“Just John, I presume,” said Blue. “He don’t look like much.”

“Don’t trust him,” said Jester.

“Man,” said Blue, “I don’t trust no one no more.”

With Just John was an older kid who looked a little like a pirate, with a bandanna tied around his head, a shirt with the sleeves cut off, the same long shorts as John, and boots without socks. He was slapping a machete against his leg.

Behind them stood four big guys carrying baseball bats.

“That you, Jester?” Just John called out, squinting into the rain that was coming down fast and heavy now, battering the ground and sending up a misty spray.

“Yeah,” said Jester. “We’ve come to talk.”

“Picked a nice day for it,” said the pirate.

“When are you going to learn?” said Just John. “We don’t want to talk to you.”

“And we’re never gonna leave,” added the pirate.

“We don’t want you to leave,” said Jester. “We want you to work with us.”

“Or what?” said Just John.

“Or we trash all this. We make you leave.”

“You’ve tried before.”

“Things are different now. We’ve got help.”

Just John looked over the ranks of newcomers with pity and contempt.

“Ooh. Am I supposed to be scared?” he said.

“Listen,” said Jester. “This is stupid. Us kids have to stick together. You and us, we can make this whole area safe. You can live properly, eat proper food.”

“We’re happy as we are,” said John. “We get by.”

Maxie looked around at their camp. It was hard to tell in the rain, but it looked like a miserable, semipermanent affair. Could anyone really choose to live like this?

“What exactly is your argument with David?” she called out.

“Whassat?” John sneered. “Did the bitch say something?”

Maxie tried not to get angry. She knew it wouldn’t help.

“I asked you what exactly your argument with David is.”

“What’s it to you? Who are you, anyway?”

“We’ve come to help David.”

“He getting girls to do his fighting for him now? He must be desperate.”

“Answer my question,” said Maxie.

“Make me.”

Maxie didn’t know what to say. There was no reasoning with someone like this. She understood why David wanted a show of force.

Now the pirate spoke. “Our problem with David is that he’s a jerk,” he said. “We don’t like him. We don’t want him telling us what to do. Acting like he owns London.”

“Well, can’t you at least let them grow their food in the park?” said Maxie.

“Why should we?” said the pirate. “It’s not his park.” He twirled his machete around flashily. Showing off.

“Now, why don’t you sorry bunch of losers eff off and leave us alone?” said Just John.

“We need to sort this out once and for all,” said Jester.

“Go on, then,” said Just John, and he laughed.