The Future King: Logres (46 page)

This seemed to surprise Arthur. ‘You did?’

Gwenhwyfar nodded. ‘For all the good it did. He didn’t even apologise—he
still hasn’t.’ She shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter, he’s always been an idiot.’ She
could almost feel his approval shower over her. They pushed through a second
set of double doors.

‘Bed said that Emily’s sitting with you now, too.’

‘Unfortunately.’ She hesitated, and then sighed. ‘I suppose she
did
apologise, for everything actually.
And I told you about the whole Ellie thing. According to her she only heard it
from Charlotte and Hattie, and thought they were telling the truth.’

‘And you believe that?’

‘I don’t know, mostly I just enjoy seeing her make an idiot of
herself. Apparently she’s got a thing for Lance. She won’t leave him alone.’

‘That doesn’t surprise me,’ Arthur remarked. ‘They suit one another.’

They came to a stop. A thickset boy blocked them when they tried to
pass through the Science corridor. He was stocky, of average height, and had
short curly hair that was similar in colour to wet sand. ‘You’re Gwen, right?’

She eyed him suspiciously. ‘Yeah.’

‘Lance’s friend,’ the boy stated.

Arthur moved closer to her. ‘Not really.’

‘Wasn’t talking to you,’ the boy snapped. He set his gaze on
Gwenhwyfar. ‘Do you know him or what?’

She shrugged. ‘Sort of, why?’

‘Tell him to watch his back.’

‘What? Why?’

He scrutinised her with beady eyes. ‘Just tell him.’

Arthur stepped forward. ‘Is that all?’

‘No. Tell him to look after his friends, too.’ His rounded cheeks
split into a horrible grin. Gwenhwyfar felt a pang of cold fear in her stomach.
The comment had to be directed at her. Arthur seemed to think so too, for he
put his arm around her shoulders and immediately hurried her away.

‘He said what?’

Lancelot was crouched in his chair, his elbows pressing into his
knees and his hands cupped under his chin. Around him, Emily, Bedivere and
Viola listened attentively. Gavin and Tom were playing football, something
Lancelot had been eager to participate in. Gwenhwyfar repeated the words again.
He stared intently at the floor.

‘And who said it, exactly?’

‘That guy you and Hector always used to fight with,’ Arthur recalled.
‘I thought I recognised him, but I wasn’t sure. You know, the one with the fat
neck that looks like a pig.’

Lancelot sat up, clearly surprised. ‘What’s he doing making threats?
I haven’t even spoken to him since last term.’ His handsome face turned to a
scowl of contemplation.

‘Who’s he hanging around with now?’ Viola asked. She was sitting on
the table with her feet on a chair. ‘I doubt the threat would’ve come from him,
not unless he had someone to back him up. He’ll be the messenger.’

‘The messenger for whom?’ enquired Arthur.

‘What’s his name?’

Lancelot looked at Bedivere. ‘Edward,’ he responded, ‘but everyone
calls him Cooper.’

‘Edward Cooper?’ Bedivere brightened. ‘I know him: he’s in my Science
class. He used to be friends with a guy called Jack, but the last few times
I’ve seen him, he’s been with Hector.’

‘Hector?’ Lancelot proclaimed. ‘I thought Cooper hated him?’

‘You
are
talking about
Hector Browne, aren’t you?’ Emily’s undiluted attention produced a ruby blush
in Bedivere.

‘Yes, it’s definitely Browne. Cooper obviously can’t hate him as much
as he hates you, Lance, if he’s willing to side with him just to get to you.’

‘Not just Lance,’ Arthur reminded them all. ‘His friends, too.’

‘Hector hangs around with a lot of people now,’ Bedivere said.
‘There’s four of them—him, Cooper, Lucan Smith and Lyndon Grant. They’re
always down at Badbury, hanging by the courts.’

Arthur rubbed his jaw in concern. ‘If Hector’s involved, it’s quite a
serious threat.’

‘Lance and his “friends”? That has to mean you, Gwen.’ Viola looked
to the group. ‘We should tell someone. He’s completely out of order.’

‘Tell who? Ravioli? Don’t you remember what happened last time? He
practically made a joke out of me.’

‘Yes, but this time it’s different,’ Viola contested.

