Текст книги "The Weight of Souls"

Автор книги: Bryony Pearce

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31
The greatest of the Lords of Death

It was only a whisper but it sliced through the silence like a knife. My heart leaped into my throat and I froze.

“Taylor, are you in here?”

I swallowed. It didn't sound like the voice of a monster. Carefully I peered around the back of what appeared to be a butcher, complete with apron and cleaver in hand.

“ Justin! What are you doing here?” Abandoning caution, I hurled myself past the ghastly regiments of creepily silent murderers and flung my aching body into his arms.

He wrapped himself around me and I felt his lips on my hair. When I looked up though, he was staring over my shoulder. “Is that James?” he murmured.

I nodded into his shoulder then turned. “Tamsin’s there too.”

He stiffened. “Did you know this would happen to them?”

“How could I?” I pushed my hair back with an impatient hand. “No one’s ever come out of the Darkness.” I paused and looked back at him. “How are you here?”

“I followed you.” Finally Justin tore his eyes from his old friend. “The thing that took you – the Darkness – it was disappearing, shrinking, just like a portal. I wasn't going to lose you.” His fingers tightened on my arms. “So I jumped inside. I fell a long way then landed in some sort of room, alone. I've been looking for you since. I don't know how long, it felt like days. There's no way to tell time.”

“I can't believe you followed me. That was crazy.”

“I told you, I don't want to lose you. Anyway, it was my fault you were Marked and ended up here. You think I'd let you face this, whatever it is, alone?”

I shook my head. “How is it your fault?”

His eyes flickered to James once more. “I should never have done that dare. I should have gone to the police, or told Dad about V, instead I thought I could get out with my reputation intact and they killed me. Then I touched you. So it's my fault.”

I turned his chin until our eyes met. “It isn't your fault, it's theirs.” I tilted my head towards his murderers. “You can't blame yourself for this.”

Justin's face twisted with pain. “I don't know how you can forgive me, but I'm glad.” He closed his eyes. “I just wish I had managed to close the club down.”

I squeezed him tightly. “James won't be in charge anymore; that's something.”

“Someone else will be.”

“Think about it, maybe the old network could cover up your death, write it up as an accident, but what about James, Tamsin and Harley? Their disappearances won't look good.”

“They'll have them down as runaways.”

“Perhaps. Or someone might look a bit more closely at things in the school.”

Justin nodded. “It might be enough.”

“And Pete's still out there. He might shut it down.”

Justin stepped away from me. “ Whydidn't you just Mark him? You wouldn't be here.”

“He's my oldest friend.” I hung my head. “I couldn't.”

“You’re not close any more.” Justin frowned.

“That's not the point. He said he joined V because he had nothing left, because I'd been a bad friend. If I'd been more honest with him and told him about our curse, he might have stayed out of it. I’ve lost Hannah now too, because I didn't trust her to believe me. I mean, Hannah, who is convinced that vampires and aliens exist. She’d have believed me if anyone would. I was so determined to suffer alone, and my friends paid for it. So maybe I deserve to be here.” I shuddered as I looked around again.

Justin clenched his fists. “That's bull, Tay. You don't deserve to be here.” He followed my gaze around the room. “Do you have any idea where we are?”

I nodded. “I've been thinking about it. I know it sounds mad, but I believe this is Nefertiti's tomb. After my ancestor returned to his family, it was swallowed up by the desert and has never been found. I think I landed in the room where Anubis destroyed the expedition.” I pointed at the lantern I had discarded. “That might even be the lantern they fought over.”

Justin closed his hand over my whitened knuckles. “Are you OK?”

I tried on a half smile. It felt uncomfortably tight. “It's selfish, but I'm better now you're here. I didn't even know you could jump into the Darkness, I thought it had to take you.”

“I don't suppose anyone has ever tried before. I'm the only one stupid enough.” His smile matched mine. Then he turned back to James. “They haven't moved. They look like zombies.”

I licked my lips. “Something’s happened to them all, they’re frozen.”

