Was daddy starting to lose the argument? I didn’t think so.
Daddy sighed. “I wish that were true, John, how I do, but you’ve seen it with your own eyes. You know in your heart that I’m right. The comet remains on a collision course with the earth. The velocity of Mars has simply accelerated its progress, which means that it will be here sooner rather than later.”
“Frank, is there any way that we can stop the rogue comet from hitting the earth?”
Daddy shook his head. “In science fiction, the boffins usually have all of the answers. They might suggest blowing it up with A-bombs.”
I saw the film on DVD, I thought. It starred…his name was on the tip of my tongue. He saved the world for mankind, but it isn’t like that in real life.
Daddy continued, “Even if the latter were possible, it wouldn’t stop the comet from impacting with the earth.”
“You’re painting a very bleak picture here, Frank,” commented someone at the back.
I agreed.
I suddenly saw a very bleak future ahead of me. I didn’t want to hear anymore of this. I covered my ears. Wendy glanced at me curiously.
Daddy began: “The situation is bleak for the whole of mankind, and we-”
“No, I don’t want to hear this!” I cried. “I don’t want to hear it.”
The others looked around startled when I leapt to my feet and fled from the room.
I’d calmed down by the time that I threw on my anorak and slipped outside in the back yard. I shivered as I gazed up at the cloudless, night sky. The stars sparkled like diamonds in the unchanging, dark heavens. It was a fine night for star and planet watchers. How would it all change after the comet? Although I tried not to think about comets, it was very difficult to do. Somewhere out there in deep space something big, dark and evil was approaching our world at over 50,000 kilometres per hour.
I fed Fred and Tessa, my pet rabbits. They are wonderful, charming and amusing, helping me to relax after a stressful day at school. Tessa, who’s a beautiful, snow white rabbit, is pregnant. Her litter is due any day now. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve promised a friend at school one. I opened the cage, letting Fred out for his run. He’s getting a bit plump, so he needs his regular exercise.
As I was putting away the rabbits’ feed stuff in the shed where daddy also keeps his tools and things, someone tapped me on the shoulder, making me jump. I looked around.
Wendy, who wore her pink ski top, grinned. “Did I make you jump, Sis?”
“No,” I lied.
She put her arm around me in an affectionate and sisterly kind of way.
“What’s up, Jade?” asked Wendy.
“Nothing,” I answered.
“You bolted out of the living room like a startled gazelle just now. Truth time, Jade Robinson.”
“I was feeling depressed listening to daddy and the others talking about the comet,” I admitted. “Wendy, doesn’t it bother you too?”
“Sis, I don’t let that sort of talk get to me. It doesn’t bother me. Perhaps because I don’t really understand what they’re talking about…most of the time.”
“You had your eye on the young one though, Wendy,” I remarked.
We laughed and forgot the comet briefly. Maybe Wendy was right.
After I’d rounded up Fred and put him away, Wendy and I went indoors. We vanished upstairs with a bottle of Coke, playing vid pop disks in her room to take our minds off things. Wendy painted my nails.
“You were eyeing up blondie, Jade,” said Wendy after awhile.
I was puzzled. “Who?”
“One of daddy’s astronomer friends.”
I shook my head. “Unlike you, Wendy, I simply am not interested in boys or men.”
“Yeah?”
We bubbled with laughter.
“Why did you invite Sir to daddy’s meeting?” quizzed Wendy.
“Sir?”
“Mr Whitehouse.”
“Oh, Simon.”
She smirked. “Simon?”
“Simon-Mr Whitehouse is a believer too, and he has something in common with daddy. They are both scientists.” I admitted that I was a little disappointed in Simon-Mr Whitehouse. I was hoping that he would have taken part in the debate on the comet, but he remained an observer instead. Still, I was rather pleased that he had turned up. “Mr Whitehouse and I are good friends.”
“Good friends? I think it’s rather unnatural to be friends with a teacher, Jade…if that’s all it is,” she commented slyly.
What? My sister could be so unbelievable sometimes.
