Read Online Web of Lies by Beverley Naidoo - Free Book Online Page B

we—”
    “They were grown-ups!” Femi interrupted. “They shouted at Gary—’cause he’s white and he was with me.”
    “So what did your friend Gary do?”
    “Nothing. Said just to ignore them.”
    “Oh yeah? He would, wouldn’t he?” James said a littlesharply. Femi wondered what he meant. He was finding it hard to concentrate. He was about to ask James when his eyes diverted him, glimpsing something underneath the armchair. It looked like a half-opened gold-paper packet—exactly like the present that Errol had told him to give to Sade. Hadn’t she thrown it into her rubbish bin at home yesterday evening? How could it have got back here? Femi blinked and leaned forward to see through the haze. Or was he imagining things?
    James followed his gaze.
    “Your sister is a female lion, right! Her temper is hot, man!” James said jokingly and pretended to snarl.
    Without warning, Errol veered around. He grabbed James by the front of his jacket. James hurriedly pushed himself back on his seat. His hands shot up, palms forward.
    “No offense! No offense, Errol! It’s a compliment! A lioness is like a queen, man!”
    “Yeah, but I don’t like the way you said it!” Errol released his grip as if dropping something he no longer wanted. He swung back to the door and strode out.
    The sudden tension had roused Femi. He stared at his watch.
    “I’m late!” He stood up but avoided looking at James. There was no way he could ask him now what he had meant by saying Sade was like a female lion. He just hoped that he could slip out to the back alley that led to the flats without Errol stopping him. Errol was scary enough even when he wasn’t angry.
    Femi did not need to worry. As he stepped frombehind the wooden screen, a sunflower-yellow BMW with a black top swerved on to the forecourt. The windows had shaded glass, making it impossible to see inside. But when the back door flew open, Femi glimpsed that both front seats were occupied. Instead of his usual slow swagger, Errol swooped toward the car and propelled himself into the back. The door slammed and the BMW revved away into the High Street.
    Femi whistled under his breath. It was the four-seater version of the silver BMW on the billboard opposite Avon High. A million times smarter than the dirty banger belonging to those racists. A car like that would make them dead jealous. If he had been waiting for friends to arrive in a car like that, he might also have been tense like Errol! As Femi sprinted home, it was an effort to clear his mind and think what excuse he would give for being late.
     
    T UESDAY 30 TH S EPTEMBER
    3 A.M .
    I can’t get back to sleep. My nightmare is back. I was hoping it had gone forever. It started like the old one but then I realized it was London, not Lagos….
    I am packing my bag for school when I hear the gunshots. Mama screams. A car skids away. I drop my bag, spilling my books, pen, and pencil onto the floor. I rush to the veranda. Femi is wooden like a statue. Papa is kneeling on the ground. Mama lies against him with one leg stretched outin front of her. A scarlet monster is growing all over her. Papa’s hands try to stop it. But it has already spread down her white nurse’s uniform. Suddenly I realize that this isn’t the driveway of our house in Lagos. There are no palm trees outside the gate. I am standing on the balcony of our block of flats, in London, and Mama is lying on the pavement below. I can hear a car revving and skidding—like it’s driving around the block, circling us. Suddenly Femi and I are in the back of Papa’s cab. Papa is chasing the gunmen’s car. We follow it on to the High Street. I am screaming at Papa to be careful. Someone in dark glasses is watching us through the back window of the gunmen’s car! The closer we get, the more I scream. I know it is Lizard Eyes.
    That’s when I woke up. I must really have screamed because I woke Femi up. He came to my room, still half asleep, to see what was