“Can we help them?” Justin took a half step towards Tamsin.

I shook my head. “I've already examined James; if he'd have been able to move, he would have.”

Justin nodded. “Alright. But whatever it is could still happen to you. We have to get out of here.”

I gripped the lantern tighter. “No one has ever come out of the Darkness. You’d think they’d have tried before they got stuck.” I pointed to the figures of James, Harley and Tamsin and my mouth was dry as bone. “I don’t even know if there’s a way out through these tunnels.”

“There has to be.” His eyes raked the tunnels. “Your power brought us here, maybe it'll get us home. Which way do you want to go?”

“It isn’t a power; it’s a curse.”

“Which way, Tay?”

I stared round at the hundreds of tunnels that spilled their darkness into the massive cavern. Some of them were above our heads, some below ground level and cut off by rough stone. They looked like laughing mouths, mocking our desire to escape with baying humour. I prayed one of the tunnels would leap out at me, that there would be a sign of some sort.

There wasn’t.

“There are so many. They all look the same.”

“Except that one.” Justin pointed to a round hole at knee level just off to my right.

I squinted at it. “I don’t see anything different.” I frowned up at him. “What do you mean?”

“Are you serious?” His eyebrows climbed into his tangled fringe. “You can’t see the light?”

“Light?” I clutched him tighter. “You can see a light?”

“Well, yeah. I wondered why you didn’t want to go that way.”

“You can see a light, but I can’t?”

He shuffled his feet.

“Alright.” I gave him some room. “You lead.”

Justin took a single step towards the hole and, as if switched on, the entire army moved: every head, all ten thousand, turned with a susurration that made me clap my hands over my ears.

A small cry escaped my lips and Justin leaped back to my side. But the army weren’t looking at us. Every one of them was gazing fixedly at a large passage on the other side of the cavern.

Carefully Justin pulled me towards him. “We shouldn't be here.” He guided me sideways towards the hole. “We need to go.”

He gave me a shove and I broke into a run. He was right. There was no way I wanted to see what was coming into the cavern.

The words of my ancestor came back to me. Oh-Fa thought he had faced the greatest of the Lords of Death. A jackal-headed monster who traded him treasure for his soul.

And now he was coming for mine.

Behind us there was a ten thousand-throated sigh but I didn’t turn. Instead, I tossed the dead lantern to one side and, with Justin at my heels, hurled myself full length into a hole that glowed with a light I couldn’t see.

The tunnel wasn’t wide enough to stand, so we had to crawl, banging our knees and shoulders. A little way in the roof lifted from my head. Carefully I crouched then stood, all the time expecting a crack on the skull that never came.

Catching my hand in his, Justin took the lead. “You still can’t see the light?”

“No,” I gasped. As far as I was aware, we were standing in the pitch dark; this tunnel no different from the one I’d arrived through. “Keep going.”

Justin drew ahead and I followed the drag of his hand, sprinting full out to keep up with his longer stride.

Then I heard a growl. It shivered through my skin and my veins trembled with the tenor of it. Immediately Justin dived left and almost wrenched my arm out of its socket. My gasp of pain cancelled my cry of fear and I fell quickly silent.

But the silence was eerie. The only noise we made was the pounding of our feet against stone; my lungs weren’t heaving, no blood roared in my ears, I wasn’t even panting. Only the burning of my calves told me I couldn’t keep the pace up forever.

Then the silence broke inside my head.

Retribution, vengeance, justice, death.

I fingers tightened on Justin’s. “Can you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“Oh God.” Inside my head the voice pounded, replacing my vanished heartbeat with its own rhythm.

Retribution, vengeance, justice, death.

“It wasn’t me, I didn’t kill him,” I cried out loud and Justin swiftly pulled me into a new passage. Almost before I could regain my balance, he turned again. Then he shoved me against a wall, pressed the length of his torso to mine and held his hand over my mouth. “What are you doing?” he hissed.

