In Secret Angels, one of the girls has three encounters with a mysterious lightning-wielder named Kai, who is in danger of being locked up for a crime he hasn’t committed.
This is the first encounter told from his perspective.
“Don’t worry. Nobody’s coming for you.”
As I sat cuffed to the chair, a gag jammed in my mouth, I realised I was starting to believe him.
Loud music had started downstairs, and I could hear people laughing and talking. They’d move me to the van soon.
Being in the suppression cuffs was like having a heavy, wet blanket draped over my face. I could feel my lightning crackling inside my veins, desperate to escape, but I couldn’t unleash it.
The door opened and three figures walked inside. Two of them were dressed like bouncers, and the nightclub staff wouldn’t know the difference. How could they when one of them would be altering thoughts as he went?
All three approached my chair. The smallest one snapped his baton open, and I tried not to flinch. I wouldn’t give him that, even though I was scared.
“Don’t try anything. You do, you know what to expect.”
I nodded.
The ‘bouncers’ unlocked the cuffs and pulled me to my feet. I didn’t resist as they pulled my hands behind my back and snapped more cuffs on.
I’m sorry, Uncle Roger. Guess I’ll be seeing you soon.
Holding my elbows, the ‘bouncers’ walked me out of the room and down the stairs to the main part of the nightclub. I glared at the floor as we moved through the Black Fox, wishing I could jam my fingers in my ears.
They couldn’t keep up the ruse with my parents forever. They’d wonder about me sooner or later – wouldn’t they?
I was their son. They couldn’t forget their own son.
We were at the back door now. One of the bouncers pressed the bar and pushed the door open, revealing a van with the doors yawning wide. I could make out the chair, waiting for me.
They shoved me into the chair and cuffed my wrists to the arms. The sound of the closing doors was like a prison door slamming shut.
I closed my eyes and waited.
The door opened again. I didn’t look up.
“Kai?”
What?
“It’s OK. I’m friends with Seth.”
She was pressing something to the cuffs; they opened and I got to my feet, pulling the gag out of my mouth.
We had to get out of here before they got back.
I took her arm and pulled her out of the van, then away from the Black Fox. When they found out I wasn’t in the vehicle, they’d send someone after us. A Tracker, or that Mentis.
A phone was ringing.
“Where are we going?”
They’d caught me by surprise once. They wouldn’t do it again.
“Where are you taking me?”
There was a shop nearby; the doorway was almost in complete darkness. I pushed her into the doorway and stood in front of her, blocking her from view.
“You’re Giftless, aren’t you?”
If she was, that meant I was our best chance of survival here.
The phone rang again, making me jump. The sound was coming from her jacket.
“I need to answer that.” Her eyes were frightened and pleading.
Wait. I knew her.
At the Kingfisher, I’d bumped into someone who was trying to escape. I’d covered her mouth, looked right into her eyes, and told her to leave.
What was she doing here?
She was answering the phone now. “Hi…I’m outside, with Kai. We had to leave before they came back…We’re, we’re opposite a café called Toasted Marshmallow. Can you meet us there?”
The streets were too quiet.
“Let’s go over there.”
We went over to the Toasted Marshmallow, and I pressed us both into the shadows again.
“How do I know you are with Seth?” I didn’t even know this girl’s name.
“Your mum was holding a dinner party; that’s where you met him. Neither of you wanted to be there.”
I almost laughed. That was pretty much right.
“How’d you get past the Mentis?”
“My best friend was one. I learned a couple of things from her.”
As we waited in the darkness, I found I couldn’t stop thinking. How had Seth even found out about me? Did this mean he knew about my uncle?
Three girls were moving towards us.
I heard a sigh of relief from behind me. She knew who they were.
“You must be Kai,” one of the girls said. “Seth says to tell you to go to his house, wait until his support group’s left…”
“Support group?”
“Oh yeah, you don’t go to our college. They’ll be gone soon, anyway; just go round the back and he’ll help you out.”
Luckily, I remembered where he’d said it was. “Thanks.”
“Do you want us to go with you?”
“No. If I get caught, I don’t want you to get in trouble too. And…thanks.” I looked at each of the girls. “For getting me out.”
“It was Zara, really.”
I stepped out into the street and looked behind me at the small group – my rescuers.
Zara was still in the shadows, looking at me warily.
I shouldn’t have grabbed her arm like that. I’d been so desperate to get away, I’d forced her to come with me.
“I’m sorry if I scared you.”
As I hurried away down the street, I kept glancing around me just in case. My captors wouldn’t get their hands on me again – and after visiting Seth, I knew just who to call.