Read Online The Fallen by Charlie Higson - Free Book Online Page B

of London than there had been in the north. The kids round here had it easy. They had too much time on their hands and so they were dressing up and playing at … Playing at what?
    David at the palace had thought he was king. What did these kids think they were? Achilleus had told her about the laboratories in their white coats when he’d sauntered in late. Laughed about it. She didn’t know how to take this information. Didn’t know if it was a good or a bad thing.
    But she did know that most of the kids here came across as nerds and misfits. The type of kids who’d been bullied and ostracized at school. Now they’d all clubbed together and had made this place into nerd-camp. Apart from the girl, Jackson, who was probably the toughest, scariest-looking girl she’d ever seen, they were soft. They had a soft lifestyle. And she resented it.
    Maxie closed her eyes and rubbed them. She never used to think this way about people. It was a boy’s way of thinking. Boys thought that fighting, spitting, swearing, front, respect and strength were all that mattered. She was becoming dangerously macho in her outlook.
    She was turning into Achilleus.
    She slowly let out her breath. Tried to de-stress. She wasjust tired and grumpy, that was all. She’d look more kindly on them after resting up for a couple of days; for now, she’d see what they had to offer. See if she really wanted to stay here.
    She sat back in her chair, arms folded, with a look that was meant to say ‘go on then, impress me’. She wasn’t too good at it, though. It didn’t come naturally to her. Blue was a master at it. His take-no-crap vibe was awesome. She sneaked a look at him. His face was set like stone, giving nothing away. As still and hard as one of the statues, the blue light shining on his dark skin.
    Maxie knew that underneath he was as vulnerable and confused as she was, but he’d learnt from an early age how to pull down the blinds and keep strangers out.
    Achilleus was using a different technique right now. He lounged in his chair, grinning, laughing, making comments, shaking his head, like a disruptive boy at the back of class. He didn’t need to bother with the stone face because he kept a level of violent menace bubbling just beneath the surface. He had the confidence to arse about because if anyone crossed him he would basically kill them.
    It was different for her and Blue, though; as joint leaders they needed to pay attention. Maxie had to know what was going down. The smaller kids, and one or two of the older ones, like Achilleus, wouldn’t be following everything, or even listening, and they’d be bound to ask her questions later.
    At last Justin arrived. Wasn’t much to look at. Serious expression, as nerdy as the rest of them, but confident with it.
    He climbed a few steps up the escalator and then turned to address them.
    ‘First of all I’d just like to welcome you all here,’ he said, and Achilleus snorted. Maxie was giggling too. The boy sounded just like a headmaster and reminded her dangerously of David.
    ‘I’m sorry I didn’t welcome you all properly last night,’ he went on. ‘But, as you know, we were all rather busy. Running this place takes a lot of time and effort and brainpower. But, well, I don’t suppose you want to hear too much about that.’
    ‘No, we don’t,’ said Achilleus, and some of the Holloway crew laughed. ‘We want to know what’s for lunch.’
    ‘Well, OK, that’s understandable,’ said Justin. ‘A menu for the day is posted every morning in the canteen. Today I think it’s baked potatoes and cabbage. To tell you the truth, it’s potatoes and cabbage most days at the moment. We rely on what we grow, and that’s rather limited.’
    ‘We’ll go shopping for you,’ said Achilleus. ‘It’s what we’re used to.’
    ‘We’ll get on to that,’ said Justin. ‘Now you’ve probably noticed that we’re quite well organized, but we’re only set up to cope with a certain number