Ace of Spiders

by Stefan Mohamed

  ‘You did toast,’ I said. ‘Points for toast.’

  ‘Good idea,’ said Lauren.

  Within five minutes I had three pieces of hot buttered toast on a plate, never having gone near the toaster. ‘That’s a bit scary,’ said Lauren. ‘I think I might have been getting ahead of myself, there’s not much I can teach you. You know it all already.’

  ‘I just don’t know I know it, right?’

  She laughed. ‘I was going to leave that bit unsaid.’

  ‘That was probably a good shout. And anyway, I don’t know if I could do what you do. The healing.’

  ‘Practise. Different discipline.’

  I nodded. Then I shook my head. ‘But . . . maybe not? Maybe it’s not different disciplines. Maybe that’s the point. It’s all the same power. So maybe we can do anything?’ The enormity of that last sentence made me stop, and we stared at one another. I could tell she was feeling the tingle of fear and excitement that was rippling up and down my back, and we both giggled. Then she suggested a tea break. I was already starting to like her a lot, particularly her tea fixation.

  As we sat enjoying our drinks, I tentatively asked Lauren about when she first got her powers. ‘You said you were eleven?’

  That expression was back. The one she always got when issues of her past came up. I knew I had no right to pry, we barely knew each other, but if you were going to tell anyone this sort of stuff . . . plus I’d told her my whole story, so it was only fair. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Eleven.’ She looked down at the floor, and I waited. ‘My . . . my parents fought a lot,’ she said, tentatively. ‘All the time. Me and my brother were always hearing them shouting from upstairs. We’d hide and play. One day my brother was out and I came in from school, and my parents were screaming at each other in the kitchen, really screaming. Didn’t even notice I’d come back. I ran upstairs into my room and . . . I screamed, to drown them out. And my bookshelf fell down. All the books, all over the floor.’

  It was eerie how closely that echoed something I’d experienced at my house after hearing my own parents arguing. I prompted her with a sympathetic smile.

  ‘I worked out how to do rudimentary things pretty quickly,’ said Lauren. ‘But it was years before I did anything as big as the bookshelf again. I didn’t tell anyone, not my brother, not my friends. Definitely not my parents. For four years I kept it to myself, painstakingly practising. It was quick for a while, but then horribly slow. Agonising. I was fifteen when I finally managed to do something big, and that was after a breakup. I threw my boyfriend.’

  I imagined myself hurling Ben King across the drama hall at school.

  ‘I went to his house to talk,’ she said, ‘and he answered the door and we ended up fighting. One of the worst fights I’ve had with anyone, ever. I remember crying and thinking how much I wanted to hurt him, and then he just flew up and hit the ceiling.’ She stopped to breathe. ‘I didn’t stay around for a second. I ran home and told my parents, straight out. I was in such a state, absolutely hysterical. I threw plates with my mind, turned over the table. I remember screaming at them and I thought my dad was about to hit me and I . . .’ She stopped and I could see the glint of tears.

  ‘Hey,’ I said, ‘you don’t have to if you don’t . . .’

  ‘It’s fine,’ she said, keeping her voice under control. ‘I’m fine. I . . . I held a knife to his throat. Picked it up, brought it across the kitchen, put it against his neck, all without moving a muscle. I remember it so well, there was just . . . absolute silence. The most complete, total silence I’ve ever heard. Or . . . not heard.’ She managed a grim laugh. ‘And then I dropped the knife and ran out. And I never went back.’ I reached out and took her hand, wondering if that was an OK thing to do, but she didn’t recoil. She actually smiled. ‘Thanks.’ She drew her other hand roughly over her eyes, brushing the dew drops away, and continued. ‘Then I came here.’ She frowned, then laughed. ‘What am I talking about . . . I didn’t come straight here. It just sometimes feels like I did. If that makes sense. Amazing how this city swallows up lost souls.’

  ‘It is. Where did you go first? If you don’t mind me asking . . .’

  ‘It’s fine,’ said Lauren. ‘I actually went to Torquay. Played the piano and waitressed at this little place called the Chinese Singing Teacher.’

  ‘That’s the actual name of an actual place?’

  She smiled. ‘Yes.’

  ‘That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard.’

