“Delagio, I could kiss you,” he said.
“Appreciate the offer, but ah’ll pass,” he grinned. Looking at me, he tipped his hat. “Boss,” he added in his southern drawl.
“Hi, Del,” I said. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Sorry I was late to the party.” He jerked a thumb at the other Guardians who were now just standing idly on the tracks. “Thought I’d bring a few of the new boys as backup.”
“Glad you did.”
“So...he in here?”
I nodded. “Better make this quick. We’ll have to get every logistic team down here to round up this many witnesses and charm them.”
Delagio blew air from between his lips. “Okay, I got this.”
Alex opened the door for him and he vaulted up into the train. He clicked his Kapre belt so that he was no longer invisible. We did the same. Then he made his way down the aisle, winkle picker boots clomping on the linoleum surface. He stopped at the target.
“Hey, Danny.”
Daniel looked up in shock. “Julian? What are you doing here? Who are they? What’s going on?” He looked at Delagio and then to me and Alex. “Hold on,” he said slowly. “You don’t really work for our bank, do you?”
Delagio shrugged. “Sorry, buddy. And I’m afraid my name ain’t Julian.”
Daniel shook his head and his voice cracked. “What in the hell is going on? Oh god, I must be going crazy!”
“Trust me Danny, you’re not going crazy,” said Alex, heading over. “Believe me, I know how you feel. Everything you’ve been experiencing. All the things you can’t explain. They happened to me too. Not all that long ago actually.”
He looked up. “Really?”
Alex nodded. “Really. And these two and others like them helped me understand it all. Now we’re all here to help you.” He stepped back, allowing me to reach the target. I placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Daniel, we need you to come with us.”
2
Alex
The summer sun had burned away the clouds and become a yellow orb fixed on a vivid, blue canvas.
Mikey, Scarlett, Tim, Gabriella and I were all lazing on the grass in Providence Park. It was packed full of locals. Teenagers sat in large groups, laughing and sipping beers. Some parents tried to control their unruly kids, who charged around squealing with delight as melting ice creams left sticky trails on their arms. Others spread out on towels – deflecting sunrays with paperbacks and Kindles – and let their offspring get on with it. A brass band in the central bandstand was playing a tight rendition of Glenn Miller’s “In the Mood.”
Everything felt right.
Gabriella lay nestled in my arms, working her way through an ice cream cone. The wonderful scent of her hair played on the cool breeze that meandered around us. I chewed thoughtfully on the lolly stick of my Magnum. Tim was resting his head on a balled-up hoodie, slowly smoking a cigarette and staring up into the sky. Mikey was doing kick-ups with a football whilst Scarlett simultaneously counted and tried to put him off.
Then the whispers started.
A hiss that began in my mind as background noise grew as if someone had turned up the volume on a detuned radio.
No, please. Not again.
I closed my eyes and grit my teeth, feeling the stick snap between them. The whispers faded into the background and disappeared.
I felt Gabriella lean backwards and cup the palm of her hand against my cheek to get my attention. “Earth to Alex,” she said.
I snapped back to attention. “Huh?”
“Mikey was talking to you. You blanked him.”
I blinked a few times and looked over to my brother. “Sorry, I zoned out for a second there.”
That isn’t the half of it.
Mikey trapped the ball between his heel and calf, and then flicked it up over his head and bobbed it off his knee before continuing his tireless performance. “No probs, bro. I just asked how the new Chosen is doing. Danny, right?”
This caught Tim’s attention; he sat up, the back of his t-shirt gathering a large amount of dry grass as he did. He loved HASEA-related conversations. After The Sorrow had attacked our school, I’d offered to have Gabriella charm him into forgetting. He’d categorically refused – he had said that it made him feel like part of the inner circle. Now that our A levels were over and school was done for good, he’d been dropping unsubtle hints about me helping him land an agent position.
“Yeah, he’s okay,” I answered. “A bit shaken up and confused after his mind merge with Sage Faru. A feeling I can completely empathise with. He’s back at the base with Del. We were due to start his training yesterday morning, but he said he needed a bit more time to get his head around things.”
