by Helen Harper
If my head hadn’t been down, absently scanning the road for potholes, I wouldn’t have registered the brief pause in his step. Clearly he thought my mumbles were vastly preferable to my dissension.
‘But, of course,’ I added hastily, ‘that’s only because I’ve had to get used to walking and cycling. Having a car that I can rely on is a luxury I’ve not been able to consider until now.’
‘Well,’ Fab said, ‘thanks to me, now you can.’ He waved his arms, his hazmat suit flapping around his elbows. He seemed to be suggesting that a water-powered car was about to appear in front of my eyes simply because he’d said so. As if by magic. I could have told him that the magic in Manchester didn’t work that way but I didn’t bother wasting my breath.
‘I can’t wait to see what you’re going to bring,’ Cath said.
Jodie nodded with buoyant enthusiasm. ‘It’ll be like Christmas. We can’t thank you enough, Fab.’
Even Felicity cracked a smile. ‘We should build you a statue.’ There wasn’t a trace of irony in her tone. She’d come around to the cult of Fab quickly enough. The way things were going, I half expected the three of them to fall to their knees and start worshipping the man. Nothing would surprise me any more.
‘Look,’ I said, suddenly feeling guilty for my cynicism. ‘There’s the door to the rest of the world just up ahead.’
‘With considerable devastation surrounding it,’ Fab remarked, glancing round at the scorched trees I’d blasted away only a few days ago. ‘You really do have a great deal of power at your fingertips.’
‘I do,’ I said simply. I scanned his face for a reaction but there was nothing beyond a cheerful smile. I mentally slapped myself for being a suspicious bitch and drew in a breath. ‘Well, God speed,’ I told him.
Fab inclined his head, smiling slightly, then he walked past me towards the door. I squinted after him. His murky purple aura was more heavily defined now. I bit my lip. Was that my doing? Had my incursion into his tent caused more magic to cling to him?
I glanced at his trailing bodyguards. Their auras were considerably less distinct – and more blue. I rubbed my eyes to be sure. I wasn’t imagining things.
Boyce caught my stare and frowned. ‘What?’ he growled.
I shrugged. ‘Nothing.’
He glanced at Fab then back at me before sniffing loudly. ‘You’ve done a good job here,’ he said. ‘Not only by surviving but by creating this community. You should be proud of it.’
Taken aback, I blinked at him. ‘Uh, thank you.’
He nodded. ‘It wasn’t me.’
‘Pardon?’
‘When your little beastie ran off,’ he said, his tone short and clipped. ‘It wasn’t me who saw her. I was just passing on the message.’
My mouth felt dry. First there was the question I’d overheard him ask his buddy. Now this. What exactly was he saying? I glanced at Fab, who was talking to Felicity about the wonders of the Kobe beef he was planning to bring in.
‘Boyce,’ I began.
He gave a minute shake of his head. ‘You have a good thing going here,’ he said gruffly. ‘I’ve spent a lot of time in dangerous parts of the world and the community you’ve established here is genuinely impressive. I would not like to see it ruined.’
Under other circumstances I might have taken his words as a threat. There was something about the look in his eyes, however, which made me think that he was being nothing other than genuine. ‘Be careful,’ he said. ‘Especially at night time.’
That sounded very much like a warning. I reached out for his arm before realising that Fab’s clever eyes were on us. I dropped my hand and Boyce turned away. I swallowed. Well, I’d certainly not expected that from the surly bodyguard. Maybe he wasn’t quite as beholden to his employer as I’d believed. Maybe he’d also been keeping more of an open mind than I could have given him credit for.
‘I’ll be back in two days,’ Fab called out, stepping away from Felicity towards the door to the outside world. ‘I’ll bring you your supplies. You can count on me.’ He flashed us all a brilliant-white, crocodile smile. ‘Until then, take care!’ He waved before opening the door as if he were heading out for a stroll. The guards, Boyce included, followed.
I waited for a moment, half expecting to hear delighted screams from the other side of the wall at his safe return but there was nothing. Silence reigned. I shrugged. That was anti-climactic.
