The Three Most Wanted Page 7

  “Okay.”

  “Sorry.”

  “No, we’ve got to. Can’t be helped. Though if one of them does go into the forest we’re not going to know if it’s nature’s call or a phone call they’ve got in mind, are we?”

  Getting up the very instant the birds began to sing looked a bit suspicious, so I whiled away the time trimming Jon’s hair with the tiny scissors on my pocketknife. He didn’t stir as I rolled him over to do the other side. Bane woke at the first snip at his own hair, grabbing my wrist.

  “Bane.”

  “Oh. Sorry, Margo. What’re you doing?”

  “Cutting your hair. Go back to sleep. Don’t scowl, it’s getting too long.”

  “Okay, okay. We’d better get moving soon, though.”

  “Yes, so lie still.”

  A barber would’ve had a fit, but they’d both be wearing their hats. Hopefully the overnight trim would go unremarked.

  Unzipping the tent, we began briskly and quietly striking camp. We’d just call a goodbye into the other tent as we headed off... Or not. Dominique and Juwan emerged, stretching in a way that made it clear they weren’t just nipping into the forest and heading back to their sleeping bags.

  “If you get some water heating on your stove, we’ll warm the croissants,” said Dominique, as Juwan went to fetch their food bag from where it was suspended at the other end of the meadow.

  “Are you sure you’ve got enough?” Damn and blast! Why were they up so early?

  Dominique waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, we can be in Clermont by tomorrow morning and we’ve enough food for all of us until then.”

  Blast, blast and double blast. How to get away? Simply refuse and march off? Could set them thinking. If Dominique wasn’t thinking already. Get in an argument with them? But if they did suspect... better if they like us.

  “It’s very nice of you,” Bane was saying. “But we don’t want to eat all your food.”

  “We’re just going to buy more in Clermont anyway and the old stuff never gets eaten.” Juwan dropped the food bag by Dominique’s feet. “Here you go, petite alchimiste.”

  Trying to look happy about this, I went to wake Jon. Bane had the water boiling by the time we emerged, carefully entwined. I propped Jon’s ankle on Bane’s pack again and he tried very hard not to fall asleep between every bite.

  “Are you two registering?” asked Dominique. The normal question New Adults asked each other.

  “Yeah, probably,” I replied. Hard to avoid all lies at the moment.

  “My dad wants me to register with Louis,” Dominique said sourly. “He topped up our funds on condition Louis came along—like having to share a tent with him for three months is going to change my mind!”

  We laughed and made appropriately sympathetic noises.

  “Louis, we’re about to eat your croissants!” Juwan chucked a stick onto their tent. A lot bigger than ours, complete with a porch. He glanced at our tent and lack of clutter. “You three certainly travel light.”

  “Nice to be unencumbered,” said Bane.

  “You’re taking it to extremes with the no food thing,” snorted Dominique.

  “Yeah, we messed up. We did notice.” A slight edge to Bane’s voice. Also considering the argument ploy or just tired?

  Juwan shot us a look and touched Dominique’s arm. “I think they did notice, eh, Doms?”

  “Okay, sorry, I’ll stop going on about it. It’s just really...” She caught Juwan’s look and threw up her hands. “Oh, never mind!”

  Stupid. Yeah, really stupid. So long as you go on thinking that. If that is what you’re really thinking. Perhaps it was paranoia, but it seemed to me that she looked at us rather a lot.

  Louis ruined any remaining chance of picking a fight with them by scrambling out of the tent, yawning and half dressed.

  “Showing your chest isn’t going to make me register with you, y’know,” said Dominique.

  “Ha ha.” Louis kicked some twigs her way. “I’m mad at my dad too, okay?” Grabbing a croissant in each hand, he added under his breath, “Though I’ve not noticed you explaining why you’re so set against it.”

  “Well, apart from anything else, my parents are dead against registering before University. They say I can have a fab registration party—but only after I graduate.” Dominique sounded, strangely, ten times more bitter than Louis. Wasn’t that sort of promise/restriction pretty much the norm for well-off families? She caught my puzzled look and added quickly—and much more lightly, “S’not like I’d want to start a family before then, of course.”

