The Weight of Souls

into him, just slightly and Pete pushed the doors open from the inside. “I thought you wanted to go in here,” he snapped.

“Right.” I let Justin put his arm around me and together we walked through the doors into the bustle and music.

There were three tables left at the back of the room. We took the one furthest from the bar and sat. “I’m getting some wedges.” Harley grabbed the menu. “I’m starving.”

Justin hesitated at the chairs. A few weeks ago it would have been the most natural thing in the world for him to have slouched down with the others. Instead he stood behind me and put his hands on my shoulders.

Immediately my eyes went to Tamsin, but she didn’t even look in his direction. She may have seen him before, but she couldn’t now.

Our table leaned against a window. The Darkness outside pressed against the glass, but didn’t spill in. I slid our candle closer to my seat. I only had to defend myself against it for a short while longer; the truth was about to come out.

“I get to set a challenge now, right?” I turned to James. “That’s what we agreed.”

James blinked. “Don’t you want to chill for a bit? I’ll admit you were amazing up there.”

I shook my head. “I want a truth. And I want it now.”

28 What do you want to know?

“You want a truth,” James sniggered. “That’s a bit tame, isn’t it? What do you want to know?”

I looked into his eyes, then past, into Tamsin’s. She was still pale under her make-up, still rattled. If anyone was going to tell the truth at this moment, it was her. “I’m challenging Tamsin.”

Tamsin blinked owlishly. “Me?”

I touched Justin’s hand where it had tightened on my shoulder and nodded firmly.

She echoed her new boyfriend. “What do you want to know?”

I took a deep breath. “I want to know what really happened to Justin.”

Pete gasped, Harley’s eyes widened and Tamsin opened her mouth to deny all knowledge – I could see it on her face – but James’ hand trapped hers. “Respect the rules, Tam.” He glared at me from beneath his sculpted brow. “Oh’s one of us now and we’ve got videos of her we can send to the police if we have to.” He gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Isn’t that right?”

I stared steadily back at him. “I have no intention of going to the police, whatever I hear.”

“You won’t talk to anyone at all.” He still leaned back, but his tone was threatening.

“No one,” I promised.

James released Tamsin’s hand and straightaway she reached for her napkin and began twisting it in her fingers.

“Tell her.”

Tamsin looked at James through her hair. “Can’t you do it?”

He shrugged. “She challenged you.”

Tamsin shook her head. “I wish I’d never seconded you, bitch,” she muttered.

“Tamsin.” Pete’s voice contained a warning, but James was grinning.

“That’s my girl.”

After a moment Tamsin stiffened her shoulders and brushed her hair back. “You’re not one of us, Oh. You might be in the club, but you’ll always be a freak.”

“So Justin’s death wasn’t an accident?”

Her fingers still moved, restlessly shredding paper. She glanced around us, checking that the waitress was nowhere near then she leaned forward. “Are you ready for this? Sure you want to hear our dirty little secrets?”

Under the table I slipped my glove from my hand and opened and closed my fist like I was cocking a weapon. “I’m ready.”

“Fine.” She leaned back. “Justin wanted out of the club.” She looked at James and he gave a slight nod so she carried on. “He was worried about how ‘dangerous things were getting’.” Her voice spiralled up until she imitated a whine: her impression of Justin. He grunted as if she’d sucker punched him and his hand vanished from my shoulder. I checked and saw him slump at the nearest table to ours, still listening.

“Can you believe it?” Tamsin exhaled. “After all you did to get in, can you imagine anyone wanting to leave?”

I shook my head.

“I warned him. I asked if he’d considered how it would affect me?”

“You?” I frowned.

“Hello, suddenly I’d be going out with the biggest loser in school.” She tossed her hair and the peroxide strands caught the light like a fibre optic web.

I glanced at Justin. His own fists were curled on his knees and I couldn’t see his eyes.

“I begged him not to leave the club. He said if I was so worried about my social life he’d tell someone, get the club shut down.”

“He’d never have told.” I leaned forward. “You guys have videos, don’t you, proof of the stuff he’d done? He was going to Cambridge. It would have ruined his chances.”

Tamsin shook her head. “He was so bloody… honourable.”

My eyes went to the “honourable” ghost. He was pressing his fists into his thighs, shaking his head.

“He wouldn’t have told,” I reiterated.

“I couldn’t take that risk. None of us could. You think he was the only one applying to a good university?”

“So you were worried about a future bagging prawn crackers?” I sneered.

Tamsin curled her crimson lips. “Why not? V is our ticket. You’ve already worked out that we’re not the first generation. There’s a whole network. People in V work for people in V. Members get the good jobs, the chances. How do you think Mr Barnes got to be a head in such a short time? He’s useless.”

I looked at James and he nodded slowly.

“So, if you were afraid you'd lose this network and your chance of a good degree, what did you do?”

Tamsin’s fingers moved faster through the paper. “I spoke to James. He said he’d sort it.”

“Sort it?” My words emerged through gritted teeth and my gaze slid to James. He felt my eyes on him and actually winked at me.

Immediately I returned my focus to Tamsin’s drawl. “James told Justin he could leave without penalty on condition that he did a really serious dare. Then if he tried to go to the authorities about the club, we could grass him up.”

Justin didn’t move.

“So it was an accident?” I frowned.

Tamsin stared at her hands as if she had only just noticed what she was doing. “James asked me to make sure Justin agreed to his conditions. He had to take on a double dare when James gave him the nod. Harley was the one to find the scaffolding.” She dropped the ragged remains of the napkin on the floor. “Pete had to paint a mark on the highest pole, but James gave him oil.”

“My God,” Justin whispered.

My gaze went to Pete. Petrol Pete they’d been calling him. His feet were still stretched out under the table and his arms were crossed. But his knuckles strained like tombstones against his skin. “You made me do what?” His voice was low and strained, verging on an explosion. Slowly he folded his legs under him and sat straight.

“You knew,” James sneered. “Why would I have wanted a paint stripe on the pole?”

Pete swore low and vicious. Tamsin’s eyes widened.