‘Were you scared?’ James asked.
‘I thought it was a trick,’ Kerry said. ‘Why put the eye masks on us unless it was fake?’
‘That never occurred to me,’ James said. ‘I was too scared to think straight.’
‘Look under your seat,’ Kerry said.
Something had been put under everyone’s chair while they were blindfolded. James undid his ankles and picked up the present. It was grey. He unfurled it and looked at the winged baby sitting on the globe and the letters: CHERUB.
‘Beauty,’ James shouted.
Kerry was already putting her T-shirt on. James pulled off his blue shirt for the last time. When his smiling head popped through the neck hole, Large was standing in front of him holding out his hand. James shook it.
‘Congratulations, James,’ Mr Large said. ‘You two worked well together.’
It was the first nice thing James had heard him say.
26. BACK
You weren’t supposed to wear CHERUB uniform off campus for security reasons, but James wore his grey shirt all the way home hidden under his tracksuit. He woke up on the plane and peeked down his chest to make sure it wasn’t a dream. Kerry was asleep in the next seat. James could see the grey tail of her CHERUB shirt hanging out the back of her jeans.
Everyone was in a good mood. Even the instructors, who got a three-week holiday before the next batch started training. Kerry stopped acting tough and surprised James by turning into a normal eleven-year-old girl. She told James she couldn’t wait until her nails and hair grew back. She even bought a pen and card in the airport gift shop and got everyone to sign it for the instructors. James told her he thought it was dumb. He remembered that Large had been happy to get them thrown off the course to win a bet. It might be Large’s job to make trainees suffer, but he seemed to enjoy it as well.
*
The van from the airport left them at the training building. The new operatives picked a few things up from their lockers and changed out of their casual travel clothes into uniform. James kept one of the filthy blue shirts with the number seven on as a memento. Kerry was holding out a key.
‘Help me move my stuff?’ Kerry asked.
‘Where to?’ James asked.
‘The main building. Red shirts live in the junior block.’ The instructors wanted them all out of the training area fast so they could get home.
Callum was waiting for his twin outside the training compound. His arm was out of the sling. James felt sorry for Callum having to start training again. James gave him a friendly shove.
‘You’ll get there,’ James said. ‘No worries.’
Connor put his arm round his brother.
Kerry was running ahead, excited, ‘Come on, James.’
James went after her to the junior block. He hadn’t been there before. It was the middle of the morning so everyone was in class. Kerry’s room had kiddies’ furniture: a plastic desk, bunk beds and a big wooden trunk with My Toys painted on the side. The wardrobe had a green teddy on the doors.
‘What a divine room,’ James said, trying not to laugh.
‘Shut your pie hole,’ Kerry said, ‘and carry.’
She had packed everything before training started.
‘You must have been confident,’ James said.
‘If I failed this time, I was going to leave CHERUB. You don’t have to become an agent if you don’t want to.’
‘Where do you go if you leave?’ James asked.
‘They send you to a boarding school. In the holidays you stay with a foster family.’
‘You really would have left?’
‘I promised myself,’ Kerry said. ‘That’s why I got so upset on Christmas Day when you got us in trouble.’
James stayed quiet. He didn’t want the conversation straying towards their agreement to fight in the dojo. They packed Kerry’s stuff on to one of the electric buggies that staff used around campus.
‘Where’s your new room?’ James asked.
Kerry showed him the number on her key ring.
‘Sixth floor,’ James said. ‘Same as me, we’re practically neighbours.’
They walked back to Kerry’s old room and did a final check to make sure nothing was left behind. Kerry had tears streaking down her face.
‘What?’ James asked.
‘This has been my room since I was seven,’ Kerry sobbed. ‘I’ll miss it.’
James didn’t know where to look.
‘Kerry, the rooms in the main building are about fifty times cooler. You’ve got your own bathroom and computer and everything.’
‘I know, but still …’ Kerry sobbed.
‘Give over,’ James said. ‘Can I drive the buggy, I’ve never done it before?’