‘I hope he comes back,’ Cath said. ‘And that the government doesn’t toss him into quarantine or anything daft like that.’
‘He was smart to have that protective suit,’ Jodie told her. ‘He’ll be fine. He’s Fab Barrett, after all.’
I tilted my head at them. ‘Do you think he’s too good to be true?’
Felicity frowned. ‘Why do you say that?’ She exchanged glances with the other two. Their faces froze and I felt a trickle of unease.
I shrugged awkwardly. ‘Maybe Monroe is rubbing off on me. It’s just that Fab has an answer for everything. Everyone seems to like him.’
Cath dropped her head and picked at a hangnail. ‘You shouldn’t be so mean about him.’
I stared. ‘I wasn’t being mean.’
‘He knows you don’t like him,’ Felicity said. ‘He came to me last night when I was on duty at the barricade and we had a long chat. He thought I didn’t like him at first either.’
‘He should have realised that you’re gruff with everyone,’ Cath said.
Felicity smiled slightly. ‘That’s what I said. He’s a good guy really.’ There was an odd, fawning edge to her words.
I folded my arms. ‘Can we backtrack a little here? When did I say I didn’t like him?’
‘You didn’t,’ Jodie said. ‘But Fab can tell. You shouldn’t be jealous of him.’
I took a step back. ‘Why,’ I asked carefully, ‘would I be jealous of him?’
All three of them shuffled and twitched. My eyes narrowed.
‘You’re the enchantress,’ Cath said finally. ‘You’ve kept us safe up till now. You helped bring our communities together. We all get on now because of you.’
Jodie nodded. ‘We get it. You feel responsible for us. You always have. That’s why you used to get so stressed back when we were living in the south.’
‘Fab says that stress is often a sign of serious illness. That it can get worse and worse if it’s not treated properly.’
My stomach tightened. ‘You told him I was stressed?’
Her mouth twisted slightly. ‘I might have mentioned it. In passing.’
‘I was stressed,’ I said. ‘But that was months ago. I don’t feel like that any more. I’m not in charge now. I don’t have to feel that way.’
‘People often hide their worst anxieties,’ Felicity told me. ‘They bottle things up until they explode. It’s not healthy.’
‘Let me guess,’ I said. ‘Fab said that as well?’
She looked away. ‘Yeah.’
‘What else did he say about me?’
Jodie coughed. ‘Maybe we should head home. It’ll be dark soon.’
I growled, ‘What else did he say?’
She twisted her fingers together nervously.
Felicity rolled her eyes. ‘I’m not afraid to tell you,’ she said. ‘It’s not your fault you are who you are. You’ve done amazing things for us. You can’t help feeling a bit put out that he’s swooping in like Superman, with unlimited money and resources. You’ve done the best that you can with what you had, and we love you for it.’
‘So,’ I said slowly, ‘Fab Barrett is Superman and I’m the disgruntled bitch in the corner who’s annoyed because he’s helping us?’
‘Yep.’
‘And I’m so stressed that I might explode with fury at any moment?’
‘Yep.’
‘And I’m jealous because he’s a billionaire?’
‘Yep.’
I pursed my lips. ‘I suppose the last one might be true.’ Not that I could think of what I might need that much mo
ney for.
Cath scratched her head. ‘You know, when you say it like that, it does seem rather unlikely.’
I looked at her. ‘You think?’
‘Yeah,’ Jodie said, ‘but when Fab said it, he put it differently. The way he said it, it made sense. I mean, he did point out that you were just a cleaner…’ She realised what she’d said and her cheeks turned red.
‘Just a cleaner?’ I asked, my voice hard.
‘He said you were probably still traumatised by what happened to your little brother,’ Cath added in a hushed voice.
Incandescent fury lit inside me. ‘You told him about Joshua?’ I spat.
‘No, no, I wouldn’t have done that.’ She shook her head, suddenly alarmed.
I turned to Jodie. ‘You?’
‘No.’ For the first time since I’d known her, she actually looked scared.
Felicity stared at all of us. ‘Who’s Joshua?’
I put my hands on my hips. ‘How does Fabian Barrett know about my little brother? Felicity doesn’t.’
