‘Everything OK?’ asked Misty as I arrived a little out of breath. She and Summer were waiting for me by our tents; Alex and Will had already left to join the snaking queue at the pizza van.
I was going to say ‘yes’ but out came a big fat ‘no’. ‘Misty, you’re not keeping control!’ I squeaked in protest.
She frowned, checking her power. ‘Sorry. I forgot because I was worried about you. You’ve been gone for hours. What happened to you?’
‘I told you where I was. Outside the green room.’ I grabbed a pink sweater for the cooler evening from my rucksack in the girls’ tent.
Summer tugged the hem of my skirt straight as I backed out of the zip-up door flap. I always seem to manage to get myself in a mess. Probably not unconnected to the fact that I had been dancing on tables until ten minutes before. ‘Take a moment and explain,’ she suggested.
I stood up and took a breath. ‘OK, OK. Most of the performers are great—we had an awesome time—but there are a couple who really get on my nerves.’ I ran my fingers through my shoulder-length bob, giving it a quick comb. ‘Jay as you know is a pain in the butt, but I also bumped into this other guy. He kind of made me feel … ’ I pulled a face, ‘ … too pushy.’
Misty gave me a one-armed hug. ‘The jerk.’
‘What did you do?’ asked Summer.
‘I just asked him to join our party.’
‘Party?’
Something about Summer’s calm questioning made me wonder how I might have struck an outsider. I was beginning to regret my irrepressible urge towards exuberance. ‘Well, I was having a good time.’
‘Yes?’ Summer exchanged a smile with Misty.
‘We were singing and, er, dancing.’
‘Dancing?’ asked Misty.
‘On the picnic tables.’
Summer laughed. ‘For some guys that might be just a little too much, you know?’
‘I guess. But I meant it as a friendly gesture.’
Summer hugged me. ‘You, Angel, are the friendliest girl on the planet and we love you for it. If this guy can’t appreciate you, then that’s his problem.’
I nodded fiercely. ‘Exactly what I said.’
‘Who was he?’ asked Misty. ‘I just need to know so I can hiss his act.’
‘Marcus “OMG” Cohen—he’s in the band supporting Gifted.’
‘He really calls himself that?’ asked Misty dubiously.
Rooting through my tote, I pulled out a sparkly turquoise scarf with a flourish and flung it around my neck. ‘No, but I did, sort of, and by mistake. When you see him, you’ll understand.’
Misty’s phone buzzed. She glanced down at the message. ‘Forget him; much more important is whether you want pineapple with your ham?’
‘Too right: who needs rock gods when there is pizza? Tell Will that I want as many toppings as possible.’ I ordered extravagantly partly in defiance of guys with the Marcus Cohen approach to life. As far as I was concerned, life was for living, not for sitting on the sidelines, and if that meant overloading the pizza, then I was in.
Alex and Will had bagged us a spot on some hay bales by the pizza van.
‘Hi, guys! Sorry to abandon you all afternoon!’ I called cheerfully, jumping up on the nearest bale to give each a hug.
Will offered a hand to help me down. ‘How can I complain when you’re here for me? Any progress?’
I cracked open the nearest pizza box. ‘What flavour?’
‘Every flavour—as you requested.’ Will snagged a slice and took a bite. He chewed thoughtfully. ‘It tastes kinda … confused, but good.’
Tasting a piece, I agreed with his assessment. ‘My sort of pizza then. I did find out, Will, that Gifted are expected later. They don’t perform until Friday but will rock up tomorrow. I met one of their support band so I guess some of the team will be coming ahead and then the big stars. If they’re doing a big show there must be technical rehearsals the morning before when all us happy campers are sleeping off our late nights.’
Summer wiped her fingers on a serviette. ‘I’ve been thinking: that name—Gifted. They’ve been around a while so I never questioned it before, but do you think that, if they’re like us, that the name is deliberate?’
‘You mean so in-ya-face no one notices their gifts?’ asked Misty.
Alex frowned, his dark blue eyes pensive. ‘I’ve never heard a whisper about them on the Net before; have you, Will?’
