Split Second (10 page)

As he spoke, I felt a weight lifting from my back. Taylor watched me, a mix of curiosity and compassion in his eyes.

‘Why are you telling me this?’ I asked.

‘Because the Commander and I both felt you were owed an explanation.’ Taylor smiled. ‘Believe me, it’s a big deal for us to speak out. I wouldn’t normally meet
anyone like this, but you’re worth making an exception for.’

I could feel my face flushing. Why would anyone think that?

Taylor tilted his head to the side. ‘Maybe you don’t realise how exceptional you are, Nat. I’m not talking about your academic record, though I know from everything Lucas said
about you how impressive that is.’

‘Lucas talked about me?’

‘He was incredibly proud of you.’ Taylor smiled.

My throat tightened.

‘I know that Lucas’s sacrifice has had a terrible impact on your family,’ Taylor went on. ‘Your parents barely speak, your mother lives in the hospital, your father is
working himself into an early grave even as his business is on the verge of collapse, your sister—’

‘How do you know all this?’ Bile rose in my guts. It was too much, hearing this man reel off such private bits of information.

‘Lucas was a soldier who paid the ultimate price,’ Taylor said smoothly. ‘The Commander makes it his business to keep an eye on the people our soldiers leave behind, to help
them if he can.’

‘This . . . Commander . . . wants to help my family?’ I stared through the trees, feeling angry and confused. The air was heavy with the smell of damp earth.

‘Yes, as do I. That is, we want to help
you
, if you’ll let us. That’s the other reason I’m here.’ Taylor turned up the collar of his expensive coat.
‘The Commander wants to give you a chance to serve your country, just as Lucas served it. The English Freedom Army is the real deal, Nat and we want . . . the
Commander
wants . . .
you to join us.’

I stared at him.

‘It will be dangerous, but rewarding,’ Taylor went on. ‘We will train you just like we trained Lucas.’

‘You mean I’d be able to help stop the League of Iron?’ My mind sped ahead into a future where I could find out who set off the marketplace bomb, then take revenge for
Lucas’s death.

‘The League of Iron are one of the groups we are monitoring,’ Taylor said, giving me a shrewd look. ‘There are others too, but the Commander will understand if you have a
particular motivation to work in a specific direction. It’s good timing, in fact. Our goal this year is to recruit young, intelligent, enthusiastic cadets. You’re a perfect
choice.’

I looked away, feeling embarrassed. And pleased.

‘Just one more thing. I’m afraid I have to take your laptop,’ Taylor said. ‘You’ll get it back when we’ve replaced the hard drive.’

‘What?’ I tightened my grip on my computer. ‘Why?’

‘To erase all trace of your user name; AngelOfFire can no longer exist.’ Taylor’s green eyes bored into me. ‘I know you don’t understand yet how we work but, when
you do, you’ll see just what a massive risk I’ve taken coming here. Even slipping that phone in your pocket was—’

‘How did you do that?’

‘The jogger did it.’ Taylor waved his hand to suggest that planting the mobile in my pocket had been a minor matter. ‘I’ve got a memory stick with me so you can back up
any important files.’

‘I don’t need that,’ I said slowly. ‘It’s all backed up.’

‘Good.’ Taylor fished in his coat pocket and pulled out a bundle of notes. He counted out eight fifty-pound notes and offered them to me. ‘Look, if you don’t trust me,
let me buy the laptop. You can get a decent replacement with this.’

I stared at the money.

A couple wandered through the trees nearby, deep in conversation. Taylor turned his back and shrank deeper into the upturned collar of his overcoat. He tried to palm me the money, but I backed
away.

‘Here, take it.’ I held out the laptop. ‘I don’t want your cash.’

A smile flitted across Taylor’s face. He re-pocketed his money and took the plastic bag with the computer inside. ‘Hang on to that phone,’ he said. ‘Keep it secret, keep
it safe. You won’t be able to make calls on it yet, but someone will contact you.’ He took a step away.

‘When?’

‘Soon.’ Taylor strode off, through the trees. He was quickly out of sight.

I stood for a moment, reeling at everything I’d just heard, then I hurried after Taylor, determined to see where he went. But by the time I reached the edge of the trees, he had already
disappeared.