“He’s in my head.” I sobbed. “He thinks I’m one of his killers. He’s coming to make me part of his army.”

Retribution, vengeance, justice, death.

My body hummed with the beat and my legs weakened. “That’s how he does it. He gets in your head. You really can’t hear him?”

Justin shook his head. “Maybe it only works on the living.”

“But I’ve got no heartbeat.” I pushed Justin’s hand to my chest. “No breath.” I raised myself so he could feel the lack of air on his cheek.

Justin nodded against my head. “So you’re suspended – like them.” He nodded back towards the cavern. “Passage through the Darkness must have done it, maybe this is another dimension or something, a place where time moves differently. You’re still alive, but one heartbeat could take a hundred years.”

Retribution, vengeance, justice, death.

I wrapped my arms tightly around him. “That voice – I already feel like I can’t run any more. If he catches me, I’ll be just like James and the others.”

I fell silent and listened desperately for the sound of clawed feet on stone.

Eventually I pressed my lips to Justin’s ear. “Do you think he’s gone? Can it work out where we’re going?”

I felt him shake his head. “I don’t know.”

Retribution, vengeance, justice, death.

I leaned my head against his blazer. “Let’s keep going, before I can’t move at all.”

“Sure?”

I tried to smile through the darkness, believing that he could see me. “We must have lost him. We’ve got to have some luck.”

Justin touched my cheek then pulled away again. “This way.”

It felt like we had been walking into blackness forever and the voice had grown faint, allowing the strength back into my limbs. That was when it struck me. “Justin, do you realise what this means?” I felt rather than saw his head turn towards me; his eyes touch my flesh with the lightest caress. “I can’t see the light, but you can. You’re dead and you’re going towards the light. You said you didn’t see it. You were worried that it wouldn’t be there for you, but here it is.”

He said nothing in reply, but if he’d had a heartbeat I was sure it would have skipped.

My legs were aching when Justin pulled me to a stop one last time. “We’re at the end.”

I squinted. “I still can’t see anything.”

Justin squeezed my hand. “This is the exit.” He caught my fingers and held them up pulling my hand forward.

“There’s nothing there.” I frowned.

“Feel with your toes.”

I inched my feet forward and the ground disappeared. I leaped back. “I’m not stepping off that.”

“You’ll have to trust me.” Justin’s voice held a slight smile. “You did before.”

My knees quivered. “Are you sure about this?”

“Course I am.” He put his arm around my shoulders. “We’ll step off together. Ready?”

“You’re already dead.”

“You’ll be fine.” He kissed me and this time his lips weren’t cold. My fingers started to wind round his neck, but he ended the kiss before I could finish the embrace. “I-I think I might have loved you,” he murmured.

With a gentle pressure he pushed me forward. I could have wriggled free and run back into the darkness. But I trusted him. I faced the front and let Justin propel me over the edge.

32
Hungry for the world

I opened my eyes and immediately had to close them again. Shards of light shattered my vision into a glittering mosaic.

I closed one hand over my chest to feel for my heartbeat. Once more my blood sprinted through my veins and rang rhythmically inside my ears. I inhaled and air flooded my lungs.

I’m alive.

I strained my ears to hear his voice – Retribution, vengeance, justice, death– but it was only a memory. The Lord of Death was gone.

“Justin?”

There was no answer.

I rolled onto my knees and sat back on my haunches. Then I shaded my eyes and squinted around. Familiar shapes, made strange by my odd vantage point, resolved out of the brightness. Dad’s huge microscope was lying on its side on the floor and his fridge was open, the samples scattered. The wheels of his wheelchair were motionless by his desk.

“Dad?” I squinted up at him. His mouth was opening and closing soundlessly.

Finally he rolled towards me and grapnels of light caught in his spokes as he advanced. “T-Taylor? I didn’t think you were coming back. I was… I didn’t know what to do.”

I rubbed the bright hooks from my eyes. “How long was I gone?”