*
The buggy was overloaded with Kerry’s stuff and felt like it might tip over on a bump. The bell had gone for a lesson change. Kids were going between the buildings. A few of Kerry’s friends stopped the buggy and congratulated them on passing basic.
Amy burst out of a door.
‘Hey,’ she shouted.
James hit the brake.
‘Congratulations,’ Amy said, leaning into the buggy and hugging both of them.
‘You taught James to swim, didn’t you, Amy?’ Kerry asked.
‘Yes,’ Amy said.
‘What’s with all this?’ Kerry asked, flapping her arms about in a wobbly front crawl.
‘I don’t swim like that,’ James said peevishly.
Amy and Kerry both laughed.
‘I only had three weeks to teach him,’ Amy said. ‘He’s getting more lessons.’
Amy copied Kerry’s impression of James’ swimming and they both laughed even harder. James would happily have thumped them, only they could both easily batter him.
‘Anyway, James,’ Amy said. ‘I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I’ve got something to show you.’
‘What?’ James sulked.
‘James, I’m sorry,’ Amy said. ‘I’m your teacher so I shouldn’t laugh at you. I promise I’ll cheer you up if you come with me.’
James climbed out of the buggy.
‘Where to?’
‘You look really fit, James,’ Amy said.
James wasn’t sure if she was saying it to make him feel better.
‘Are you OK to move that stuff on your own?’ Amy asked Kerry.
Kerry nodded. ‘Someone will help.’
Amy led James back towards the junior building.
‘What is this?’ James asked.
‘I wasn’t sure you’d make it through training first time,’ Amy said. ‘I’m impressed.’
James smiled. ‘Another three or four compliments and I’ll forgive you for what you said about my swimming.’
They walked into the education block in the Junior building. It looked like any ordinary primary school, with little kids’ paintings on the walls and plasticine models on the window ledges. Amy stopped by a classroom door.
‘There,’ Amy said.
‘What is this?’ James said. ‘Can’t you just tell me?’
Amy pointed at the door. ‘Have a look.’
James stuck his face up to the glass. Inside, ten kids sat on the floor chanting phrases in Spanish. The red shirts wore the same uniform as everyone else, only with trainers instead of boots.
‘See it?’ Amy asked.
‘No,’ he said impatiently. ‘I don’t even know what I’m looking for.’
Then it hit James like a bomb.
‘Shit,’ he said, grinning.
He knocked on the classroom door and walked in.
‘Shit,’ James said again, loudly, in front of the teacher and all the kids.
The Spanish teacher looked furious.
‘My sister,’ James said.
He couldn’t think of anything else to say and stood with his mouth open.
‘Excuse our interruption, Miss,’ Amy said calmly. ‘This is Lauren’s brother, James. He’s just finished basic training and was wondering if you could excuse he
r.’
The teacher flicked her hand at Lauren. ‘Go on, just this once.’
Lauren scrambled up from the carpet and jumped into James’ arms. She was heavy. James stumbled back a couple of paces before he got his balance.
‘Hola hermano grande,’ Lauren said, grinning.
‘What?’ James asked.
‘It’s Spanish,’ Lauren said. ‘It means hello, big brother.’
*
Amy had a lesson to go to. Lauren walked James to her room.
‘I can’t believe this,’ James said, grinning uncontrollably.
The best he’d hoped for was being able to see Lauren a couple of times a month. Having her walking along in front of him in a CHERUB uniform was too much to take in.
Lauren’s room was like Kerry’s old one, except everything was newer.
‘Can’t believe this,’ James said again, slumping on to a beanbag. ‘I just cannot believe this.’
Lauren laughed. ‘So you’re pleased to see me?’
She got Cokes out of her fridge and threw one at James.
‘I mean how … I mean …’ James giggled. ‘Why are you here?’
‘Because Ron punched me in the face,’ Lauren said.
‘He did what?’ James said, shocked.
‘Punched me. I had massive black eyes.’