Cath swallowed. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Why would Fabian Barrett persuade you that I don’t like him? Or that I’m traumatised? Or that I’m too stressed to string a coherent thought together?’
‘You’re very powerful,’ Jodie hedged.
I nodded. ‘Go on.’
‘We all look up to you,’ Cath added. She exhaled.
‘Uh huh.’ I tapped my foot and waited.
The three of them looked at each other. Surprisingly, it was Felicity who broke the silence with a deep, rumbling snarl. ‘He manipulated us.’ She bared her teeth. ‘He screwed with our heads.’ She jabbed a finger in the air, pointing at nothing. ‘You know what that is? That’s fucking gaslighting. You’re the most powerful person in this entire city and he’s been making sure that you’re put in a box so we don’t listen to anything you have to say.’
Cath sniffed; if I didn’t know better, I’d have said she was about to cry. I’d never seen that before. ‘I’m sorry, Charley. He was so…’
‘Persuasive?’ I asked. ‘Manipulative?’
Jodie bit her lip. ‘I should have known better,’ she muttered.
‘Are you very angry?’ Cath asked in a small voice.
‘No.’ I was telling the truth. ‘I feel relieved actually. Vindicated. I knew deep down that I couldn’t trust him. There have been a few things that have given me pause but no first-hand evidence that he’s up to no good. I couldn’t be sure, but now I am. He’s playing the long game. He’s been building himself up until everyone is convinced he’s amazing. Now he’s concentrating on bringing down those who might stop his plans.’
I thought of my brush with death. There was not a shred of proof that he’d been responsible for that but suddenly I was sure that he was. And how could he have found out about Joshua? Only a handful of people knew about my little brother’s death. Had Fab investigated me before he entered Manchester? Why would he do such a thing? He couldn’t have known who I was until he got here.
My dread deepened. ‘There’s something we’ve not thought of.’
Jodie looked pale. ‘What?’
‘I’m not the most powerful person,’ I said. ‘I mean, maybe I am magically but in terms of strength, Monroe is the most powerful. And in terms of the actual enclave, I’d say that Julian has the most power. If Fab Barrett has been trying to bring me down, he’ll try to bring them down too.’
‘But why?’ Felicity asked, still brimming with fury. ‘If he’s playing the long game, what’s he actually trying to win? What does he want from all of this?’
‘He wants Manchester,’ Jodie said. ‘He wants to control our city.’
‘Or,’ Cath suggested, ‘he wants the magic.’
‘But he’s terrified of the magic,’ Felicity said.
My mouth tightened. Was that truly the case? I ran my hands through my hair and straightened my back. ‘We have to get home and speak to the others.’ I paused and glanced at my friends. ‘Thank you,’ I said quietly.
‘Are you being sarcastic now?’ Jodie asked.
I shook my head. ‘You stopped to think. You could have let yourself be wholly persuaded by Fab Barrett’s slick words and smooth tone. I was certainly persuaded for a while. But instead you stopped to think. We stopped to think.’
‘Not quickly enough.’ Felicity tossed her head. She was still angry at herself and I suspected she would be for some time.
‘Wait until I tell you how he spoke to Julie when he met her a couple of years ago,’ I said.
Jodie pulled back her shoulders and glared. ‘He was nasty to Julie? To our vampire? I’ll fucking kill him when he comes back. I don’t care what supplies he’s bringing with him. No-one messes with Julie.’ At my look, she shrugged. ‘What? She’s virtually family. I can argue with her.’ Her eyes darkened. ‘But woe betide anyone from outside who crosses her.’
I smiled. ‘Amen to that. We’re all family. Let’s get back to everyone else.’
Another voice rang out. ‘Before you do that, there’s something I think you should see.’
I turned. Alora was standing in the middle of the road. In her right hand she was loosely holding a sharp-looking sword - and the expression on her face was terrifying.
Uh oh.
