Crimson Poison

by Susan Moore

  “Stop!” said Nat, moving him to the pillow.

  She wondered where Jamuka had got to by now. There hadn’t been a message from him since he’d left. She wondered what to do to fill the time. She could go to SPIN and try the next level with the Octozeb goggles, but she didn’t want to miss Doctor Tang if she called. So she decided to do a long-put-off job – replacing two missing screws in her Slider helmet.

  She opened a drawer in the shelf above her and took out a pair of magnifying glasses and a micro toolkit. She placed a new screw in the first hole and began to work it in. There was a flash of light, a sizzling sound. Fizz started to snort in alarm.

  “Zoinks!” Nat dropped the screwdriver.

  “Use C-54 screw, not 84,” said Fizz.

  “Got it,” she said.

  A clattering of feet on the deck above broke her concentration.

  “Hai, Nat!”

  It was Henry. Strange. They hadn’t made any plans. She heard the main hatch slide open and feet come running down the steps.

  “I’ve got the best news,” he said, bursting into her cabin. “Ooh, you look scary.”

  Nat removed her magnifying glasses.

  “You’re coming to stay with us!” he said, jumping on her bed.

  “What?”

  “Mummy’s spoken with her lawyer. She’s so worried that you’re all on your own, and he says we can look after you until Jamuka returns. Isn’t that ku?!”

  Nat dropped the helmet. It clattered on to the floorboards.

  “She’s done what?”

  “We can be a big happy family. Well, Prissy’s not pleased about it, of course, but I am. We can have so much fun!”

  He bounced up and down on the mattress. Gobi’s cage rocked wildly, nearly knocking her off her perch. She screeched.

  “Stop!” said Nat, pushing him off the bed.

  “Ouch!” said Henry, skidding on the rug. “That wasn’t very nice.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. This is my home, and Ah Wong’s here.”

  “Mummy says it’s great that Daddy and her are your family guardians so they can help you and you won’t be alone.”

  Nat leapt off the bed.

  “Where is she?”

  Henry shrugged. “I don’t know. She followed me up the gangplank.”

  Nat grabbed Fizz and marched down the corridor. She could hear voices in the galley. Walking in, she found Aunt Vera handing over a large brown envelope to Ah Wong. Ah Wong’s normally miserable face had cracked into a crooked smile.

  “What’s going on?” said Nat.

  “Darling girl!” said Aunt Vera, spinning round on a spiky stiletto heel. “I’m sending Ah Wong on a long-deserved holiday back to her family in Dazhou and you’re coming to stay with us. We’re going to have such fun!”

  Blood thundered in Nat’s ears. Her face turned bright red.

  “You can’t do that!”

  “Your Uncle Fergal and I are so worried that you won’t be properly looked after that we think it’s best you come to stay with us while Jamuka’s missing. We are, after all, your real family.”

  “Missing? He’s not missing, he’s gone to see his aunt.”

  Aunt Vera held up a white envelope in her bony hand.

  “Precisely. He went to see his family but he sadly seems to have gone missing. My lawyer has tried repeatedly to contact him about your welfare, but there has been no response. So we thought it best to make it formal.”

  Nat snatched the envelope from her aunt, tore it open and pulled out a single-page document. It was a Hong Kong Court filing paper bearing today’s date and a time of eight thirty a.m.

  She scanned it quickly, her tears blurring the words. She slammed the paper on the galley kitchen table. Ah Wong and Aunt Vera jumped in surprise.

  “How dare you!” she screamed. “How dare you do this to me?”

  Fizz’s eyes flashed red and smoke started to spurt out of his nostrils right into Aunt Vera’s face.

  “Stop that now!” she said, wafting the air with her hand.

  But Fizz didn’t. Aunt Vera was forced to step back towards the sink.

  “I’m not going to do what this says,” said Nat, slapping her hand down on top of the document. “You can’t make me.”

  A thin smile spread across Aunt Vera’s lips.

  “Darling girl. You don’t have a choice, I’m afraid. If you don’t come with us then I shall be forced to call the police and report you as a runaway child.”