Gabriella let out a contented sigh. “Which I can’t say I’m sorry about. With all these Awakenings, it feels like months since we’ve had a day off.”
I rested my chin on her shoulder. “That’s because it has.”
A Frisbee landed near my foot, and I handed it to a shirtless guy with a shaved head. As with any instance of favourable British weather, the majority of the male public had decided that t-shirts and all other tops should be instantly abandoned, and were displaying their sunburned chests with pride.
Scarlett stopped counting and turned to face us. “I can come back in, you know, if you need an extra hand with training or anything.”
Gabriella shook her head, fanning my face with her raven hair. “No, you’re on relief. It’s not fair to drag you back in unnecessarily. We can handle it.”
I made a noise of agreement.
Scarlett gently rubbed a thumb against one of her fangs, which slowly pushed down from her gums. No one was in any danger though; her eyes were as bright as a newly minted coin. “As long as you’re sure,” she replied in her smoky Irish accent.
“I am. Honestly, hun,” Gabriella insisted with a smile.
“How many is that now?” Tim asked me, flicking cigarette ash onto the grass.
“Awakenings?”
“Yeah.”
I thought for a second. “Eighty two I think. About four thousand worldwide.”
Mikey almost missed the ball. “Four thousand in sixth months? At this rate, everyone is going to have one.” He grinned. “Maybe even me.”
“I hope not,” said Scarlett, rolling her eyes.
Mikey frowned. “Oi, simmer down. I’d make a wicked Chosen!” Turning to me, yet somehow managing to keep the ball airborne, he added, “Besides, then you’d have one less Guardian to look for.”
His kindness touched me. “Thanks Mikey – really. But it’s going to be incredibly dangerous over there. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Exactly,” agreed Scarlett.
Mikey made a sucking sound with his teeth. “Please, will you both stop with the mollycoddling? I’m not some dozy tit. This is me we’re talking about. If I had all the same training as you guys, I’d be able to handle myself just fine.”
He had a point, but I could feel the tide of the conversation turning heavy, so I left it alone. Luckily so did everyone else. The band finished playing, and for a few seconds everything was quiet. But then the claps and cheers of the approving masses filled the void.
“How about the Witch girl – Sophia. How’s she holding up?” asked Tim, stubbing out the butt of his cigarette with his flip-flop.
His question dug into the pit of my stomach like it had been coated in broken glass. The eleven-year-old was not holding up well at all. No one should have to face what she is going through.
“Not much better, but we’ll know more when we see her tomorrow,” answered Gabriella. She used the tone of voice that warned off further probing.
Tim nodded and occupied himself with spinning his cigarette pack between his fingers and thumb. “Poor girl,” he said to no one in particular.
Gabriella lowered her voice so she was speaking only to me. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. When it comes to training Danny, do you want to
handle combat training?”
I was taken aback for a second. “Really?”
“Of course. I think it’s about time. You’re more than capable. And besides, if you can get on friendly terms with him, then you never know…” she trailed off.
“He may offer to join us,” I finished.
“Exactly.”
I pulled Gabriella tighter into me, and she tilted her head back onto my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head, letting my lips linger on her soft hair.
“Thank you.”
Nearby a kid armed with a huge water pistol charged after his friend, shouting a war cry as he drenched his victim from head to toe. His triumphant victory pushed the last remnants of the heaviness away, and I re-joined the good atmosphere.
“Come on, give it a rest now, Rooney.” Scarlett gestured for Mikey to come and sit with her. He immediately abandoned the football as if it were as interesting to him as a rock. Settling down with the Vampire, he smiled and the two exchanged a sweet kiss.
“God, I need a decent girlfriend,” moaned Tim. He held up his phone like it was Exhibit A. “Five text messages from Lisa in the last hour. Five.”
“Not too needy then,” smirked Scarlett.
“What’s the deal, mate?” I asked.
