name?’

  ‘Yeah, Darnley Rex.’

  ‘Yeah, boy, I mean, who calls their son Darnley?’ said Clancy. ‘So what about him?’

  ‘Well, I was thinking about the way he gets people doing stuff by planting an idea in their head and he manages to make them believe that they are seeing something or experiencing something and even if you were to try and convince them otherwise they would just carry on believing.’

  ‘Until he brings them out of their trance,’ said Clancy, ‘then they stop believing right away.’

  ‘Exactly, and it’s kind of like what’s happening here to me. Someone is out there undermining me by planting ideas in people’s minds, but I don’t think this person has any intention of letting anyone believe anything other than that I am a total phoney.’

  ‘You have any theory about who it could be?’

  ‘That’s the weird thing. I mean there’s no one, no one I know, who would do this,’ said Ruby, ‘but if I had to guess, I’d say I don’t think it’s got a whole lot to do with school.’

  ‘I agree,’ said Clancy, ‘this is beyond anything Vapona would do, or even that guy Beetle, plus I mean, Rube, when it comes down to it, everyone likes you – even the ones that don’t like you, like you.’

  Ruby smiled. ‘That’s nice of you to say, Clance.’ She paused before adding, ‘So if this isn’t a school thing then where exactly is it coming from?’

  ‘I have no idea,’ he said. He looked at his watch. ‘I’m afraid I gotta go. We are flying to Washington at 6am so I need to get home before my folks start flipping out.’

  ‘Don’t forget to pack your elasticated bow tie,’ said Ruby.

  Clancy gave a flat sounding, ‘Ha ha.’ He wasn’t laughing because he knew that he might well be required to wear an elasticated bow tie.

  Just before he disappeared into the dark he said, ‘You need to talk to Blacker. Just ask him straight. Better to know, it’s always better to know – isn’t that what you are constantly telling me?’

  But there was no way Ruby was going to do that.

  RUBY WAITED UNTIL MIDNIGHT BEFORE ZIPPING HERSELF INTO THE SPECTRUM-ISSUE JUMPSUIT, grabbing her backpack and heading for the subway. She arrived at the Movie Museum on Fibonacci just before 1am, and having walked around the building once, decided that she would enter by the old side door; she could pick the lock easy enough and it would be far less effort than scaling the wall.

  The pick up went exactly as it had done at the Twinford Mirror building – no goons, no guy in a red hat. She was just on her way out when she walked smack bang into a large metal trashcan, which toppled over and began rolling loudly down a flight of stairs, gathering speed as it went.

  Unsurprisingly, this alerted the two security guards.

  ‘What was that, Charlie?’

  ‘I don’t know, Dale, but it sounded like something.’

  They ran into the foyer and Ruby’s only option was to sprint up the stairs to the floor above. The trashcan had finished its descent to basement level, but the guards were not heading down to check it out; they wanted to know just who had sent it tumbling.

  ‘I think they went up the stairs,’ said Dale.

  Charlie was on his walkie-talkie; it sounded like he might be calling for back up.

  Get out of there Redfort.

  She could hear them coming, their feet on the marble steps, slow at first but then picking up speed.

  She broke into a sprint, ran to the floor above, kept running. They were fit these guys, close behind. She made it into the upper gallery, its display cases filled with historical costumes from movies – mannequins dressed in 18th century clothes, huge dresses with wasp waists, bodices laced up tight.

  No doors, no exits.

  She ran back into the stairway. There was a window, she stood on the ledge and pulled at the latch – it wouldn’t budge.

  ‘Come on,’ pleaded Ruby.

  She was beginning to panic.

  Six seconds, she counted.

  1.

  2.

  3.

  4.

  5.

  6.

  What popped into her mind was the laser tool. It was one of the functions of the Escape Watch and she had used it before. She depressed the operate button and directed the beam at the catch. The catch gave and the window swung open.

  ‘Is that a kid?’ said Charlie.

  ‘More like a ninja,’ said Dale.

  Get out of here, thought Ruby.

  And she jumped.

  The glider wings deployed exactly as they should and Ruby sailed clear over rooftops, but the wind was strong and she had no choice but to let it take her, and where it took her was to a narrow alleyway secured by a chain-link fence.