I stared out of the window at the clear blue sky. It was a beautiful day – cold and crisp – and the first Saturday of half-term. It was also the morning of the
memorial service for Mum and the other bomb victims.

Brian squeezed my hand as we walked to the car.

‘You’re a brave girl, Charlie,’ he said. ‘I’m sure your dad would have been proud of you.’

I nodded, a lump in my throat. Brian was the only person who ever mentioned my dad. Aunt Karen hadn’t really known him – he’d been stationed in Afghanistan for most of the two
years he and Mum had been together before he died.

‘I was wondering . . .’ I stammered. I’d been thinking about asking this question for a while, but had never quite been able to summon up the courage before. ‘How come
you and my dad fell out?’

Brian opened the car door. He looked at me. ‘It was a long time ago,’ he said. ‘When your dad joined the Army. I thought he was running away.’

‘From what?’

Brian shrugged. ‘Responsibility. Like I said, it was a long time ago.’

Gail joined us and we drove off. I stared out of the window, turning what Brian had said over in my mind. I didn’t understand – how was fighting for your country running away from
your responsibilities?

It took just ten minutes to drive to the hall where the memorial service was being held, then another ten to find a parking place. I looked out for Aunt Karen and for Jas and Nat as we
approached the hall, but the crowd on the pavement was too thick. Were all these people here for Mum and the other victims? As if to answer my question a black car pulled up. Brian and I were
slightly ahead of Gail and Rosa and we had to stop as the crowd surged forward. I peered past the heads to see who was getting out of the car. It was a singer from a TV talent show. Some relation
of hers had been left in a wheelchair after the blast and I knew she had been widely interviewed immediately afterwards. She was followed out of the car by the Mayor of London and his wife and
son.

Brian tutted beside me. ‘I don’t know why they get special treatment,’ he muttered.

I shrugged and pushed my way through the crowds. I was sure Nat would be here and I wanted a chance to see how he behaved when he had to come face to face with so many people who, I was still
certain, were related to those he had helped kill and maim.

‘Charlie, wait!’ Brian’s voice behind me sounded faint amongst the hubbub. He was probably hanging back, waiting for Gail and Rosa to push their way through the crowd.

I kept going. I’d rather be alone.

I reached the external doors. Two men in suits were standing guard, checking people’s official invitations. I drew mine out of my pocket and showed it to one of the guards. He waved me
through a small anteroom. Glass doors led into the hall. I took a deep breath and went inside.

The hushed atmosphere inside the hall couldn’t have been more different from the chaos outside. People were still milling about, talking, but their voices were low and their heads bowed.
The whole place felt subdued yet expectant.

I walked to the front of the room, wondering if Aunt Karen was here yet. A row of photos had been set out on the stage, just in front of the lectern. Mum’s picture was at the end on the
right. I knew it would be here, yet the sight of it still hurt. The photo was one of my favourites – Mum was looking into the distance, a proud smile on her face. You couldn’t tell just
by looking at it, of course, but I knew that this picture had been taken as she watched me winning a gym competition when I was at primary school years and years ago. For a moment, the pain of
losing her was as raw as it had ever been. My throat felt swollen and tears pricked at my eyes. Not here. Not in front of all these people. I turned around, intending to look for Aunt Karen
again.

And walked straight into Nat.

He was standing right behind me. Had he been
watching
me? I looked up and, for a split second, I saw the same pain that I felt, reflected in his own eyes.

‘Charlie . . .’ Nat started.

My heart lurched into my throat. But before Nat could say any more, Jas was there, looking thinner than ever in a long, floaty black dress.

‘Hi, Charlie,’ she said.

‘Catch you later,’ Nat grunted and walked away. I watched his back disappear into the crowd. What had he been going to say?

‘This is weird, isn’t it?’ Jas’s forehead creased in a anxious frown. ‘Will you come and meet my parents? They’re waiting by Lucas’s photo.’

‘Sure.’ I let Jas lead me along the edge of the stage to where a middle-aged couple were peering down at a picture of a boy with twinkling dark eyes. It was hard to imagine the same
boy lying unconscious in a hospital for the past six months.

‘Charlie, this is my mum and dad,’ Jas said.

‘Hello, Charlie, it’s a pleasure to meet you at last.’ Jas’s mum gave me a warm smile. She looked exhausted, her eyes sore and lined.

