by Jon Robinson
‘Hey.’
Harlan started. ‘Elsa. I thought I told you to wait for me in the station?’
Elsa wrapped her arms round her chest and backed against the railing. ‘I wasn’t gonna stay there by myself. What are you doing?’
‘Nothing,’ he replied, lowering his eyes. ‘Just … waiting.’
‘You were going to steal from someone,’ Elsa said. ‘Like Julian.’
Harlan cradled the base of his neck. ‘I can’t do it, Elsa. There must be some other way …’
‘There’s not,’ she said. ‘Unless we cook a pigeon or something. And that may not be such a bad idea.’ Eyeing a nearby pigeon, Elsa started tiptoeing slowly towards it. ‘Here, pigeon, pigeon,’ she cooed.
Elsa leant down and dived for it. The bird jerked its neck and flew some way away. It landed on a shop awning and crooked its neck at her with a look of intense curiosity.
‘At least I was trying!’ she snapped. ‘Maybe Julian was right about not waiting for the others.’ Elsa scuffed her boot on the pavement. ‘I mean, what are the chances we’ll find them anyway? What if they hitch-hiked? What if they’re not even coming? What if they’re dead? We might never see them again and before we know it, someone else might get to us first.’
Harlan turned away and nodded.
‘You’re not supposed to agree!’ she exclaimed, pushing him. ‘You’re supposed to tell me everything’s going to be all right, that we’re going to go back inside and they’ll be waiting for us, and we’ll find the Pledge and all the answers and then we’ll go home! That’s what you’re supposed to say!’
Harlan held a weak smile. ‘For now we need food. And shelter. We need money. And there’s only one way to get money and … and I just can’t do it.’
Elsa watched a man walk past them and paused. ‘Maybe I could.’
The pair looked as the man nonchalantly shoved a wallet into the back of his trousers, waddling briskly along the pavement.
‘Wait here,’ Elsa whispered, gesturing to an alleyway.
Harlan slipped to the side, watching her from behind the wall.
Elsa quickened her pace, checking she had not gained anyone’s suspicion, and fell in rhythm with the man’s feet, moving lightly, almost cat-like in his shadow. Over on the next road a group of musicians were performing outside a shuttered shop. In the middle of them, a wiry man with tattoos creeping up his neck was sitting on the pavement, ecstatically slamming a tribal drum.
Spurred on by the steady slam of the tribal drum, Elsa extended her hand, her eyes fixed on the bulging wallet.
Take it, she commanded herself. He’ll never even notice.
Her hand moved closer, fingers poised. The closer she was, the louder the drumming and singing seemed. Elsa looked back over her shoulder, but there was no sign of Harlan.
She reached further, and at that moment there was a sudden splitting sound and the pounding ceased. The tattooed man’s sweating hand had broken through the skin of the tribal drum. The rest of the musicians abruptly stopped and the gathered onlookers cheered ironically.
Elsa’s target stopped and turned his head in the direction of the commotion. Elsa dipped forward, swiped the wallet swiftly and gathered it to her chest. I’ve got it!
She turned, about to sprint back to Harlan, when she felt a firm hand on her shoulder.
‘I believe that’s mine,’ said the man, looming over her. He snatched the wallet out of her hand. ‘Police!’
He tried to grab her with his other hand, but Elsa moved out of the way just in time.
‘Run!’ she yelled, running to where Harlan was waiting. ‘Run!’
14
Julian turned the key in the hotel-room door and coiled inside like smoke.
Without removing his coat, he flopped backwards on to the bed, arms outstretched until his fingers dangled limply over the sides. The sound of traffic hummed through the window as he watched the ceiling fan whirling, throwing shapes and shadows over him.
Julian gave an irritated grunt. The room was already chilly enough. He climbed wearily off the bed and tugged at the pull string, but still the fan whirred above him.
He yanked it again harder and the pull string snapped in his hand.
Julian was about to call down to the reception to report the broken fan, but paused, thinking better of it. Don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to myself.