  Chapter Twenty

  TRAITOR

  Nat wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand and shoved the last of her clothes into her already overstuffed ancient suitcase. She pushed down the top but it refused to close. Henry obliged by sitting on it. This was fast becoming a nightmare. She’d sent ten SOS messages to Jamuka. Wen was busy at the dentist and didn’t answer. She’d no one else to turn to.

  Aunt Vera swished in through the door. “Now, don’t pack too much as I’ve got lots of pretty things that Prissy has outgrown.”

  There was no way Nat would ever wear anything of Prissy’s. She would rather wear a rubbish bag than parade around in a neon-coloured dress.

  “And do hurry up. Prissy’s show is in twenty minutes. I’ll see you up on deck. Chop-chop!”

  “We’re going to have a wicked time,” said Henry.

  Nat didn’t reply. She couldn’t. Everything inside her felt wrung out and empty. She lifted Fizz on to her shoulder and dragged her suitcase on its three rusty wheels across the cabin floor to the door. Gobi chirped. She turned back to Henry.

  “Bring Gobi, please.”

  “Ku!” said Henry. “I’ve always wanted a pet but Mummy’s never allowed me to have one.”

  Aunt Vera was up on deck speaking quickly to Ah Wong, who was making notes on a pad of paper.

  “Henry, leave that here, please,” she said, seeing the birdcage.

  “But Jamuka wants me to look after her,” said Nat.

  “Ah Wong, that’s another thing for your list. Remove bird.”

  “No!” said Nat, snatching the cage from Henry. “She’s Jamuka’s songbird. She has to come with me.”

  Aunt Vera tapped her toe impatiently on the deck.

  “My word is final. Remove bird.”

  Nat narrowed her eyes. She walked up to Ah Wong and handed her the cage.

  “Please take her to Mr Choi and ask him to look after her until Jamuka returns.”

  Ah Wong nodded, not looking up at her.

  “Traitor,” said Nat under her breath so that only Ah Wong would hear. “You’ll pay dearly for this.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  THE CUTTING

  The wind whined and shrieked through the trees. The man hugged his long coat around him and stepped out of the tent. The icy night air made his breath crackle and his face freeze. His head was filled with images from his nightmare: the tiger, its claws poised to slice through his sweat-soaked body. It was better to be up and awake.

  He set off across the snowy wasteland, his head bowed against the wind. The thin sliver of moon cast an eerie glow over the compound. Reaching the first greenhouse he took out his key and unlocked the door. As he stepped inside, the warm scent of soil and vegetation hit his nostrils. The constant hum of the generators replaced the howl of the wind. Pots of leafy plants filled the space like a jungle. He paced down the first row, checking each plant.

  “Ugui,” he said.

  The green buds had sprouted but not one had unfurled into the blooming red flower he was so desperate to see. Time was running out.

  He reached into his pocket and pulled out a penknife. His hands trembled as he bent over a plant and sliced off a bud. Holding it up to a bright lamp, he tried to hold his hands steady as he drew the blade through it. His sweaty fingers slipped on the handle and the blade cut into the soft flesh of his thumb.

  “Argh,” he cried, blood spilling from the gash.

  The knife clattered to the ground. He grabbed an old piece of clot
h and bound it tightly around his thumb to try and staunch the flow. He should not have meddled with the secret. Perhaps this was an omen.

  Anger swelled at his clumsiness. He grabbed a pair of thick rubber gloves and a face mask from a hook. Reaching beneath a table, he pulled out a barrel, took the hose, which snaked out of the top, and twisted the valve. A fine spray showered the leaves and buds.

  On the side of the barrel was a large skull and crossbones along with a bright-green label: Growemup Fertiliser – makes your plants grow like rockets!

  The plants would grow stronger and more powerful than ever. The Clan would get another dose of poison. He felt better already.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  SHAN-XI

  After an excruciating hour watching Prissy’s dance troupe practise their hip-hop-tap-fusion show, Aunt Vera took them on a shopping trip. Nat’s biggest fear was that someone would spot her entering Shan-xi’s pink and gold doors. She had never been in a luxury store like this and she didn’t like it one bit.