“A-an hour, maybe.” He fumbled with his sleeve and looked at his watch, stared back at my face. “I don’t know, it seemed like forever.”

As I lowered my hands to my knees I checked my palm. The Mark had not returned. The Darkness was no longer coming for me. “Thank God.”

Dad’s chair bumped my legs and he caught my shoulders. I hesitated for a moment, then launched upward and, for the first time in three years, permitted myself the comfort of his embrace.

“Where’s the boy?” Dad peered behind me as though I was hiding Justin from him.

Cold flooded my chest. “I-I think he’s gone.” I swallowed and my throat felt as if it was filled with thorns. “He led us towards the light. He went into it with me. H-he must have moved on.”

My heart shrunk: I hadn’t even said goodbye.

Dad patted my shoulder and I decided not to look at his face as he did so.

Eventually I pulled back. Mum’s book was open on Dad’s desk, his glasses reflecting twin suns above the open pages. “You found Mum’s book?” I murmured.

He offered me a weak smile. “In your room. I was hoping for a clue…”

I gestured towards the mess. “What happened to your microscope?”

Dad’s jaw hardened. “I was wrong. All this time I should have been helping you. Escorting you.” He exhaled. “You really have been looking for murderers.” The thought made him whiten. “I thought there should be a rational scientific explanation for the Mark, t-the ghosts, but there isn’t.”

I frowned at the chaos. “You did this?”

He glared around the room. “Yes, I did.”

I felt something hard against my waist and inhaled. “The notebook.” I pulled it free. “Dad, The Tale of Oh-Fais true. I found the Professor. This is his.”

“We’ll need to talk about this properly.” Dad took the book in trembling fingers. “I know.” I nodded and my head thumped with pain, I was dead tired. “Just not now.”

“No, you’re exhausted.” Dad’s fingers tightened on the book. “What should I do with this?” he muttered. “What use is it to us?”

“You said you’d be more likely to find a cure if you could find the vector. It could still be in the tomb, couldn't it? Nefertiti’s tomb? And there should be a map, some instructions, something.”

Dad dropped his eyes from mine. “Your mother was right, you can’t cure a curse.”

I grabbed his shoulders. “Since Mum’s death you've been driven by your need to defeat the Darkness. You can't give up now. You said my blood infected yours. Where there’s infection, there has to be a cure. So what if the Darkness is real? Now you have a realenemy.” I hesitated, the idea of an enemy made me think of the army I’d helped create, the army waiting silently for… what? I stamped on the thought. “So things are more complicated than you thought.” My eyes burned into his. “Who cares? It’s still a genetic disease. And now you’re even closer to curing it.”

Dad placed his palm on my cheek. “You have no idea how like your mother you are.”

I snorted gently and used his chair arm to get to my feet. “Do you mind if I…?”

He was already opening the Professor’s notebook. “Go.”

I hesitated at the stairs, then opened the front door and sat on the stoop instead. The sun had long departed and the air contained that breath of freshness that would be traded at dawn for the sunshine. I inhaled the scent of night blooming jasmine from next door and the tang of Mum’s ivy. It was full dark, but not a hunting Dark. I was safe until the next ghost Marked me. I wrapped my arms round my knees and stared down the street. Tomorrow maybe I’d go and find the old lady at the building site. I owed it to her.

My knuckles whitened. Did I really want to continue swelling the ranks of Anubis’ army?

Retribution, vengeance, justice, death.

The words were a distant whisper in the back of my mind, but I’d never forget them.

A dog barked in the distance and I groaned. I didn’t have any choice. As long as the ghosts came to me I’d have to keep Marking their killers, or risk returning to that place myself.

With mild surprise I realised my cheeks were wet. I felt my face; I was crying. I put my head on my knees and let myself sob.

For just a little while I hadn’t had to face the dead by myself.

Now I was alone again.

Suddenly my stomach cramped. My eyes widened at the pain and I cradled my gut with a whimper. The feeling grew in intensity until I thought I was going to burst.

