Brynne! Nick rubbed his face with both hands and groaned. Why couldn’t it be Michelle at least? Or Gloria? Any of the nice normal girls. But oh no, he had to endure Brynne and her silly affected behaviour.
If he did what was being asked of him, he would never get rid of her again – that much was obvious. Besides, she would spread it round – she always did – and Emily would turn her back on him. Although to do that she would have had to turn to him in the first place.
Nick stared helplessly at the black computer screen. What did the messenger gain from giving him such pointless, annoying instructions? Did he want to punish him? Or test his obedience?
Assuming he went through with it, what sort of a date was it supposed to be? Sitting in a cafe and making small talk? Eating burgers at McDonald’s? A walk along the Thames with hand-holding thrown in? Or – God forbid – the cinema, where there was no possibility of escape and he would pass out in Brynne’s cloud of perfume.
Okay, cafe plus small talk. At least then there’d be a table between them. He would let her ramble on, nod appropriately and maybe even smile. ‘Make sure she feels comfortable and see to it that she has a pleasant evening.’
One level was nowhere near enough reward for that, Nick felt. He rummaged for his phone and found to his astonishment that he actually had Brynne’s number stored on it. He pressed ‘call’ but hung up again while the phone was still connecting. He didn’t feel like it. Tomorrow was soon enough. Why should he ruin this evening?
Should he maybe return Jamie’s call instead? Yeah right, so he could go on at him again with his concerns about Erebos.
No.
The only thing he wanted to do was play, and he could forget that – again.
Nick grabbed his iPod, plugged his ears and thought of Emily. A date with her – now that would have been a good task for him.
The thing with Brynne was occupying Nick’s thoughts so much that the Chemistry assignment had faded completely into the background. It was only after dinner that Nick remembered he had to hand it in tomorrow. He sat down at the computer, typed up the handwritten sentences, searched for the rest of the information and a few images on the internet, and added them in at the end. Then he printed the whole thing out and hoped against all reason that Mrs Ganter would bestow an A on his scribblings. He hated Chemistry.
And Brynne, not to forget Brynne. He hated her too. After Chemistry the next day he intercepted her, taking care to ensure that Emily wasn’t in sight.
‘Hey,’ he said. His whole face hurt from the fake smile. ‘I wanted to ask you something.’
Brynne’s eyes were big blue headlights, full of anticipation. ‘Yes?’ she breathed.
‘Maybe we could . . . meet after school today, what do you think? We go could to a cafe, for example.’
‘Oh. Yes, sure. Amazing.’ Nick got the impression she’d spoken the last word more to herself than to him.
‘Cafe Bianco, for example. We could go there straight after school,’ Nick suggested.
‘Well actually I’d like to go home and get changed beforehand.’
Oh, hell. She’d spend two hours painting and polishing and squeezing herself into the tightest and shortest skirt she could find. ‘You know what, Brynne,’ he said, deepening his smile till his bones hurt, ‘I don’t think you need to. Let’s go straight there. Once I get home,’ he rolled his eyes, ‘I might be so dead tired that I just collapse into bed. I haven’t been getting that much sleep recently.’
Did that sound like an excuse to her? Evidently not.
She giggled and winked conspiratorially. ‘You think I have? I barely know the meaning of sleep any more.’
They agreed to meet at the Underground station after Art class. Nick hoped that no-one would see them together in the crush.
Three minutes later he spotted Brynne outside the Physics classroom gesturing as she babbled to Gloria and Sarah. What it was about would have been obvious – even if they hadn’t constantly looked over in his direction.
Later – when Nick was sitting by himself in the furthest corner of the canteen, stuffing a tuna sandwich into his mouth without much enthusiasm – Jamie came up to him. They hadn’t talked to each other yet that day, and if Nick was honest, it was mainly his fault. The Chemistry assignment and the Date With Brynne had got under his skin so much that he wasn’t particularly keen to have an argument with Jamie.
But who actually said there would be an argument? They were old mates – just because they didn’t agree about one thing didn’t mean it had to ruin their friendship. Exactly. He would make that clear to him.
