London Belongs to the Alchemist (Class Heroes Book 4) Page 7

  Steve leaned closer to James.

  “I wonder if it’s the same person who fancies Sam? I mean, you do both look alike,” he offered.

  “How’s your head, Steve?” James asked. “If I slam it down repeatedly on to the desk, will that numb the pain for you?”

  Steve smirked, clearly pleased with his own cleverness.

  Mr Braxton, the History teacher, was exceedingly angry about the prank and told the class that they would all be kept in at lunchtime unless the culprit owned up. Nobody did.

  James himself was excused the inquisition as the time was rapidly approaching 11:30 and he had his appointment with Ms Pope the counsellor.

  ***

  As James trooped, gratefully, down the corridor, he was consumed with curiosity as to whom had sent the eLoveLetter.

  He knocked politely on the door of room seven. Sasha had said Ms Pope was nice, so hopefully this wouldn’t be too excruciating.

  “Come in,” said a voice from the other side of the door. It sounded younger and haughtier than James had expected.

  He opened the door. His heart leapt and his brain went numb.

  Not possible.

  Room seven was no more than a small office, often used for special needs one-to-one tuition. It was warm, sleepy and always smelled of coffee. There were three tables in the room. Sitting on the table in front of the window — legs crossed, dressed in a short, black skirt and suit jacket, glasses, and her hair in a neat pony tail — was Lolly Rosewood. Sir Michael’s crazy daughter. Last time James had met her, she had tried to kill him.

  Chapter 10

  James tensed up, waiting for Lolly to attack, but she was totally relaxed, perched on the table like a cat. Big eyes, not a care in the world. She was holding a pen and a notepad, and couldn’t keep the smile off her face.

  “It’s James Blake, isn’t it?” she asked, sweetly, removing her glasses. “Come and lie down on the couch for me.”

  “What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Ms Pope?”

  “Ms Pope popped out,” replied Lolly. “Please, pull up a pew.”

  “What?”

  “I’m your counsellor today.”

  “I should throw you out that window,” threatened James.

  “My, my. You are an angry young man,” teased Lolly, pretending to make a note of it on her pad. “I can see why the Head sent you to me.”

  “The Head didn’t send me to you. What have you done to Ms Pope? You’d better not have hurt her.”

  “Acute… paranoia,” murmured Lolly, again, pretending to write down her notes. She looked up at James. “Well, a cute something, anyway,” she added, playfully.

  James didn’t know how to take this behaviour. He’d expected an attack. Had she killed the school counsellor just to get to him?

  “I asked you where Ms Pope is.”

  “She’s fine,” replied Lolly, as though she couldn’t imagine why James would think any differently. “She thinks there’s a family emergency at home. You know me, I wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  James forced himself to calm down. All his instincts were telling him to overpower Lolly and call the police. As far as he was aware, Lolly’s father, Sir Michael Rosewood, was being held in an MI5 dungeon somewhere, and they were keen to put Lolly inside it with him before they threw away the key.

  Lolly was dangerous. Like Sam, she had super strength and could easily beat James to a pulp. It was only by luck that he’d managed to get the better of her last time. If he started something now, the whole school would witness a battle of epic proportions, exposing his superpowers and placing teachers and pupils in danger. Plus, it would be very embarrassing to get publicly whupped by a girl.

  Lolly was watching him, patiently. She knew what he was thinking.

  “What do you want?” he asked, finally, closing the door.

  Lolly smiled and shifted along the table, patting a space beside her.

  “That’s better. Come and sit next to me. I’ve kept it warm for you.”

  “No, thanks.”

  “I know you secretly want to. Did you guess that love letter was from me?”

  James sighed. He hadn’t guessed, but who else would do something so monumentally flash and cheeky?

  “Bet all the other girls were really jealous,” said Lolly, playfully. “And I bet the boys would be too if they saw me.”

  “Don’t flatter yourself.”

  “James,” Lolly chided him, with mock affront. “I’m being nice here. I’ve come to apologize for all that’s happened in the past and ask if we can be friends.”

