Split Second

  I stared at the carpet. Not this again. Why couldn’t Gail see that Rosa and I were never going to be friends in a million years?

  “Jas needs me to help her choose what to wear,” I lied. If Gail had known Jas better, she would, of course, have seen straight through that. Jas was a total queen of design and had probably already picked out the perfect outfit.

  “Okay.” Gail sighed. “I suppose I can’t force you. Brian will call for you and Jas later. Just please don’t ignore Rosa once you are at the party, all right?”

  I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes. What with trying to spend time getting to know Aaron and trying not to feel bothered as Nat paid me absolutely no attention whatsoever, I couldn’t imagine having much inclination left to pretend to be all chummy with Rosa.

  “Of course,” I said.

  I left the house soon after, a thin cotton top on in place of the glittery T-shirt I’d planned to wear. I caught a glimpse of Rosa in front of her mirror before I left. Made up to the nines, she was wearing a hideous hot pink rah-rah skirt. It looked like something a six-year-old might choose to annoy her mother. She didn’t see me looking as she carefully inserted some bright pink hoop earrings that matched her skirt.

  I shuddered and ran off to Jas’s house. It was drizzling and, despite the hooded jacket I was wearing, I got soaked as I jogged. Jas did a double take as she opened her front door and saw me.

  “That’s so weird,” she said. “I was about to call you to come over. How did you know?”

  “Know what?” I said, coming inside. Jas’s house felt as cold and empty as usual, but I knew, once we were up in her cozy bedroom, I’d feel better.

  “That I just finished your dress,” Jas said excitedly. “I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t sure I’d get it done in time, but you can wear it tonight.”

  She was already on the stairs. I followed, more depressed than ever. A dress was the last thing I felt like wearing. Still, I didn’t want to hurt Jas’s feelings.

  “Oh, right,” I said. “That’s great. I was just going to wear what I’ve got on.”

  Jas turned from the top step of the stairs, her mouth open. “You weren’t thinking of going to a birthday party in a club in that?” she said, staring at my jeans and hoodie. “You’re wearing sneakers for goodness’ sake.”

  I shrugged. Why couldn’t everyone just leave me alone?

  “Come on,” Jas said, running on to her room. “You’ll love the dress. I worked half the night getting it ready.”

  Steeling myself to be appreciative, I followed her into her room. The blue fabric Jas had chosen all those weeks ago was hanging from her wardrobe. Except that it was no longer just a bit of fabric. It was a dress: short and simple, with just a little line of beads around the neck. It was so pretty and so perfect that I actually gasped.

  “Try it on,” Jas urged.

  Forgetting my earlier despondency, I wriggled out of my damp jeans and hoodie and slid the dress on. It fit beautifully, clinging to my waist then draping gently over my hips.

  “Your legs look, like, ten feet long,” Jas said admiringly. “It really suits you.”

  I turned in her mirror. She was right. I’d never worn anything that suited me better.

  “Now we just need to do something about your hair, your makeup, and your shoes,” Jas said firmly.

  I let her spend most of the next thirty minutes fussing over me, styling my hair with her curling iron and selecting a pair of her own vintage heels to go with my dress. After Parveen’s use of the heavy eyeliner last week, I was wary about Jas doing my makeup but she actually did a great job, emphasizing the slant and size of my eyes with just a touch of pencil and mascara.

  All my worries about Aaron and Rosa—and even Nat—disappeared as I transformed into a girl who looked like she was going to a party. After I was ready, I helped Jas with her own long, silky hair. At the last minute she slipped on a gauzy green tunic dress. The tunic was covered with embroidery and tiny sequins. It suited Jas perfectly, making her somehow both less skinny and more ethereal than ever.

  We had only just finished when Brian called to say he was waiting in the car outside. He did a double take when he saw me.

  “Gosh, I hardly recognized you, Charlie,” he said with an approving smile. “Very pretty.”

  “Come on, Dad,” Rosa said, rather sulkily, as Jas and I got into the backseat of the car. She had braided her hair into two short plaits and applied a cake load of silver eye makeup.