‘That arsehole,’ James shouted, kicking out at the wall. ‘They never should have let him look after you. I knew something like that would happen.’
Lauren squeezed up next to James on the beanbag.
‘I hate Ron’s guts,’ Lauren said. ‘Mrs Reed asked what happened to my eyes when I went to school the next day.’
‘You told her the truth?’ James asked.
‘Yeah. She got the police. They saw all the smuggled cigarettes when they went round to arrest him; so they busted him for that as well.’
James laughed. ‘Serves him right.’
‘I got taken to Nebraska House,’ Lauren said. ‘Nobody could find where you’d gone. I got really upset. I thought I was never gonna see you again.’
‘So how long did it take them to find me?’ James asked.
‘I was at Nebraska House three days. Fourth day I woke up here.’
James laughed. ‘Freaks you out, doesn’t it?’
‘They wouldn’t let me speak to you. Mac took me to see you though. I watched you and that Chinese girl doing Karate. She was killing you. It was so funny.’
‘Did you have to do the tests to get in?’
‘No,’ Lauren said. ‘They’re only if you’re older and you’re going straight into training.’
‘That’s so jammy,’ James said. ‘The tests half killed me.’
Lauren whacked him across the arm. ‘Leave my hair alone.’
James was winding it around his fingertips. She hated him doing that.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Never even realised I was doing it.’
‘I’m on a special programme,’ Lauren said. ‘Loads of running, swimming, Karate and stuff, so I’m really fit when I start basic training.’
‘You’re ten this year, aren’t you?’ James said.
Lauren nodded. ‘September. I’m trying not to think about basic training.’
‘But you think it’s cool here, don’t you?’ James asked. ‘You’re happy?’
‘It’s superb,’ Lauren said. ‘There’s always loads to do. Did I tell you, they took us skiing? I got this bruise on my arse the size of a CD.’
James laughed. ‘I can’t imagine you on skis.’
‘And you want the best news?’
‘What?’
‘They found drugs and tons of stolen stuff in Ron’s flat. Guess how long they put him in prison for?’
James shrugged. ‘Five years?’
Lauren pointed a finger at the ceiling.
James grinned. ‘Seven years?’
‘Nine,’ Lauren said.
James punched the air.
27. ROUTINE
They had a week off after training finished. James went to check out Kerry’s room now she’d unpacked. He wasn’t happy.
‘My new timetable is mental,’ James said. ‘Six hours of lessons every day. Two hours’ homework a night and two hours of lessons on Saturday morning. That’s forty-four hours a week of schoolwork.’
‘So?’ Kerry said. What did you do at your old school?’
‘Twenty-five hours at school and a few hours’ homework, which I never did. There’s no way I’m doing all that homework.’
‘Better get used to scrubbing floors then,’ Kerry said.
‘For not doing homework?’
‘Yep. Or cleaning out the kitchen, mowing lawns, wiping windows. Repeat offenders get toilets and changing rooms. The reason you do all those lessons is you miss loads when you’re on missions and you have to catch up. They’re not all lessons anyway, some of them are sport and teaching and stuff.’
‘That’s the other thing,’ James said. ‘I’ve got to teach maths to little kids.’
‘All grey and dark shirt kids have to teach. It gives you a sense of responsibility. Amy teaches swimming. Bruce teaches martial arts. I’ve got to do Spanish with the five- and sixyear-olds. I’m really looking forward to it.’
James slumped on Kerry’s bed.
‘You sound exactly like Meryl Spencer, my handler. I can’t believe you’re happy about all this work.’
‘It’s not much more than I had as a red shirt.’
‘I wish I’d never come here.’
‘Stop being a drama queen,’ Kerry said. ‘CHERUB gives you a great education and a cool place to live. When you leave here you’ll speak two or three languages, have qualifications coming out of your ears, and be set for life. Think where you’d be now if you hadn’t come here.’
‘OK,’ James said. ‘My life was down the toilet. But I hate school. It’s so boring I want to smash my head up against the wall half the time.’