  “You’re kidding?” scoffed James, remaining by the door.

  “Straight up. Cross my heart and hope to always have the power of regeneration,” said Lolly, performing a mime of running her hand across her chest.

  The trouble was, thought James, Lolly intrigued him. With his rational mind, he hated her. She had done such terrible things: to him, his family and friends, and to countless strangers. She was completely amoral, she saw nothing wrong in her actions, and she was as trustworthy as a tiger.

  Yet there was something about her that made the blood fizz around his veins. He could feel his temperature rising and he was swaying from foot-to-foot. She had a confidence and a focus that resonated with James. And she was a knockout to look at. It was difficult to take his eyes off her bare legs or stop himself being beguiled by her eyes. Another reason why he didn’t want to get any closer to Lolly Rosewood.

  “We should never have been on opposite sides,” said Lolly. “Like Daddy always used to say, we’re a family of sorts. Dysfunctional maybe, fighting, hating each other, but deep down we’re related by our abilities. You’re the first person who isn’t my father who I’ve felt any real connection with. We’re different from other people and I feel drawn to you because of that.”

  She looked much younger all of a sudden. There was a vulnerability that James had never seen in her before. It seemed genuine and it echoed the private thoughts that came to him when he was awake at two o’clock in the morning.

  “But what do you want?” he asked, determined to keep his guard up.

  “I’m asking for help, actually. And as you can probably guess, that’s not something that comes easily to me. I’m on my own. Daddy will be locked up for the rest of his life. I have nobody to turn to. So I’m turning to you and your family. Can I come and live with you?”

  Chapter 11

  “Definitely not!” boomed Dad and Sam, when James relayed Lolly’s plea later, in the car.

  He hadn’t told Sam about Lolly while they were at school. Sam’s counselling session had been cancelled and James had avoided speaking to his sister for the rest of the day.

  James broke the news to them as Dad parked the car on the small driveway in front of the house.

  “She was in the school?” asked Sam, in horror. “And you spoke to her? You should have grabbed hold of her.”

  I wouldn’t mind, thought James, but wisely decided not to vocalize that desire.

  “I couldn’t get into a big fight with her, could I? I thought the best thing to do was be cool and tell Dad,” he said, playing the responsible-son card.

  “You did the right thing, James,” Dad said, slightly mollified. “Under no circumstances are either of you to fight Lolly Rosewood. As soon as we get inside, I’ll call Mrs Stannard and she can take up the chase for the girl. End of. It’s not our responsibility.”

  Mrs Stannard was a friend of sorts. James knew that Dad regarded her as both an ally and a liability. She was an MI5 officer and it was she who had captured Lolly’s father and arranged for his incarceration. She had also gone out of her way to help the twins keep their abilities secret from the authorities and even her own superiors. Dad feared that it was a secret that she couldn’t, or maybe wouldn’t, hide forever.

  Dad switched off the engine but remained seated behind the wheel. He was breathing slowly and looked like he was trying to gather his thoughts. James and Sam made no effort to ge
t out of the car.

  “I kind of got the impression that Lolly was genuine though, Dad,” said James. “And she hasn’t got anywhere else to go. If I were her, I’d be really scared.” Careful, James, he thought. He didn’t want to sound like he was actually in favour of the idea, just responsibly thinking through the implications.

  “I appreciate that,” said Dad, patiently. “But that girl is a mass murderer, a psychopath, and the daughter of a psychopath. She needs locking up.”

  “I can’t believe you just let her go,” seethed Sam, throwing an accusing look at James.

  “Sorry, Sam. I’ll just bring the entire school down on top of her next time shall I?” he retorted.

  “Stop bickering you two,” snapped Dad. “This is serious. She must have a reason for being here and despite what you think, James, I sincerely doubt that it’s because she’s a poor orphan.”

  Dad unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car.

  ***

  As usual, Dad took ages to locate his door keys in his various jacket and trouser pockets. James, annoyed at Sam’s holier-than-thou attitude, decided to bait his sister.

