I grabbed for his hand and this time he let me hold it. His skin was drier than it used to be and his nails were cracked. I squeezed his knuckles under mine. “I’m your friend, Pete. I always was. Now you know about me we can both start over.”
His hand twitched. “Tell me what happened to them – to James, Tamsin and Harley.”
“They went to be judged.” I decided to stay quiet about Anubis, I thought that might be one truth too far. “They won’t be coming back.”
“I should have been taken too, shouldn’t I?” Pete’s eyes burned into mine. “That Mark, you were meant to put it on me.”
Justin spoke, his voice seemingly floating from his turned back. “She kept the Mark herself and the Darkness took her, like it did the others. She almost got trapped inside. For you.”
Pete whitened further. “You did that for me?”
I said nothing.
“Why?”
“I told you, you’re my oldest friend.” I struggled to keep my voice steady. “Please say we’re OK.”
Pete forced a smile as the bus pulled into the school stop. “I’ll never be able to repay you.”
“That’s alright,” I grinned. “I take lunch money.”
With an explosive laugh, Pete shoved me and I lurched to my feet. Together we followed Justin into the street. The school loomed in front of us, a promise of a difficult day ahead.
Justin caught my hands and pulled me close. “I’m going to patrol; it’ll be better than just hanging in one place.”
My heart rose as his head dropped and his lips hovered over mine. Pete cleared his throat and turned away. The faintest hint of breath touched my mouth and I opened my eyes in surprise as Justin kissed me. I pressed my lips against his and inhaled him in; the intensity of his scent, the suggestion of moisture on his skin, traces of life. My lungs tightened and my heart raced. I clenched my fingers in his blazer until I felt my knees begin to quake, then I pulled away with a tremulous sigh.
Justin stroked my cheek with his fingertips. “I’ll be here at lunchtime if you want to see me.”
I smiled. “I want to see you.”
“Alright then.” He stepped backward. I’d better get on with it.” He glanced at the school gate, as if he wished he was going in with me and I released his hand. He grinned and his hair flopped into his face. “Have a nice day.” He jerked his head. “Get going.”
“I’ll miss you.” I swung my backpack and headed for the entrance. “See you later.”
Pete jogged until his stride matched mine. “So… you and Justin…”
“Yes.” The smile crept back onto my cooling lips.
“He’s dead.” Pete shuddered.
“Yes.” I raised my eyebrows.
“OK then.” Pete stuck his arm through mine and I froze momentarily. Then I carried on walking as if nothing had happened, terrified of breaking this fragile new thing between us.
“This is going to take a bit of getting used to,” he said and I nodded, looking for the first time in years at the flowers in the beds, the noticeboard by the main office and the mural on the outside of the sixth form centre.
Then I really did freeze. Hannah was walking from the direction of the library.
“What has she done to her hair?” My horror was focused so strongly on the travesty that I barely saw the two girls walking arm in arm with her.
Pete hissed through his teeth. “It doesn’t suit her.”
I blinked, blindsided, as the three came closer, all with matching alice-bands and brown shoulder-length bobs. Hannah’s hair was still a mass of frizz, but she had tried to tame it with some product or other and it hung, lifelessly, along her face.
She was leaning into the girl on the left, giggling at something she said. Then she saw Pete with his arm in mine. Her feet tangled in one another and she would have tripped if she hadn’t been held up by her new friends.
“We need to talk,” I called.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
Her new friends raised their heads and the trio started to march around us.
“Please, Han.” I injected a note of pleading in my voice. Her chin jutted, she was hardening her heart against me.
“Just for a minute.” Pete weighed in on my side and I suppressed a surprised gasp. “Hear her out and if you still aren’t interested, I won’t let her bother you again.”
I bit my tongue. If Hannah didn’t cave for Pete, then she wasn’t going to.
“Come on, Hannah, we were going to the music room, remember.” Her new friends tugged on her arm, but to my delight she pulled free.
“I’ll meet you there.” She waved them off. “I have a thing to do here. It won’t take long.”
I didn’t take my eyes from her face, as the muttered complaints of her new friends grew more distant.
“I… like your hair,” I started.
Her hand rose, as if to touch the alice-band, then stopped and dropped to her side. “What do you want?”
“I haven’t been fair to you.” I tried to move closer, but Hannah stepped back, out of my orbit, and I stopped. “I know I cancel arrangements at the last minute and blow you off with no explanation. I’ve been a lousy friend. But, things are going to change and I want to tell you what’s been going on with me.”
Hannah glared at Pete. “You were the one who told me not to bother with her any more and now look at you. Were you just trying to get me out of the way?”
Pete shook his head with a snort. “She’s going to tell you what she told me, Han. It’ll be hard to believe, but you should listen.” He released my arm and backed off. “I’ll save you a table in the common room.”
I edged nearer to Hannah. “Can we sit? There’s a bench.” I gestured to the side and she nodded.
“I’m not staying,” she snapped, but her knees folded and she sat.
“It started when I was ten,” I began. “That’s when I began seeing ghosts…”
Pete grinned widely as we entered the common room. Hannah’s arm was tucked through my elbow and when we strode past the lockers her bag swung against my knees. He stood up when we drew close.
“You believe her?” He put his head near to Hannah’s.
Hannah nodded. Her alice-band was at the bottom of her bag and her hair was beginning to defy the heavy product she had attacked it with, frothing out around her cheeks once more.
“You didn’t need proof?” He looked at me for confirmation.
“I’m going to take her to see Justin at lunchtime. But she believes me anyway.” I squeezed her tightly.
“I’m mad at her for not trusting me.” Hannah fluffed out her hair and gave me a stern glare. “I can see why she thought
I looked contrite. “I’m sorry. I am. But I wouldn’t have believed someone who told me they saw ghosts, not before it happened to me. I didn’t want to risk losing either of you.”
Hannah pushed me onto the plastic chair and the curved edged bit into my thighs. She stood over me, hands on hips. “Honesty from now on.” She turned to include Pete. “I mean it. No more secrets.”
“No more secrets.” I hid a smile.
She jiggled with excitement. “This is so cool, my best friend sees ghosts.”
“What’s going on here?” Mr Barnes loomed above me and automatically I leaped to my feet. He ignored Hannah and spoke to Pete and me. “In my office. Now.”
Mr Barnes sat behind his desk, glowering from beneath lowered brows. Pete and I stood in front of him, like naughty children. His hand came down on his desk with a bang that made us jump.
“I’ve had parents on the phone. Tamsin’s, Harley’s and James’ to be exact. Their brood didn’t come home last night.”
“Just like Justin,” I muttered.
“What was that, Taylor?”