  “That’s an interesting look, Rosa,” Jas said politely.

  “Uh, yeah,” I echoed.

  “Oh, it’s nothing,” Rosa said in an affected voice. She didn’t say anything about what either of us were wearing but I knew, thanks to Jas, that I looked okay. Which meant it hopefully wouldn’t be too hard to do my job for the EFA and get Aaron talking to me. Who cared if Nat wasn’t remotely interested? I had work to do.

  NAT

  Charlie hadn’t sounded in the slightest bit pleased that I was coming to the party. I tried to put this out of my mind as I opened the EFA e-mail account. The army had a clever system for passing messages when members needed to communicate something more complex than a text. It worked like this: everyone was given the password to the same e-mail account. You logged in, then checked the draft folder for your message. It was a great way of communicating because nothing was actually ever sent online, so nothing could ever be tracked.

  I opened the e-mail Taylor had left for me. It contained a floor plan of a building. Or, to be more accurate, a single floor of a massive building. It was a warren of rooms and interconnecting passageways.

  I was certain Taylor was going to ask me to go there tonight—that’s why he wanted me to collect one of the miked-up earpieces the EFA used. Whatever I had to do later, I was determined at least to show my face at Aaron Latimer’s party. Jas had looked bewildered when I’d insisted on coming. I wasn’t sure why she was connecting with Aaron when it was Charlie who had sought him out, but I was determined to keep an eye on both of them. I particularly wanted to make sure Aaron didn’t mistake friendliness on Charlie’s part for anything more.

  I checked that the floor plan was readable on my phone, then shoved my cell into my pants pocket. I debated swapping my T-shirt for a fancier shirt—I didn’t want to look out of place at what Jas had insisted would be a classy party. In the end, I took one of Lucas’s shirts—dark gray and slim fitting. It looked good over my jeans yet would still be easy to move around in if Taylor needed me to work later. I smoothed down my hair, then set off. Jas was fussing over a length of blue material and barely noticed me leave. I made my way to the derelict house on Featherstone Road where Taylor had left an earpiece under a brick. Once it was in place, I listened as Taylor directed me to take a very specific and circuitous route across north London. It was frustrating, traveling around for no reason I could understand. But at last I was free—though Taylor warned I would definitely be needed again within the hour.

  I slid the earpiece into my pocket and set off for the party. It was almost nine p.m. when I arrived; Charlie and Jas had probably been here for half an hour already. The bouncer on the door checked my name off, and I walked into the party. The room was heaving, music throbbing through my feet. Lights flickered everywhere from hundreds of tiny lamps and a huge throng was dancing, leaving just a few groups and couples talking on the outskirts of the room. I stood near the doorway, trying to spot Charlie or Jas. There were loads of people here—girls dressed up in heels and pretty dresses, most of the boys in tuxedos. This was easily the fanciest party I had ever been to. I looked down at my shirt and jeans. What had seemed relatively dressed-up in my bedroom now looked very casual. It didn’t matter. I wasn’t likely to be here for long and, anyway, I didn’t care what anyone else thought.

  Except Charlie.

  I pushed the thought away and moved closer to the dancers. I saw Rosa almost immediately. She was dancing energetically with a group I didn’t recognize, her face
almost as pink as her skirt. I edged away, aiming to put some distance between us; Rosa was really the last person I wanted to deal with right now.

  A moment later I saw Jas. She was dancing in a dreamy, Jas-like way wearing something floaty and green. She was also with a group of people I didn’t know, though I recognized the boy immediately opposite her, with thick, fair hair and red cheeks, as Aaron Latimer. So where was Charlie? She was supposed to be spending the evening talking to Aaron.

  I just had time to feel a wave of relief that I hadn’t found them all over each other, when a group on the edge of the dance floor parted and Charlie came into view. She was laughing, her whole face lit up with her smile, and surrounded by boys.