Jamie was white-faced and looked serious. ‘It’s a pity that you didn’t return my call yesterday,’ he said.
‘I had a lot to do.’
‘Yes, of course.’
‘What else is up?’ Nick tried to steer the conversation onto safe ground. ‘Did you talk to Darleen? You were going to.’
‘No. Nick, I’d like to show you something.’
Show? That sounded fine. It didn’t sound as if Jamie was going to try to talk him out of the game again.
‘Okay. What is it?’
Jamie pulled a tightly folded-up piece of paper out of his trouser pocket and thrust it into Nick’s hand. ‘I found that jammed into the luggage rack on my bike yesterday.’
Nick unfolded the paper and thought for a moment he was having deja vu. There was a gravestone drawn on the piece of paper, not drawn well, but recognisable. The inscription read:
JAMIE GORDON COX
DIED OF CURIOSITY AND UNWELCOME INTERFERENCE.
MAY HE REST IN PEACE.
The artist had painted trails of blood next to the letters, thick drops that were running down the gravestone.
‘That’s a pretty stupid joke,’ Nick said. ‘Any idea who it’s from?’
‘No. I think you know that scene better than I do.’
He wasn’t going to let himself be provoked by Jamie’s sniping. ‘The writing doesn’t look familiar, I couldn’t even say if it’s from a girl or a —’
‘Don’t you get it? It’s a threat.’ Jamie interrupted him. ‘A death threat, and quite an obvious one at that. I’m not supposed to interfere, and I’m to keep my nose out of your game, or —’ He made a beheading gesture with the flat of his hand.
‘You’re not taking it seriously are you?’ Nick asked. ‘It’s a stupid joke! Tell me, who is supposed to kill you?’
Jamie shrugged his shoulders. He did look upset.
‘Who says it even has anything to do with . . . well, you know what? You can’t possibly be sure about that.’
It was too bad that Nick himself was very sure. There was no doubt that the dubious artwork came from someone who had gone for a night walk in the Erebos graveyard at some time.
‘I’m not that stupid,’ Jamie snorted. ‘Tell me, what else could it possibly be about? What do you think is meant by “unwelcome interference”? That I complained in the canteen because there’s not enough salt in the spaghetti?’
‘Okay, but you’re not going to take it seriously, are you? It’s nonsense, nothing more. Someone wants to frighten you and you’re letting yourself be scared. You don’t need to, honest.’
Jamie looked at him for a long time before he spoke again.
‘So what was up with Aisha? Why did she scream the other day? And the girl from Year 7, Zoe? What about her?’
‘No idea. Go ask her.’
Jamie smiled bitterly. ‘That’s exactly what I did. I talked to both of them and asked them what it was that frightened them so much. Guess what? They’re saying nothing. Keeping completely mum.’
‘Probably they realised ages ago that someone was playing a stupid joke on them.’
‘No. They’re scared. Yesterday I found two people who’ve been chucked out of the game. They don’t want to talk about it either, at least not yet. But I think one of them is considering it. Maybe he’ll go to Mr Watson; at least that’s what I suggested to him.’
Don??
?t tell me about it, Nick thought, please be quiet. Otherwise what am I supposed to do if the messenger asks me about you?
He looked around frantically – was anyone listening to them? No, none of the nearby tables was occupied, and the people who were sitting further away were all caught up in their own conversations.
‘See? You’re completely paranoid yourself!’ Jamie cried. ‘Why? Explain it to me!’
‘Not so loud!’ Nick couldn’t help hissing. ‘I’m not paranoid. You just don’t get it. It’s all very complex and very exciting, but it could easily be ruined, which would be a shame. That’s why a few of the people might overreact when someone wants to spoil their fun.’
‘Fun?’ Jamie whispered, and held the drawing under Nick’s nose. ‘That’s fun?’ He folded the note up and put it in his trouser pocket. ‘I’m going to give it to Mr Watson. He’s been really worried since the incident with Aisha; he’s already talked to a few students and he’s going to contact the parents soon, too. Perhaps this piece of drivel will help him. Perhaps he’ll recognise the writing.’