  “If ever,” muttered Juwan blackly. Dominique shot him a look, then began putting away the stove.

  “Stable Population Committee would have something to say about that, Ju,” said Louis nastily.

  Juwan lunged at him—he bolted into the trees. Juwan moved to give chase, then stopped, threw up his hands and shouted something after him in French. I’d a feeling the gist of it was, you’re going to wake up one day and find you’ve got no friends, and don’t come running to me when you do.

  He disappeared into the tent, and Dominique left the stove half packed and followed him. A murmur of French came through the canvas wall.

  Bane and I glanced at each other and said nothing. Did he share my growing sense that our French companions weren’t quite as happy and carefree as most backpacking New Adults? There was something in their group dynamic I wasn’t getting, too, and I’d an odd feeling it ought to be obvious.

  Bane got on with packing up the last of our stuff—other than the stove it was only the tent, and that was just a question of taking out the pegs, reeling in the guy ropes and pushing the lever to make it retract back into its neat little tin. Juwan and Dominique soon appeared, sleeping bags and mats packed. Louis came back, and they had their tent down in no time. No one mentioned the argument as we shouldered our packs and headed up the slope to the trail, Jon and I arm in arm again, and Bane walking close to his other side.

  We didn’t need to talk much. Louis babbled on with a steady stream of witty and not so witty remarks, and Juwan and Dominique seemed happy to just walk along ahead of us—though a couple of times they tried to pass something to Jon. Fortunately I noticed each time and took it from them with an “Oh, yes, please,” or a “Wake up, Josh!” but was it just my imagination that they looked at Jon more and more as the day went on?

  Lunch was more like what we were used to: baguettes, cheese and sliced sausage, but Dominique and Juwan fixed another deluxe camping meal once we’d pitched camp. My mouth watered as it cooked. Mustn’t stare at the pan like a hungry dog, no, no...

  Bane was also trying not to look at the food too often, but Jon was asleep on my shoulder, only my arm keeping him upright—best not to make a big thing of just how tired he was.

  “Poor Josh, out like a light again,” said Dominique.

  So much for that. “Umm, that bad ankle really tires him out,” I agreed.

  “Despite the snail’s pace,” snorted Louis.

  “We made it clear we wouldn’t be offended if you wanted to go on without us,” said Bane sharply.

  “Okay, okay, just saying!”

  “More firewood, Louis?” interrupted Dominique.

  “Fine!” Louis stamped off into the forest.

  “He’s an old friend but he can be hard work,” Dominique confided.

  “Yeah, we’d... noticed,” I said mildly.

  “I don’t care how large his father’s business is. I couldn’t register with him even if... Well, whatever.”

  “Nice to hear,” muttered Juwan, for some reason.

  I tried to look sympathetic and said nothing.

  “I’m off to the little forest room.” Bane got to his feet.

  “Me too.” I stuck my elbow in Jon’s ribs as discreetly as possible.

  “Huh?” Jon looked up.

  “Off to the little forest room,” repeated Bane.

  “Oh, yeah, and me.” Jon got to his feet and walked confiden
tly up to Bane, who’d made sure there wasn’t anything between them before speaking. They went in one direction and I headed off in another.

  When I got back they were both just returning. Juwan and Dominique had their heads together, talking rapidly in French. As we approached they bounced to their feet and walked slowly to meet Bane and Jon.

  I headed that way as well. What was up?

  Juwan raised his hands and shoved Jon, hard.

  Jon went down in a heap as Bane lunged at Juwan to stop him, then grabbed at Jon to steady him—managed to do neither. I raced to them and helped Jon up, my heart pounding against my ribs.

  “His ankle seems to be just fine,” said Juwan deliberately, “I’d say—what was the name again? Jonathan?—has a little trouble with his eyesight.”

  ***+***

  7

  STRANGE AND WONDERFUL

  “What are you wittering on about?” said Bane scathingly. “I’d think you’d know his name by now!”

