nasalvoice spiralled upwards and he coughed snot on to Max’s trousers. ‘This is
your fault
.’
The sound of his voice wound like wire into my ears and I twitched, lifting one shoulder as if I could scrub it from my hearing.
‘You didn’t have to do it, Lenny.’ Lizzie was nearly hysterical. ‘You can’t tell. They might kick me off the programme.’
‘Good.’
In the pool Pandra continued to do graceful laps while Belinda, Max and Kyle clustered around Lenny, begging him to stay quiet.
It’s nothing to do with me.
My eyes met Seth’s; he too was staying back. He leaned on his elbows, his attitude one of exhausted annoyance.
Turning to hide my blush I noticed Lenny’s pile of clothing, along with the key card he must have used to get into the pool.
Didn’t that mean the nurses knew where he was? Surely after an hour someone should have checked on him . . .
With a prickle of foreboding I peered around until I located the security camera in the right-hand corner of the ceiling.
Why hadn’t anyone come to help?
C HAPTER T EN
SETH
‘I need to change.’ Seth climbed to his feet and water pooled around his trainers. ‘Lizzie, Kyle, no more Double Dares for a while. Lenny, just drop it.’
Lizzie and Kyle nodded, shamefaced, but Lenny opened his mouth in a long-noted wail. ‘That’s
not fair
.’
My eyebrows climbed.
He isn’t even going to say thanks.
Seth ignored the whining and turned to me. ‘You want to come get some DVDs?’ He tapped his sodden wristwatch; an expensive-looking Tag Heuer. ‘You’ll need to do it now if you want them for tonight.’
Grateful for a reason to leave I nodded enthusiastically. ‘That’d be great.’
He headed for the exit and I followed, careful to keep my gaze from the churning water.
As I took the weight of the door and stepped into the corridor the nagging pressure of eyes on my back made me turn. Pandrawas leaning on the rail glaring at our retreat. Shocked at the hostility on her face I dropped the door.
It crashed into the frame and Seth spun round. Instantly his hands flew up to cover his head. ‘
Gotenu!
’
‘Seth?’ I reached for his shoulder, but he dropped into a defensive crouch and batted my hand away. Confusion forced me back towards the pool.
What did I do wrong?
The door flew open behind me. ‘Get away from him, Cassie.’ Max hurried into the corridor.
‘W-why? What’s going on?’
Belinda caught up. ‘Did it set him off?’
‘Yeah.’ Max tore his gaze from Belinda so he could speak to me. ‘Just leave him for a few minutes.’
Seth huddled against the wall. My arms ached to go round his shoulders, but I held them at my sides. ‘I don’t understand.’ Frantically I looked for the threat. ‘What’s happening?’
Belinda regarded me coldly. ‘Think about it. Why are we all here?’ I stared blankly and she looked at me as if I was stupid. ‘It’s one of his past personalities.’ She gestured towards Lizzie, Kyleand Lenny who were still arguing by the swimming pool. ‘It happens to us all.’
‘B-but everyone else seems okay.’
Max licked his lips. ‘We all have different triggers. Lenny’s is heights. That’s why he shouldn’t have been on that board. Seth’s is loud noises. The banging door set him off.’
‘Seth?’ He gave no sign that he’d heard my whisper and I bit my cheek.
Max looked sympathetic. ‘He’ll be alright. When it happens to you, you’ll understand.’
I took an involuntary step backwards. ‘It won’t happen to me. It never has.’
Belinda’s lips curled into an ugly smile. ‘Now you’re here, it will.’
I wanted to argue, but movement from Seth stole my voice. He rubbed his face and when his palms came away his eyes were clear. ‘Dammit.’ He set his jaw and I tried to stammer an apology but he waved it away. ‘You weren’t to know.’
‘Yes, but . . .’
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ His eyes pleaded with me to let it go. ‘Do you still want those
your fault
.’
The sound of his voice wound like wire into my ears and I twitched, lifting one shoulder as if I could scrub it from my hearing.
‘You didn’t have to do it, Lenny.’ Lizzie was nearly hysterical. ‘You can’t tell. They might kick me off the programme.’
‘Good.’
In the pool Pandra continued to do graceful laps while Belinda, Max and Kyle clustered around Lenny, begging him to stay quiet.
It’s nothing to do with me.
My eyes met Seth’s; he too was staying back. He leaned on his elbows, his attitude one of exhausted annoyance.
Turning to hide my blush I noticed Lenny’s pile of clothing, along with the key card he must have used to get into the pool.
Didn’t that mean the nurses knew where he was? Surely after an hour someone should have checked on him . . .
With a prickle of foreboding I peered around until I located the security camera in the right-hand corner of the ceiling.
Why hadn’t anyone come to help?
C HAPTER T EN
SETH
‘I need to change.’ Seth climbed to his feet and water pooled around his trainers. ‘Lizzie, Kyle, no more Double Dares for a while. Lenny, just drop it.’
Lizzie and Kyle nodded, shamefaced, but Lenny opened his mouth in a long-noted wail. ‘That’s
not fair
.’
My eyebrows climbed.
He isn’t even going to say thanks.
Seth ignored the whining and turned to me. ‘You want to come get some DVDs?’ He tapped his sodden wristwatch; an expensive-looking Tag Heuer. ‘You’ll need to do it now if you want them for tonight.’
Grateful for a reason to leave I nodded enthusiastically. ‘That’d be great.’
He headed for the exit and I followed, careful to keep my gaze from the churning water.
As I took the weight of the door and stepped into the corridor the nagging pressure of eyes on my back made me turn. Pandrawas leaning on the rail glaring at our retreat. Shocked at the hostility on her face I dropped the door.
It crashed into the frame and Seth spun round. Instantly his hands flew up to cover his head. ‘
Gotenu!
’
‘Seth?’ I reached for his shoulder, but he dropped into a defensive crouch and batted my hand away. Confusion forced me back towards the pool.
What did I do wrong?
The door flew open behind me. ‘Get away from him, Cassie.’ Max hurried into the corridor.
‘W-why? What’s going on?’
Belinda caught up. ‘Did it set him off?’
‘Yeah.’ Max tore his gaze from Belinda so he could speak to me. ‘Just leave him for a few minutes.’
Seth huddled against the wall. My arms ached to go round his shoulders, but I held them at my sides. ‘I don’t understand.’ Frantically I looked for the threat. ‘What’s happening?’
Belinda regarded me coldly. ‘Think about it. Why are we all here?’ I stared blankly and she looked at me as if I was stupid. ‘It’s one of his past personalities.’ She gestured towards Lizzie, Kyleand Lenny who were still arguing by the swimming pool. ‘It happens to us all.’
‘B-but everyone else seems okay.’
Max licked his lips. ‘We all have different triggers. Lenny’s is heights. That’s why he shouldn’t have been on that board. Seth’s is loud noises. The banging door set him off.’
‘Seth?’ He gave no sign that he’d heard my whisper and I bit my cheek.
Max looked sympathetic. ‘He’ll be alright. When it happens to you, you’ll understand.’
I took an involuntary step backwards. ‘It won’t happen to me. It never has.’
Belinda’s lips curled into an ugly smile. ‘Now you’re here, it will.’
I wanted to argue, but movement from Seth stole my voice. He rubbed his face and when his palms came away his eyes were clear. ‘Dammit.’ He set his jaw and I tried to stammer an apology but he waved it away. ‘You weren’t to know.’
‘Yes, but . . .’
‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ His eyes pleaded with me to let it go. ‘Do you still want those
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