  “Mrs Walker, how good to see you!” A female assistant wobbled over on a pair of gold platform heels.

  They air-kissed.

  “Prissy, that hot-pink jacket has just come in.”

  Prissy squealed, “Ku!” and clapped her hands together.

  Nat saw that Henry had already manoeuvred his way on to a zebra-striped sofa where he was busy playing a game of Fire Frog on NutNut. Nat was about to perch herself next to him, when the assistant’s you-need-new-clothes radar detected her.

  “Oh,” she said, taking in Nat’s dragon T-shirt, cargo shorts and Slider boots. “Is this the, er, problem you called me about, Mrs Walker?”

  Aunt Vera smiled and raised her eyes. “Yes, well, you can see what I mean.”

  Nat felt like a cornered rat. She tried to back off towards the door but was grabbed by Aunt Vera and steered firmly towards the assistant.

  “I don’t need new clothes.”

  “Nonsense. A girl your age needs to start dressing properly. You can’t be a tomboy forever. Mei here is kindly going to help.”

  Two other assistants appeared out of nowhere. One scooped up Nat and shoved her into a changing room while the other girl pulled things off the rails. The clothes were bright pink, lime green, fluorescent yellow, silver and gold.

  “She’s the heir to the Walker SPIN fortune,” Aunt Vera smiled.

  Nat cringed while Mei and the assistant looked at her with renewed interest, dollar signs in their eyes as they absorbed the fact that she was heiress to one of the most successful computer games companies in the world.

  In the corner of the changing room Aunt Vera perched on the edge of a heart-shaped satin chair. Mei stood arms folded at the entrance. There was no escape. Nat placed Fizz on a glass table and shyly removed her T-shirt and shorts.

  “Goodness me, you can’t wear those!” Aunt Vera clapped her hand over her mouth.

  The mirrors showed Nat’s faded grey vest and an old pair of school pants, minus their elastic, held together with a safety pin. Nat closed her eyes. Please, please, please make all this go away.

  Mei clicked her fingers. The assistant popped her head round the door. “Does she want to try it in citrus?” she asked, while Aunt Vera fanned herself with the latest Shan-xi brochure.

  To her eternal shame, Nat was released from the changing room in a hot-pink dress emblazoned with the signature “S” on the front. Her silver mules clattered as she tilted precariously, unable to walk in a straight line. Her new underwear was tight and itchy. At Aunt Vera’s insistence, Nat had reluctantly picked out several hideous new outfits, and her old clothes and boots had been sent off with the assistant for disposal.

  Henry’s eyes popped out when he saw her. “You look just like Prissy!”

  “So do you,” Nat muttered furiously.

  Mei presented the bill to Aunt Vera, who said, “Deliver everything to us at Wetley Towers, but send the bill to Walker Trust at SPIN.” She grabbed a very expensive jewelled purse off a nearby table and handed it to Mei. “I’ll take this too. It will go with everything.”

  Nat gulped. Her new wardrobe, Prissy’s new shoes and clothes, and Aunt Vera’s new bag would add up to a small fortune. She opened her mouth to say something but realised it was useless. Wait until she told Jamuka.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  KIMONO

  By the time they reached Wetley Towers it was late. Aunt Vera was in a panic because she had six coming for supper. Ming was already in the kitchen boiling up a vat of rice for Aunt Vera’s Chicken 21.

  Nat kicked off her mules and ran along the marble hallway to her room. The lampshade was mauve, the carpet lilac, the walls aubergine and the bedcover violet. It was like a purple padded cell. She knelt on the floor and opened her suitcase. Her stomach lurched. She gasped in horror; all the clothes she had packed were gone. Only her sponge bag remained, and the star jar. She leapt up and opened the wardrobe door. It was empty except for a purple dressing gown. She pulled open every drawer; the entire chest of drawers was empty.

  In a split second she was in the brightly lit turquoise dining room where Aunt Vera was supervising Ming as she laid the table.

  “Where are my clothes?” she demanded. “What have you done with them?”