  “She could share your room,” he suggested.

  “Shut up!” snapped Sam.

  “Quiet,” said Dad. “That girl is not setting foot in this house and that’s an end to it.”

  He opened the door. James followed Dad inside, Sam just behind him.

  “I let myself in,” cooed a voice.

  James followed the sound to the stairs where Lolly Rosewood was making her way to the ground floor, her hair wet from the shower, dressed in Sam’s fluffy pink dressing gown, holding Sam’s prized copy of Pride and Prejudice and eating a piece of cake.

  “Your house is so cosy,” she said, enthusiastically, making balls of her bare feet on the stairs’ carpet.

  “What?” screeched Sam, nearly piercing James’s ear drums. “What are you doing in my house? That’s my stuff. My book. You’re wearing my clothes.” She took a step towards Lolly but Dad put a restraining arm in front of her.

  “It was all I could find that was suitable, I thought it would be rude to go through James’s stuff,” replied Lolly, sweetly. “Sorry, but I travel light and I really needed a shower. Hope you don’t mind?” she said, directing her last remark at Dad.

  Dad kept his cool.

  “Come downstairs into the kitchen, Miss Rosewood,” he said, in the same tone of voice that he usually reserved for Steve Roadhouse.

  Lolly obeyed. She casually handed the book to Sam as she passed her in the hallway.

  “That is so boring,” she muttered. “I prefer something with vampires.”

  James tensed up, expecting Sam to go for Lolly. To her credit, she just took the book and filed silently into the kitchen behind everybody else.

  Lolly sat at the table, with James, Dad and Sam surrounding her.

  “I don’t mean any harm. I didn’t have anybody else I could turn to,” said Lolly, looking up at them and dropping her air of superiority.

  “What do you want from us?” asked Dad, coldly.

  “Nothing,” protested Lolly. “Well, nothing but somewhere to stay for a few days. I’ve got nothing and nobody,” she added in a small voice, and looked away.

  “Don’t listen to her!” shouted Sam.

  The front door opened and closed. Mum came into the kitchen.

  “I managed to leave work early, so I—”. She broke off when she saw Lolly.

  Now it’s getting interesting, thought James.

  ***

  Twenty minutes later and they were all sitting around the dining-room table. James had given Lolly some tracksuit bottoms and a clean T-shirt to wear. She seemed quite happy and kept sniffing the T-shirt, as though looking for comfort.

  “What sort of washing powder do you use?” she asked.

  Seeing her like this, in their own house, she didn’t seem like the mighty, evil, scary Lolly Rosewood that he had fought, almost to the death, in Suffolk. She just looked like any other kid from the school.

  She sat cross-legged on the chair.

  “I know I’ve broken the law of England, or whatever. And you probably hate me because of everything that I’ve done to you. I’m not trying to pretend it doesn’t matter, but you must know how different things are when you have superpowers.”

  “You’re a wanted criminal,” said Mum, unmoved. “We should call the police right now. What made you think that we would harbour a fugitive, particularly one who has done so much damage to this family?”

  “I didn’t,” said Lolly, in a small voice. “But I had to try. I’ve got no father. I know that MI5 have locked him up somewhere. I’ve only seen my mother five times in my whole life and she has made it clear she doesn’t want anything to do with me. She lives in Switzerland with her husband. I’m a horrible reminder of her old life with Daddy. But Daddy was my whole life. Everything I have done I’ve done for him. Maybe if I’d been part of a family like yours, things would be different.”

  “Yeah, right,” scoffed Sam. “I’m going to be sick.”

  Dad sat back in his chair and looked at Mum. James could see that he had been affected by Lolly’s speech. Mum wasn’t convinced.

  “I don’t expect you to look after me forever,” said Lolly. “Maybe you could call my mother. I know she’s never met you, but you’re… normal,” Lolly looked almost apologetic as she spoke the words. “Maybe she’ll listen to you and think about taking me back. I’m not this brash, confident thing that I pretend to be. I’m scared. I’ve got no place to go and nobody to look after me.”

