Being Grey (Beings Trilogy) (2 page)

“What, just go up to them and say ’Hi, I can sense your
Being
and you’re gonna go far in this world!’” Stefan laughs, “Isn’t that going to freak them out?”

Adrian
sighs, “You just have to meet them. For generations we’ve been seeking out the pure
Beings
and putting them into positions of power; heads of corporations, teachers, researchers, law enforcement. We’ve built a hierarchy to enable those with a pure
Being
to find their right place in the world, where they will excel.

“Our job is to make sure that they keep their
Being
pure so that they can share their specialty with others. The twelve year old entrepreneur who now owns one of the largest company’s in the
UK
, employing over a hundred thousand people. Without our help, he would probably have never made it. We gave him opportunity, and he moulded it. And the young law student who graduated with honours and suddenly found his calling on the stage. He brings humour and passion to millions of people, putting a smile on their face that might not have been there if it were not for us helping him.”

Adrian
continues, “We look for that someone who could make the world a better place.”

I know this is important but I’m trying not to laugh. Poppy is sat there with her mouth open and her eyes glazed over. Without a doubt she’ll find more people with pure
Beings
than anyone. She just attracts the good people in the world. She is completely enthralled.

“So that wraps up the lecture for today. Anyone care for a sandwich?” And with that, Poppy’s spell is broken as
Adrian
wanders inside to the kitchen. I hope it’s not the cucumber sandwiches again.

“So it was bad?” Annabel returns to Stefan’s kill.

I can see from his face it wasn’t pretty. Stefan is the oldest of our group. At 23, 6ft 3in and built like a rugby player, you’d think Stefan could break every bone in someone’s body with no trouble. But he’s also the one who has the most problems with the killing thing. He’s gorgeous, a prankster and has one of the biggest hearts around.

I think his best asset though is the way he senses
Beings
, through body temperature. When he encounters someone with a great
Being
he gets hot. I’m waiting for the day when he meets a pure
Being
as I’m sure his shirt will have to come off.

“It started out fine. We were in an alley, no one around; all I had to do was make it look like a mugging gone wrong. Then I pulled my arm back, I was going for one good punch to knock her out, I leaned closer, swung my arm and slapped her.”

“Why did you slap her?” I think we all asked that at the same time.

“I didn’t mean to, I’m just not the type of guy to punch a woman! Anyway, what could I do then? She was horrified, I was horrified but I knew I had to finish it so after she slapped me back I eventually got it right.”

I’m sat there looking a little like Poppy a moment ago. I know my mouth is hanging open and I daren’t look at anyone else because I know I’ll start laughing. I wait for what seems an eternity for someone to say something and when no one does I glance over at Robbie. I’m done. He hasn’t moved a muscle but I can see tears of laughter running down his face. I can’t help it I do one of those horrendous snorts of laughter and then we all start. Stefan is completely purple with embarrassment but then starts howling with laughter himself.

“Sandwiches are ready.” We hear from inside.

“Come on Slappy, let’s eat.”

Chapter Two

We’re on the tube heading into Harvey Nichols. Poppy mainly shops here and she’s seen this ‘darrrrrling’ little dress she has to have. Poppy has a whole wing in her parents’ home of ‘darrrrrling’ little dresses but you only ever see her in jeans or jodhpurs.

Annabel decided to stay with
Adrian
– no doubt to pick his brain and learn more. It’s not that we don’t like her but she is the outsider of the group. It’s as if she puts some distance between her and us. We’re her work colleagues but not her ‘friends’. Sometimes I think she looks at us as being childish. She’s 22, going on 42, with long brown hair (that always needs a trim if you ask me) and loves to brag. After school she travelled the world and can speak every language of every country she travelled in. Her first kill was an African aid worker who was stealing medication and food and selling it on the black market. She’s invaluable in her knowledge and she has worldwide contacts, but she doesn’t seem to laugh much.

Robbie is the quiet one. He’s not shy by any stretch of the imagination. He’s just the one who will let the rest of us rant on for hours, before delivering the one liner that will either have us in stitches, or in shock.

With Poppy and Stefan around I find it hard not to laugh. They never seem to stop flirting and poking fun at one another.

We can pretty much turn our ability on and off. It takes a little while to get used to it but you’d go crazy if you left it on all the time. We not only sense good and evil but all the ‘shades of grey’ in between.

“Slappy, shall we go for lunch in the Green Man after shopping?” Only Poppy could get away with calling Stefan Slappy. He’s also unaware of the fact that Poppy is madly in love with him.

“Sure Poppet.” Here we go. The only other person who is allowed to call her Poppet is Lady Howard, Poppy’s mum.

“I’ll only be 10 minutes; I know the dress I want. But maybe I need a purse and shoes to match. Ooh and some make up, probably some perfume……”

“Guys,” Robbie interrupts. To some he looks broody all the time. He has floppy brown hair that he constantly pushes out of his eyes so he can search peoples
Beings
. Right now it’s in his eyes as he’s almost doubled over in pain.

At the last stop a young man got on clutching his briefcase, followed by three boys who didn’t look like they were friends of his. The oldest of the boys has a damned
Being
.