‘Come on, stop exaggerating!’
Why didn’t Jamie get the fact that it was all a game? The very fact that it kept spilling over into reality was what made it so fascinating – but that didn’t mean there was even a remote possibility that any of the players would so much as touch a hair on Jamie’s head. ‘I’d like to know whether I can count on you if push comes to shove,’ Jamie said. ‘Are we still friends?’
‘Of course we’re friends. But this scaremongering because of one or two idiots who write pretend threatening letters is ridiculous. Take my word for it. If you give the note to Mr Watson he’ll blow it out of proportion and there’ll be trouble.’
Jamie touched his hand to his trouser pocket. ‘If the trouble finds the right people, that’s okay,’ he said, and stood up. Before he went, he leaned down to Nick one more time. ‘Sure you don’t want to get out? Drop it. Nothing good will come of it – somehow I just know it.’
Nick shook his head. ‘You’re making a much bigger deal of . . . this thing than you need to. I enjoy it, it’s an adventure, you know?’ ‘You can’t even come straight out and say it’s a game.’
Nick stared at him angrily, but didn’t say anything. What did Jamie know about the rules – being discreet was just what you did. If he’d accepted Erebos from him and taken a look at it, he would be equally as enthusiastic!
‘Emily would be glad too if you dropped it. She said so.’
‘Emily should just keep on looking after Eric,’ Nick blurted out, ‘and not interfere in my business.’
Jamie exhaled noisily. ‘Shit, Nick,’ he said, turned and left.
CHAPTER 15
Only three tables were occupied in Cafe Bianco, and there were no familiar faces at any of them. Nick heaved a sigh of relief. The shared trip on the Tube had already been hard work, with Brynne rabbiting on endlessly. Now they’d have a drink together, Nick would pay for Brynne’s cola and then he’d be out of there, off home. For the next quest, he’d be a Seven.
‘ . . . was in a complete state yesterday. I think she got the worst of it in some fight.’
Who was she talking about again? Nick inquired, and got a searing look.
‘Weren’t you listening to me? Zoe, the fat girl in Year 7. She howled so much that snot was running down her face.’ Brynne pulled a disgusted face. ‘Then Colin whispered something in her ear and we got some peace.’
Colin seemed to be sticking his nose into everything these days.
A waitress with three lip piercings took their order. To Nick’s surprise, Brynne ordered a beer.
‘I love beer, don’t you?’ she cooed.
‘Hmm,’ Nick said, and looked away. How long did he have to sit here before the messenger would count it as a proper date? The five minutes he’d completed so far were presumably not enough. Damn.
‘Colin is such a cool guy,’ Brynne said, feigning contemplation. ‘Almost as cool as you, Nick.’
A pained sigh escaped Nick, which he tried to make up for immediately with a wide smile. He was to make sure she felt comfortable, that was the deal. Let’s see whether Brynne would feel comfortable even on thin ice.
He checked again to see whether there were any familiar faces among the patrons. No. So it was worth a try.
‘I’d like to know,’ he said slowly, ‘what name Colin is playing under. Do you have any idea?’
‘Come on, Nick,’ Brynne said and put a hot damp hand on his arm. ‘I’m not that stupid.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I’m not going to break the rules. It always comes out and then it gets ugly. You know that.’
Nick resisted the impulse to pull his arm away.
‘But no-one can hear us here.’
‘You never know.’
The drinks came, and Nick managed to discreetly shift his limbs out of reach.
‘What do you mean, it gets ugly? You get chucked out. Of course that’s a major pain, but —’
‘Have you ever been there when they come to get a traitor?’ Brynne interrupted him. ‘I have. They took him away and . . . executed him. That happens to everyone who goes over to Ortolan’s side.’
She sipped her beer without taking her eyes off him. Nick lowered his gaze into the dark depths of his cola glass.
‘Do you know who Ortolan is?’ he asked. ‘We can talk about that, can’t we?’
‘Can you see a fire?’
She’d obviously completely lost it now. ‘Fire? What are you talking about?’