  “That’s probably what Hitler said,” muttered Sam.

  “Samantha!” Mum rebuked her. Then, more gently, she asked, “Lolly, where have you been staying for the last eight months?”

  “Hotels. I’ve got money. MI5 froze all of Daddy’s bank accounts that they could find, but he had plenty more. I can pay you rent. I’m not asking for handouts. But I’m running out of places to stay. A 16-year-old girl checking into a hotel on her own draws attention, so I have to move around a lot. And also, living in a hotel is just so… lonely.”

  Her eyes were moist and James thought for a second that Lolly was going to cry.

  Sam got up.

  “I’m going to my room. She’s a liar and I’m not listening anymore.”

  Sam slammed the dining-room door on the way out. The whole room shook and the wood splintered.

  “It’s ok, Dad. From what I’ve read about teenage girls, you’ve probably only got another five years of replacing doors,” quipped James. Mum just glowered at him.

  “I deserve that, I know,” muttered Lolly, wiping her eye on the sleeve of James’s T-shirt. “But if they catch me, you know what they’ll do to me, don’t you?” she asked.

  Mum took a deep breath. Lolly had touched a nerve. Mum and Dad were paranoid about James and Sam being locked away in some government research laboratory, or brainwashed into becoming super soldiers, parachuted into Afghanistan with just a map and a packed lunch.

  “Lolly, would you mind just waiting in the kitchen for a few moments?” asked Mum.

  Lolly nodded and padded to the door in her bare feet, opened it, went into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

  There was a pause.

  “This may be against my better judgement, but I think we should take her in,” said Dad, finally. James felt his heart beating faster. He wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted.

  “If you think that, then maybe you don’t have any judgement at all,” said Mum. “You’re too soft, that’s your problem. That girl is bad news. The worst news. She’s not just troubled, she’s off the scale.”

  “That was my first reaction, too, but I’ve been considering the alternatives,” said Dad.

  “What do you mean?” asked James.

  “We know the person she was, but maybe that was because of her father’s superpower and influence. He manipulated all of us; his power of persuasion was immense. He can make anybody do a
nything that he commands. Just imagine what effect he must have had on Lolly for the last 16 years.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “But she’s had time away from him now; she’s been able to come to terms with what she wants. She’s older, she’s becoming an adult, and for the first time in her life she’s making her own decisions, not just pleasing her father. However, at the same time she’s still a child and she needs help and some proper direction.”

  “With respect, Roger,” said Mum, through gritted teeth, “you were in New York when we went through hell with the Rosewoods. You’ve heard all about it but you didn’t live through it.”

  “I know that, and I know what she’s capable of. I just don’t think we can pretend that she isn’t our problem. If we kick her out and leave her to fend for herself, then who knows what she’ll do. Imagine the kind of crimes that girl could commit if she had a mind to, and what would happen to anybody who tried to stop her. She could start a war. And another thing,” Dad rubbed the back of his neck as if to assuage the discomfort of some disturbing thought.

  “Yes?” asked Mum.

  “She knows about James and Sam. If she gets caught, or even if she just takes it into her head to reveal their secret, where does that leave our family? I’d actually rather have her here, living with us, and hope that we can persuade her mother to take her back. Switzerland would be about far enough away.”

  “Let’s just call Mrs Stannard,” insisted Mum. “This isn’t our problem. MI5 are holding her father; they can take Lolly off our hands, too. Then everyone will be safer, including Lolly probably.”

  Dad sat back in his chair.

  “I trust Mrs Stannard,” he began, cagily. “She has helped us and she has protected James and Sam. So far. But if we hand Lolly over to her, she’ll be put under pressure to reveal exactly how she found Lolly. Her bosses will ask questions about us. Sooner or later, somebody who doesn’t have our kids’ welfare at heart will find out about them and the twins could find themselves in the cell next to the Rosewoods.”

  He sat back in his chair like he’d put his proposal on the table and was waiting to see if anybody would accept it.