  ‘It was great. For a while. But . . . I don’t know. I think I needed to not be known, if that makes sense. And everyone knew everyone there. So I decided to head to London. It was hard setting up, but eventually I earned enough doing appalling jobs to live on my own. Looks like I’ll be burning through most of my remaining holiday allowance now . . . anyway. So yes, that’s how I ended up here.’

  ‘How old are you?’ Is that a rude question?

  ‘Twenty-six.’ She suddenly looked angry. ‘Fifteen years. That’s how long I’ve had these powers. I should be . . . I should be able to . . . I . . . I don’t know what the problem is.’

  I didn’t know what to say. I was grateful when she spoke again. ‘You know, thinking about what you said . . . I think you’re right. And I don’t think your flying is specifically the power of flight. I think it all comes back to the mind, all of it. You think you can fly, so you do. You think yourself up. That’s how it all works. Being able to feel people’s thoughts, move things, start fires, throw . . .’ She laughed. ‘Throw cars around. It’s all your brain.’

  ‘So my cousin,’ I said, ‘his super-strength, super-toughness. He thinks himself tough.’

  ‘Makes sense to me,’ said Lauren. ‘As far as any of this stuff makes sense. And if it’s true . . . then that means it is limitless.’

  So I could make myself as strong as Eddie and Connor. And they could fly. And so on . . . ‘Well,’ Lauren added, with a note of bitterness. ‘Some of us could.’

  ‘You can,’ I said. ‘You can. I know you can. Everyone has the same potential.’

  She looked into my eyes then, and there was pain there, bright and sharp. I knew it wasn’t just to do with what were talking about. ‘Then I should be able to fly,’ she said.

  ‘You can,’ I said, feeling a little uncomfortable because she seemed genuinely sad that she couldn’t do it. ‘Surely. If the theory is right.’

  ‘Maybe,’ said Lauren. ‘Sorry. I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. It’s amazing that you can do it. But when I first had my powers, when I was growing up in that . . . that house, I would have given anything to just fly away. Disappear into the sky.’ She smiled. ‘You’re special, I think. You’re more than all of us. And not just the flying, the way you picked things up today. It comes completely naturally to you.’

  ‘Then why haven’t the Angel Group got me already?’ I’d been going over and over this in my head and it was driving me mad. ‘After the whole thing at the Kulich, Pandora knew about me, and it can’t have been difficult to find out where I was living. Why didn’t they just come in and take me? And why send an assassin after me?’

  ‘An assassin? That’s pretty harsh.’

  ‘Could have been worse. At least I didn’t die that time.’

  ‘Yes . . .’ Lauren didn’t seem to know where to look, which was understandable. I doubted she’d met many people who had died. ‘Shall we carry on?’ she said.

  We spent another couple of hours practising and playing games, manipulating all the objects in the house, and at my request Lauren played some more on the piano. She didn’t just know classical stuff, she could play the Beatles, old show tunes, the lot. She was just picking out ‘Macarthur Park’ when two harsh knocks sounded at the front door, making us both jump. I got up, ready to fight, but Lauren held up her hand. ‘Stay here. I’ll go.’ She went to the front door and returned a second later. ‘Young guy,’ she said.
‘Blonde hair. Looks strong.’

  ‘That’s Eddie,’ I said, my stomach lurching with relief. ‘Definitely.’

  Lauren nodded. ‘OK . . . well. I’ll go and let him in, I suppose.’ She didn’t seem happy that Eddie had arrived unannounced. Not surprising. I poked my head around and watched her open the door. Eddie smiled awkwardly against the darkening grey of the afternoon. ‘Hi,’ he said. ‘Lauren, isn’t it? I’m Eddie.’

  ‘Hi.’ They shook hands and Lauren ushered him in. ‘Thanks,’ said Eddie. ‘Sorry I didn’t call . . . we don’t want to use the phones if we can help it. I did send a message with the web thing.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Lauren, ‘sorry. I completely forgot to check that. Having trouble getting used to it.’

  Eddie smiled. ‘I sympathise. Anyway, I thought you guys would probably be in.’

  ‘It’s all right,’ said Lauren. ‘How are you?’