“Oh.” Poppy says and we all break away from the boys to look at Poppy who has that enthralled look again. “It’s like freshly washed linen that’s been hung outside to dry on a beautiful summers day.” Poppy senses through smell and right now she looks like a Bisto kid.

Stefan, Robbie and I are confused for a moment but then one by one we look back at the young man with the briefcase.

The whiteness that is literally radiating off the young man is breathtaking. I glance at the other passengers in amazement at the fact they can’t see what I can.

Robbie is the first to move. “I’ll take care of the dirty work; you guys get him to safety.”

It’s a statement not a question and it doesn’t dawn on me to offer to help Robbie as I’m still so enamoured by this young man. I don’t mean love at first sight. Truthfully he looks a little nerdy. Really bad glasses that I’m pretty sure have been taped over his left ear. Two days worth of dark stubble. Dark hair that will be salt and pepper way before he’s even 30.

“What do we do?” I ask the others quietly.

“
Adrian
said that we have to talk to him and find out more about him.”

Poppy frowns, “How do you strike up a conversation with a guy on the underground without him thinking you’re a mugger or a weirdo?”

That has us thinking.

The three are still watching him but then they see Robbie walking towards them. Robbie is not a big guy at 16, but they obviously see something in his eyes they don’t like as they move to the doors, ready to leave at the next platform. Needless to say Robbie follows them off when the stop comes and I’m sure we’ll hear of an accident on the tracks later.

We decide to keep our distance, and follow the man when he gets off the train. After all, there really is no way to strike up a conversation down here without people thinking you’re strange, or foreign.

Thankfully, he gets off at Knightsbridge. Our stop too. He’s looking around as if completely lost, a small town boy in the big city?

He’s stood right in front of us now, at the top of the stairs, partly blocking other passengers from exiting the station. He is definitely a first time traveller to
London
. Only sightseers do that. We’re right behind him, “So, Harrods or Harvey Nics?” I ask loudly.

He turns to face me with a look of total desperation. “Can you help me? I’ve no idea where I’m going!”

The next couple of minutes fly by. It’s hard to explain how those with pure
Beings
are drawn to us. They don’t know why, but they feel comfortable with us and subconsciously realise we’d never hurt them. We’ve introduced ourselves to him and vice versa. His name is Glen, he’s just moved to
London
and it’s his first time shopping - he wants to buy some souvenirs that he can send to his family. I’m amazed that this is happening so easily. No wonder
Adrian
said we have to look after those with pure
Beings
. He’s a really nice guy but gullible. We could be anyone!

I watch Poppy. The young man walking beside her is completely transfixed by this bubbly person who he has only just met. She’s chatting away as if they’ve known each other years and I can see she is literally inhaling his
Being
. I hear her telling him all the best places to shop, what to buy the women in his family and then that we’re all going to the Green Man for lunch, dress forgotten, and would he like to join us?

“What do we do with him?” I ask Stefan.

“No idea, we need Annabel, unfortunately, so I’ll call her and you two entertain him. No man in his right mind is going to walk away from you two. Besides, I need to cool off for a second. He’s making me hot.”

I’m still laughing as Poppy and I lead the way into the Green Man, while Stefan goes to make the phone call to Annabel.

Poppy turns to me and says, “Glen recently completed his doctorate in the
US
and does some bird thing.”

He smiles sheepishly. “I’m not a bird watcher.”

He seems to want to explain – I’m guessing he’s tried to explain this to Poppy without success. “I’ve actually just been for an interview with a research institute that will allow me to carry on my work with the H5N1 virus.” I know my blank expression is asking a hundred questions. “Avian flu?”

Yes, “I’ve heard of bird flu.” So I nod encouragingly.

“I know in my heart that one day we’ll have a cure.” He says passionately, pushing his broken glasses up his nose with his little finger. “I’ve been studying, testing and working on an inoculation for it and I hope to carry on my work here.”

Wow. Which is more amazing, the fact that he’s definitely a pure
Being
, or that he went for an interview without shaving? I wish we could have been in that interview and shared some of his
Being
with his interviewers. We can do that. It’s like borrowing a little of them and injecting it into others. People instantly realise they’re in the presence of someone who will make changes for the better.

Stefan catches up with us and tells us he’s called Annabel and Robbie. Robbie was caught up on the underground because there’d been a suicide on the tracks at the last station. Go figure.
 

Chapter Three

We’re all seated in the Green Man. It’s one of the best pub’s in
London
– well, in my inexperienced view, of course. And apparently it was the first pub ever to open in a department store. It’s also not the easiest place to find as it’s in the basement. Or the lower ground floor, if you want to be precise.

Robbie shows up a few minutes later and as Annabel jumped in a cab, she arrives shortly after.

Poppy excitedly tells Stefan and Annabel about Glen’s research. Of course, he has to correct her on much of it, but it’s not long before we’re all up to date.

I look around the table. Robbie looks incredibly healthy, Poppy looks like she can smell freshly baked bread, Annabel looks satiated as she senses through taste and Stefan looks hot. OK he always looks hot, maybe I should say he looks like he’s enjoying the best summer day. And I’m almost blinded by the purity. We all look incredibly happy and it’s radiating out to others in the bar. This is what pure
Beings
do.