The Switch

14:56

  She sits in a seat on the lower level of the bus, her side pushed against the wall, her hair in contact with the smudges on the window glass. She will not look back at the man in the black polo shirt. But she feels the menace in his presence.

  She lurches forward as the bus halts at a stop. Half the passengers get off. The bus drifts back into the traffic flow, gathering speed. They can’t be too far from the Eiffel Tower. She sees it ahead. She’d wait one more stop. She slides out of her window seat and into an aisle seat close to the front of the bus.

  The sharp toxic smell of alcohol reaches her nose. The hairs on her neck lift as someone runs a fleshy finger over her thin top. Her back muscles shut down, her chest cavity contracts, her nerves her only form of control.

  As the bus slows she spins round and spits in the man’s face. She sees nothing but reddened skin. She doesn’t wait for the front exit to open; she doubles back to the centre doorway. The doors open out as she hits against them. Behind her a woman screeches and curses, and Lily knows she must run.

  The Eiffel Tower dwarfs the avenue of trees. Lily slows. She walks with a group of Japanese tourists with carrier bags emblazoned with fashion names, and she merges with them.

  She continues some way with the group, side-by-side with a Japanese boy. She looks left and right but doesn’t spot the man in the black polo shirt.

  The Eiffel Tower is four hundred metres or so away.

  Her steps are faster and she attempts a few words in French with a young-looking Japanese lady with immaculate make-up.

  The lady’s smile is brilliant. ‘Are you lost?’ she answers, in English.

  ‘I’m trying to find my school exchange group,’ Lily says. ‘They’re here. At the Eiffel Tower. I’m late and I think they have been here some time.’

  ‘I fear you’re half lost, and worried,’ the lady replies. ‘Come with us.’

  Lily feels the pressure in her head easing.

  They cross an area of grass and the pace slows. The lady introduces herself. ‘Kazumi,’ she says. ‘Our party comes from Tokyo.’

  ‘Lily. Our school is in South Bridingworth. London.’

  Kazumi’s face shows instant appreciation. ‘South Bridingworth. I think I remember the name,’ she says. ‘We’ve come from your city. We’re on a month-long tour of Europe. The coach is our home for a few weeks, and there’s much we have to see.’

  An elderly Japanese gentleman sends Lily an encouraging wave.

  Lily manages to acknowledge him, hardly co-ordinating her thoughts as she carries on her conversation with Kazumi. ‘A month on a coach?’

  Kazumi’s face breaks with amusement. ‘We stay in some nice hotels.’

  Lily dares to look around as they arrive underneath the Eiffel Tower. She can’t see the man from the bus.

  Kazumi gathers her group and turns to Lily. ‘Do you have a ticket?’ she asks.

  ‘It’s paid for but I have nothing to show,’ Lily replies.

  Lily moves with Kazumi into the entrance line for the Pilier Nord.

  ‘There’s hardly any waiting time for the North lift,’ Kazumi says, reaching into her waist pack. ‘Do you want to call your teacher and sort things out?’

  The queue surges forward as Lily dials the number. She listens at the call tone.

  ‘Allo!’ Mrs Kite answers straight away.

  ‘It’s Lily.’

  ‘Yes Lily, where on earth are you? I’ve notified the police that you could be missing. You know Madame Briac—’

  ‘I’m not missing, I’m at the Pilier Nord.’

  ‘Thank goodness. I’ll come down.’

  ‘No. It’s not worth it. I’m coming up. The queue is very small.’

  ‘All right, tell them at the booth which school group you’re with. I’ll meet you at the first level. There won’t be enough time for you to get to the top. Time’s moving on . . . the bus . . . waiting.’ Mrs Kite speaks precisely. But her sentences break up over too much background noise.

  ‘You can tell the police I’m fine,’ Lily shouts at the top of her voice. She looks around nervously. She cannot see the man in the black polo shirt. She hands the mobile to Kazumi.

  Kazumi holds her hand in the air, her delicate fingers displaying a bright gold ring, and makes an announcement to her group in Japanese before they make their way under the canopy.