  ‘I’ve had better weeks.’ Eddie looked past her and I stepped out into the hall. It felt like we should run at each other, share a massive brotherly hug or something, but somehow I felt like I’d let him down by running away, leaving them to fight and hide. It was important, though, and I knew he’d understand. I hoped he would, at least. I grinned and offered a pretty ineffectual ‘Yo.’

  ‘Stanly,’ said Eddie. He walked towards me and we did hug, tightly. When we separated I knew that he was too glad to see me to be angry. For now.

  ‘All right?’ I said.

  ‘Yeah,’ said Eddie. ‘Safe. At the moment. You?’

  ‘Also safe.’

  ‘Tara?’

  ‘Fine, and Kloe. You understand don’t you? I had to get them to safety. I had to.’

  ‘I understand,’ said Eddie. ‘It’s good that you did, I think. Everything’s gone ever so slightly bat’s-arse, and from what Freeman’s been saying it sounds like it was inevitable. A “when not if” kinda thing. So.’

  I nodded. ‘Did you get Hannah out of town?’

  ‘Tried, but she wasn’t having any of it,’ said Eddie. ‘Said the most she would do is close up for a few days and get stuck in to some reading at home.’ He smiled. ‘What are you gonna do? I couldn’t exactly make her.’

  Hmm. ‘Cool. How are Connor and Sharon?’

  ‘Fine.’

  ‘Skank?’

  ‘Yeah, he’s fine.’

  ‘And Daryl?’

  ‘Everyone’s fine, Stanly,’ Eddie laughed. ‘Don’t worry. Daryl’s with Freeman and Skank.’

  ‘How’ve you found it? Talking to Freeman.’

  ‘If I said it was really bizarre and off-putting, would that sound plausible?’

  I laughed. ‘Totally. He’s in the same situation as us, though.’

  ‘Yeah. And he’s proving to be pretty useful. He knows a lot.’

  ‘Good,’ I said. ‘How many fighters have we got all together?’

  Eddie shook his head. ‘Not enough. But it’s better than it would have been if it was just us, I suppose.’

  Lauren made some more tea and Eddie filled me in on what had happened since I’d left. Apparently Freeman had contacted him immediately after I had, and Eddie had got out of his flat minutes before the Angel Group’s soldiers had arrived. He’d met up with Freeman and Daryl and later Connor and Sharon, who’d had to fight their way out of their house. Connor had got hurt pretty badly, which stabbed me with guilt, although at least he was healing fast. They’d then contacted Skank, who had immediately started mobilising ‘the troops’, as Eddie called them, and basically taken charge, organising safe locations for everyone to go to. ‘Daryl’s been calling us La Resistance,’ smiled Eddie. ‘It’s all a bit ’Allo ’Allo.’

  The upshot was that we had a small group of people with a huge enemy to fight and not much of an idea of how to go about it. I took all this in, asked a few questions, then began my own story, about the fight with the monster dog and the battle with the Angel Group’s soldiers, about going and getting Tara and taking her back to Tref-y-Celwyn, fudging and smudging the details of my future self’s involvement, which was a whole different can of worms being poured into a heinously complicated kettle of fish. Then I wound my way back to London, to the kid with the green coat – ‘No idea who that is, I’m afraid,’ said Eddie – and then to meeting Lauren.

  ‘And now you know as much as I do,’ I said.

  Eddie nodded. ‘Yeah. That’s . . . Christ, Stanly. I never gave you anywhere near enough credit for what you can do.’

  ‘Doesn’t matter,’ I said. ‘I’m here now, I’m safe, you’re all safe, Tara and Kloe are safe.’

  ‘Yeah,’ said Eddie. He turned to Lauren. ‘Nailah tells us you’re empowered too?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Telekinesis?’

  ‘I’ve never really called it that . . . but, yes, I suppose.’

  ‘And you’ve been living in London for . . .’

  ‘A long time,’ said Lauren. ‘But I only just met Nailah. Been keeping my head down.’

  ‘So,’ I cut in, seeing how visibly uncomfortable Lauren was talking about herself, ‘anything resembling a plan?’

  ‘It’s still in the formative stages,’ said Eddie. ‘In fact, the stage before the formative stages. Possibly the stage before that, even. Freeman’s brought a lot of stuff to the table.’

  ‘Like what?’

  ‘The Angel Group are using empowered for some grand scheme. Something that’s having an adverse effect on the city.’