It was good fortune that he hadn’t been asked for identification upon paying for his room; the attendant had given him a suspicious look, but said nothing and gladly accepted his money.
Julian emptied his coat pockets, examining the black cylinder of the ibis and the stolen wallet. There was probably enough money to last a few days – perhaps a week. Enough time for him to make a good start on investigating his captors. Julian hid the wallet behind the table, the ibis beneath the bed and turned his eyes to the window.
Across the road was the station. His thoughts drifted to Elsa and Harlan; he imagined them cold and hungry, begging for food.
‘Sympathy is overrated,’ he declared, shivering on his side under the blanket.
15
‘Good morning, I’m here to see Antonia,’ Felix said to the bemused housekeeper. ‘May I?’
The housekeeper looked behind her, then nodded, quickly stepping aside. Felix smiled, beating his damp hat against his coat, and walked into the hall.
‘James,’ Antonia said from the staircase. ‘Is something the matter?’
‘Something has come up,’ he said. He turned to the housekeeper, who, interpreting his glance as a command to disappear, scurried back along the hallway.
‘Come,’ Antonia said.
Felix followed all five feet of her up the stairs and on to the landing.
A girl, not much more than four years old, appeared from one of the rooms, dragging a doll along behind her. She looked up at Felix and waved coyly.
‘This must be Sophia,’ he said, kneeling down. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’
The girl looked at Felix, a little puzzled, and offered him her doll.
‘This way, James,’ said Antonia. She glared at her adopted daughter and as soon as Felix was in tow walked through to a room with large double windows.
Antonia lowered herself into a seat. Her black bob shone in the morning light.
‘Stephen’s wealth is increasing,’ Felix said. ‘Rapidly. I think it would be a good idea if he were removed from the Pledge before he overtakes me. And takes charge.’
Antonia raised a bejewelled hand. ‘No, James. Perhaps some fresh blood is what we need.’
‘And blood you will get, with him in charge,’ Felix quipped. ‘The project will be in his hands, more or less. You trust him to hold that much power?’
‘James,’ Antonia said. ‘I don’t trust anyone with that much power. But if the power comes to Stephen, all we can do is offer our support. And guidance … just like we agreed all those years ago when we formed.’
Felix waited a moment before speaking. ‘They’ve still not been found. Which means …’
‘They’ll be here,’ Antonia murmured. ‘Looking for us. If they aren’t already.’
‘No, looking for me,’ Felix answered. ‘They found me on Susannah’s phone, remember? I’ve tried to play things down in front of the rest of the Pledge, but –’
‘You’re worried.’
‘Yes,’ Felix said. ‘I’m worried. We took so many precautions, Antonia. The prison, the guards, the forest … I was sure the project would reach its conclusion without a hitch.’ Felix shook his head sadly.
‘Maybe we were fools to think the project could have ever really worked, James.’
‘It’s too late for that,’ Felix said. ‘But do tell me if you ever change your mind about Stephen, won’t you?’
Antonia smiled. ‘The only chance of me changing my mind is if you use their Ability to change it for me.’
Felix gave a brief smile in return, thinking about what she’d said. ‘I’ll see myself out,
’ he said.
16
Jes slowly sat up straight and pivoted, letting her legs dangle from the table. Gently, she lowered her feet to the floor and limped, hunched over, to the door. She pushed it aside.
The tunnel corridor was similar – virtually identical – to the one where she had killed Adler. She touched the wall and let her fingers explore the cold stone.
She continued walking some way until she came across a dark puddle.
Jes peered down, lowering to her knees. Her face was a pale, slight reflection in the liquid. She placed her hand in the puddle, stroking her reflection. ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured as her tears disturbed the dark water, remembering back to the night of the escape and how she’d fired at the chief warden, again and again, wishing him dead. The anger had felt like a black weight in her chest.
When she opened her eyes, she thought for a moment that Adler’s face was staring back at her.
