‘Exactly,’ I say.

‘But, if that’s true, why would they choose this town to start their global takeover?’ Chets says. ‘It doesn’t make sense when it would be easier somewhere else.’

‘Because the world is watching,’ Ade says.

‘Nothing ever happened in Straybridge before the SMARTtown investment,’ I say, and I’m 196 getting excited, cos this really does add up. ‘And now we’re the first to get XGen and everyone else is waiting to see how well it works.’

‘If it fails here, nobody will want it,’ says Mak.

‘And the rest of the world will be easier for them to invade.’ Kat gasps, her blue eyes wide and bottomless, like those pools you see in movies where the water in them gives people eternal life.

‘If they stop XGen in Straybridge, they stop it completely,’ Ade says. ‘And I’m sure the fact that the group of people who defeated them at Crater Lake live in Straybridge is another incentive. We know better than anyone else how to fight them.’

‘If they make us part of the hive mind, they take out their strongest opposition,’ I nod.

‘I’ve moved into the actual hellmouth,’ Karim says.

‘But at least you have us.’ I grin.

‘I mean, I have you, and I’ve possibly won over Kat. Mak might grow to love me in time, but Ade and Chets definitely hate me. So that’s a mixed bag at best.’

We all laugh, and it feels so great to be sharing this with these people. My people. But then Chets 197 says, ‘Does this mean Ade and Kat have made up?’ And the laughing comes to an awkward end.

‘No chance,’ Ade says, throwing a look of poison at Kat.

Kat stares back, her face a brewing storm.

And I know this needs sorting out before we can do anything else. So I take action, even if it means losing Kat again.

‘Right,’ I say. ‘We can’t fight the spores if we’re fighting each other. Everyone knows that – it’s in every movie ever made and things don’t become massively predictable storylines unless there’s some truth in them in the first place. We’re having this out, here and now.’

17

A Start

‘Is there time for me to pee first?’ Karim says. ‘I don’t want to miss anything.’

‘Just go,’ I say, and he literally runs off into the Tail, faster than I’ve ever seen him move before.

‘Are you sure this is a good idea?’ Mak says, looking from Kat to Ade as they face off across the coffee table.

‘You could always run off to your girlfriend if it’s uncomfortable for you,’ Ade snaps.

Mak looks hurt. ‘Why are you bringing that into it? I thought this was about you and Kat.’