‘No, and, trust me, I checked thoroughly before I left.’
‘But it would explain part of their phenomenal success, if it’s true,’ added Misty. ‘There’s no other band like them.’
‘If it is a clue, isn’t the real question who else might be in on the secret?’ I asked. ‘We’ve already ruled out the band members on grounds of gender, so if Gifted are like us, maybe there’s also another in their circle?’
Will sat forward, excited by the new lead. ‘And gifts often run in families—just look at us. I’ll need to go back and examine the links between the band and their entourage. And we may just have discovered a bunch of savants who work independently of the rest of us: that’s a good outcome whatever else happens. The Net could help them stay undetected.’
‘Oh, we can do much better than that.’ I picked up the last piece of pizza, thought twice about my tight skirt, and handed it to Will. ‘As much as I like tidying up the loose ends of the savant world, we’re really here for love, and don’t you forget it.’
‘No danger of that.’ Will held out the pizza. ‘Go on: take a bite. You know you want to.’
‘I’ll be the size of a house.’
‘Eat all you like and you’d never make more than a decent-sized dog kennel, Angel. Go on.’
Grinning, I nibbled a corner then pushed it back at him. ‘Really, I’m stuffed.’
While the guys finished up the pizza, I looked round, enjoying the sights of the festival. Brightly coloured flags fluttered overhead against the flush-pink sky. Strings of lights decorated the stalls and food concessions, adding a magical element. The folk-tent flaps were thrown back and a woman with long dark hair strummed a guitar, singing to the small gathering of fans. She was good, giving a modern twist to a traditional song. Might be worth listening to from inside.
Before I could make the suggestion, Misty gasped and grabbed Alex’s arm.
‘Don’t use telepathy!’ she hissed.
‘What? Why?’ I asked.
‘It’s him—over there! No, don’t all look round. Alex, you check. You remember him?’
Alex soothed her by putting his arm around her shoulders and rubbing her sleeve. ‘Who, bokke?’
‘That creep Eli Davis: the man in that anti-savant group who cornered us at my school. He had that device that registered telepathy, remember?’
‘He’s not someone I’d forget in a hurry.’
‘I know Uriel took it off him but I wouldn’t put it past him to have others made.’
Alex’s face took on a hardened expression, quite unlike his normal easygoing demeanour. His resolve was clear: no one was going to mess with us on his watch. His eyes swept the crowd but there were so many people milling around finding a single man was almost impossible. ‘I can’t see him, bokke. Can you mind-shadow him, Summer?’
My friend shook her head. ‘I have to see or sense him first.’
‘Will?’
Our friend closed his eyes, reaching out with his gift. ‘You’re right, Misty: he’s here. The threat level has crept up when I wasn’t paying attention, but not for us. I sense a … malevolent presence but I don’t think he has any idea we’re around. He’s after another target.’
‘The same one as us, maybe?’ asked Summer in a low voice.
‘I guess.’ Will tapped my knee to get my attention. ‘Angel, I’m sorry to have to rush this, but you’ll need to move quickly tomorrow and see if you can make contact with someone in the Gifted entourage as soon as the advance guard arrives. If he’s after them, they’ll need to be warned.’
Will shook his head. ‘Davis and his gang aren’t here to attack; their agenda is to expose savants. A group cut off from the rest of us won’t have been warned through the usual channels to keep him at arm’s length.’
‘He poses as a journalist,’ added Misty. ‘He can get backstage on his credentials.’
‘Not just poses: he is a journalist,’ corrected Alex. ‘That’s his angle: he’s looking to break one of the biggest stories of the century, revealing our existence to the general public.’
‘And he’s unlikely to be here alone,’ concluded Will. He took out his phone. ‘I’ll text my brothers to let them know Davis is active again—see if we can get some backup.’
‘That’s good,’ I said, shivering, as goosebumps stippled my skin.
‘But until then, Angel, I’m afraid you’re our best hope. Use your link to the support band and see if you can get an introduction to the rest of the Gifted crew.’