‘Why threaten Lance, anyway?’ asked Arthur. ‘Why not just threaten
Gwen? What have you got to do with it?’

The two boys’ eyes met, and Gwenhwyfar felt her heart contract.
Suddenly she wished she had told Arthur what had happened.

‘Hector and I used to fight with Cooper all the time,’ Lancelot
shrugged. ‘Maybe it’s that?’

‘It’s not that,’ Gwenhwyfar volunteered, suddenly much too warm.
‘Hector went for me at Lance’s birthday party.’ She looked to Arthur and
swallowed. ‘That’s why he’s making threats. He tried it on with me, and I
sprayed deodorant in his eyes.’

The group went silent. Gwenhwyfar could tell that Arthur was hurt. He
obviously understood that he was the only one, save Emily, who hadn’t known.
‘So that’s why Hector was off for so long.’ He frowned, and then his brown eyes
rose to question hers. ‘Why didn’t you say anything?’

‘I knew you’d be upset.’ Now that she voiced it aloud, it seemed a
poor excuse. ‘I didn’t want to feel pressured into anything.’

‘Pressured?’

‘I thought you’d tell me to report it. I’m sorry.’

‘Hector
attacked
you?’
Emily butted in, scandalised.

‘What happened?’ Arthur eyed Gwenhwyfar with renewed concern. ‘Was it
just him…?’

‘No, there was another guy,’ Lancelot said. ‘We couldn’t figure out
who he was. A friend of Hector’s, we think. Possibly not from Logres.’

‘And they attacked you?’

‘It was mostly talk,’ Gwenhwyfar dismissed.

‘Not just talk,’ Viola objected. ‘Hector was on top of you, you said
so.’

Gwenhwyfar felt her face heat up. ‘Yeah, and I blinded him and kicked
him in the head and told him I was going to the police. He hasn’t bothered me
since.’

‘I still don’t understand why he’d threaten Lance,’ Arthur scowled.

‘Lance was there after it happened,’ Gwenhwyfar explained. ‘I think
he made them think twice about pursuing it.’

‘He didn’t hit them?’

‘No,’ Lancelot said sharply. ‘Gwen didn’t want me to.’

‘And you’ve not said anything to them since?’

‘I haven’t
touched
Hector,’
Lancelot hissed. ‘Or said anything to him, Lucan, Lyndon or Edward. I haven’t
even seen
them.’

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Viola interjected. ‘All that matters is that we
tell someone. Before this escalates.’

‘Tell who, exactly?’ Gwenhwyfar asked. ‘He’s just trying to
intimidate me. This is all this has ever been about. He’s a bully.’

‘I still think—’

‘It’s up to Gwen if she wants to tell the principal or not,’ Arthur
interjected. He looked to Gwenhwyfar, and she felt her heart expand. ‘If you’re
worried about Ravioli believing you, I can always tell him myself. He might
take it better, coming from me.’

‘You would do that?’ Gwenhwyfar asked, touched. She was suddenly
sorry that she had underestimated his ability to understand.

‘Of course—should I?’

‘I don’t know.’ She looked across the cafeteria, hunting for a
glimpse of Hector or Edward. ‘If I do say something it should definitely come
from me.’

‘Not that it’ll make much difference,’ Lancelot grumbled. Suddenly
all eyes were on him. ‘Hector’s dad is the principal’s first cousin. They grew
up together. Hector always used to brag about how he could do anything, because
Ravioli wouldn’t stop him. He could shoot someone, he said, and he wouldn’t be
expelled.’

‘So they are related, then?’ Arthur asked. ‘I wasn’t sure.’

Lancelot nodded, and Gwenhwyfar’s heart sank.

With cheeks numbed by the bitter wind, Gwenhwyfar, Emily and Viola
clustered together, hurrying through the icy grounds of Logres. The school
seemed particularly dull in the absence of sunshine, though its bowels, at
least, were warm and decorated excessively with tinsel. With arms interlinked,
they discussed what should be done about Hector. Emily abandoned her post to
kick open the door to old Wormelow, and Gwenhwyfar’s fingers prickled against
the sudden heat.