‘You’re lazy, James. You want to sit in your room with your stupid Playstation going blip, blip, all day. You said yourself you were gonna end up in prison the way you were carrying on. If you get bored in a classroom, how would you like eighteen hours a day in a cell? And take those filthy boots off my bed before I bust your head open.’
James put his feet down.
‘Playstation is not a waste of time,’ he said.
‘You want the best reason why you should work hard?’
‘What?’
‘Lauren. She loves you. If you do good, she’ll do good. If you muck up and get thrown out, she’ll have to make a choice between staying with you and staying at CHERUB.’
‘Stop being right,’ James said. ‘Everyone in this place is clever, level-headed, and I’m always wrong. I hate all of you.’
Kerry started laughing.
‘It’s not funny,’ James said, starting to smile.
Kerry sat beside him on the bed.
‘You’ll get used to it here, James.’
‘You’re right about Lauren,’ James said. ‘I have to think about her.’
Kerry moved a bit closer and rested her head on James’ shoulder.
‘Beneath that dumb exterior you’re a good person,’ Kerry said.
‘Thanks,’ James said. ‘So are you.’
James put his arm round Kerry’s shoulders. It felt like the natural thing to do, but two seconds after he did it his brain was spinning. What did this mean? Did he want Kerry to be his girlfriend, or was it just that they’d been through so much together in training? He’d showered with her and slept next to her, but until training ended James had barely noticed that Kerry was a girl. Not a dream girl like Amy, but not bad either. He thought about kissing her cheek, but chickened out.
‘The room looks nice,’ James said, scratching for something to say. ‘All your pictures and stuff. I’ll have to get some. My walls are white.’
‘I was thinking,’ Kerry said. ‘We should renegotiate our deal.’
James had avoided Kerry for two days, hopi
ng she’d forget.
‘How?’ he asked.
‘Friday night,’ Kerry said. ‘Take me to the cinema. I pick the movie. You pay the bus fare, the cinema tickets, hot dogs, popcorn, Pepsi and whatever else I want.’
‘That’s gonna be easily twenty quid for the two of us,’ James said.
‘That kid you’re friendly with, Bruce.’
‘What about him?’
‘He broke his leg once,’ Kerry said. ‘When we were eight.’
‘He said it broke in nine places.’
‘He exaggerates. I only broke it in seven places.’
‘You?’ James said.
‘Snapped it like a twig. Kicked him in the head for luck.’
‘OK,’ James said. ‘Cinema, my treat.’
*
Kyle arrived back from a mission Friday morning with sunburn and a sack-load of fake designer gear. James followed Kyle into his room. It was freakishly neat. Even inside the wardrobe Kyle’s clothes were all in dry cleaner’s bags, above a row of boots and trainers with shoe trees in them.
‘Philippines,’ Kyle said. ‘I’m back in Mac’s good books.’
‘What happened?’ James asked.
‘Confidential. Here, these were supposed to make you feel better when you got kicked out of training.’
Kyle tossed over a pair of fake Ray Ban sunglasses. James slipped them on and posed in the mirror.
‘These are cool, cheers,’ James said. ‘Everyone thought I’d fail.’
‘You would have,’ Kyle said. ‘If you hadn’t got Kerry as a partner, Large would have chewed you up in a week.’
‘You know Kerry?’ James asked.
‘Bruce does. He said you had a chance once he found out Kerry was your partner. She cost me ten quid.’
‘You bet against me getting through training?’
‘No offence, James, but you’re a spoiled brat and a total whiner. I thought I’d make an easy tenner.’
‘Thanks,’ James said. ‘Good to know who your friends are.’
‘You want to buy a fake Rolex watch?’ Kyle asked. ‘Same as the real thing, four quid each.’
*
The whole crowd went to the cinema Friday night. Bruce, Kyle, Kerry, Callum, Connor, James, Lauren and a few other kids. James was happy being part of a big group, all messing about and slagging each other off. The film was a twelve. The rest of them could pass for twelve, but they had to smuggle Lauren through the emergency exit.