I exchanged a quick look with Misty and Summer. ‘Um, I don’t think that’s a very good idea.’
Will’s forehead creased in a frown. ‘Why not?’
‘That guy from the support band, he doesn’t like me.’
‘Impossible. Everyone likes you even when they find you … ’ Will rubbed his chin, searching for the right word.
‘Too vibrant for their sad little lives,’ finished Misty.
‘Aw.’ I jumped up and twirled Misty in a circle. ‘I love you, guys. OK, I’ll remind the killjoy rock god that I’m sensational and he really wants to bring me into the inner circle of one of the most famous groups on earth.’
Summer stood up and joined our little girl huddle. ‘That’s right—you tell him: resistance is futile.’
‘And if that doesn’t work, I’ll talk my way past security and have a word,’ offered Alex.
‘Let’s see what Angel can do first.’ Will turned his phone so I could see the screen. ‘Here’s the mugshot of Eli Davis my brother circulated last year. I’ll send it to you.’
Misty wrinkled her nose. ‘Yeah, that’s him. Dark hair, big nose, dresses like you would expect from a journalist—smart casual. Carries a notebook. The thing that gives him away though is his hostility—I’m sure you’ll sense that. He really hates us savants.’
‘Do you think he knows about me?’ I asked. If he were backstage, I’d have to plan what to do if I ran into him.
‘He was at the Cambridge debate when you were there, but I doubt he would have paid you any attention. He was focused on Misty and me,’ said Alex.
‘I don’t think he ever saw us together, did he?’ Misty bit her lip. ‘He did spy on me so I can’t be sure, but I think you’ll be safe from his attention as long as you don’t use telepathy.’
‘That sucks. You mean I can’t talk to you about developments backstage?’
‘Of course you can.’ Will waggled his phone. ‘Remember these devices?’
‘Smart arse,’ I muttered. ‘OK. I’ll move as quickly as I can tomorrow. I’ve also got an ally on the reception desk: she might help if I put my request right.’
Will tucked away his phone. ‘I’m going to scout around and see if I can track Davis. Alex, keep an eye on the girls for me?’
‘Sure.’
‘And we’ll keep an eye on him,’ I added, not having much patience with this macho stuff the Benedicts were into.
‘I think we should get under cover,’ said Summer. ‘Cut down the chances he’ll run across Misty and Alex.’
She had thrown me an easy ball to get my wish of hearing the guitarist. ‘Then we should go to a small venue. Folk tent, anyone?’
‘Folk?’ Alex didn’t look too keen.
‘Bob Dylan, Mumford and Sons, Taylor Swift—they all started on this circuit. You never know who you’ll see before they hit the big time.’
Taking a longing look at the bands striking up on the main stage, my friends loyally followed me into the tent. It was just a shame we arrived as the guitarist finished and the accordion player took over. I would have to apologize later.
The next morning over breakfast of croissants and coffee, Will reported that he had not run across Davis in his search of the campsite.
‘The threat level went down overnight so I’m guessing he’s staying offsite.’ Will blew the steam from his purple Thermos mug. ‘But to be safe, no one is to use telepathy until we know for certain if he still has one of Dr Surecross’s detectors. They register surges in psychic energy so your other gifts are also out unless you know how to mask the energy pattern.’
Misty went pale. ‘He’s bound to find me then. You know me: I’m hopeless at control.’
Alex brushed a tender kiss over her cheek. ‘Don’t worry: I’ll help you with that. I’ll persuade you to keep a lid on your truth power. I can do that keeping everything very low energy.’
She smiled with relief. ‘Thanks, Alex. I would hate to be sent home because I was a liability.’
‘You OK with the rules, Summer?’ asked Will.
She nodded. ‘Of course. You wouldn’t notice me using my power.’
In teasing mode, I nudged Summer with my toe. ‘Yeah, she is the crocodile of savants: skimming undetected under the water then, snap, her mind has you in her jaws.’ I mimed the action, spilling a little coffee on the grass.
‘Gee, thanks, Angel, for the flattering comparison,’ laughed Summer.
