The Enemy (28 page)

“So if they’re like, the Royal Family, what does that make you, then?” asked Whitney. “The prime minister?”

“I am a sort of lord chamberlain,” said David.

“A lord what?”

“The person who puts the king’s wil into practice. When the king is weak, the chamberlain has the power. In times of crisis you need a strong person in control. But the Royal Family can unite everyone and provide a link to the past.”

“We don’t want no link to the past,” said Whitney. “We don’t want no new royal family. You think this is going to make things easier? This bunch of idiots on the throne? You’re crazy.”

At this, David stormed over to Whitney and shouted into her face.

“I am not crazy! I am the only person who can pul this country back together. I am your only hope for a secure future.”

Whitney grabbed David by the throat and put her face very close to his.

“Don’t you ever shout at me again, boy,” she said, her voice cold and calm. David’s face went scarlet.

The four guards leveled their guns at Whitney. She gave them a look of utter scorn.

“Do you even know how to use those things?”

“Do you want to risk finding out?” said David, his voice tight and high.

Whitney let him go.

“What you gonna do with us if we don’t want to go along with this?” she said. “Execute us?”

“Wait, wait, wait,” said Jester, putting up his hands. “Hold on a minute. This hasn’t gotten off to a good start. We didn’t expect you to get so upset about al this.”

“Then why didn’t you tel us about it before?” said Blue.

“The time wasn’t right. We wanted to show you the palace first. Al we’ve achieved.”

“This is too weird,” Maxie muttered.

“Look,” said David, rubbing his throat, “al this arguing is getting us nowhere.”

“I don’t want no one tel ing me what to do,” said Blue.

“Fine,” said David. “Nobody’s going to tel you what to do. If you’d only listen.”

“I’m listening.”

“Good. Okay. This is how it works. I don’t order anyone about. I just organize things. Everyone has their own job. Franny’s in charge of growing food, for instance, Rose is in charge of the medical facilities, and so on. What I’m proposing is that you, Blue, would be our commander in chief, our general.

You would train the troops and lead them. Everyone else here would keep the job they have now. You’d stil be in charge of your own people. Things wouldn’t real y be that different.”

Blue grinned. “General Blue?” he said. “I like the sound of that.”

“One thing?” said Ol ie, who up until now had been silent.

“What?”

“This army? What’s it for?”

“To fight grown-ups, of course,” said Blue.

“Jester told us the grown-ups had al been driven out of the area.”

“It’s true,” said David. “But there are other problems.”

“Like what?” said Ol ie.

“Like St. James’s Park,” said David.

“Where’s that?” asked Achil eus.

“Just over the road,” said Maxie. “It runs al the way down to Trafalgar Square.”

“So what about it?”

“We want to expand our farming activities,” said Jester, “and turn the whole of St. James’s into fields. But there’s a group of squatters who’ve set up a sort of camp there, and they don’t want anything to do with us. We need to sort them out.”

“These are kids, right?” said Maxie. “Like us?”

“Kids, yes, but not like us. They’re not organized. They just run wild. They’re a real threat. If we can sort them out—”

“Sort them out?” Maxie interrupted. “What does that mean? You want us to attack them?”

“I don’t think it’l come to that. I think a show of strength would be enough.”

“We don’t want to fight no other kids,” said Whitney.

“We might have to,” said David. “If we want to control al of London.”

“No way,” said Whitney.

“You should see them,” said Franny angrily. “We had amazing stuff planted there, they just ripped it al up and then attacked us when we went to try and fix things. We’re stuck here in the palace gardens now. And with al these extra mouths to feed . . .”

“You got us here as mercenaries, didn’t you?” said Maxie, giving David a withering look.

“Jester tel s me you’re real y good fighters.”

“Yeah, what’s the problem?” said Achil eus. “We’ve had to fight to survive. If these other kids are causing problems, we sort them out. It’s what we do.

I’m with you, David.”

“What about the rest of you?” said David.

“I need to think,” said Blue. “Maybe see these kids for myself. It’s a lot to take in, man.”

“We are not fighting other kids,” said Whitney. “I’l decide,” Blue snapped. Jester suppressed a smile. Maxie turned to Ol ie. “What do you think?” “We need to talk.”

S
am had had a bad time, slipping in and out of sleep and troubled by half-waking dreams. It didn’t make it any easier having his hands locked together.

Although he could just lie down on the seats, the handcuffs bit into him and rubbed his skin.

He was woken by a sound from outside. Something scraping along the roof of the car. It moved, and stopped and waited, then moved again. Little cautious movements like an animal would make. The car creaked slightly. Sam stared up with gritty, sore eyes. They were playing tricks on him in the half-light, and he kept thinking he could see something coming through the roof. Some dark and twisted animal unfolding out of the shadows. Then he would blink and it was gone.

He felt groggy and confused. Cold. Helpless.

After a while he became aware of another sound. Like some smal creature whimpering. He eventual y realized it was one of the twins crying.

It was the boy. Sam talked to him and tried to comfort him. His name was Jason. He was very weak and wanted his mom and dad. Sam didn’t real y know what to say. He wished he had someone to comfort
him
, but at least it took his mind off his own troubles for a moment.

Suddenly there was a roar and a thud, and Sam nearly jumped out of his skin as the door slid open. Nick came in, carrying a plastic basin. In the permanent nighttime world of the tube station, Sam had no idea what time it was.

Nick looked around at the four kids.

“Who needs the john?” he asked. Jason said very quietly that he did. Nick unlocked the end of his chain from the handrail above and led him to the bucket at the other end. Jason could hardly walk; his legs were flabby and weak. Nick almost had to carry him.

