Chapter 62

‘What are they shouting about up there?’

Jackson shrugged. She didn’t know any better than Achilleus what was going on. They were downstairs with Paddy and Ebenezer. Ebenezer was quiet and edgy. He hadn’t seemed scared when faced with the sickos outside, but in here, with these weird kids, he wasn’t so sure of himself. Achilleus was winding him up, teasing and joking, Paddy laughing with him. Jackson had wanted to know what the kids upstairs had to say, but she also wanted to stay close to Achilleus and this gave her a very good opportunity to be almost alone with him. Only Achilleus was ignoring her – as usual. She tried to act casual. Just hanging. As if it was no big deal.

Achilleus was needling Ebenezer.

‘You scared you gonna catch something then, Ebenezer? Become like them?’

‘I am not scared, Akkie. I just did not want to be up there.’

‘With the freaks and weirdos.’

‘You shouldn’t call them that,’ said Jackson without thinking. She hadn’t wanted to get on the wrong side of Achilleus. He could be a right dick sometimes, though.

‘I can call them what I like,’ he said, without even looking at her. ‘What would you call them?’

Jackson shrugged. ‘They’re just kids, like us.’

‘Like you maybe,’ said Achilleus. ‘Not me, girl.’

‘Have you seen yourself lately?’ Jackson had given up trying to be nice; maybe she should treat Achilleus the way he treated everyone else. Maybe he’d respect that.

‘You got a problem with how I look?’ Finally Achilleus made eye contact, challenging her.

‘It’s only that you look like something a dog chewed up and spat out.’

‘And what about you?’ Achilleus was staring hard at her now, daring her to look away, and Jackson tried not to blush.

‘What about me?’ she said.

‘You look like a boy.’

‘So?’

‘What’s it take to get you riled?’

‘What you want to rile me for?’

‘For fun.’

They heard shouting from upstairs and what sounded like chanting. They looked up, wondering what was going on, and then a boy’s voice floated out of the darkness surrounding them.

‘The natives are restless tonight.’

Ebenezer jumped. Achilleus simply picked up his new spear, his eyes flicking around. Paddy inched closer to him.

‘There somebody there?’ said Achilleus.

‘Only a freak, a weirdo, a spazzmoid,’ the boy’s voice came back, slightly muffled, as if he was covering his mouth. Jackson peered into the shadows, trying to see where he was.

‘You been spying on us?’ said Achilleus. ‘Listening in?’

‘All the time,’ said the boy. ‘If I’d wanted to I could of taken the lot of you.’

‘You could’ve tried. You gonna come out now?’

‘Not yet.’

‘Too embarrassed to show us what you look like?’