I opened my mouth to call for Dad and the pain stopped as suddenly as it had started. I uncurled and wiped sweat from my forehead.

“Tay? Thank God.”

“J-Justin?”

He stood on the bottom step, his school uniform crumpled for the first time I could remember. His hair flopped into his brown eyes and his hands were clutched across his abdomen. His face shone with pain to match my own.

I lurched to my feet and he smiled wryly. “I'm sorry that hurt, I had to follow the life force to get back to you. It’s OK. I know where I’m going now. But the flow of life you gave me means I can’t go yet. I have to wait for it to dry up.”

I blinked. “How long will that take?”

Justin shrugged. “It could be any minute. I think it ran out before on the scaffolding. But you gave me a lot more last time. I don’t know.” He edged up the steps, his lips white. Was he nervous?

I held out a hand and he wrapped his fingers around mine. “So you could be sticking around for a while,” I murmured.

His head tilted and his hair cleared his eyes. “I don’t have to. I could go somewhere else, see the world.”

I inhaled sharply. “You want to see the world?”

“I won’t get another chance.”

“True.”

He sat beside me and together we listened to the distant hum of traffic.

Eventually I cleared my throat. “Still, London’s pretty nice.”

There was a grin in his voice when he replied. “You know, they say if you sit still long enough the whole world will come to you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Do they?”

“I heard it somewhere.” His thumb started to trace patterns on the back of my hand and I shivered. Then I leaned against him.

“I’m going to speak to Mr Barnes and make sure the V Club is shut down.” Justin nodded against my head and I sighed. “I can’t believe I’ve got you back… at least for a little while.”

Justin’s arms tightened around me. “I’ve been thinking. If you don’t have to spend the whole time watching for ghosts, you can get on with school, get decent grades and plan a life beyond all this.”

I frowned up at him. “What do you mean?”

“I’m coming to school with you. While you’re there I’ll look out for the dead so you don’t have to. I’ll run interference, keep them away from you. You can spend some proper time with Hannah and sort things out. I can make up for everything I put you through.”

I pressed my lips against his hand in a silent thank you then shook my head sadly. “Justin, you can’t go back to school. They found your body, everyone knows you’re dead. If someone sees you…”

Justin shook his head. “I won’t come to class. No one will see me.”

“You’re solid now.”

“I’m still a ghost. I have skills.” He concentrated and his hand passed through the step beside us.

“Freaky.” I blinked. “You can’t be seen. Not at all.”

Justin sighed. “I won’t be.”

“It’ll be lonely.” I squeezed him tighter.

“You can meet me in free periods. If you tell Hannah… and Pete… maybe they’ll come with you.”

“You’d be willing to see Pete?”

Justin fell silent. “Not straightaway. One day.”

“You’ll forgive him?”

Justin pulled me close and nodded. “It won’t be easy, but he wasn’t the worst, he was sorry. It helps.”

“You’re pretty amazing.” I hugged him, my mind whirling with possibilities. If I could pay attention in class and do my homework instead of hunting for killers… I grinned. “I can’t wait to prove Tamsin wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Justin froze against me.

“She said I had a future bagging prawn crackers. This could really change things for me. Thank you.”

“Tamsin was a bitch.” Justin’s voice was flat and I understood. Tamsin had hurt him in more ways than one.

“I ought to call Pete.” I shuffled my feet. “I should see him before school, he’ll have questions.”

Justin’s chin rubbed my head as he nodded. “Can I…” he hesitated. “Will I be allowed to come in the house with you?”

I looked at his face, taut with nerves. “You have to stay with us; you haven’t anywhere else to go. I’ll speak to Dad.”

“He doesn’t like me.” Justin fidgeted.

“You saved my life, he’ll love you.”

“Maybe.” Justin’s eyes were tight with anxiety.

“We’ve got a spare room down the hall. Dad will read you the riot act, but he’ll let you stay. If you’re helping me with the ghosts he won’t have a choice.”

Justin relaxed. “Alright. Let’s go and call Pete.”

