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Back The Name of the Star
Chapters (48)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. THE RETURN
  5. Chapter 1
  6. Chapter 2
  7. Chapter 3
  8. Chapter 4
  9. Chapter 5
  10. Chapter 6
  11. Chapter 7
  12. Chapter 8
  13. Chapter 9
  14. PERSISTENT ENERGY
  15. Chapter 10
  16. Chapter 11
  17. Chapter 12
  18. Chapter 13
  19. Chapter 14
  20. Chapter 15
  21. THE STAR THAT KILLS
  22. Chapter 16
  23. Chapter 17
  24. Chapter 18
  25. Chapter 19
  26. Chapter 20
  27. Chapter 21
  28. Chapter 22
  29. Chapter 23
  30. Chapter 24
  31. INNER VILENESS
  32. Chapter 25
  33. Chapter 26
  34. Chapter 27
  35. Chapter 28
  36. Chapter 29
  37. Chapter 30
  38. Chapter 31
  39. Chapter 32
  40. WHITE’S ROW, EAST LONDON NOVEMBER 9 2:45 A.M.
  41. TERMINUS TERIMNUS
  42. Chapter 33
  43. Chapter 34
  44. Chapter 35
  45. Chapter 36
  46. Chapter 37
  47. Chapter 38
  48. Acknowledgements

“You need to trust us,” Stephen said, holding up his hands. “You’re actually the safest person in London right now. You need to go on with your life completely as normal.”

“How do I do that?” I asked.

“You’ll adapt,” he said. “I promise. The initial shock wears off quickly. A few days, a week, and you’ll be fine. We’re all fine. Look at us.”

I looked at them—Stephen, so young and so serious. Boo, smiling away next to me. Callum, keeping suspiciously quiet and shoving food into his mouth. They did look pretty normal.

“I’ll be with you,” Boo said. “I’m staying until this is all over. Nothing is going to happen to you.”

“So I just go back?” I said.

“Correct,” Stephen replied.

“And go to class, and play hockey, and talk to my parents—”

“Yes.”

“But what are you going to do?”

“We can’t tell you that,” Stephen said. “I’m sorry. What we do is classified. You can’t tell anyone that we’ve met. You can never discuss this conversation. You just have to trust us. We are police. We are looking after you.”

“How many more of you are there?”

“The entire force is behind us,” Stephen said. “The security services. There are people working on this at every level of government. You have to trust us.”

I had never experienced this feeling before. My heart had been going fast all through this discussion, but now it slowed and I was almost sleepy. My system could take no more. I sat down on the sofa again and put my head back and stared at the ceiling.

“I need to go to bed now,” I said. “I just want to go home.”

“Right,” Stephen said. “I’ll take you two back.”

Boo walked me to the door and out into the hall while Stephen got his coat and keys.

“I’m not one hundred percent sure that was a good idea,” I heard Callum say.

Chapter 21

21

AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR AT THE UNIVERSITY where my parents teach, you can see parakeets in the trees. This is because some students get pets during the year, and they think they’re temporary, because some people are just like that. When they leave campus, they open up the cages and let the birds fly right out of the window.