put himself between them.
Brice was so furious he could hardly get the words out. “You kids are all so freaking morally superior! Even when you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Lola shrugged. “Oh, please, put us right, hombre . We’re hanging on your every word.”
“It will be my pleasure,” he spat.
We didn’t exactly have a choice. Normally nothing would induce us to hang out with Brice. But as you know, he had the time device, so where he went, we basically had to follow.
He led us through the beautifully kept grounds one of the dorms. A little kid spotted us. “Hey who are you?” he yelled.
“Oh, we’re ange—” Reuben began eagerly.
“Shut up!” Brice shoved him roughly through door.
We followed him up a flight of stairs to an open-plan kitchen. It was a really homey space with sofas and a massive blackboard. I suppose that was in case a young genius felt the need to solve mathematical equations while he was heating his baked beans.
Someone was practicing a cello in one of upstairs rooms. It sounded beautiful yet tragic, you know how they do? All at once I felt horribly depressed. It had just dawned on me that I screwed up a major celestial mission.
I found myself compulsively listing my latest cosmic boo-boos, and there were quite a few. Materialising without permission, stranding my mates in the distant future, damaging Agency property (our platinum angel tags) damaging them so badly in fact, that we couldn’t even let the Agency know where we were.
Worst of all, we’d just watched , like lemons, as Dom handed over a dangerous time device to the PODS favourite messenger boy.
Miss Rowntree was right , I thought bleakly. I’m just an airhead with attitude .
I didn’t know what else to do, so I went to gaze out of the window.
A set of tail-lights were moving slowly along a tree-lined avenue. In the distance I could see a gorgeous house, ghostly pale in the twilight. The kind of house I’d once dreamed of buying my mum, when I was rich and famous. Of course, as it turned out, I didn’t live long enough to be either.
“Well, kiddiwinks, are you ready to be shocked out of your tiny angel minds?” Brice’s jeering voice cut through my thoughts.
I could see his reflection in the glass. He was doing his cosmic outlaw pose; thumbs in belt-loops, cold, mean expression.
A terrible tiredness came over me. “You can always try,” I said wearily.
“Then sit down,” he said. “This could take a while.”
And Brice started to tell us a story so horrifying, that it might almost be true.
Chapter Nine
O nce upon a time I was a human being.” Brice sounded coldly chatty, like nothing he said actually mattered. “And sorry, Mel, I didn’t live in the distant past, as you’d like to believe.”
“You lived in this century, didn’t you?” said Reuben softly.
“Correct, angel boy. This was my little personal slot in time. This school was also my school. And Dominic de Winter, amateur time-tours operator - well, he was my little brother.”
I think I actually gasped. But Brice was still talking.
“Dom was just three when I died. And before you ask, he has no idea we’re related. He doesn’t remember that he ever had a brother. A little magic trick of mine.”
I was horrified. “Didn’t your parents tell him?”
Brice’s eyes glittered coldly. “Dad was out of the picture by this time. As for Mum, well, better not get me started on her.”
The cello was still sobbing away overhead and I wished whoever was playing would just knock it off. Things were quite intense enough.
Brice took a breath. “Everyone uses that word ‘family’, like we’re all talking about the same thing. But my family is truly unique. Oh, on the surface, we’re incredibly civilised, darlings. But underneath - oh man, it’s like swimming with crocodiles.” He gave his cold laugh. “Yeah, crocodiles is about right. In the days before war was banned, you’d always find a de Winter
Brice was so furious he could hardly get the words out. “You kids are all so freaking morally superior! Even when you have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Lola shrugged. “Oh, please, put us right, hombre . We’re hanging on your every word.”
“It will be my pleasure,” he spat.
We didn’t exactly have a choice. Normally nothing would induce us to hang out with Brice. But as you know, he had the time device, so where he went, we basically had to follow.
He led us through the beautifully kept grounds one of the dorms. A little kid spotted us. “Hey who are you?” he yelled.
“Oh, we’re ange—” Reuben began eagerly.
“Shut up!” Brice shoved him roughly through door.
We followed him up a flight of stairs to an open-plan kitchen. It was a really homey space with sofas and a massive blackboard. I suppose that was in case a young genius felt the need to solve mathematical equations while he was heating his baked beans.
Someone was practicing a cello in one of upstairs rooms. It sounded beautiful yet tragic, you know how they do? All at once I felt horribly depressed. It had just dawned on me that I screwed up a major celestial mission.
I found myself compulsively listing my latest cosmic boo-boos, and there were quite a few. Materialising without permission, stranding my mates in the distant future, damaging Agency property (our platinum angel tags) damaging them so badly in fact, that we couldn’t even let the Agency know where we were.
Worst of all, we’d just watched , like lemons, as Dom handed over a dangerous time device to the PODS favourite messenger boy.
Miss Rowntree was right , I thought bleakly. I’m just an airhead with attitude .
I didn’t know what else to do, so I went to gaze out of the window.
A set of tail-lights were moving slowly along a tree-lined avenue. In the distance I could see a gorgeous house, ghostly pale in the twilight. The kind of house I’d once dreamed of buying my mum, when I was rich and famous. Of course, as it turned out, I didn’t live long enough to be either.
“Well, kiddiwinks, are you ready to be shocked out of your tiny angel minds?” Brice’s jeering voice cut through my thoughts.
I could see his reflection in the glass. He was doing his cosmic outlaw pose; thumbs in belt-loops, cold, mean expression.
A terrible tiredness came over me. “You can always try,” I said wearily.
“Then sit down,” he said. “This could take a while.”
And Brice started to tell us a story so horrifying, that it might almost be true.
Chapter Nine
O nce upon a time I was a human being.” Brice sounded coldly chatty, like nothing he said actually mattered. “And sorry, Mel, I didn’t live in the distant past, as you’d like to believe.”
“You lived in this century, didn’t you?” said Reuben softly.
“Correct, angel boy. This was my little personal slot in time. This school was also my school. And Dominic de Winter, amateur time-tours operator - well, he was my little brother.”
I think I actually gasped. But Brice was still talking.
“Dom was just three when I died. And before you ask, he has no idea we’re related. He doesn’t remember that he ever had a brother. A little magic trick of mine.”
I was horrified. “Didn’t your parents tell him?”
Brice’s eyes glittered coldly. “Dad was out of the picture by this time. As for Mum, well, better not get me started on her.”
The cello was still sobbing away overhead and I wished whoever was playing would just knock it off. Things were quite intense enough.
Brice took a breath. “Everyone uses that word ‘family’, like we’re all talking about the same thing. But my family is truly unique. Oh, on the surface, we’re incredibly civilised, darlings. But underneath - oh man, it’s like swimming with crocodiles.” He gave his cold laugh. “Yeah, crocodiles is about right. In the days before war was banned, you’d always find a de Winter
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