“There’s something we need to do first.”

“What?”

I kissed him.

Early morning mist clung to the grass verge and the sky remained grey with lingering dawn. I was the only one waiting at the bus stop; it was too soon even for the commuters to gather.

There was no sound, but instinctively I looked along the road. Pete was coming to meet me, just as he’d promised. I checked on Justin. He was standing a little way away, too far for Pete to identify him, but close enough to weigh in if the dead found us. As he caught sight of Pete, Justin’s fists closed, but he made no further move. He was still looking out for me. I was safe. So instead of seeking ghosts, I was able to watch Pete approach.

He moved with a heavy tread. In the old days he’d walked as if there was a hip-hop tune bouncing around in his head, all energy and jigging rhythm. Now his music had been silenced. I wondered when that had happened, if it was only since he learned of his role in Justin’s death, or if it had been long quieted. I hadn’t been paying attention.

Pete’s head was bowed, but a jerk of his shoulders told me he’d seen me. He shifted his bag higher and his step stuttered in hesitation, then he kept walking.

He didn’t raise his head until he drew level with me. Then he dropped his bag at his feet and looked up. He wore a 5 o’clock shadow that said he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days and his face was drawn and tired. His eyes were red, the skin around them grey from lack of sleep. Even the black stubble on his head had grown out enough to begin to curl once more. The bristles looked soft enough to touch. I tucked my fingers inside my coat.

“Hey, Pete.”

“Taylor.” He swallowed and kicked a stone that lay on the path. It skittered into the bus stop with a bang.

“Are you alright?” My eyes skimmed his face, seeking an answer.

“I-I’m not sure.” Pete licked his lips. “What happened to James and the others, do you know?”

“I know.” I looked up as the sound of an engine warned us the bus was on its way. “Let’s talk on the bus.”

He nodded and avoided my gaze until the behemoth pulled into the stop.

Once on I led him upstairs, giving Justin a chance to get on the bottom deck. I climbed the spiral steps, wobbling awkwardly as the bus moved off, then sat on the back seat, offering Pete plenty of room. He collapsed by the window, putting his bag between us.

“So what happened?” he said, finally.

I took a deep breath. “On my tenth birthday,” I began, “I started to see ghosts.”

“Oh, for the love of…” Pete leaned back. “I thought you were going to be honest.”

“Just hear me out.” I rubbed my hair out of my face. “This is what you always wanted to know, why I started acting strange. It’s my family curse. I see dead people.”

“Like the film?” Pete sneered.

“If you like. If a murder victim touches me they leave a Mark on my skin.”

Pete regarded me carefully. “That glove you wear?”

I waved my unmarked hand. “I don’t want to accidentally transfer the Mark to the wrong person.”

“The wrong person being?”

“An innocent. Someone who didn’t commit murder.”

“And once the ghost touches you?” His voice trembled between mockery and curiosity.

I inhaled again. “I have to track down their murderer and pass the Mark on to them. Then the Darkness comes to take them away.”

Pete’s fingers tightened on his bag until the skin over his knuckles almost cracked. “Something took James, I saw it.”

“It’s why I joined the V club. I had to find out who killed Justin and send them into the Darkness.”

“Are you telling me Justinis a ghost?”

I nodded. “He was in school that day the police came in. He put a Mark on my hand before I realised he was dead.”

Pete swallowed. “You’re telling me Justin knows who killed him.”

“He knows about you, yes.”

Pete’s lips whitened and he shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”

I glanced out the window. “Justin’s dead, you believe that, don’t you?”

“Of course.” Pete exhaled shakily.

“Alright then, wait here.” I rose from my seat and, as the bus jerked and shook, I headed towards the stairs. Justin stood at the bottom, like a guard, with one hand on the rail.

“Pete doesn’t believe me.” I caught the rail myself as the bus rounded a corner. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but–”

“You want me to go and see him.”

I nodded.