Nick stood over Jason as he went to the toilet. Sam didn’t think he could go with someone watching him, and was determined to hold it as long as he could.

Afterward Nick slopped some food from the basin into four plastic bowls. It was porridge. Made with salt and water. Sam put his to the side to eat later.

“Best eat it now, kiddo,” Nick commanded. “I need the bowls back.”

Sam reluctantly did as he was told, shoveling the gloopy porridge into his dry mouth. When they finished eating, Nick passed around a bottle of water for them to drink and cleaned out some of the dirty straw where one of the twins had had an accident in the night.

Sam plucked up the courage to speak. “Why are you keeping us prisoner?”

“Prisoner? We’re not keeping you prisoner, kiddo,” Nick said, not unkindly.

“Then why are we chained up in here?”

“For your own safety. Don’t want you wandering off out there and getting lost. Or caught by no nasties.”

“You’re lying.”

“Listen,” said Nick, ruffling Sam’s hair, “we just want you to get fit and wel and eat properly, then we’l see about what we’re going to do with you. Now don’t go worrying yourself. You need to rest.”

He tidied the carriage, tested al the chains, and went out before closing the door behind him and wedging it fast. There were candles stil burning on the platform, but inside the car it was dark. Sam sat there miserably, trying to keep bleak thoughts from his mind. Once again he heard the thing on the roof. Shuffling, scraping, sliding.

“What’s that noise?” he said.

“Rats, probably,” said Rhiannon. “Or the cat looking for rats.”

“Do rats ever get in here?”

“No. Nothing gets in here except Nick and Rachel.”

The shuffling noise seemed to shift to the side of the roof.

“I don’t think it’s rats,” said Sam.

“Forget it,” said Rhiannon. “You hear al sorts of things down here.”

Sam stared at the side window for a long time. His eyesight was swimming with blurry dots that weaved themselves into random shapes and broke apart.

He blinked and saw a face at the window staring back at him.

It was floating there, seemingly without a neck or body.

Sam wasn’t sure if it was even human. It was filthy. Covered in dirt. With a bald, pointy crown and a wild straggly beard sprouting from its chin. In the center of its face were two wide eyes, the whites showing around the pupils.

Sam realized with horror that it had no mouth or nose.

He tried to scream, but his throat was frozen, like in a dream.

Yes. A dream. It must be. Something like that couldn’t be real.

It was stil there, though.

Sam stared at it for half a second, and then it winked and disappeared.

“Did you see that?” Sam whispered.

“What?”

Sam thought for a while. The image of the inhuman face was seared in his memory. He couldn’t dislodge it from his brain. The smooth stretch of skin where its mouth should have been upset him in a way he didn’t real y understand.

“Nothing,” he said.

B
en and Bernie were sitting on a cot in the middle of the balroom they were using as a dormitory, watching the other kids argue. Bernie shook her head and took hold of Ben’s hand. Why did the fighters always get so pumped up about everything? She was glad Ben wasn’t a fighter. He was clever and gentle and funny. She’d never liked macho guys. The two of them had been bul ied at first, but when it became clear that they had some very useful talents, they’d been accepted. Bernie wasn’t sure she ful y understood what the argument was about, and even if she did have an opinion she doubted they’d listen to her right now. This was war talk.

On one side were Blue, Achil eus, Big Mick, and most of the best fighters. On the other were Whitney, Freak, and Maxie, with Sophie and her archers. In the middle were Ol ie and Lewis, trying to keep the peace. The little kids and the other noncombatants, like Ben and Bernie, were watching in silence. None of the palace kids were present.

It was times like these that Bernie real y missed Arran. He’d have sorted this mess out ages ago. The argument was going around in circles.

“Look, there isn’t anything to discuss,” said Freak, not for the first time. “The fact is, we shouldn’t be fighting other kids. End of story.”

“Exactly,” said Maxie.

“Admit it, Freaky-Deaky,” said Achil eus. “You’re just scared.”

Freak swore at Achil eus.

“Can’t you two lovers keep your personal fight out of this?” said Whitney. “This is serious.”

“It’s boring,” said Achil eus. “You’re al just a bunch of wimps.”

“The thing is,” said Big Mick, “these other kids, these squatters, don’t mean nothing to me. Us in here is al that matters.”

“And what about the palace kids?” said Maxie.

“What about them?” said Mick. “I like it here.”

Freak jumped up to make a point. He was getting very emotional. Bernie hoped for his sake he didn’t start blubbering.

“Arran said something the night we found Jester, he said that every kid in London is one of our own.”

“That’s right,” said Ben.

“Nobody asked your opinion, emo,” said Achil eus.

Now it was Sophie’s turn to speak. She’d stayed quiet up until now, but Bernie could tel she’d been listening very careful y and waiting for her moment.

“Can I say something?”

Maxie sighed. “This doesn’t real y have anything to do with you.”

“She’s one of us now,” said Ol ie.

“Is she?”

“Wil you please let me speak, Maxie,” said Sophie, a hard edge to her voice. Maxie looked embarrassed and stared at the floor.

“Go on,” said Ol ie.

“As far as I’m aware, I’m the only one here who knows what it’s actual y like to kil another kid. I wish I didn’t know how that felt. But I do. It feels horrible. There isn’t a minute goes by in any day when I don’t regret it. Even though I didn’t mean to do it. I’m not going to put myself in a position where it might happen again. Whatever you decide, I’m not going down there.”