Jas’s dad reached out to shake my hand. He was tall, with the same-shaped mouth as Jas – and looked as tired as his wife.

We talked for a moment more. Jas’s parents commented on the hall and how attractive it looked with all the soft lights on the walls. The conversation felt surreal with none of us talking
about why we were actually here. I was glad when the ushers appeared and asked us politely to find our seats.

I turned and saw Aunt Karen. She was in the second row from the front, talking with Brian and Gail. As I hurried over I passed the Mayor and his family. The Mayor’s son caught my eye and
smiled. Despite his formal clothes – a stiff blue blazer and grey trousers – we were about the same age. He was maybe a tad taller than me, with rosy cheeks and a shock of thick, fair
hair.

I sat down next to Aunt Karen. It flashed through my mind that she might still be angry with me for all the rows we’d had when we’d lived together. But then we hugged and she
whispered that she loved me and I could almost feel all the bad stuff between us melting away into the past. The hall was full now, the noise of hushed chatter filling the air. Nat was across the
aisle with his parents and Jas. I stared at him, but he didn’t look up. Jas and her mum put their arms around each other. Another wave of longing washed over me. It was good to see Aunt Karen
again, but I would have given anything to have been able to hug Mum like that.

The service began as a man I didn’t recognise read the names of the four people who died in the bomb, then went on to list those severely injured – a roll-call that included Lucas.
Aunt Karen held my hand, weeping quietly. She was sitting next to Gail. On Gail’s other side, Rosa was crying too – with plenty of ostentatious sniffing and eye-wiping. It was drawing a
lot of attention. People probably thought
she
was the bereaved daughter, not me. For a second I felt angry with her. She hadn’t even known Mum, what was she so upset for?

The service moved on to short talks on each of the people killed. Aunt Karen went up to the front to speak about Mum, how dedicated she’d been as a primary school teacher before
she’d lost her job in the cuts, how much she had loved life and her friends and her family, especially me.

After feeling so raw earlier, I was numb now. I watched as Mayor Latimer stood up to speak. He was trying to sound concerned but the hushed and humble tone he used came over as phoney to me. He
talked for ages: firstly about the process of grieving, then how we mustn’t let it stop us loving, or else we let the terrorists win.

At last the Mayor finished speaking and the music part of the programme began. Rosa was still crying noisily. The service went on for another fifteen minutes or so, then we all filed into the
back room for wine and crisps and fancy canapés. I vaguely wondered who was paying for everything. The TV news this morning had announced another pay cut for all public sector workers and
said that the Mayor’s budget was to be severely reduced too.

I stood in the corner. The Mayor and his wife were in the middle of the room, talking with Jas and her parents. I watched Jas take a bite from a crisp then put the remainder on her mum’s
plate. No wonder she was so skinny. It struck me that though we’d shared snacks together many times I’d never actually seen her eat a proper meal.

I sighed. The service had just turned into a drinks party and Nat was nowhere to be seen. The least I could get out of the whole stupid experience was a bit of information, something I could
properly use against him.

I headed to the drinks table wondering if he was somewhere in the crush. The Mayor’s son was standing on the edge of the crowd. As I walked over, he smiled.

‘Hello,’ he said.

‘Hi.’ I looked around. No sign of Nat here.

‘Are they your parents?’ the boy asked, indicating Nat and Jas’s mum and dad.

‘No,’ I said.

‘Are you a friend of the family?’

Irritation flickered through me at his persistence. ‘I’m their daughter’s friend,’ I said. ‘We go to the same school. Why are you asking?’

The boy shrugged. ‘It’s just nice to see people my age. Girls especially.’ He grinned and a dimple appeared in his left cheek. ‘I’m Aaron by the way.’ He held
out his hand.

I shook it, feeling even more annoyed. Aaron seemed to be treating the whole event as some kind of flirting opportunity. ‘Charlie,’ I said.

I turned away, determined to find Nat.

‘Nice to meet you, Charlie,’ Aaron said.

‘Whatever.’ As I stomped off, it occurred to me that I’d probably been a bit harsh. After all, it couldn’t be much fun for Aaron to spend his Saturday morning at a
ceremony with a bunch of unhappy people just because his parents had to. And there was no way he could have known that I was the daughter of one of the blast victims.