  ‘The monsters.’

  ‘Among other things.’

  ‘Does Freeman have any idea what they’re doing? Specifically?’

  ‘Not exactly,’ said Eddie. ‘He says it was nothing to do with him. Not his department.’

  ‘Morter Smith’s department?’

  ‘Yeah.’ Eddie’s brow creased. ‘That’s another thing. Whatever Smith’s doing presumably requires empowered. But he took out a hit on you, rather than trying to capture you. Seem strange?’

  ‘Does.’

  ‘They obviously see you as a threat,’ said Lauren. ‘All of you. You said whatever they’re doing has something to do with monsters? Like Smiley Joe and that blue dog? And it seems that it’s all coming to a head now. They must be scared that you’ll blow a hole in it and would rather kill you than waste time trying to capture you.’

  ‘Makes sense,’ I said. ‘I just wish I knew what they were doing.’

  ‘Nailah’s working on that,’ said Eddie, ‘but her contact . . . who she’s very cagey about, by the way . . . doesn’t have access to everything. There are levels and levels, layers and layers within the Angel Group, according to her. Public-facing stuff, secret stuff, top secret stuff, super secret stuff, pain-of-death-stuff, and beyond.’ He sighed. ‘Hopefully we’ll know more by our next meeting. Freeman’s been making enquiries, so have Skank’s new mates.’

  ‘That’s good,’ I said. ‘Eddie . . . do you trust Freeman?’

  ‘More than I did before.’

  We sat in Lauren’s living room and drank more tea, discussing possibilities for plans and what the Angel Group’s secret scheme might be, and Skank’s new non-empowered allies, who sounded like a motley crew. Eddie stayed for dinner and eventually headed off. ‘See you soon,’ he said. ‘Take care.’

  ‘Always do, except when I don’t. You too.’

  ‘I’ll be in touch.’ He shook hands with Lauren again. ‘Thanks for looking after him.’

  ‘It’s fine,’ said Lauren. ‘He’s a good house guest.’

  Eddie left and I went to the kitchen to get another drink. Lauren followed and watched me pour juice into a tall glass with my mind, concentrating on swirling the liquid around itself in a double helix. It was surprisingly easy, considering how unsettled my head was. ‘Nice,’ she said.

  ‘Thanks.’

  ‘I’m tired,’ she said. ‘Going
to head to bed.’

  ‘I probably will too, soon.’

  ‘OK, well help yourself to whatever. Goodnight.’

  ‘’Night. And thanks.’

  ‘You’re welcome.’

  Chapter Sixteen

  WE DIDN’T HEAR anything until the following afternoon, when Nailah sent out a message calling a meeting. Apparently there was new information. The meeting place, some random flat south of the river, was pretty far away, which meant Lauren and I finding our way across London in the dark, avoiding the military and the police. ‘Great,’ I said. ‘I do love suicide missions.’

  ‘At least you always know the outcome,’ said Lauren.

  ‘S’pose.’

  The night was raw, nakedly cold, frost sparkling on the roofs and windows of parked cars and at the edges of the kerbs. I pulled my coat around me, breathing out hot steam, beyond glad that I’d brought it with me. Warm and stealthy. ‘So,’ said Lauren. ‘How far is this place again?’

  ‘It’s a good few miles. I can fly us, but . . .’

  ‘Risky,’ said Lauren. ‘There’ll be patrols everywhere, and they know you’re in the city. They’ll probably have extra drones in the sky.’

  ‘What about underground?’ I said. ‘The Tubes?’ The underground system had been shut down until further notice, but as far as obstacles went, a few locked gates and empty tunnels seemed laughable.

  As expected, Lauren’s nearest station was closed. More importantly, there was a black truck parked near the entrance, and two armed guards. ‘Arse,’ I muttered.

  ‘We could find another station,’ said Lauren.

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘Don’t want this to take any longer than it has to.’ I had a quick look around. ‘Tell you what, I’ll cause a distraction down the road. Hopefully they’ll all come after me and that’ll give you time to run into the station. Gates’ll be locked, can you sort them out?’

  Lauren tapped her temple and nodded.

  ‘Cool. I’ll meet you on the westbound platform. If by any chance they don’t all follow me, you might need to do a bit of fighting.’