  She landed just fine and though it was gonna be a drag to have to climb the fence, she wasn’t going to whine about it. She was lucky to have escaped arrest for breaking and entering, she could so easily be sitting in a squad car heading down town …

  However, feelings of relief weren’t to last, for the sound she heard next was blood-curdling.

  With great caution, she turned to face this new enemy – dogs, two of them, closing in. They were snarling, teeth bared and dribbling drool.

  Oh jeepers! What are the chances? I jump out of a window and land up with the Hound of the Baskervilles and his less friendly brother.

  Ruby made sure not to look them in the eye, but began moving very calmly towards them. If she could get enough of a run up she could make it; if not, then she would most probably be ripped arm from leg.

  Seven paces, eight paces, nine … then she turned and ran at the wall as fast as her feet would carry her.

  The dogs sprang at her heels and their growls became barks as she flew, tick-tacking herself up the narrow alley walls, reaching for the top and pulling herself over, and onwards, across the rooftops, higher and higher, the dogs still leaping at the wall, their barks echoing into the night.

  When she was perhaps seventy feet above the alley she looked down. The dogs were losing interest, only barking intermittently. Their quarry gone, they slunk off into the shadows.

  Ruby took the fire escape and dropped down to the safety of the street.

  IN THE QUIET OF HER ROOM, Ruby sipped from the bottle she had found at the Movie Museum.

  She was cautious, after the unpleasant kale incident; she didn’t want to take any chances and slurp.

  The overriding taste was of tamarind. There was also salt and honey running through it.

  Salt, sweet, sour.

  (0,1,1,1)

  She marked it up …

  … then went to check the bathroom map, and was surprised to see that the point she had circled was: the Little Seven Grocers store, where the first bottle had been found. It was a loop.

  She was, quite literally, back where she had started. Back at square one.

  She examined the lid of the bottle. This time there was no date, so she figured there was no next bottle to find. What there was, instead, was a shallow impression of an X, nothing more.

  She had no idea what it meant and how it might link to any of the previous clues. Was someone playing a game here? Was this actually about anything at all?

  She looked at the locations and tried to see a connection.

  They were all more or less in the College Town district.

  She wrote down the four locations in her notebook:

  The Little Seven Grocers on Little Seven Street.

  The music school on the univers
ity campus, Algebra Street.

  The Twinford Mirror building on Gödel Avenue.

  The Movie Museum on Fibonacci Street.

  If there was a connection, she couldn’t see it.

  Her brain ached, her legs ached, her arms ached. Too tired to do much else but stumble from her chair to her bed, she kicked off her shoes, pulled the covers over her and fell asleep.

  When she woke, the rain was falling. It had been falling through the night and had been the white noise of her dreams. When she hauled herself from her bed, she found a note taped to the outside of her window. It said:

  You can count on me.

  She unlatched the window and pivoted it towards her – water poured in onto the floor and as she peeled the paper from the glass, so it split into tiny fragments and was washed away.

  She wasn’t sure when he had left it, but there was no doubt who had written it. Suddenly she didn’t feel so alone.

  She had Clancy Crew on her side and that was a lot.

  RUBY PEELED OFF THE JUMPSUIT, showered, pulled on her jeans and a T-shirt (the T-shirt, appropriately, had the word Framed printed across the front) and went to the hall to fetch her coat. She put it on, zipped it up and felt in the pockets for her gloves.

  An envelope fell out onto the floor. She picked it up, tore it open and found two things. One was a note. It said:

  I thought you might find this useful – you never can tell when you might need to tie things up.

  She looked at the second thing. It was a red leather wristband, and at its middle it had a yellow dragon that looked to be made from enamel. Its eye was raised a little and glittered red.

  She turned the note over.

  Kid, if you ever find kung fu isn’t enough – then cheat.

  INSTRUCTIONS:

  Aim dragon mouth at enemy and press the red eye to release vapour. Vapour will solidify on contact and create a temporary binding, which will render your enemy incapable of movement for approximately twenty-four minutes. The binding will also become as heavy as lead within seconds: do not attempt to lift the captive. Be aware that due to temporary muteness – experienced three minutes after vapour is released – captive will not be able to respond to questioning.