Entwined (23 page)

There’s a long silence. Rakwena’s the first to speak. “You’re going to plant in Rose’s head while she’s under the Puppetmaster’s control?”

Well, when he says it like that… I swallow the fear rising in my throat. “Yes.”

“You’ve never been near Rose when she’s taken over.”

“I know.”

“She’s not your sweet friend any more, she’s a machine. She won’t hesitate to hurt or even kill you, and neither will the others.”

Geez! My heart is hammering against my ribs already, thank you. “I know.”

“And you still want to do this?” Lebz and Wiki ask in unison.

Those three words keep ringing in my head.
One step further
. I’m certain that getting Rose’s necklace will foil the Puppetmaster’s plans. By the time he makes an alternative plan Ntatemogolo would have used the necklace to neutralise him.

“I have to do this.” I look each of my friends in the eye. “But you don’t. Forget I asked – just leave it to me.”

“You’re crazy,” snaps Lebz. “How am I supposed to explain to your father that I let you go on some insane mission and didn’t even come along to cover your butt? I’m in. We both are, right?” She turns to Wiki, who gives a determined nod.

They’re terrified. They’re afraid of what will happen to them but – bless them – they’re more afraid of what will happen to me.

“OK.” My train of thought is interrupted by a loud, angry growl coming from the direction of Rakwena’s stomach.

I look up at him. Lebz stifles a giggle and Wiki looks away and adjusts his glasses, but there’s the beginning of a smile on his lips.

I grin. “Rakwena, sit down and eat your lunch while we go over the details.”

“Thank God,” he mumbles, positioning himself between me and Wiki. “I’m starving.”

“As usual,” quips Lebz.

“Come on kids, back to work,” I say firmly. “Wiki, take notes. We have to get this exactly right. Lives are at stake, remember? This is serious.”

Rakwena’s stomach lets out another growl and we all start laughing.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” says Wiki, glancing around him at the random shoppers and revellers.

We’re sitting at a café in Riverwalk, the favourite haunt of our favourite girls, waiting for them to turn up. Wiki’s cappuccino is getting cold, but he’s too anxious to notice. I don’t blame him – I’m anxious too.

I sip my hot chocolate. “Why don’t you leave the bad feelings to me?”

“Easier said than done.” Lebz picks at her chocolate cake. The fact that she hasn’t wolfed it down and ordered another slice is a sign of how tense she is.

Only Rakwena seems calm. He sits beside me, downing his third Fanta. “I need something sweeter,” he murmurs.

I glance at him. He’s obviously expecting this to be a tough night. “There’s cake.”

He shakes his head and reaches for the small packets of sugar in the centre of the table. He picks one, rips it open and pours the sugar into his mouth.

“Oh, crap,” Lebz whimpers. “They’re here.”

My heart starts to race as I search for five distinctive faces. There they are, coming from the parking lot, looking too cool to be believed.

“Dressed to kill as always,” says Lebz, but her words have a dark undertone.

The girls glide past the coffee shop, blank eyes focused on their destination. I get to my feet. My wrist tingles and I glance down to see Rakwena’s fingers grazing my skin.

“Be careful.”

“I’ll be fine.” But as I slip into the crowd and follow the girls, I’m all too aware of the danger I’m in.

They’re not expecting to be followed, and they pay no attention to the other shoppers. They shop decisively, heading straight to the relevant aisles. Energy drinks, batteries and huge steaks. Are they planning a
braai
? And what’s with the batteries? They take about five minutes to get everything. Once they’re in line at the till I target Rose.

I need some air
.
She hesitates at the till, but only for a fraction of a second. Then all five of them are done, and they move out of the shop as one body. I keep my distance, my eyes on the back of Rose’s head.
I need to get away. I need to be alone
.

And then, in a stroke of luck, the girls stop. Amantle issues instructions and they split into two groups. Amantle, Emily and Laone head to the toilets and Refilwe and Rose head upstairs. What’s upstairs? Cinema, restaurants, arcade… ATMs. They’re going to get money.

I follow, keeping up the pressure on Rose. I stay out of sight, waiting for her to break, but it’s not happening. They take out the money and come back downstairs. They meet the other girls outside the toilets, stop to talk and then take the escalators upstairs again. Rose doesn’t seem to be affected by me at all.

