Unravelled (12 page)

“I’ll do some research as well,” says Wiki. “We can compare notes when we meet.”

“Hey, Wiki – give my condolences to your mother.” I hang up and turn to Lebz. “I guess one more day won’t hurt.”

“I hope so,” she says, but she sounds dubious.

I don’t blame her. “Do you know exactly where the Cresta Crew live?”

She shakes her head. “No one I know has been to their house.”

I lie back with a sigh. How am I going to find out what’s behind the pretty faces of the Cresta Crew?

Chapter Five

Dad is home when I arrive the next morning. He’s slumped over the dining table in his pyjamas, sipping a cup of coffee. When he sees me, his eyes light up and he smiles.

“Hello, darling. How’s Kese?” He rubs his eyes.

He and Lebz’s mother have been friends for as long as I can remember; along with Wiki’s father, they used to teach at the same secondary school when Lebz, Wiki and I were born. I linger near the door, toying with the strap of my bag. “She’s fine. She wants to know when you’re going to come over for a grown-up dinner.”

Dad laughs. “It has been a while. Did you and Malebogo have fun?”

I shrug. “Sure.” I clear my throat. “Um, Dad, about yesterday…”

“I know.” He nods slowly. “It was bizarre, wasn’t it? So unlike your grandfather.”

“You noticed it, too?”

“It was hard to miss,” he points out. “He seemed different. Any idea why?”

I shake my head. “I guess something happened when he was out of town.”

Dad’s features settle into a thoughtful frown. “I wonder. Well, if he’s willing to work together, I’m happy to do my part. And he did get me thinking.”

“Oh?” I drop my bag on the floor and walk over to him. “About what?”

“You.” He lifts his shoulders in a sheepish shrug. “We haven’t been thinking of you at all. All the bickering and insults…I’m sorry.”

For a moment I can’t think of anything to say.

He gives me a tentative grin. “Look, we’ll probably never see eye-to-eye, but maybe this project will be one step in the right direction.”

I plant a huge kiss on his stubbly cheek. “Thank you, Dad. That means a lot to me.”

“I know it does, love. We’re not doing it for our health, you know. If anything, my health’s about to take a knocking, working with that man.”

“You’ll be fine,” I assure him. “You’re tougher than you look.”

“Oh, thanks,” he replies wryly.

I chuckle. I’m touched, and a little nervous, too. Dad and Ntatemogolo, working together sounds wonderful in theory, but knowing them it could be a recipe for disaster.

“You going out again?” Dad pushes his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

I shake my head. “I’m going to make you breakfast.”

***

The internet is acting up. I try it three times before giving up in exasperation. My head feels crowded. Ntatemogolo’s strange behaviour, Rakwena and the Cresta Crew, the drama that is Kencer…it’s too much. I decide to go for a walk to clear my head. There’s a small patch of grass at the end of the street behind our house, ringed by a low wooden fence. It leads to the next street and kids often come to play there. Today it’s empty. I sit on the fence and close my eyes.

I don’t have a phone number or address for the Cresta Crew. All I have is Kelly. I’m reluctant to pump her for information, partly because we hardly converse as a rule and partly because I don’t want her tipping Spencer off. It seems I have no choice, though. How else am I going to get to those boys?

“Connie!”

I look up to see Duma approach from the other street, stepping over the fence. Despite his sweet smile, my stomach twists uncomfortably. This is not just a stroke of good luck. I can’t think of any reason for Duma to be hanging around this neighbourhood, and this isn’t the first time he’s managed to track me down. Is he following me?

He chuckles. “We keep bumping into each other.”

“If that’s what you want to call it,” I retort.

“Oh, you think I’m stalking you?”

“Are you?”

That smile again. “Maybe.”

I wish I could figure this boy out. I can’t read him, I can’t beat him into submission, and I can’t even decide whether to trust him or not. My instincts are on shaky ground here, and I want to know why. Then something occurs to me that didn’t before. “How old are you?”

“Fourteen. Why?”

“And the twins?”

“Sixteen.” He looks curious now.

“And none of you are in school?”

He smiles again. “We’re home-schooled. Normal schools can be…difficult.”

That explains a lot. None of them go to Syringa, and I haven’t heard of them being linked to any other school. “You’ve always been home-schooled? Since you were kids?”