  Aunt Vera looked up disapprovingly. “Nat, I insist you keep your voice down. I asked Ming to remove them so there’s room for your new wardrobe.”

  “You did what?” Nat’s voice was shrill and shaky.

  “It’s for the best. You have to grow up.”

  Nat’s eyes narrowed. “Give them back, now, please.” She forced the words out. “You have no right—”

  “I will not be spoken to like that,” said Aunt Vera. By now both Henry and Prissy were standing in the doorway. “You are staying under my roof and I am your guardian…”

  Nat clenched her fists together. “Temporary guardian.”

  “This means that you will respect and obey my wishes.”

  Nat took a deep breath. “Please, Aunt Vera, where are my things?”

  Aunt Vera looked over at Ming. “Would you like to explain?”

  Ming did not look at Nat as she spoke. She kept her eyes fixed on the dining-room table. She spoke quickly, the words darting out like poisoned needles. “I put them down the chute to the incinerator, like Mrs Walker said.”

  Nat felt faint. She grabbed hold of the back of a chair for support. For a moment she was speechless.

  “How could you do that? My mother’s kimono was in there. Did you burn that as well?”

  Ming shrugged. “Mrs Walker said everything.”

  Silence hung hot and heavy in the room. Nat glared at Aunt Vera. “I’ll never, ever forgive you for this.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  SUPPER FOR SIX

  Nat refused to eat supper. She stayed in her room. The purple swags above the four-poster bed billowed in the breezy air conditioning. It was late now and she could hear laughter as Aunt Vera’s supper party moved into full swing. Uncle Fergal was telling a terrible joke about a dog and a tree. A chair scraped back from the table.

  “Time for a brandy snifter, I think,” said Uncle Fergal.

  Nat heard his heavy footsteps in the hallway as he headed to the kitchen. There was a lull in the conversation.

  “So, Vera, how long is your niece staying with you?” came a woman’s voice.

  “With Jamuka gone, I should think she’ll be here for some time.”

  Nat put her ear to the door.

  “How kind of you to take her in.”

  “Just in time.” Aunt Vera sounded smug. “She needs her real family around her. She has no female influence in her life at all. Can you imagine? You know, of course, that she lost her parents at a horribly young age.”

  “A car accident, wasn’t it?”

  “Plane. They were on their way back from a conference in Taiwan when a freak electrical storm broke out. The tail of the SPIN jet was struck by lightning. The plane went down. There w
ere no survivors.” Aunt Vera paused for effect. It was evidently a story she had told many times before. She waited for everyone to gasp. “They had nearly taken Nat with them but it was such a quick day trip they left her at home. Imagine, oh just imagine, if she had been with them too?”

  Nat thought how pleased Aunt Vera would have been if she had been on the plane. She and Uncle Fergal would have stood to inherit the entire SPIN empire.

  “How wonderful for her to have some proper mothering, Vera,” said the woman.

  “I have my work cut out for me. She can be difficult, you know. I think she’s been a little too indulged.”

  Nat felt like opening the door and marching in to set the record straight, but she was beaten to it by Uncle Fergal, who clomped back down the hallway with his prized bottle of brandy.

  “A tipple of my finest for everyone?” he said, landing it with a clang on the glass-topped table.

  There was a murmur of consent and the conversation turned to the latest gossip at the country club.

  Nat had never felt more alone or powerless. Being under Aunt Vera’s roof was even worse than she could ever have imagined.

  “Incoming call from Wen,” announced Fizz.

  “Take it.”

  His wings spread and there was Wen on the screen, bouncing up and down with very loud rock music playing in the background. One moment her head was visible, next it was her red shirt.

  “Hai, Nat!” she shouted. “Check out these bounding boots.” She lifted a foot up to show a black boot with a spring-loaded heel. “Ding or what?” The foot disappeared, replaced by a beaming face.

  “Where have you been?”

  “Straight after the dentist Mum took me on a surprise trip to see the new Mito collection up in Shenzhen. I couldn’t take Fu with me because they wouldn’t allow any filming. We’ve only just got back. So what’s up? I’ve got an all-time-record fifteen missed calls from you.”