Instead of answering Brynne pulled a scrunched up note out of her bag. ‘I mostly keep the rules with me. See, it’s written here: During the game you can converse around the fires.’
She got a lighter out, and made a little flame leap up. ‘Now all we have to do is play,’ she whispered, and drew her finger along the back of his hand. The feeling was pleasant as long as Nick ignored the fact that Brynne was causing it. He shut his eyes.
‘I can imagine that Ortolan might be a magician,’ Brynne whispered close to his ear. ‘Or a dragon with three heads. He’s certainly very strong. The players in the Inner Circle are getting special training so that they’ll have a chance against him later on.’
If it weren’t for Brynne’s harem perfume, Nick could have imagined that it was Emily stroking his hand. Straight away the thought caused him pain, because an image of Emily and Eric followed in its wake. Nick opened his eyes. The lighter was still burning and Brynne was looking at him expectantly. No, I’m not going to kiss you.
‘Well, let’s wait and see,’ he said aloud, and reached for his glass. Brynne appeared unsure for a moment, but she pulled herself together straightaway.
‘What was up with Jamie today? Did you get a load of the look on his face? . . . I mean, his face is never a pretty sight, but today . . .’ She gave Nick an arch look. ‘Did he tell you what his problem is?’
‘No.’
‘Ah. I thought you two were so close. But you’re not, are you? I’m glad. He’s annoying.’ Make her feel comfortable, Nick repeated. Feel comfortable, the silly cow.
‘And he’s not a gamer either. Have you seen how he’s always hanging around with Eric? Colin always calls him Sushi. I already explained to him that sushi is actually Japanese, but he thinks it’s hysterical anyway. Now Eric has hooked up with Emily apparently, that boring frump. Honestly. Colin says he’s never met anyone so lame. Never opens her mouth and always looks as though her guinea pig has just carked it.’ Brynne burst out laughing. Feel comfortable . . . he’s supposed to make her feel comfortable. ‘It’s probably a matter of taste who you think is lame,’ he said, and forced a smile onto his face. ‘Colin and I mostly like completely different girls.’
This time Brynne was the one who didn’t answer. Nick suspected that the penny had finally dropped, but he wasn’t going to worry about that right now. He was still chewing over the fact that Eric and Emily were supposedly together now. Was it true? And if so, how
did Brynne know about it? Too bad he couldn’t ask her. Too bad he’d tried to lure Emily into Erebos. He could kick himself.
‘I wonder if we’re missing something important?’ he murmured when the silence got painful.
‘There’s always something important,’ Brynne said. ‘No matter when you enter or leave, you’re always going to miss something. I get nervous about that too. I hope they’re not announcing the date for the next Arena fights right now.’
‘Were you there for the last ones?’
She pursed her lips. ‘Are you sure that you’re not trying to trick me and then dob me in afterwards? You know what the rules are. If I were to tell you I was there, that I fought twice and won a level, then it would be easy to figure out who I am. Or who I’m not. The messenger explained it to me. He takes it all very seriously.’
‘Yeah okay, fine.’
‘Are you actually glad that I gave you Erebos?’ she asked, without looking at him.
‘Sure. Of course. It’s incredible.’
Brynne pushed a strand of hair behind her ear with exaggerated slowness. ‘Don’t you sometimes think it’s scary?’
Damned scary. ‘Oh, it’s fine. I think it’s meant to be like that.’
‘Yes.’ She twisted her glass between her hands, first one way, then the other, then the first again. ‘I only wish I could understand how it reads my mind.’
Reads her mind – that was an exaggeration, Nick thought as he travelled home on the tube. Brynne had got out at the previous station, but not without first giving him a hug and pressing a kiss right next to his mouth.
The game certainly couldn’t read his mind. Or at least not all of it. If you ignored the inexplicable fact that it had given him a Hell Froze Over shirt for loyal service. And it had talked to him about Emily even though he’d never mentioned her.
The train doors slid open with a hiss, and Nick got out. It was getting dark outside; hopefully dinner would be ready when he got home. He certainly couldn’t afford to wait ages for it; he’d neglected Erebos for far too long already.