  I stared. The blue material Jas had been working on was now covering Charlie. It clung to and swayed around her body, softening everything about her. It was short, with a low back, showing off her long, slim legs. I was still staring, my heart pounding, as my phone vibrated in my pocket. That was probably Taylor with instructions on the next part of his evening’s assignment. I ignored the text. I still couldn’t take my eyes off Charlie. Any second now she was going to turn and see me. And I realized that I didn’t have any choice anymore. There were lots of other pretty girls in the room but, as I stood on the edge of the dancers, I knew there was one thing wrong with all of them.

  They weren’t her.

  CHARLIE

  I looked up and Nat was standing there, staring at me with those ice-chip blue eyes of his. The music soared and the floor pulsed and the air filled with the scents of perfume and sweat and we looked at each other. It was weird, like the whole world shifted forever in that moment. There were other boys around me, still laughing and talking and dancing. One called my name, but Nat was all I could see. He walked toward me and took my hand. We stood there for a second or two, then Nat led me deep into the dancing where the bodies were close together and the music was fast and the world whirled around us. Nat bent his face to mine and we kissed and it was different from before. I knew this time he was going to stay and keep kissing me and my heart filled with a feeling I hadn’t felt for what seemed like a million years.

  Joy.

  We pulled apart. People were still dancing all around us. All strangers. I couldn’t see Jas or Aaron or Rosa. Nat took my hand again and led me through the crowd, past the groups at the edge of the room and out to the top of the stairs. Another couple were leaning against the wall, deep in their own kiss.

  “Hi.” Nat smiled at me and my stomach somersaulted over and over.

  “Hi.” I smiled back.

  “Before . . .” He hesitated. And in that moment I saw in his eyes what he couldn’t put into words: that he had liked me and he had been scared.

  “I know,” I said. “I was the same.”

  “Now . . .” Nat stopped again. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against mine. His fingers trailed down my cheek. My heart raced with fear and excitement.

  “Me too,” I said softly.

  Nat drew back. He was still smiling and staring at me. “You look amazing,” he said.

  I blushed, my chest almost bursting with how wonderful it felt to have him look at me and say such things.

  “Not so bad yourself,” I murmured.

  Nat laughed. “I didn’t think you’d noticed.”

  “It was you who didn’t notice,” I said.

  “No,” he said, frowning. “I did, I just . . .”

  I put my finger against his lips. There was no need to explain anything. I put my hands on his face and drew him into another kiss. I don’t know how much time passed. I forgot Taylor and Aaron and why I was supposed to be at this party. I lost track of everything except Nat and our kissing. I didn’t want it to end. And then the door behind us banged open and a crowd of people surged out of the party room and as Nat was pushed against me, I felt his phone vibrate.

  “I think someone’s texting you,” I muttered.

  Nat’s eyes widened. “Man, that’ll be Taylor. I think he texted me about twenty minutes ago too.” He took out his cell and checked it. “Yeah, I’ve got to go.”

  “Where?” I asked.

  Nat frowned. “Says here to go to Covent Garden tube.”

  “What for?” I asked.

  “No idea,” Nat said. He hesitated. “I don’t want to leave.”

  I reached up and kissed him again. “I could come with you?”

  “Yes.” Nat’s eyes brightened, then dulled. “Yes, except you’re supposed to be here, getting to know Aaron Latimer.” He made a face. “Don’t get to know him too well, okay?”

  I grinned. “Why? Would you mind?”

  Nat met my gaze, his expression growing darker. “Yes,” he growled.

  My grin felt like it would split my face. He was jealous. Because he liked me. I felt so happy I could burst.

  “What’s so funny?” Nat grunted.

  “Nothing.” I hugged him. “I guess you’d better go, and I’ll try to find Aaron.”

  Nat nodded. The people who’d passed us before were starting to come back from the bathroom. Nat gave me a swift kiss. “I’ll call you later, when I’ve done whatever Taylor wants.”