I follow them up the escalator, hanging back behind a group of chattering kids. Then, finally, Rose pauses. She says something to the other girls. Amantle replies, and then Rose turns around and comes back towards the escalators. I try to bolt downstairs before she spots me, but when I glance over my shoulder our eyes meet.

Well, no point in hiding now. She’s seen me, and so has the Puppetmaster. But then I remember that it was Rose’s desperation to get out of the group that led her to me in the first place. She still wants out, and she knows I’m her ticket. If that’s the only card I can play right now, I have no choice but to use it. I hold her gaze, only breaking contact for a second when I reach the bottom of the escalator and step off.
Rose, this is your last chance. If you really want to be free, you have to follow me. It’s now or never
.
I turn away and start walking quickly towards the parking lot.

I pass the coffee shop, nod once towards my friends, and then keep walking. I turn back briefly; Rose is following me, and Rakwena is following her. Lebz and Wiki wait in the coffee shop. I walk across the parking lot, across the road, towards the bridge. It’s dark as hell, but I keep going. Over the bridge, down to the side of the road, down, right, down again, and into the trees. The trees are high and slender, their bark patched with ashy grey and white streaks. Twigs and leaves crack beneath my shoes. This is no place for a girl at night. There could be muggers or rapists or worse. I stifle a hysterical laugh. Worse, definitely.

I come to a stop in a spot among the trees and wait, trying to still my pounding heart. Deep breaths, Connie. Everything will be fine. I reach into my pocket to make sure my phone is still there. If it rings, I’ll know Amantle is coming.

I hear Rose’s footsteps and turn just in time to see her walking through the trees. She stands a short distance away, watching me. She’s still thin, but sinewy and taut, like biltong, and strong – very strong. She’s wearing short shorts and a flimsy top that has slid down to expose one shoulder, but beneath the fabric her body radiates power. Her eyes shine grey in the moonlight.

“Hi, Rose.”

“You don’t give up.”

“No, I don’t.”

She grunts. “What do you want?”

I take a deep breath. It’s hard not to be afraid of her when she’s like this. “I want what
you
want. I want to set you free.” I take a step closer.

Her top lip curls in a feral snarl. “Stay back.”

It seems a little crazy that I’m about to get into a fight with a twelve-year-old in hot pants. “Let me help you, Rose.” Another step.

She lunges at me.
It’s Connie! I can’t hurt Connie. She’s my only hope…
She stops a few centimetres away from me, her hands poised to scratch. If she were a cat her claws would be out. I catch a glimpse of light, a blue spark from somewhere behind the trees. Thank God!

I turn my attention back to Rose’s barricaded mind. I chip away at the barrier slowly, patiently.
I have to break out of this. I have to get away. I have to trust Connie. It’s the only way. I trusted her before…

I gasp as a crack forms in the barrier and I see what happened after Amantle caught us on Monday. Amantle’s hand on Rose’s forehead, Rose screaming… excruciating pain. Not physical pain, but something else, something worse. Amantle made her see things, things her mind refuses to remember. My hunch was right – the Puppetmaster does have a special connection with Amantle. She’s his prize pupil.

“You’ve brought me nothing but trouble,” says Rose, in a tone that implies that she really couldn’t care less. “I’m not going to let you in. They’ll punish me.”

“The only reason they can punish you is because you’re under his power!” I try to keep my voice calm, but I’m scared. “You have to break his hold over you.”

Her eyes flicker and she frowns, lowering her hands. “I… Connie…”

“It’s OK.”
The necklace. Give Connie the necklace. It’s the only way
.

Her hands go up to her neck, caressing the chain. “No.”

It’s the only way I can save myself. It’s my only chance. I have to do it. I have to let it go. Now. There’s no time to waste. I have to do it now!

Her grip on the necklace tightens. “I…” Her eyes flicker again. “I don’t… I can’t… No!”

As long as he’s in her head, the necklace stays on. But if I can gain control for just one second… Forget subtlety – this is war. I don’t have the time to stand here trying to reason with her. Out of the corner of my eye I see Rakwena step out of the shadows.