  “Are you okay, Josh?” I rounded on Juwan as well. “What did you do that for!”

  “To prove he can’t see anything,” said Juwan.

  “Took us a while to put our finger on it,” Dominique added, “but we eventually figured it out.”

  “Figured what out?” Louis emerged from the forest with an armful of firewood.

  “Louis, reintroductions are needed—meet Margaret, Bane and Jonathan,” said Dominique.

  “Huh?” His eyes bulged. “Who?”

  “Margaret Verrall, Bane Marsden and Jonathan Revan,” said Juwan. “Ring any bells?”

  “By the Chairman’s bits, do you three have any idea how much you’re worth?” choked Louis, the wood slipping from his arms.

  Thoroughly wild-eyed by now, Bane slipped his hand inside his jacket. I caught his arm, staring warily at the three New Adults, so smug and excited. So... oblivious.

  “I suggest you tell us just what you’re thinking of doing next,” I said.

  “Well, we won’t tell on you,” snorted Dominique.

  “We’ll help you!” said Juwan.

  “Ooh, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea!” said Louis.

  “Oh, don’t be such an ass,” snapped Dominique. “We’re in the middle of nowhere. Who’s going to know? Anyway, think of Piers.”

  Louis hung his head.

  “What can we do?” asked Juwan.

  “Forget you saw us!” Bane’s hand was still in his jacket.

  I gave his arm a squeeze. “Let’s get our stuff and get out of here.”

  “Oh, come on,” protested Juwan, “We want to help. At least let us get you a whole load of food tomorrow.”

  “Then you can go off if you want and we’ll forget we ever met you,” said Dominique. “But you need the food, don’t you? You eat like you do.”

  So much for not acting half-starved. I put my head close to Bane’s and Jon’s.

  “We do need the food,” I said softly in English.

  “But can we trust them?” snarled Bane.

  “If they did get us a full bag of food we could go the best part of a week without risking being recognized again,” pointed out Jon. “Get us a quite a lot closer to Zurich, wouldn’t it?”

  “If we can trust them,” growled Bane.

  A rather circular conversation. I turned to the other three and went back to Esperanto. “Why do you want to help us so much? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?”

  “I know it’s dangerous,” said Louis glumly.

  “So do we.” Dominique gave him a scornful look. “We’ll help all the same.”

  “We want to help,” said Juwan.

  “But why?”

  Dominique glanced at Juwan, who looked away.

  “We’d a friend—Juwan’s best mate, actually—he... rather unexpectedly failed his Sorting. Someone that close gets taken—you can’t pretend it’s okay anymore.” She looked grim, no trace of a laugh on Louis’s face now and Juwan’s face was pinched.

  “A lie detector would come in handy right now, but I think they’re telling the truth,” I said to the other two in English.

  “She sounds sincere,” said Jon.

  Bane rubbed a hand through his ragged hair, pushing his now-useless cap off. “I’d say they meant it too, it’s just... what’s at stake...” He swung around to the others and switched language again.

  “Do you three understand what will happen to us if we’re caught? Jon and I will just be chopped up while we’re asleep—we’ll die but it’ll be painless. But do you understand what they’ll do to Margo? They will kill her piece by piece by piece and she’ll feel everything. Just stop and think about that before you tell me you understand!”

  Louis looked sick and Dominique and Juwan remained silent for a moment. My guts had twisted themselves into an icy knot.

  “We do understand,” said Dominique.

  “We want to make sure that doesn’t happen,” said Juwan. “Since even we got ID’d in one of the last towns, I think you need our help.”

  “Um... the dinner’s burning,” put in Louis.

  “Let’s talk while we eat.” Dominique hurried to the stove.

  Bane and I exchanged looks.

  “Oh, come on! Have one more good meal,” said Juwan.

  Our stomachs propelled us after him and the conversation was abandoned until our plates were clean.

  “Really, we’re happy to stick with you. Think about it,” Juwan insisted, as Bane opened his mouth. “They’re not looking for a group of six and you wouldn’t even need to come into towns to resupply.”