Alora led us to a tall, grey building. It was the sort of place which, in pre-apocalypse times, would have struck dread into the hearts of anyone who was forced to enter it. You know the sort – somewhere you are forced to go in order to fill out forms in triplicate, which are then lost by some bureaucrat who insists you didn’t fill them in properly so all your worldly possessions are confiscated, you’re cuffed in irons and your family are left destitute. I’m exaggerating but not by much.
Monroe was waiting by the door, a grim expression on his face. ‘Barrett’s gone?’
I nodded. ‘For now.’ I gestured at Felicity, Cath and Jodie. ‘He’s been a busy little billionaire as well, whispering oily lies in all sorts of ears.’
Monroe’s face darkened even further. ‘Both Theo and Carter came to visit me this morning when I was out checking on the perimeter. Barrett has been suggesting to them that, as a werewolf, I will never have their best interests at heart and neither will Julian. That we will collude to blame the vampires for all sorts of terrible things.’
My jaw tightened. ‘You know,’ I said softly, ‘if we hadn’t already been down that road before and sorted out all those issues, his lies could have become a real problem.’
‘I know.’ His eyes were a stormy blue. ‘We’ve all put too much into this community for one man to come along and destroy it.’
I aimed for an easy smile. I needed Monroe to keep his cool. ‘He’s been gone five minutes and we’ve already uncovered a wad of untruths. He’s not as smart as he thinks he is.’
Alora looked at us both. ‘But why has he gone?’ she asked.
I frowned. ‘What do you mean?’
‘He told you he was leaving to get the supplies you need to survive. Why didn’t he bring them in with him? He’s supposed to be intelligent. He couldn’t have seriously imagined that we were all dead. Anyone with any sense would have brought in as much food, water and medicine as they could carry. It’s been almost a year and the government, the press and whoever else is out there are aware that thousands of people chose to stay in Manchester. Plus the extras who arrived when it became obvious what was happening.’ She spoke with a keen intelligence. ‘Barrett would have gained your trust far quicker if he’d arrived with the supplies. Instead he’s left the city to supposedly organise them. There must be a good reason for the delay. Why leave now?’
That was a good question. A very good question.
Alora shrugged. ‘Anyway, conjecture is not why I brought you here. I have something more concrete to discuss with you.’ She laughed slightly. ‘I’m doing better. Instead of immediate accusations, I am learning to trust.’ She smiled enigmatically. ‘Some people, anyway.’ She gestured at the building.
‘It’s this way.’
We trooped inside. The lobby was grey and depressing, with some nonsensical artwork hanging dejectedly on the walls that had obviously once been someone’s idea of cheering the place up. Unfortunately, the brilliant-red splashes against the dirty beige walls looked more like blood splatters than anything else.
I glanced round, frowning. Something wasn’t right about this place but I couldn’t put my finger it.
‘Where’s the dust?’ Felicity asked.
I glanced at her.
‘I always sneeze,’ she said. ‘When I enter buildings like this, the dust tickles my nose and I end up sneezing. I’m not allowed in advance search parties because my damned nose always gives away our position to any beasties that might be hiding.’ She said this last part almost accusingly to Monroe. ‘Why else am I always on damned guard duty at the barricades?’
‘Sensible decision,’ he replied. Her face contorted, but Monroe wasn’t finished. ‘We need someone on the barricade who is not only strong but who we can trust to question orders when the need arises.’
Felicity’s mouth dropped open slightly. She wasn’t the only one who was surprised; Monroe used to be overwhelmingly proud that the werewolves did what they were told without question.
‘Your girlfriend is a good influence on you,’ she said.
He smiled slightly and his fingers grazed mine. ‘I know.’
Alora let out an audible sigh. ‘Can we get back to the reason why I brought you here? The lack of dust is part of it. It was cleaned up to avoid drawing attention to their presence. Footprints would be something of a giveaway.’
‘Who are you talking about?’ I asked.
‘You’ll see.’ She waved her sword towards the staircase. ‘Top floor.’
It was a long way up. At every level there was a bogle guard with green skin, a lethal-looking sword and a blank expression. Alora wasn’t taking any chances.
My trepidation grew the further we went. Whatever – or rather whoever – she was taking us to see, she clearly wanted us to see it for our own eyes.