He nods. “Our parents are very protective.”

Parents…hmm. “And where are these parents? I heard you guys live alone. In Extension 9, is it?”

He smiles that smile of his and doesn’t answer.

Exasperated, I look into his puppy-dog eyes. “Why don’t you stop playing games and tell me what you want?”

He doesn’t respond.

“OK.” I relent, deciding to change tack. “Let me tell you what
I
want. A proper meeting with your boys. In private, where we can talk openly. What do you say?”

Now I have his attention. “I’d like that, too.”

“Great. I’m free now.”

He hesitates. “The thing is it’s really not up to me. I’ll have to ask Temper.”

I nod slowly, excitement stirring in my chest. “So I was right – he calls the shots?”

“Of course. He’s the first-born.” He grins.

“OK.” I lean forward on my elbows. “Until you get Temper’s permission for a meeting, you can at least tell me their names, right? Unless you want me to go on calling them things like Rapunzel.”

Duma’s eyes widen and he lets out a soft grunt of mirth. “Who’s Rapunzel?”

“The one with the really long dreads, obviously.”

He shakes his head at me. “Mandla.”

“Mandla, Rapunzel.” I lift my shoulders in a careless shrug. “Let me guess – he’s the second-born?”

Duma nods. “Spencer’s next, then Elias and Reetsang.”

“The twins,” I guess.

“Yep. And I’m the baby of the family.”

“Lucky you.”

“Lucky?” he cries. “I don’t get to do
anything
!”

“And yet you’re the one talking to the telepath,” I point out, smiling.

“Don’t say that.” His brow creases into an earnest frown. “I really do want us to be friends.”

He looks so downcast that I can’t help but pity him. “What are they so afraid of, anyway? I know you’re gifted and I’m not planning to put out a press release.”

Duma’s gaze drops to the ground. “You know what it’s like. There’s always that fear that the wrong people will find out. They’re just careful who they trust.”

“And you?”

His eyes meet mine again. “I trust my instincts.”

I smile. I understand that only too well. “OK – since you’re being so forthcoming today, I’ll tell you something. I don’t trust your cousins, either. Especially Spencer.”

Duma swallows, his small Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat. “Why not?”

“You know why not.” I wait for him to meet my gaze, and see the truth in his eyes. My pulse starts to race. I’m getting close to the secret; I just have to bluff my way down the last leg of the road. “Did you think no one would notice the changes in Kelly?”

Duma’s eyes are wide with fear. He’s going to say something. He’s going to give himself away, I can feel it.

“Spencer is bad for her,” I persist. “You have to make him stop!”

Duma lowers his head, clearly in agony. “He doesn’t mean to do it; he just gets carried away,” he blurts out.

My eyes narrow. “Carried away?”

His eyes flicker, and I realise that I shouldn’t have spoken, not yet. A moment ago I almost had him convinced that I knew their secret, but now I’ve revealed my ignorance. I can almost see his heart rate reduce, hear his breathing slow down.

“He likes Kelly a lot,” he says, completely composed now. “Their relationship is…kind of…deep. Sometimes it gets out of control. They get wrapped up in each other.”

He’s covered up well, I’ll give him that. “I don’t like it.”

“You’re not the only one,”’ he mutters, and in spite of everything, that puts me at ease. If the rest of the Crew disapproves, Spencer will have to back off. Hopefully before Kelly has passed the point of no return…whatever that might be.

“Duma, do me a favour. As my
friend
.”

He raises his eyebrows. “What?”

“Get Temper to put a stop to Spencer’s relationship with Kelly.”

“Oh, that,” he scoffs. “We’re not supposed to date – Spencer’s already been warned.”

“What do you mean, you’re not supposed to date?”

Oops. His smoky mental barrier slips just long enough for me to see him scramble to cover his tracks, and then it’s back to black. He glares at me. “Stop that. It’s not cool to try to get into people’s heads without their permission.”

I’m unabashed. “If you told me what I wanted to know I wouldn’t have to dig.”

He shakes his head. “I’ll ask Temper about that meeting,” he promises, turning away. “See you around, Connie.”

“Hey, if you give me your phone number you won’t have to stalk me,” I point out.

“Sure, but that would be boring.” He waves and walks away.