There was a noise from the end of the corridor and Ryan appeared on the ladder. Jes got to her feet slowly.
‘All right,’ Ryan said, grinning at her. ‘Came to see you earlier but you were still asleep.’
He proudly handed her a piece of charred meat. ‘We made a fire in the ladder shaft. Had to wait until dark or the guards would’ve seen the smoke. Still, better late than never, right?’
‘You caught this yourself?’ asked Jes, turning it over in her hands.
‘Yup.’
Jes looked at him quizzically. ‘Really?’
‘Well, it was Henry’s trap. I just helped build the fire. But I built a damn good fire.’
Jes brought the meat close to her mouth and took a cautious bite, and before she had even finished chewing, a second, then a third.
Before long the meat had vanished, and Jes was eyeing Ryan in the hope that he had brought more.
‘That’s all we got,’ he said apologetically.
‘Next time I’ll come with you,’ she said with a smile. ‘I’ll get my own food.’
‘Not for a while, you won’t.’ He nodded towards her wound.
‘I’m fine,’ she said, and tried to stand up straight, but quickly withdrew into a stoop.
Ryan reached out to support her. ‘Henry said we have to stay until you’re better.’
‘I don’t want to stay. I just want to get out of here as soon as possible,’ she said. ‘I want to find the others. I want –’ she paused, gesturing to the surrounding darkness – ‘light.’
She was cut short as the lid was sealed and Henry began climbing down. ‘How are you feeling?’ he asked Jes once he reached the bottom.
‘Better after the food. Ryan told me he built a fire.’
Henry laughed. ‘Ryan couldn’t build a fire in a room full of matches. He put ours out about three times.’
‘Oi! I wasn’t that bad,’ Ryan said, glaring at Henry. He turned to Jes. ‘It’s just because it was cold and wet …’
‘I thought every boy knew how to make a fire.’
‘Yeah, maybe in your day they could,’ Ryan said. ‘Do I look like I was in the Scouts?’ He began to walk away.
Henry turned to Jes. ‘Now that you’re awake, I think you – and Ryan – need to know exactly what’s going on.’
Ryan stopped in his tracks and looked back over his shoulder.
‘I think you both need to know why you were taken,’ Henry added.
‘All of you in the prison have one thing in common,’ Henry explained, as the pair huddled together close to him. The flickering candle flame danced with his words. ‘You can make things happen – things that might seem highly unlikely. And you’re not the only ones. There’s a whole community of people – the Guild – people just like you … people who have been training for years, developing the Ability … learning how to manipulate and influence reality.’
‘Eh?’ Ryan said after several seconds of silence.
Henry tapped the side of his incredulous guest’s head. ‘Somewhere in here are all your thoughts, fears and desires … and your imagination. Somehow, through a string of highly improbable coincidences, you can use that imagination to make things in here –’ he tapped Ryan’s head again – ‘happen out here. In the real world.’
Ryan felt himself getting a headache already. ‘You mean like –’
‘Magic.’ Jes finished his sentence, not taking her eyes off the flickering flame.
‘I wouldn’t call it magic,’ Henry said. ‘It seems to work through coincidence and chance and probability.’
Ryan yawned and rubbed his eyes with his forearm. He glanced at Jes, who seemed to be following Henry’s baffling claims.
‘If this is true, and I’m not even sure I believe it myself,’ she said, ‘then it still doesn’t explain why they’ve put us through all of this …’ Jes pointed at her prison uniform. ‘Why put us in that place? Why all the lies?’
‘This skill is far, far rarer in adults than it is young people. Individually you can make small things happen. But with a hundred of you, all together, you can change reality on a massive scale. What kind of changes, we don’t know … but if the members of the Pledge are the kind of people who kidnap children and teenagers from their homes, I can only imagine –’
‘Look, no offence, mate,’ Ryan said with a laugh, ‘but it sounds like the kinda thing Harlan would be well into, but me? Nah.’
‘You have to realize how bizarre it sounds,’ Jes agreed.