“The girl is convinced I’m cheating on her,” he sighed. “I almost wish I was. At least then there’d be a legitimate reason for her to be pissed off with me all the time.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Why don’t you just break up with her?”
His expression became conflicted. “Because I do like her…sometimes. Plus I’m afraid of what she might do if I broke up with her. Like genuinely.” He gestured towards his crotch. “I like him where he is.”
We all burst out laughing. I looked around at the group and the smile stayed on my face. Things hadn’t been easy since I’d first become a Guardian over six months ago. Before it all started, I’d had no responsibilities beyond being bitter at the world for not accepting me, and mourning the empty space where my real dad should have been. But now I’d learned so much. Become a much better person. Met people I loved like family and found my soulmate – literally. And now there was glimmer of hope that I could get my dad back. Problem is, the more you gain, the more you have to lose.
Gabriella lifted up her ice cream and dabbed me on the chin with it. “Bring that mind of yours back here, Alex,” she teased.
I tried to lick the dollop from my face, but I couldn’t reach it with my tongue. Gabriella rolled around slowly like a cat and removed the offending dairy product with a gentle kiss. Then she kissed me full on the lips, locking her hands on either side of my neck.
“I love you,” she whispered into my ear.
Sometimes you have to appreciate the things you already have.
*
I had no idea where I was.
I looked around, trying to get my bearings. I was standing in the courtyard area of a cluster of high-rise council flats. The building walls were a depressing shade of brown. Most of the windows were nicotine-stained, blacked out, or filled with old football flags. A few washing lines had been strung up on the balconies, held up by nails hammered into the brickwork. A dozen different tunes blared out from within, blurring into a jarring mix of bass. The whole area stunk of stale urine and warm rubbish, which overflowed from wheelie bins. In the near distance, I could see an industrial complex. Rows of squat, grey warehouses were surrounded by pylons and razor wire fences.
I bit my lip until I drew blood.
I’m not dreaming then.
People slunk past in dark hoodies or spread themselves across the steps to the various block entrances in groups. Some were texting; others were smoking cigarettes and chatting loudly. Most looked a few years younger than me.
An older guy in a black beanie hat was leaning against a lamppost a few hundred yards away. A gaunt looking-woman sidled up to him and whispered something into his ear. He gave a sharp whistle and a kid on a bike cycled from around the corner and rode over to the pair. He retrieved something from his backpack, slipped it into the older guy’s hand, and pedalled away. The guy shook hands with the girl for a beat too long, and then she sniffed and walked away.
I’m definitely in the wrong area.
I looked down. My Biomote was in my hand. The display showed that it was coming up to 9pm, over seven hours since Gabriella and I had left the park together and over three hours since she’d left my house. I let out a shaky breath.
I’ve lost time again.
It had started about two months ago, around the same time as the whispers. First it had been a few seconds every now and then. I wouldn’t be able to remember what I’d just done. I’d put it down to stress, my evolved body acting on autopilot as a result of being vastly overstretched and overworked. But recently it had started to happen for longer periods of time. I’d wake up in a different room or down the road. Once I’d come around sitting in my car two miles away from home, engine still running. But this was definitely the furthest I’d ever gone and the longest time I couldn’t account for. I don’t even recognise the area.
I flicked through the Biomote, pausing at the list of call links. An unknown number had called me just before 7pm. The call had lasted for thirty seconds. I tried to use the Biomote to trace it, but it failed every time. I switched over to the position tracker. The radar whirled around and then a green dot appeared on a map. I read it and drew in a sharp breath.
Hackney. East London.
That’s over twenty miles away!
“Yo mate, interesting phone you got,” someone said from nearby.
I glanced back up. Whilst I’d been focused on the Biomote, one of the groups had moved from their nearby perch on the steps and closed in around me. There were six of them. Four guys and two girls. One of the guys wore a baseball cap that had ‘Drive it like you stole it’ printed on the front. Another had a series of gold rings on one hand. A third held a pit bull on a chain. Rather than growling at me, the dog slunk between its owner’s legs and avoided eye contact. It was an alpha thing.