Rose. Listen to me. You are going to give me that necklace
.

“No.”

Yes. You are going to give it to me because you have no other choice. If you keep it, it will kill you. You want to die? I don’t think so. Take it off and give it to me, or else I’ll come and get it
.

“No!”

I’m starting to lose my temper.
Rose, the necklace. Now
.
I move closer to her and she backs away.
Give it to me. Now
.

She shakes her head, conflicted. “I… don’t…” She looks up at me. Her eyes flicker again, and then, very, very slowly, the grey film slides away and I’m looking into the wide, innocent eyes I know.

There’s no time to think. I reach out and close my fist around the necklace, but a fraction of a second later the window has closed and the grey film is back on. With an insane burst of laughter, Rose shoves me to the ground and I land on my back with a painful thud, the impact sending jarring sparks of pain through my limbs. She’s on top of me, her lips parted in a sneer. I cry out, but keep my hand locked around the necklace.

She screams, pummelling her fists against my shoulders. It’s like being hit with concrete blocks, but I don’t let go. Instead I pull, trying to break the clasp. She sinks her teeth into my shoulder and I scream, trying to push her away with one hand and pull off the necklace with the other.

A moment later her weight disappears, forcing my grip on the necklace to slacken. Rose moves through the air and falls into Rakwena’s arms.

“I can’t hold her for long,” he warns me. “Come and get it off!”

I scramble to my feet and pain shoots through my legs, but I can’t think about that now. I push through the pain and approach Rose. She’s flailing like a wild animal.
Stop fighting
,
I instruct her, but she’s not listening. I crouch down, dodging her flying legs, and make a grab for the necklace, but her foot connects with my elbow and I let out a loud cry as pain shoots all the way down my arm, tingling through my fingers.

With the kind of flexibility you only see in bad action movies, Rose twists her arm backwards and lands a punch right on Rakwena’s temple. He blinks, dazed, and releases her. In a second she has me on the ground again, scratching, clawing, ripping the fabric of my T-shirt. I reach for the necklace and she punches me in the nose. Warm blood gushes down my face. Crap. Dad is going to kill me, I think, and then I remember that Rose might kill me first.

Focus, Connie, focus! I grab her face in both my hands.
Rose. Stop it. Stop it…

She hesitates for a moment, but it’s enough. Rakwena grabs her legs from behind and drags her off me. She responds with a kick so impossible that for a while I’m actually convinced it didn’t happen. She draws her right leg in, tucking it under her body, then shoots it out from the hip in true martial arts style. Her foot lands right in the middle of Rakwena’s chest and – really, I swear – he goes flying backwards through the air and lands spread-eagled on the ground.

I’m so shocked by the perfection of that kick that she’s upon me before I have a chance to act, and my head sings as another punch lands against my temple. My vision is getting blurry, but I can see the necklace dangling above me, and that’s all I need. I snatch it and pull with all my strength. Drops of blood fall onto my shirt and Rose jumps up, jerking the necklace out of my reach. Her neck is bleeding from where the chain cut into her flesh, but I’m not in the mood to be sympathetic.

She crouches over me, fresh as ever. No sweat, no panting. She doesn’t even notice her injuries, but I’m hurting all over. The ache in my shoulder is spreading and my head is throbbing. Spots dance before my eyes.
Rose, please. Just give me the necklace!

She’s about to hit me again when Rakwena comes back, grabbing her waist from behind. Before he can use his gift to hold her she strains against him, sending a bony elbow into his ribs. He grunts but doesn’t let go. “Connie…”

“OK, OK!” I grab the front of Rose’s top and do the only thing I can think of – I smack her across the face as hard as I can.

Her body goes still with shock, and I grab the necklace and pull with all my might. She screams so loud they must be able to hear it back at Riverwalk. I use both my hands and pull hard, knowing that the chain is cutting into her, but also knowing that I’d rather have her scarred and rational.
Sorry, sweetie. It’s for your own good
,
I tell her, and then I pull even harder, leaning backwards and digging my heels into the ground. Her hands break Rakwena’s hold and go up to clutch at the necklace. I hear her foot crack against Rakwena’s kneecap. He stumbles but doesn’t let go.