When the others had left later, leaving poor, old mum to clear up after them, I made daddy some cocoa. I took it up to him in his attic observatory. The scene was a familiar one by now. He was behind his telescope again, tracking the rogue comet. He didn’t notice me here as I put his drink down by his computer. My mind was a lot clearer now. I was upset earlier. I remained scared but calm.
He spoke, “Jade, you were behaving strangely tonight. Is everything all right at school?”
“Fine.”
When he looked up, drawing on his pipe, he saw the truth in my eyes.
“The comet?”
I nodded.
I wanted to run into his strong, reassuring arms. I didn’t. I was confused. “Daddy, what will become of us after the comet?” I asked.
He smiled reassuringly. “That won’t be our problem, sweetheart. The comet won’t collide with the earth for at least another one hundred years or so.”
But he was wrong.
4. THE ALIEN VISITORS
When I woke on that Thursday morning, which would change our lives completely, in early November, I felt extremely happy because it was my birthday. It was my birthday. (I liked repeating it.) I was 14, and I’d be 14 for the rest of the year. I was almost an adult. I am an adult. There was only one dark cloud on the horizon that could mar my extremely happy day, school, pity. If only my birthday fell on a Saturday or a Sunday every year. That’d be great! Still, you can’t have everything in life. I’m only kidding of course. I do love school, my friends and everything. I remained happy nevertheless, pushing all dark thoughts into the back of my mind.
When I‘m feeling extremely happy, I’m usually wide awake instantly. I sat up in bed and opened my scrapbook. I turned over a page or two until I found it again, smiling. I fondly ran my fingertips over daddy’s picture. Daddy’s comet story had finally made it onto the front page…of the Science First journal. A full-length article appeared inside. Someone was starting to take daddy seriously at last. I had cut out the story and stuck it into my scrapbook needless to say.
I looked up when someone outside started scratching on my door. I grinned. He couldn’t get in because I’d started locking my door in the mornings.
I looked on the window briefly. The post girl was new. She was quite young, almost pretty (but wearing too much make-up, I thought) with short blonde hair and a slim figure. She had my birthday cards in her hand. I smiled when she dropped them in our letterbox. Then she looked up and caught me.
As I crossed the landing in my dressing gown with my bathroom things, I bumped into Wendy who stepped out of her room in her pyjamas.
“Many happy returns, Jade.”
We hugged and kissed.
“Come into my room a minute, Sis,” requested Wendy.
It was an offer that I could hardly refuse. I followed her into her room.
She gave me my present and a big birthday card. Wendy had something else on her mind.
She bit her lip. “Jade, I…”
“Wendy?”
“Jade, would you invite Kevin Willis to your birthday party tonight?” asked Wendy in one gulping breath.
I groaned inwardly. I still couldn’t believe that my beautiful, elder sister had a crush on Kevin (the monster from the deep) Willis.
“Pretty please,” she begged.
I sighed, giving in easily on my specia
l day. “All right.”
She hugged and kissed me again.
“Thanks, Sis, you won’t regret it.”
Oh, yes, I would, because I knew that Kevin Willis still had a crush on me, and that’s more than double ZOOTWOSOME!
When I returned to my room, I didn’t open Wendy’s present and card straightaway. I put them on my dresser.
After my quick, early morning shower, I dressed.
I remained extremely excited, for I knew what was waiting for me downstairs in the hall. It was tall and oblong in shape and covered in brightly coloured gift wrapping paper. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t find where the others had hidden something so large! Even bribes didn’t work. Wendy remained unmoved, and I’d even promised to do her maths and science homework for the rest of term, but no, she wouldn’t tell me where it was hidden.
As I sat in front of my dressing table mirror in my school uniform, I put on my school tie. Then I noticed her for the first time in the corner of my mirror. Wendy stood by the door with an odd look on her face, puzzling me.
“Wendy?”
She stepped behind me without saying a word. She touched my hair briefly. My world was suddenly plunged into darkness as she blindfolded me with a scarf or something.