As I joined in the laughter, my plastic cup tilted and a stream of coffee threatened to pour out on my bare legs. I summoned it back with a click of my fingers. The droplets of water separated into little globes and bobbed into the cup.
‘Angel,’ said Will.
I looked up, surprised at his severe tone. ‘What?’
‘No displays of power.’
‘Oh come on: that takes next to no energy!’
‘But it’s hardly normal, is it? If you do that without thinking and someone else sees, then you’ve blown it.’
Playing with any liquid containing water was second nature to me so I went immediately on the defensive. ‘I don’t do it in front of strangers.’ Misty flinched: my lie making her teeth hurt. ‘Well, only when they really really deserve it.’ She winced. ‘Or I think I can get away with it,’ I ended. Misty’s tense shoulders relaxed as I finally gave the complete truth.
Will shook his head in disbelief. ‘I can’t believe no one’s caught you. My parents taught us all not to let anyone see what we can do. Our safety was too important.’
Now I felt protective of my parents. ‘So did mine! It’s just that … I don’t listen very well.’
My friends smiled, too ready to forgive me my faults when I knew I should act more responsibly.
‘I’m sorry, Will. I’ll be more careful. You’re right: I’ve been caught before but I’ve always been able to pretend it was some cool conjuring trick like those magicians you see on TV.’
‘If Davis or one of his people sees you, they’ll know at once that it’s no illusion.’
‘I get it—I really do.’ Feeling a little crushed, I did my usual thing of bouncing up with an even wider smile. ‘Now, I’ve had my knuckles well and truly rapped, I’ve got to go blag my way into the Gifted inner circle if anyone’s arrived yet. Wish me luck.’
Will stood up and hugged me. ‘Sorry to be a grouch.’
I savoured his big brotherly embrace. There were just some things you couldn’t have as an only child: an older brother grumbling at you was one of them. ‘You’re no grouch. Well, maybe you are, but I deserved it.’
‘Be careful, Angel. You’re the only one of us on your own—I don’t like that.’
‘I’ll be fine. I’ll text and let you know how I get on.’
Head held high, I hurried off to the performers’ area. Al was on the desk again, attention on a little TV screen. I thought it might be CCTV then noticed it was playing a rugby match. I yanked my pass fro
m my shoulder bag and slipped it over my head.
‘Hey, Al, all quiet on the western front?’
He looked up and grinned. ‘If it isn’t Little Miss Alternating Current. How’s things, AC?’
‘Great. Anything exciting happened yet today?’
‘If you think the arrival of the Gifted tour bus is exciting, then yeah.’ He scratched his generous belly and yawned. ‘Their majesties have decided to pitch up early to catch some of the other acts.’
‘Don’t you like Gifted?’
‘They’re not bad.’ He leaned over the edge of his counter. ‘Believe me: that’s a compliment from me.’
‘See you later.’
‘Take care.’
Walking across to the yurt, I hugged my arms to my sides, feeling a little chill in the early-morning air. So Gifted were here: all I had to do was worm my way into their presence. Hah—piece of cake. They were probably over in the celebrity camping area as that was where the other tour buses and motorhomes were parked. Some groups had hired big trailers called Winnebagos, a mobile home from home. No sleeping on sheep droppings for the headliners. My spirits lifted when I realized I knew someone who would know exactly where they were set up.
‘Morning, Henry!’
Henry looked up from her mug of tea, shadows under her eyes. She looked rough; even her lips were without their usual sheen of perfectly applied lipstick. ‘Hi, Angel. Had a good night?’
‘Yes, it was fun. I checked out the folk tent with my friends.’
‘Hear anything good?’
I grimaced.
‘You should’ve come to the main stage. Total Zone were playing.’
‘I know—I could hear them.’
‘They were great.’
‘Looks like you made a late night of it.’
‘Those other friends of yours—Matt, Joey, and Fresh—don’t seem to need sleep. Matt insisted I stay.’
I chuckled. ‘I bet they’re sleeping it off now—not like you, with a job to do. Shall I go throw a wet flannel at Matt in revenge?’
Angel Dares Page 5