Noughts and Crosses (22 page)

‘Hello you,’ I said.

‘Hello yourself,’ Sephy replied.

‘So what’re you up to today then?’ I asked. I had to keep my voice down because Mum and Dad were upstairs. Jude was out – as per usual – so I was taking this opportunity to use the phone. I was hoping Sephy wouldn’t have anything planned so that we could spend this Saturday together.

‘I’m going shopping! With Mother!’ Sephy wailed.

‘Poor you.’ I had to struggle to keep myself from laughing out loud at Sephy’s tone of voice. She hated shopping at the best of times. And as for shopping with her mum, that must be her idea of hell on earth.

‘It’s not funny!’ Sephy snapped.

‘Of course not,’ I soothed.

Sephy gave a very undignified snort down the phone. ‘You’re laughing at me again.’

‘As if.’

‘What’re you going to be doing with the rest of the day then?’ Sephy asked me.

‘I thought I might go to the park, or maybe the beach. Maybe I’ll do both. I haven’t decided yet.’

‘That’s right, rub it in.’

‘Just think of all that lovely money you’re going to spend,’ I told her.

‘Mother’s going to spend it, not me. She’s decided she needs some spending therapy,’ Sephy replied.

‘Well, if you can’t get out of it, get into it!’

‘I’d much rather be with you,’ Sephy admitted.

There it was again, that familiar twist in my stomach whenever she said things like that to me.

‘Hello?’ Sephy said, uncertainly.

‘I’m still here. Maybe we can meet up later this afternoon?’ I suggested.

Sephy sighed. ‘I doubt it. Mum wants to buy me some dresses and update my school uniform and she wants to buy herself an evening dress and some shoes. Just the shoes by themselves will take three or four hours at least.’

‘Why? Has your mother got duck’s feet or something?’

‘No, just a duck’s taste in shoes. I swear, Callum, it’s going to be
torture
!’

‘I might see you at the shopping centre actually. I’ve got to get some things for school,’ I said.

‘Like what?’

‘Pens, rulers and I was thinking of buying myself a new calculator.’

‘I’ll keep my eyes open for you,’ Sephy said. ‘Maybe I’ll see you at the café? You can stop me from going completely insane!’

‘If I miss you at the centre, how about getting together this evening then? We could have a late picnic on the beach. Around six o’clock?’

‘I’ll try but I can’t guarantee anything,’ Sephy said.

‘Fair enough.’

‘Saturday in the Dundale Shopping Centre,’ Sephy groaned. ‘Just shoot me now and put me out of my misery!’

Laughing, I said bye and put the phone down. And then I thought of Lynette again – and the laughter stopped.

‘D’you like these shoes?’

‘Yes, Mother. They’re really nice,’ I smiled.

‘But those burgundy ones with the thin straps were better, weren’t they?’

‘What burgundy ones?’

‘The ones we tried in Roberts & Miller,’ Mum replied.

That was four shoe shops ago.

‘Well, I really like these ones,’ I tried.

‘I think I’ll go back to Roberts & Miller and try on those burgundy ones just once more.’

Aaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhh!

Lunch was over, without too much grief – for once. Jude had come home from heaven only knew where so we’d all eaten together – which made a change. Mum indulged in small talk, telling us all about what our neighbours and relatives and friends were up to, whilst Jude was his usual effervescent, scintillating self and didn’t say one word. No-one was particularly bothered that I didn’t have much to say either. Before I’d swallowed my last mouthful, my knife and fork clattered onto my plate and I jumped up. Grabbing my jacket off the back of the sofa, I headed for the door.

‘Where’re you going?’ Mum asked with a smile.

‘The shopping centre.’

Jude leapt up like a scalded cat. ‘Oh no you’re not.’

I frowned at him. ‘I’ll go where I ruddy like. Since when is it any of your business where I go?’

‘Callum, you don’t want to go there. Not today,’ Jude said, nervously.

‘Jude?’ Mum stood up slowly.

A tense, watchful atmosphere entered the room like chilling fog.

‘Why shouldn’t I go?’ I asked my brother.

He didn’t answer.

‘What’s going on?’ I persisted.

I turned to Mum. She was staring at Jude, a stunned look on her face. From her expression, she was obviously well ahead of me.

‘Don’t go there, Callum,’ Jude told me, pointedly.

‘But . . .’ And only then did I click.

The Liberation Militia were planning something at the Dundale. Something Jude knew about. Something my brother didn’t want me anywhere near. And then I remembered.

‘Sephy’s at the shopping centre,’ I said, horror-stricken.

‘Callum . . .’ Jude began.

I didn’t wait to hear any more. I ran out of the house, leaving the front door wide open as I raced for the shopping centre.