I was a little worried. “Wendy?”
“Trust me, Jade.”
She took my hand and led me to the door blindfolded.
I was standing on the edge of a precipice. In reality, I was standing at the top of the stairs. I remained a little apprehensive in my purple world. But I trusted Wendy implicitly as she guided me downstairs. Of course, I could’ve simply removed the blindfold, but that would have spoilt the game. I took one tentative step at a time until we reached the bottom. I usually fly down the stairs, taking two at a time. Mum has warned me often enough about it, telling me that I’d break my neck one day. I dared not today. When we had finally reached the bottom of the stairs, Wendy removed my blindfold, and I blinked.
Mum, daddy and Tommy too were standing at the bottom of the stairs to greet me. My eyes strayed to it briefly.
“Many happy returns, Jade,” the others chorused cheerfully.
“Fade!”
I laughed happily as I gave Tommy a big, wet kiss on the lips. Then I kissed the others on the cheek.
I hesitated, standing in front of the large, oblong box that was covered in brightly coloured gift wrapping paper in the hall.
“Go on, you’re dying to,” prompted Wendy impatiently.
The others watched amused as I ripped away the wrapping paper excitedly. Tommy decided to join in because he liked this game, ripping up paper. There was an illustration of an Electro Scoot MK2 on the box and the wording:
ELECTRO SCOOT ELECTRIC SCOOTER MK2
MADE IN THE USA
Daddy cut the industrial size staples that held the heavy cardboard box together with a pair of heavy duty clippers. I opened the side of the box. When I saw it for the first time, I caught my breath. It was beautiful, all new and gleaming metal. I loved the smell of the leather saddle. I touched it reverently. I hugged daddy with my grateful tears. Then I hugged the others too including Tommy, who was enjoying all these hugs and kisses from his big sister. The others helped me remove it from all the packaging inside the box that had protected it on its long journey from the USA to me.
Wendy sat behind me as I rode the new Electro Scoot MK2 on the pavement for the first time outside our house. We laughed loudly.
Oh, yes, my other birthday presents: Wendy got me a bottle of Chanel, which surprised and delighted me. It’s very expensive perfume. I only briefly thought that it might be a bribe. Like me, she saves up her Saturday job money. She works on the checkout in a local supermarket. Tommy’s present was the real surprise though. He’d got me a plastic clockwork mouse. It’s what I’ve always wanted. He chose the gift himself when he was in town with mum. I gave him another hug and kiss.
“Tommy loves Fade,” he declared.
“Fade loves Tommy.”
When we rubbed noses, the others laughed.
I stood my birthday cards on the sideboard in the sitting room before I breakfasted with the others.
“Looking forward to the party tonight, Jade?” inquired mum unnecessarily.
“Much,” I answered through a mouthful of breakfast cereal.
I noticed it for the first time, and it puzzled me.
I sat in the back seat with Wendy as daddy gave us a lift to school in the Jeep. He constantly checked his mirror. Although our father is a careful driver, especially when he’s got Wendy and I in the back, I’d not seen him using the mirror so much as now. We were driving along Brooks Wood Grove, which is a quiet, residential road of pretty, painted semi-detached houses that were built at the end of the 19th century. A few vehicles including a white tradesman’s van were parked on either side, but there wasn’t much traffic about. We were travelling at around 20-30 kph. We slowed down when a small, red car pulled out of a side road. It was rather odd. What was daddy looking at? I was intrigued. I turned my head, looking over my shoulder. I didn’t see anything. The road behind us was clear. Perhaps it was my imagination. I glanced at Wendy. She hadn’t noticed anything unusual because she was too busy playing with her mobile, sending text messages to all her friends at school including, I suspected, the obnoxious Kevin Willis. When daddy checked his mirror again, I did likewise. I saw the green car for the first time. It hadn’t been there a moment ago. Maybe it was nothing. The car, a Japanese hydrogen fuel cell motor vehicle (the new electric car) had probably turned out of a side road somewhere back there. It was nothing.
