Anthony Horowitz - Necropolis

“There were five children. They came to be known as the Gatekeepers. Four boys and a girl. You are the girl.”

It was when she saw the Mercedes with Aidan that Scarlett understood that what had started at St Meredith’s wasn’t over yet. It had only just begun.

The next day – Friday – was miserable. Scarlett hadn’t slept properly. She was snappy with Mrs Murdoch and managed to make a spectacular mess of a maths test at school. She didn’t want to be in class. She just wanted to go back to her room and close the door – to shut “them” out, even though she didn’t have any idea who “they” might be.

That evening, she got a phone call. It was Aidan.

“Hi, Scarlett,” he said. “I was wondering… do you want to come to a movie tomorrow?”

Just that one sentence and she knew that something was wrong. Scarlett didn’t reply immediately. She cradled her mobile in the palm of her hand, playing back what she had just heard. First of all, Aidan never called her Scarlett. He called her Scarl. And there had been something weird about his tone of voice. He hadn’t asked her out as if he really meant it. He sounded fake, as if he was reading from a script.

As if he knew he was being overheard.

She lifted the mobile again. “What do you want to see?”

“I don’t know. The new Batman or something. We can go into the West End…”

And that was odd too. Why travel all the way into town? Dulwich had a perfectly good cinema.

“OK,” she said. “What time do you want to meet?”

“Twelve?”

“I’ll see you here…”

Aidan arrived at exactly midday, dressed in his trademark hoodie and jeans. As they walked over to the Tube station together, Scarlett wondered if she hadn’t read too much into the conversation the night before. He seemed completely relaxed and cheerful. The two of them chatted about school, football, fast food and the American election which was still in the news. Aidan was interested in politics even if it left Scarlett completely cold.

“Charles Baker is a creep,” he said. “I can’t believe anyone voted for him as President. The other guy, Trelawney, should have walked it.”

“So why didn’t he?”

“I don’t know. Some people are saying they screwed up the voting slips. But I’m telling you, Scarl, the wrong guy won.”

They reached the cinema, the Empire in Leicester Square, but as they approached the box office, Aidan suddenly grabbed Scarlett and dragged her to one side. In an instant, his whole mood had changed. He made sure there was no one else around, then hurriedly began to speak.

“Scarl, I’ve got to tell you. Something really weird has happened.”

“What is it?” Scarlett was completely thrown.

“I didn’t know whether to tell you or not. But yesterday, when I called you, I was told to do it! This guy came up to me when I was coming out of school.”

“What guy?”

“I’d never seen him before. At first I thought he was trying to sell me something. He was Chinese. A young guy. He asked me to get a message to you.”

“Why didn’t he tell me himself?”

“I’m only telling you what he told me.” Aidan ran a hand through his long, shaggy hair. There was still no one in this part of the foyer. A short distance away, a family of four was just going in to the film. “He just came up to me and asked if he could talk to me. He knew my name. And he knew I was your friend.”

“What did he want?”

“Listen… I don’t want to freak you out but he told me that he couldn’t approach you himself because your phone was bugged and you were being watched. He said you were in danger.” Aidan paused. “Has this got something to do with what happened in the church?”

“I don’t know, Aidan,” Scarlett said. All her fears had just been confirmed. She didn’t know if that made her feel better or worse. She looked around her. “So where is this mysterious Chinese man? Are we meeting him here?”

“No. He’s round the corner… in a restaurant. The Happy Garden. It’s in Wardour Street, about five minutes away.”

“So why are we here?”

“That was my idea. I had to tell you what was going on, but I couldn’t do it on the Tube in case someone was listening. I’m sorry, Scarl. I didn’t want to lie to you but this guy sounded really serious. And it was only yesterday we saw that car at the park.” Aidan drew a breath. “You don’t have to go,” he said. “Maybe you shouldn’t go.”

“Why not?”

“Maybe you should go to the police.”

Scarlett had to admit that he had a point. Everyone knew that when a strange adult approached a kid outside school, it was time to dial 999. But she had already made up her mind. If she didn’t go to this restaurant, she might never find out who the man was or what he wanted.

“The Happy Garden,” she muttered. “What sort of name is that?”

“It’s a Chinese restaurant,” Aidan said.

“Oh yes,” she nodded. “I suppose it would be.” She thought for a moment. “Did the man say anything else?”

“Yes. He said that the two of you had met before. On Dulwich Grove, two years ago. He must have been talking about the accident…”

If Scarlett had had any doubts, that decided it. The man who had saved her, who hadn’t waited to be thanked, had been Chinese. It had to be the same person. But what was he doing back in her life?

“What time am I meant to be there?” she asked.

“Half past one.”

She looked at her watch. It was just after one o’clock. “We’re going to be early.”

“So you’re going?”

“I’ve got to, Aidan. I don’t think anything too bad can happen in the middle of a Chinese restaurant. And anyway, you’ll be with me.” She paused. “Won’t you?”

“Sure.” Aidan nodded. “I wouldn’t leave you on your own. Anyway, I can’t wait to find out what this is all about.”

They left the cinema the way they’d come, slipping quietly into the crowds in Leicester Square. It was unlikely that anyone had followed them all the way from Dulwich but Scarlett wasn’t taking any chances. They turned up an alleyway that led into Chinatown, an area that was packed with Chinese restaurants and supermarkets. From here, they crossed over Shaftesbury Avenue, heading for the address that Aidan had been given.

The afternoon was surprisingly warm. It was lunch-time, there were lots of people around. The smell of fried noodles hung in the air.

The explosion happened just as they were about to turn the corner into Wardour Street. They didn’t just hear it. They felt it too. The pavement actually shuddered under their feet and a gust of warm air punched into them, carrying with it a cloud of dust and soot. If they had been just ten seconds earlier, they might have been hit by the full impact. A bomb had gone off. A large one. It had happened somewhere near.

“Stop…!” Aidan began.

He was too late. Scarlett had already run forward and turned the corner.

A scene of devastation greeted her on the other side. A building about half-way up the road had been blown to pieces. It was as if someone had punched a giant fist into it. There was glass and debris all over the pavement, and tongues of flame were licking out of the shattered brickwork. A taxi must have been passing at the moment the bomb went off. All its windows were broken and the driver had tumbled out, blind, blood pouring down his face. A woman was standing nearby, screaming and screaming, her clothes in tatters, covered in blood and broken glass. There was smoke everywhere but Scarlett could make out several bodies, lying still, some of them in rags. She had seen images like this on TV, in Baghdad and Jerusalem. But this was Soho, the centre of London. And she knew that she’d almost been part of it. It might have been Aidan and her, lying in the rubble.