‘You want proof?’ Henry said, looking at the pair. ‘Put out the flame.’
‘Easy,’ Ryan said, and inhaled a mouthful of breath.
Henry put up his hand. ‘Not like that.’
Jes shut her eyes and tried willing the flame to extinguish. But when she opened them it was still swaying gently.
‘When was the last time wishing worked for you? Use your imagination. When you get it right, you’ll feel something change in your mind.’
‘You think putting out some candle is gonna prove anything?’
‘If you can do this,’ Henry said, and pointed at the candle, ‘you can do anything.’
He slowly got to his feet and walked over to the door.
‘Wait, where are you going?’
‘You don’t need me here. I don’t have the Ability. The two of you need to try together, without any distractions.’
He left the pair with the flame serenely descending the candle.
‘I still think he’s nuts,’ Ryan grumbled. ‘You know what I was doing the night they took me?’ Ryan went on. ‘We were taking my best friend’s dad’s car out for a ride.’
‘I was at a party,’ Jes said quietly, still staring at the flame. ‘They must’ve been following me for ages. Waiting for the right moment.’
‘You didn’t strike me as the sort – to be out partying, I mean. Thought you were a good girl.’ He paused. ‘Here’s where you’re supposed to say you were surprised about me – that I didn’t seem like the sort either.’
‘Well, you do.’
‘Cheers,’ he said sarcastically. ‘You’re a rich girl, aren’t you? Bet you had piano lessons and everything.’
‘My parents are wealthy enough, I guess,’ she said.
Ryan snorted. ‘Mum barely makes enough to get by. That’s why I’m getting a job as soon as I finish school.’
‘What kind of job?’
‘Dunno. Anything. I don’t care, me.’
Jes looked concerned. ‘Isn’t there anything you want to do?’
‘Who knows. I’ll just take it as it comes. It’s no biggie.’
‘My dad says you have to take control of your own life, or someone else will.’
‘What happens when you don’t have a choice?’ he asked. ‘Now we’re down here, can I ask you something?’ He waited for Jes to nod permission and said, ‘If things were different, you know with our situation and everything, would you …’ He stopped, noticing Jes was studying him intently. ‘Like, if I was at that party with you and your mates … do you think you could see us being friends?’
‘Sure. I guess so.’
‘What about …’ He trailed off. ‘You know.’
‘Nope. You’ve lost me.’
‘Hooking up?’
‘Hooking up?’ Jes made no attempt to hide her disdain at the expression.
‘Yeah, you know, like –’
‘I know what it means.’ She looked away. ‘I’m sorry, Ryan. I like you as a friend, but …’
‘But?’
‘But that’s it. You’re not really – how can I put this …?’
‘It’s all right,’ he said with a shrug. ‘You don’t need to say anything else.’
‘Sorry.’
‘Nah, it’s cool. It’s not like I fancy you or anything. I was just wondering.’ He grinned sheepishly. ‘Something to pass the time, you know.’
With his cheeks burning, Ryan turned his eyes to the candle, desperately willing the darkness to swallow him. He imagined the soft hiss as the flame suddenly extinguished, and the smoky-sweet scent of blown-out birthday candles. Ryan felt a tingling sensation in the middle of his forehead, a little like pins and needles. At that moment a single drop of condensation slithered free from a crack in the stone ceiling and landed straight on the candle.
The room fell into darkness except for a winding grey thread of smoke.
‘That’s it,’ said an excited Henry, opening the door.
‘Oi, were you spying on us?’ Ryan complained.
‘I knew you could do it.’ Henry grinned and lit a match, making his way across the room. ‘Do you believe me now? Do you understand?’
‘Yeah, but it wasn’t us,’ Ryan said, shrugging. ‘It was just a drop of water.’
‘It was a coincidence,’ Jes agreed.
Henry leant down to light the candle. ‘That’s how the Ability works. It causes a chain reaction of unlikely events, one after the other.’ Henry’s eyes were filled with excitement. ‘Now do it again.’