He tried to think of something he could say to the target waiting outside. Something to make him seem more like a human being, less like a victim. Maybe he’d ask him about the rest of his family, he thought. It would make more of a bond between them. He found himself thinking of questions in his head as he stepped out of the boys’ toilets and into the locker room. Do you have any sisters? Where do your mum and dad live? Do they know …

He stopped stock-still.

There was no sign of T7 in the locker room. But it wasn’t deserted. The Chinese girl stood to one side of the door. Her arms were crossed. One eyebrow was raised. Her expression was hard.

‘What were you doing in there?’ she said.

17

Lightning Fast

‘The usual,’ Max replied.

He didn’t want to get into a conversation with this girl, so he headed straight for the door.

She moved quicker than Max had ever seen anybody move. Her right arm blocked the doorway. With her left arm, she grabbed him by the shoulder. Her grip was strong.

‘You’re fast,’ Max breathed.

‘Lightning fast,’ the girl said. ‘And expert in four martial arts. I can break your arm in two seconds and both your legs in three. You’re not leaving this room until we’ve finished talking.’

‘There’s nothing to talk about,’ Max said. ‘I need to get back out there. They’ll wonder what I’m doing in here. I don’t want to make them angry.’ The razor blade in his back pocket suddenly felt ten times larger and heavier.

‘You’re not from this school,’ the girl said.

Max tried not to show any emotion. ‘Course I am,’ he said. ‘Why else would I be here?’

She stepped forward. ’You are not. Nor are the people up on the stage. I have a photographic memory.’

‘You’re quite the superwoman,’ Max muttered.

‘I’ve been here for a week and I recognise everybody. You are not from this school. You arrived after the siege started.’

Max said nothing.

The Chinese girl looked over her shoulder at the closed door. Then back at Max. Her hard exterior seemed to soften. She released her grip on him. ‘We don’t have much time,’ she said, very quietly. ‘You must disable those devices quickly.’

Max narrowed his eyes at her. ‘What do you mean?’ he said.

– Watch out. She might be trying to trick you.