We joined the heavy, rush hour traffic on Streatham High Road. It was always a bit of a bottleneck in the mornings. We got stuck behind a bus, which in turn was stuck behind a truck or whatever. I wondered if we were going to be late. Daddy is a schoolteacher. Would he be late for his classes? When he checked his mirror, I did likewise. What was I looking for? What was he looking for? A big biscuit lorry with a picture of a young girl pretending to enjoy a very sugary (not good for your teeth and gums) biscuit on the side was stuck behind us, so I couldn’t see anything else. The lights ahead of us changed. We were on the move once more…slowly.
When we finally swung out of the high road onto the long Leigham Court Road, (taking us up to Crown Point and West Norwood) having lost five or six minutes of our journey time, the traffic was a little lighter, and we were able to make up for lost time. Daddy, who had been driving since he was seventeen, smoothly let out the clutch. The Japanese Jeep responded well. She was new. She was only a year old. Daddy buys a new car every two or three years. We put on a little spurt by the common with a stretch of clear road ahead of us. I caught him again as he checked his mirror once or twice. I waited a moment or two this time before I looked over my shoulder, observing the traffic behind us, a big, red bus and a plain, white van. It was electric, I thought. The lights changed against us at Crown Point. I let out a sigh, opened my bag, and took out a packet of mints. I offered one to Wendy. She shook her head. I sucked a mint. When daddy checked his mirror again, I did likewise over my shoulder. The traffic behind us at the lights hadn’t changed, white van, big, red bus…then I spotted it. The green car was tucked in behind the bus. It was probably just a coincidence. They were obviously going our way. Half of South London was probably going our way. I dismissed the other idea from my mind, though I had to be sure of it. As the lights changed, we turned down Knight’s Hill from Crown Point towards West Norwood. I watched our back curiously. The white van went straight ahead while the bus turned with us, pulling in at the stop by the parade of little, independent shops on top of the hill. But where was the green car? They had vanished.
Daddy dropped us off outside the school gates. We waved as he pulled away.
He was behaving strangely this morning. I wanted to know why. I waited outside the school gates a few moments after he’d driven away. I had to test a theory of mine, but I also hoped that
I was wrong. When the green car turned the corner and swept by, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I’d been right. Someone had been following us!
I caught up with Wendy again on the main spiral staircase in the school building, the toppling teapot or watering can.
“What was that all about, Jade?” asked Wendy, who was unaware of anything going on.
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Jade!”
Kevin Willis joined us. I groaned inwardly.
“Many happy returns, Jade,” said Kevin.
“Thank you, Kevin,” I replied wearily.
I was going to get this for the rest of the day, and I blamed my sister because she had announced my 14th birthday to the rest of the world and his brother by pinning it up on the school notice board. I could boil her brain sometimes.
“This is for you, Jade.”
Kevin gave me a little present and a birthday card.
“Thank you, Kevin.”
Then he kissed me on the lips, embarrassing me. It was like being kissed by a wet flannel. ZOOTWOSOME! And much more besides.
As I put his little present and birthday card away in my bag, Wendy nudged me.
“Er…Kevin, you’re-you’re invited to my birthday party tonight,” I said between gritted teeth.
He was delighted. “That’s wicked, Jade.”
I murmured.
Wendy and I vanished into the school library. We had a few minutes of free time before class, so we caught up on some homework. There was something that I was trying to remember. What was it now? I got down to some science homework. How many galaxies were there in the known universe? No one knew for sure. Perhaps we would never know.
“Jade, aren’t you gonna open it then?” asked Wendy, who fidgeted in her chair.
“Pardon?”
“Kevin’s present.”
“I’m not bothered, Wendy,” I answered without looking up, scribbling in my science book with my ball point.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious about what he’s bought you, Jade?”
“No.”
“Let me.”
“Please yourself.”
Wendy took my bag.
I couldn’t concentrate. It wasn’t Wendy. It was the green car that bothered me. Was it really following us this morning? If it was, why? Perhaps I already knew the answer.
The Citadel and the Wolves Page 6