‘I just feel like this is all my
fault
.’
Emily pulled her hat away, combing her hands through her hair. ‘I should have
never listened to Charlotte. I mean, I know I’m partially responsible for what
happened at Tom’s party, Gwen, but if I hadn’t trusted her, then maybe none of
this would have happened.’

‘We can’t know that.’ Viola plucked off her gloves and stuffed them
into the pocket of her woollen coat. ‘If Hector wanted to hurt Gwen, he would
have done so anyway. Only it would’ve been worse, because we would’ve still
trusted him.’

Their shoes clipped across the grey dappled stone. They were late.

‘I wouldn’t trust him.’ Gwenhwyfar said. They ascended the old stairs
that had a secret and disused feel to them. ‘I remember the first time I saw
him. He just stared at my chest. It was so creepy, you know? Like he was
imagining me naked, that sort of look.’

‘
Vile
,’ contributed Emily.

‘Well then, it’s best he was shown to be a creep sooner rather than
later.’ Viola offered them a quick smile, and then they slipped into their
lesson apologetically.

They were getting a practice paper back that day, and as they arrived
their results were waiting on their desks. This led to a hurried exchange of
grades among all students, leaving Viola, and Gwenhwyfar in particular,
disappointed that they hadn’t done better. As their classmates complained about
the difficulty of the paper, Emily said nothing, and Gwenhwyfar assumed that
she had done the worst. This assumption was dashed, however, the moment Viola
asked Emily how she had done.

‘Oh, not as well as I’d hoped,’ said Emily, flicking her hair over
her shoulder. ‘I only got eighty-five percent. I was hoping for at least
ninety. Geography’s my worst subject. I’m so
behind
.’

It was halfway through the lesson when the lights went out again.
Huffing and rising to check the corridor, Miss Barnes vanished for a moment to
see that the failure wasn’t just local.

‘So what are you going to do about Hector?’ Viola asked Gwen, as
Emily twisted around in her seat to face them. ‘Are you going to talk to
Ravioli?’

‘I need to think about it,’ Gwenhwyfar frowned. ‘I haven’t seen him
since Lance’s party. This could be nothing. Going to Rav might just give him
the satisfaction of getting what he wants—of knowing I’m afraid.’

‘What’s his problem with you, anyway?’ Emily asked.

‘He’s annoyed that Bedivere told the principal what happened at
Tom’s, and that I spoke to Ravioli about it. Apparently it’s
my fault
that he can’t go to college.’

‘Boys can be such beasts, can’t they?’ Emily said. Her blue eyes wandered
off to some unseen point.

‘I still think you should tell someone,’ Viola murmured. She bent her
head low, and Gwenhwyfar moved closer. ‘That’s not the only thing worrying me.
It’s the New Moral Army. What if someone catches on to the fact you all went to
that march?’

‘You don’t think…?’

‘I won’t tell, Marvin won’t, and neither will Tom. But what if
someone
does
find out? You heard what
Milton said. I mean, after the explosions, I thought it might be a good thing,
but now that I’ve had time to think about it… Gavin’s right. Whose morals? The
New Nationals are hardly ones for freedom of expression. I’m worried that in
looking for members of
Free Countries
,
they’ll find out who went to the protest, too.’

‘What can they do? We wore disguises. We were careful. I don’t know about
Gwen but I made sure no one could link me to that march. I even made sure I had
an alibi.’

‘
Free Countries
wasn’t
actually involved,’ Gwenhwyfar told them quietly. She glanced to the door, but Miss
Barnes was still absent, and the noise of their classmates blanketed their
whispering.

Viola frowned at her. ‘How do you know?’

‘Gavin told me,’ she lied. ‘He read it on one of those encrypted
websites of his. Besides, they blamed it on the separatists first, remember?
It’s only now they’re saying it was
Free
Countries
. All they did was raise awareness for the event through flyers.’
She hesitated, and glanced over her shoulder. Miss Barnes returned to quieten
the buzz. The lights were still out. ‘As far as I know,
Free Countries
don’t even take part in protests. They’re too
concerned about keeping themselves off the heightened surveillance list.’

‘But if the New Morals think they are…’

‘They can think all they want,’ Gwenhwyfar insisted, ‘but if it’s not
true, and if there’s no physical link between the two, we’re safe.’