Mother was driving me nuts! In our five long,
long
hours together, I’d bitten my tongue so many times it’d swollen up to the size of a football and was choking me. If she asked me for my opinion on one more pair of shoes, I couldn’t be held responsible for my actions. I sipped my orange juice, grateful for the short but welcome break away from her. She’d gone back to the car park to pack away her various purchases. She was
enjoying herself. I’m glad one of us was!

‘Sephy! Thank God! You have to get out of here.’

‘Callum!’ I beamed. ‘Where did you spring from?’

‘Never mind that. You’ve got to leave this place now.’

‘But I haven’t finished my drink . . .’

‘Never mind your ruddy drink. You have to leave –
NOW
!’

I looked at Callum then, really looked at him. He was scared. No . . . he was terrified.

‘What’s going on?’

‘Don’t argue. Out!’ Callum told me grimly. ‘Come on.’

Callum dragged me out of my seat and towards the café door.

‘Excuse me, love, but is this boy troubling you?’ a stranger asked as I was dragged past his table.

‘No! No, he’s a friend of mine,’ I called back. ‘He wants to show me something . . .’

Callum dragged me out of the café and along the concourse and then every alarm in the world went off, at least that’s what it sounded like.

‘What’s going on?’ I asked, looking around.

‘Move it. Come on.’

And we were running towards the nearest exit. Others around us were looking around and frowning, wondering what was going on. Maybe they saw Callum and I racing for the nearest exit, maybe we started it. I don’t know. But it seemed like moments later, everyone was shouting and racing for the exits. We were amongst the first ones out of the Dundale. We stumbled out into the spring sunshine and still Callum had hold of my hand and was pulling me after him.

‘Where’re we going?’ I asked breathlessly.

‘Run. Come on,’ Callum puffed from beside me. ‘I thought I’d never find you. It took me almost half an hour to find you. Move.’

‘Callum, I’m getting a stitch,’ I protested.

‘Tough. We’ve got to keep going.’

‘Callum, enough!’ I pulled my hand out of his. ‘You’re . . .’

Then there was a flash like the very air was alight, followed a fraction of a second later by the most colossal boom. I was blown off my feet and into the air like a dry leaf in a high wind. And even from where we were, I could feel an intense heat on my back. I landed flat on my face, my arms outstretched. There was a strange ringing sound in my ears and it wouldn’t stop. For I don’t know how long, I lay in a daze. Was I dead? Was this what it felt like to die? I closed my eyes tight and covered my ears, trying to block out the incessant ringing sound – only it was inside my head, not outside. I swallowed hard and my ears popped, and the ringing stopped. Twisting around, I turned to see what on earth had happened. Billowing smoke shot out of the shopping centre. For a moment it was eerily quiet, like the end of the world. I wondered panic-stricken if the explosion had deafened me. And then I heard screaming and sirens and all hell was let loose.

I turned to Callum, who lay stunned beside me.

‘Are you OK?’ You’re not hurt?’ Callum asked anxiously, running his hands up and down my back and arms.

‘Y-you
knew
that was going to happen . . .’ I realized,
aghast. ‘You didn’t . . . Tell me you didn’t . . .’ I shook my head. No, that was preposterous. Callum had nothing to do with whatever that explosion was. It must’ve been a bomb. But Callum didn’t do that. He wouldn’t. He
couldn’t
.

But he
knew
.

‘Mother! Oh my God!’ I jumped to my feet and raced towards the car park across the street from the shopping centre.

I was almost across the street when I remembered Callum. I turned around.

But he was gone.

I’d barely got the key in the lock before the front door was flung open and Mum pounced on me.

‘Where’ve you been? You look terrible. Are you all right? Where’s Jude? Isn’t he with you?’

‘I thought he was here,’ I said wearily, closing the front door behind me.

‘No, he left almost as soon as you did,’ said Mum. ‘What happened?’

‘Didn’t you hear?’ I asked, astonished.

‘Hear what?’

She should’ve heard the explosion from here. But then
again, maybe not. Our house was right across town from the shopping centre.

‘It hasn’t been on the telly?’ I turned to the TV, perplexed. The news wasn’t on, just a rerun of some ridiculous detective programme where practically every low life in it was a nought. I recognized this episode. A cop was chasing a nought scumbag who’d shot and killed his partner.

‘Callum, talk to me. What happened?’

‘Mum . . .’

‘We interrupt this programme to bring you a newsflash,’ a voice suddenly declared.

My head whipped up. The telly’s most popular newsreader appeared, his expression grim. My heart began to thump in a crazy way that made me feel physically sick.

‘Please don’t let it be something bad about us noughts,’ Mum breathed.

‘Just under thirty minutes ago, a bomb exploded at the world-famous Dundale Shopping Centre. At least seven people are known to have been killed outright with scores more wounded. Casualties are being taken by ground and air ambulances to the local hospitals. All hospitals in the immediate area have been put on full alert. A warning was received from the nought group calling itself the Liberation Militia only five minutes before the bomb actually exploded.’