  “Sure.” I watched him race down the steps and out of sight, then went back into the party room. Aaron was busy, in the middle of a large group. Jas was nowhere to be seen. I wanted to be on my own for a bit, anyway. I drifted around the outskirts of the party for a while, thinking about what had just happened. I could hardly believe Nat had kissed me, that he liked me. I almost wanted to shout out to the whole party how great it felt. But of course I didn’t. I kept my eyes on Aaron the whole time, waiting for a moment when I could wander over and start chatting.

  I was just about to make my move, when my EFA phone buzzed. I opened Taylor’s text, expecting a request for an update. Then I stood, staring at the screen.

  That was odd. That was really odd.

  NAT

  I took the earpiece from my pocket and put it in my ear as I hurried out into the freezing cold. It was going to take me another fifteen minutes at least to get to Covent Garden tube. Taylor would expect me to be already there.

  “Hello?” I said, feeling guilty.

  “Where are you?” Taylor snapped in my ear.

  “Almost there, sir,” I lied.

  Taylor swore. “I needed you outside the tube five minutes ago. Let me know when you get there.”

  “Yes, sir.” I broke into a run. It felt good to pound along the street, dodging the passersby. A huge wave of happiness washed over me. Charlie liked me. The way she’d looked at me . . . the way she’d looked . . . I drifted into a daydream about that blue dress and Charlie’s face as she’d drawn away from our kiss.

  She liked me. I hardly dared believe it was true, but she had made it clear. I darted into the tube and down to the platform, my head still buzzing. I couldn’t believe something so fantastic had actually happened to me. I bounced into the last car of the train that had just pulled up at the platform. Man, everything was going better than it had for ages. Okay, so Mum and Dad were still all over the place and Lucas was still in his coma but at least I knew he had been one of the good guys, a soldier on the side of right.

  And now, here I was, actually following in his footsteps, a soldier myself, with Charlie beside me.

  Yes, life was definitely looking up.

  I changed to the Piccadilly line and my train sped to Covent Garden. Up in the elevator to street level and I contacted Taylor again for instructions.

  “You’re very, very late,” Taylor said tersely.

  “Sorry, sir.” I tried to sound like I meant it. After all, Taylor had drilled the importance of discipline into us over and over again. But the truth was that I didn’t care about being late.

  Charlie liked me. What else mattered?

  “Outside,” Taylor ordered. “There’s a guy in a blue sweatshirt sitting against the wall. Go over. Give the oath. Take the package he offers you.”

  I sighed. It sounded
like a pointless game of pass the parcel. Still, I knew better than to complain.

  “This is important, Nat,” Taylor went on. “The package contains vital League of Iron information. Something we might be able to use to expose them to the public, destroy them once and for all.”

  “Yes, sir.” Feeling suddenly more enthusiastic about the mission, I went outside, onto the street. The air was cool and the pavement crowded, but I saw the guy in the blue sweatshirt right away. He was sitting, hunched against the wall, his hood pulled low over his face and a ratty backpack clutched in his lap.

  He looked like a tramp but as I squatted down beside him I noticed that his hands were clean and his fingernails carefully cut. Clearly this was another EFA agent.

  “Blood and soil,” I whispered.

  “Strength and honor,” came the man’s hoarse reply.

  “Hope and sacrifice,” I finished.

  I expected the man to take something out of his backpack and give it to me. Instead, he shoved the entire bag into my hands, then jogged away. I stood up, slung it over my shoulder, and walked back into the underground station.

  “Got it, sir,” I said, keeping my head bowed so no one passing by would see me talking. Maybe if Taylor didn’t want me to take the bag far, I would still have time to get back to Charlie at Aaron Latimer’s party.

  “Good work,” Taylor said. “Now take it down to the southbound platform.”

  Southbound? My heart sank. If I was ordered to travel to south London, it would take me ages to get back.

  “Which station d’you want me to go to, sir?” I asked.

  “You’re not getting on a tube,” Taylor said. “Lionheart will get off an incoming train, meet you on the platform, collect the bag, then get back on again. After that, you’re free to go.”