  “You realize it’s dangerous?” I said.

  Dominique made a ‘zut’ noise. “Not for us. If you did get caught, we could act astonished as anything. Three poor gullible New Adults taken in by the wily fugitives.”

  “I wouldn’t underestimate just how pissed off the EuroGov are right now.”

  “I’m not. I read your book. But how could they possibly prove we knew who you were? We might get a black mark by our names but we’re prepared to risk that, aren’t we?”

  “Definitely,” said Juwan.

  “Yeah, I s’pose so,” said Louis. “Seeing that... well, Piers and all.”

  Getting over the shock of our discovery... This might actually be a stroke of luck. Safe in our group of six we could use the hiking trails, making much better time and putting less strain on Jon, and keep well supplied with food—without having to go into towns that were fast becoming death-traps.

  I glanced at Bane, who sat frowning.

  “You can trust us, seriously,” said Dominique. “Look, I’ll... tell you a big secret...” She glanced at Juwan, who frowned, but after a long moment, jerked a nod. “Juwan and I, after uni... we are going to join the Resistance.”

  Louis’s long-suffering mutter of “lunatics” was enough to show he’d no such plans himself. Juwan was still frowning—the need for trust ran both ways now.

  “So y’see, you can stick with us,” said Dominique firmly.

  Bane and I glanced at each other and at Jon.

  “Really doesn’t sound like such a bad idea,” said Jon, in English. Considering those flat trails, his neutrality was impressive.

  “Does sound good,” I said.

  “Yeah,” said Bane slowly and looked at the other three again. “Well, probably-maybe, but we’re going to sleep on it.”

  “Fair enough,” said Juwan.

  “Fantastique,” said Dominique.

  Louis just shrugged.

  Bane and I shared watches again, though we’d already agreed it would be the last time if the foray to Clermont went uneventfully and we stayed with the others. The next morning we were nodding over our coffee and croissants worse than Jon!

  Helping Dominique wash dishes woke me up a bit. Louis and Juwan were stuffing their sleeping bags loosely into their three rucksacks to make them look full—backpackers didn’t generally leave their tents pitched in the forest.

  “Let’s have your scentSeal bag,” Juwan called to
Bane.

  Bane chucked it across. Dominique eyed the limp plastiFabric.

  “You were totally out, then.”

  “Certainly were,” I told her.

  “Poor little beggars!”

  I flicked suds at her and we both giggled. Well, I voted for staying with them. We could be in Rome before we knew it. Three willing confederates, they must be heaven sent, even if their future career plans were a little... disagreeable.

  “Are you sure?” I couldn’t help saying, when they stood ready to depart. “I am worried you’re underestimating how dangerous helping us could be for you.”

  “We’re sure, Margo,” said Dominique.

  “Of course,” said Juwan, his brow furrowed. “You three... you three make me feel so ashamed.”

  “Ashamed? Of what?”

  “Of myself. Especially... especially you, Bane. I mean, your friends are sent to the Facility and what do you do? You spring them. All of them! Me? My best friend’s sent to the Facility and what do I do? Carry right on planning my hiking trip. Pah.” He spat on the ground.

  Bane went red. “Don’t put me on a pedestal, Juwan. I always knew Jon would fail Sorting but it was only when they took Margo that it actually occurred to me to get off my rear and do something about it. And I only took them all—only took Jon, even—because Margo insisted on it.”

  “You should’ve left me behind,” said Jon.

  “Oh, shut up,” said Bane and I in unison.

  Juwan just shrugged. “Well, it’s a darn sight more than I did for Piers.”

  “I suppose... it’s not too late to...?” I ventured.

  Juwan’s face tightened even more. “It is. Just before we set off they... he... his parents received... it.”

  I swallowed. “I’m sorry.” What else was there to say? “Requiescat in Pace.”

  “Requiescat in Pace,” murmured Jon.

  “Yeah,” muttered Juwan. “Well, we’d better go.” As an afterthought, he pulled out his phone and handed it to Bane. “Here, catch up on the news while we’re away. See you in a bit.”