The girls were in bright tracksuits and wore large hooped earrings. They surveyed me through squinted eyes, chewing gum slowly. I was literally staring at walking clichés. But they were there regardless, staring back at me, clearly with trouble in mind.
The one who had spoken stepped forward into my personal space. He had a scar running from underneath one eye to his lower cheek. I probably won’t win any prizes for guessing what had caused that, I thought.
“You deaf, bruv? I said that’s an interesting phone you got,” he repeated, trying to put as much menace into his voice as possible.
I sighed internally. I wasn’t in the mood for any of this. “Yeah, it’s done me pretty well so far, although I haven’t quite got the predictive text thing down yet. I keep telling my girlfriend I live her.”
The scarred guy’s lips thinned. ‘So you’re a funny man, yeah?”
He made an almost imperceptible signal with his finger. As he kept breathing his cigarette-scented breath up my nose, a couple of his friends moved around to my back, clearly poised to knock me out and rob me. The girls had dark smirks on their faces, like they were getting a rush from what was about to happen.
Only it wouldn’t be what they expected.
“Well I can hold a crowd, but I’ll probably leave stand up for now,” I teased.
Scar boy ran a finger across his chin in a twitchy motion, clearly confused by my lack of fear. When he spoke again, his words seemed to be peeled from a well-rehearsed script. “So I reckon you need to shut up and hand that phone over. Like as a payment, since you obviously ain’t aware that you’re in our yard. Otherwise things might go bad for you real quick, mate.”
I looked at the boy doing his very best to intimidate me. Standing on tiptoes so he appeared taller, pushing his forehead close to mine, arms out wide like he needed a hug. I stared right into his eyes and smiled.
“Not going to happen, sorry. They c
ost a lot to replace. Also, just a bit of friendly advice, but it’s completely okay to brush your teeth every now and then.”
The girls made a sound I’d heard countless times back when I’d been a victim of bullying. A sharp ‘oooohh’ sound always coupled with the same gesture, covering their mouths like they were the ones that had said the comment themselves. Then they came to their senses and dissolved into a chorus of swearing and pointed fingers.
To their credit, unlike my old school nemesis, Terry, the muggers had minimal preamble. Ring bearer unleashed a snap punch to my temple. It would have probably knocked me out if it had connected and if I were still a regular human.
Unfortunately for him, I was a Chosen.
I smashed my head forwards, head-butting scar boy as gently as I could. His nose collapsed, and he stumbled backwards into the girls, howling in agony. The punch missed. I caught hold of ring bearer’s arm and launched him over my back. He hit the pavement with a loud crack and went quiet. Cap-man pulled a flick knife out of his pocket and clicked it open. He lunged at me, jabbing the blade at my neck. I swatted it away, and it clattered into a poorly-maintained shrub nearby.
“Seriously, what is it with the whole knife thing?” I said dodging all his sluggish punches that followed. He moved forward, and I yanked his baseball cap down over his eyes. He cried out in surprise. I held onto the peak and pulled him around a bit before giving him an upward slap. It lifted him off his feet, and he collapsed next to his friend.
“Razor, sic him, boy!” shouted the last guy, unleashing the dog from its chain and pointing in my direction. Instead, the pit bull took the opportunity to run in the opposite direction and hide under an abandoned sheet of corrugated plastic.
“Razor, what the hell?” he shouted in a confused gasp.
At that moment, someone grabbed my hair. It didn’t hurt, but it did catch my attention. One of the girls was screaming and doing her best to pull it out in clumps. The other one jumped on my back and started gorilla pounding my head and neck. I blinked in surprise and then methodically removed the girl’s hand from my hair. I seized the other one by her hoodie and hoisted her off me. Then I used a move Gabriella had taught me as a quick method of dealing with hysterical humans. A gentle squeeze of the Vegas nerve on the neck just below the ear. Both of their eyes rolled up into their heads, and I collected them into my arms and lowered them to the pavement.
The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2) Page 3