with pleasure as he saw Peter sit ing at the computer, and he ran over immediately. Mol y was asleep on Peter’s shoulder, Anna noticed with a wry smile. ‘Teter play. Teter play now.’
But instead of turning round and giving Ben a hug and a smile of welcome, tousling his hair, Peter remained stil . Frowning, Anna moved towards him; he was staring at the computer screen, his brow furrowed.
‘Peter?’ she chided. ‘Peter, Ben wants to play.’
‘Not now.’ His voice was tense and Anna noticed that his shoulders were tight.
‘What?’ she asked, her heart immediately thudding in her chest. ‘What’s happened?’ Possible catastrophes rushed through her head: Jude was dead. Pip was dead. The Underground had col apsed. Richard Pincent had found them. The Catchers were coming. Everything was over. ‘Is it something terrible?’ She scooped Ben up in her arms, her eyes moving anxiously towards Mol y. ‘Peter, tel me what’s happened.’
Slowly, Peter looked up. Then he shook himself. ‘Nothing. Nothing at al . I was just reading a message from Jude.’
‘What did he say?’ Anna said, her throat constricting and an ominous foreboding taking hold of her. It’s started. I knew something terrible was on the horizon and now it’s here . ‘Is something wrong?’
‘Not wrong,’ Peter said cautiously. ‘Not in so many words. He just said to stay alert.’
‘We’re always alert,’ Anna said, looking around worriedly. ‘We only go out for two hours a day and we never leave a trail and –’
‘And we’re going to be fine,’ Peter said, get ing up and walking towards her. ‘Like I said, it wasn’t a warning. It was probably just a reminder.’
‘A reminder,’ Anna said, biting her lip. ‘Are you sure?’
Peter pul ed her towards him. ‘Anna, we’re safe here. You know we are. No one can find us and even if they did I’d protect you.’
‘You promise?’ Anna asked tentatively.
‘I promise,’ Peter said, kissing the top of her head distractedly as his eyes returned to the computer screen. ‘Although I wish I knew what was going on. I’m sick of being treated like a convalescing child up here in the middle of nowhere.’
There was something about the way he said it that made Anna’s stomach clench.
A few times recently she had found Peter pacing up and down, a look in his eyes that she recognised, that she feared. Eyes that darted around, thinking, noticing, planning. ‘I don’t mind not knowing,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s a smal price to pay.’ She looked over at the children then back at Peter; he nodded immediately.
‘You’re right,’ he said quickly. ‘Of course you’re right.’
And she was right, Anna thought to herself defiantly. They’d earned their freedom, earned this new life.
‘We’re happy here,’ she said, not sure why. ‘We’re happy here. Aren’t we?’
Peter looked at her for a second or two, then grinned. ‘Of course we are, Anna.
We’re very happy. So, picnic?’
She handed Ben back to him and moved over to the kitchen counter. ‘Picnic,’ she agreed.
‘Nic nic,’ Ben said immediately, taking Peter’s hand and leading him towards the kitchen door. ‘Nic nic playtime.’
.
Chapter Six
Jake Gardner hauled himself out of bed and walked slowly and painful y to the bathroom. Ignoring the female voice warning him not to use more water than was absolutely necessary and reminding him that cold water was more bracing and healthful than warm, he turned the hot tap on ful , perching on the side as his bathtub – a luxury he was glad he’d refused to give up in spite of high taxes, warning let ers and threats to have it removed – fil ed up. He was shivering, his face hot, his skin an odd yel owish colour – although he’d spent so long looking at it, trying to establish what the problem was, that he’d forgot en how it usual y appeared. The thirst was new. He felt as though his body had been starved of water. A fever, he’d thought,
But instead of turning round and giving Ben a hug and a smile of welcome, tousling his hair, Peter remained stil . Frowning, Anna moved towards him; he was staring at the computer screen, his brow furrowed.
‘Peter?’ she chided. ‘Peter, Ben wants to play.’
‘Not now.’ His voice was tense and Anna noticed that his shoulders were tight.
‘What?’ she asked, her heart immediately thudding in her chest. ‘What’s happened?’ Possible catastrophes rushed through her head: Jude was dead. Pip was dead. The Underground had col apsed. Richard Pincent had found them. The Catchers were coming. Everything was over. ‘Is it something terrible?’ She scooped Ben up in her arms, her eyes moving anxiously towards Mol y. ‘Peter, tel me what’s happened.’
Slowly, Peter looked up. Then he shook himself. ‘Nothing. Nothing at al . I was just reading a message from Jude.’
‘What did he say?’ Anna said, her throat constricting and an ominous foreboding taking hold of her. It’s started. I knew something terrible was on the horizon and now it’s here . ‘Is something wrong?’
‘Not wrong,’ Peter said cautiously. ‘Not in so many words. He just said to stay alert.’
‘We’re always alert,’ Anna said, looking around worriedly. ‘We only go out for two hours a day and we never leave a trail and –’
‘And we’re going to be fine,’ Peter said, get ing up and walking towards her. ‘Like I said, it wasn’t a warning. It was probably just a reminder.’
‘A reminder,’ Anna said, biting her lip. ‘Are you sure?’
Peter pul ed her towards him. ‘Anna, we’re safe here. You know we are. No one can find us and even if they did I’d protect you.’
‘You promise?’ Anna asked tentatively.
‘I promise,’ Peter said, kissing the top of her head distractedly as his eyes returned to the computer screen. ‘Although I wish I knew what was going on. I’m sick of being treated like a convalescing child up here in the middle of nowhere.’
There was something about the way he said it that made Anna’s stomach clench.
A few times recently she had found Peter pacing up and down, a look in his eyes that she recognised, that she feared. Eyes that darted around, thinking, noticing, planning. ‘I don’t mind not knowing,’ she said quickly. ‘It’s a smal price to pay.’ She looked over at the children then back at Peter; he nodded immediately.
‘You’re right,’ he said quickly. ‘Of course you’re right.’
And she was right, Anna thought to herself defiantly. They’d earned their freedom, earned this new life.
‘We’re happy here,’ she said, not sure why. ‘We’re happy here. Aren’t we?’
Peter looked at her for a second or two, then grinned. ‘Of course we are, Anna.
We’re very happy. So, picnic?’
She handed Ben back to him and moved over to the kitchen counter. ‘Picnic,’ she agreed.
‘Nic nic,’ Ben said immediately, taking Peter’s hand and leading him towards the kitchen door. ‘Nic nic playtime.’
.
Chapter Six
Jake Gardner hauled himself out of bed and walked slowly and painful y to the bathroom. Ignoring the female voice warning him not to use more water than was absolutely necessary and reminding him that cold water was more bracing and healthful than warm, he turned the hot tap on ful , perching on the side as his bathtub – a luxury he was glad he’d refused to give up in spite of high taxes, warning let ers and threats to have it removed – fil ed up. He was shivering, his face hot, his skin an odd yel owish colour – although he’d spent so long looking at it, trying to establish what the problem was, that he’d forgot en how it usual y appeared. The thirst was new. He felt as though his body had been starved of water. A fever, he’d thought,
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