The room gets quiet, and everyone turns to look at me.

So much for trying to be subtle.

Chapter 17

17

‘Sorry,’ I say, trying to gracefully bow out.

Doc jumps up and knocks his chair back so hard that it clatters to the floor. ‘Penryn.’

‘You know her?’ asks Obi.

‘She’s the sister of the child I was telling you about.’

‘Penryn’s sister is the great secret weapon?’ asks Obi.

Uh-oh. I don’t like the sound of this.

‘Did you find her?’ Doc skirts the table and heads my way. He still looks like a college boy with his brown hair and button-up shirt, but now he has a swollen black eye. ‘Is she here?’

The twins sit beside Obi. Their matching hair is still bottle blond. I’d forgotten that they dyed their hair for kicks. They still look like skinny scarecrows to me whether they’re redheads or blonds. A couple of the others look familiar, but I don’t know any of them well.

Obi waves me in. I hesitate, not wanting to bring attention to me or Raffe. But I can’t just run for it, so I go into the room with a wave of my hand behind my back, signaling Raffe to not follow.

‘You’ve got to be joking,’ says a guy I recognize. ‘Her sister is a monstrous horror. You can’t expect her to help us.’ I realize where I’ve seen him before. He was one of the guys who lassoed Paige like a wild animal the last time she was here.

‘Martin, not now,’ says Obi.

The twins lean over in opposite directions to peer around me.

‘Is that Raffe?’ asks Dee.

‘That is so Raffe,’ says Dum.

I start to close the door.

‘No, no, no,’ says Dee. Both the twins get up and walk fast to the door.

‘Raffe, you’re alive,’ says Dum as he pushes the door open.

Raffe has his head tilted down, his eyes in the shadow of his cap.

‘Of course he’s alive,’ says Dee. ‘He’s a warrior. All you have to do is look at him to know that. Who’s going to kill him? Godzilla?’

‘Oh, Raffe versus Godzilla. Now that’s a fight I’d love to take bets on,’ says Dum.

‘Don’t be silly, man. Godzilla’s all pumped up on nuclear waste. How’s a mere mortal supposed to beat that?’

‘He’s not just a mere mortal,’ says Dum. ‘Look at him. He’s probably got some super-strength badass juice in his pocket right now. One gulp and his muscles would have muscles.’

‘Yeah, and we wouldn’t need scary little girls if we had a few like him in our army,’ says Dee.

‘What, you think Penryn’s sister can take on Godzilla instead?’ asks Dum.

Dee thinks about it. ‘Meh, probably not. Maybe her mom can, though.’

Dum’s eyes get wide. ‘Ooh.’