“I’m not ready for that.” Justin swayed in place and I watched the emotions war across his face. “Fine,” he snapped. He edged past me and took the stairs two at a time. I followed more slowly.

When I reached the top I saw Pete lurch to his feet. Justin now stood in the middle of the aisle, holding the chairs on either side of him.

Pete panted frantically, almost choking on his own breath. “You’re dead. I saw you–”

“You helped them kill me, you dick.” Justin’s tone was low and dangerous.

“God.” Pete’s knees hit the chair and he sank down. “How is this possible?”

“It’s a lot to go into.” I slipped under Justin’s arm and placed my hand on his chest, holding him back. “For now, just accept that Justin’s come back a ghost.” I kept my eyes on Pete. His mouth was trembling as if he was going to cry. My own lungs tightened. “Is there anything you want to say to him?”

“God, yes.” Pete raised his head. “I’m sosorry. I didn’t know. I mean I knew something was way off, but I wasn’t sure, and it was V, man, you just do what you do. You know.”

Justin grunted.

“If I could take it back, I would. I’d do anything. When you fell – shit.” Pete was trembling all over now. “I threw up, I’ve never been more scared. And James said this was the thing that would keep us all tied to V. We were lifers. No leaving the club. Ever.” He rubbed a quivering hand over the bristles on his head. “And after that I really wanted to leave.” He glanced at me. “When James disappeared into that darkness, the first thought I had was, I can get out now. Isn’t that terrible?”

I had to leave Justin, but my fingers were reluctant, I trailed my hand along his arm as I went. Then I sat down next to Pete. “James is gone. I’m going to get this whole thing stopped so it can’t happen to anyone else.”

Pete shook his head. “You can’t stop it, Tay, there’re members everywhere. The head told us there’s an old member in the police…”

“I know.” I touched his hand and he flinched away. “If necessary I’ll go to the papers.”

Pete swallowed and rubbed his stubbled head.

“You don’t believe I can fix this, that’s fine, I don’t need you to. But you do believe me about the ghosts?”

“Yes,” Pete whispered.

“Alright.” I looked at Justin. “The dead are why I behaved so strangely. And I couldn’t hang out all those times because I really was doing family stuff with Mum, curse stuff.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Pete’s eyes skidded over my face. “Don’t answer that, I understand. I wouldn’t have believed you.”

“You had to see Justin with your own eyes.”

The ghost in question was still in the middle of the aisle, but he had turned his back on us and was now guarding the stairs. My shoulders felt lighter than I could remember. I had been carrying the weight of enforced attention for so many years; the relief of letting someone else share the burden literally made me sit up straighter. I felt as though I was breathing for the first time.

I turned back to Pete. “I’m going to tell Hannah.” I fiddled with my blazer. “She has to forgive me.”

“If Justin speaks to her, she will.” Pete stared at him once more. “She loves you, she’ll come round.”

“What about you?” I swallowed nervously. “Will you come round?”

The bus drew to a stop and Pete looked up as Justin stood to attention. “You know what I’ve done. You don’t want to be friends with me anymore.”

I grabbed for his hand and this time he let me hold it. His skin was drier than it used to be and his nails were cracked. I squeezed his knuckles under mine. “I’m your friend, Pete. I always was. Now you know about me we can both start over.”

His hand twitched. “Tell me what happened to them – to James, Tamsin and Harley.”

“They went to be judged.” I decided to stay quiet about Anubis, I thought that might be one truth too far. “They won’t be coming back.”

“I should have been taken too, shouldn’t I?” Pete’s eyes burned into mine. “That Mark, you were meant to put it on me.”

Justin spoke, his voice seemingly floating from his turned back. “She kept the Mark herself and the Darkness took her, like it did the others. She almost got trapped inside. For you.”

Pete whitened further. “You did that for me?”

I said nothing.

“Why?”

“I told you, you’re my oldest friend.” I struggled to keep my voice steady. “Please say we’re OK.”

Pete forced a smile as the bus pulled into the school stop. “I’ll never be able to repay you.”