I watch him leave. I may not have obtained the information I was looking for, but I learned a few things. One: the Cresta Crew have been home-schooled from the start – which means their parents are keen to protect their privacy. Maybe the parents are gifted, too. Two: Spencer is definitely responsible for Kelly’s unusual behaviour. The effect he has on her is not intentional, but he is aware of it and so are the others. Three: The Cresta Crew are not permitted to date, and Spencer is going against the rules.

However, these discoveries only raise more questions. Why aren’t they allowed to date? Is it the fear of being found out and shunned? Or is it because getting involved with someone is dangerous? If the relationship continues, what will happen to Kelly?

And finally, the questions I’ve had for a while and still haven’t been able to answer: Who are these guys, and what do they have to do with my boyfriend?

I decide to go to Lebz’s house. I walk past the closed gates of Syringa and turn into my street. Two houses later, I turn right into the quiet cul-de-sac where Lebz lives. I stop at the gate and ring the bell. Over the top of the pedestrian gate, I spot a small head at the window.

“Connie’s here again!” yells Kena.

“Nice to see you, too,” I call out, but she’s vanished behind the curtains.

I hear a click and push the gate open. I barely have a chance to reach the front door before Lebz comes barrelling towards me, barefoot.

“I was just about to call you!” she hisses. “I have visitors.”

She drags me inside. Kelly is there, with her friends Tebatso and Botho. The only person missing is her sexy shadow, Spencer.

I greet everyone. Their replies are half-hearted. The other girls are staring at Kelly. She’s definitely thinner – her cheeks are less plump, and her usually glossy hair is tied back in a haphazard ponytail. Also, her clothes are…how can I put this? Ordinary. Ordinary white jeans, ordinary green shirt. For a girl who’s famous for carefully selecting every item of clothing, even if she doesn’t plan to leave the house, this is sacrilege.

She responds to Lebz’s question about a mutual friend, but she’s preoccupied. Lebz throws me a significant glance as she heads to the kitchen to bring more drinks. I remain behind, watching Kelly. The room falls into uncomfortable silence.

“We should go,” says Kelly. “Spencer’s supposed to meet me in town.”

“I think he can let us have you for one day,” says Tebatso bitterly.

“No, I have to see him.” Kelly gazes out the window. Her phone rings and she leaps off the sofa, then fumbles desperately in her bag. When she holds the pink, rhinestone-studded Blackberry to her ear, her features settle into a blissful smile. “Hey,” she coos.

The other girls look at me, then lower their gazes, embarrassed on her behalf. Kelly leaves the room, talking in a low murmur. A moment later the front door opens and we hear the buzz of the electric gate being opened.

Botho glances out of the window. “She’s leaving!”

All three of us jump up and run to the door. Kelly is already at the gate. Botho and Tebatso dash after their lovestruck friend. I’m about to follow when I hear Lebz return.

“Hey! What’s going on?” There’s the sound of steel clinking against glass as she sets the tray down and hurries over.

“Spencer called,” I explain.

“And Kelly went running.” She shakes her head. “Did you find out anything useful?”

“You could say.” I give her a full report of my conversation with Duma, and it’s clear from the horrified expression on her face that we’ve reached the same conclusion.

“It
is
Spencer,” she gasps. “He’s doing something to her, using some kind of
muti
!”

OK – almost the same conclusion. “I don’t think it’s
muti
,” I tell her in my most reassuring voice. “Like Duma said, he’s not doing it on purpose. It’s probably a side effect of his gift. I just wish I knew what his gift
was
! Then I could figure out how to help Kelly. Right now I’m completely clueless.”

“There’s only one way to help her – get her away from Spencer!” Lebz pushes the intercom button to close the gate, pulls me inside and shuts the front door. “I knew he was too good to be true. I knew it!”

“Calm down. We’re meeting Wiki tomorrow – maybe he found something.”

“I hope so.”

I spend a bit more time with Lebz, trying to reassure her, then head home. On the way Ntatemogolo surprises me by calling.

“Hi, Ntatemogolo.”

“When are you coming by? I have something to show you.”

My curiosity is instantly piqued. “I can come tomorrow.”

“I’ll be out tomorrow.”

“Sunday, then.”

“Good. Sunday it is.” He hangs up without warning, as always.

I frown. He sounds more like his usual brusque self now, but I won’t know for sure until I see him again.

***