‘I – I have to,’ he said.

‘What do you mean? ’Course you don’t have to.’

‘I do. I need the money.’

‘What for?’

‘Everything! Food. Clothes. Trainers. My phone.’

‘Your parents are s’posed to buy those things . . .’

Scorpus gave a bitter laugh. ‘Yeah, right. My dad gives me nothing – nothing. Not even dinner money. He says I have to learn to fend for myself. Like he did.’

‘He wouldn’t like it if he knew you were out robbing people.’

‘What you going on about? ’ Course he’d like it.’

Actually, from what I’d heard about Scorpus’s dad that was probably true. ‘But – what about your mum?’

Scorpus laughed that bitter laugh again. ‘If you think my mum would dare to disagree with my dad about anything – well, you don’t know him, that’s all.’

‘Well, what are we gonna do, then? You can’t carry on mugging people.’

‘I dunno. I got to eat, don’t I?’

This was all getting a bit more complicated than I’d expected. In the comics, superheroes just beat the villains up. They don’t have to start solving their family problems. They simply don’t get involved in that side of things.

‘Will you put me down now?’ said Scorpus.

I drifted to the ground again and let him go. ‘Listen,’ I said. ‘I’ll give you some cash to tide you over.’ I wished for fifty quid and gave it to him. ‘S’pose I go and see your dad – tell him to start being nice to you, feed you properly, give you an allowance. Would that be OK?’

Scorpus laughed. ‘Good luck with that!’

‘Luck doesn’t come into it,’ I said. ‘You’re talking to Awesome Man!’

*

Scorpus’s home was a two-bedroom flat in a rundown estate on the edge of town. There was litter all over the ground, graffiti on the walls, and scaly, diseased pigeons pecking about among the rubbish. As I flew down, I wished it was all tidied up, with the litter in bins, the graffiti cleaned away and the pigeons moved on. I also wished for some nice flower beds full of tulips, and for all the front doors to be newly painted in bright colours, so I’d done a pretty good job even before I got to knocking on Scorpus’s door.

After I knocked there was a long pause. I hate waiting for things, always have, so I wished he’d come and open the door straight away. (I’d never have to wait for anything again, I realized. No more hanging around at bus stops for buses that never came. Although come to think of it, I’d never need to catch a bus again, either.)