children from the show?'
Jonny Cale shrugged. 'How should I know?' he said. 'I've met so many damn kids in the last few days.'
Alex was thinking fast. He had to act the part. If he had been one of the contestants and had wandered off at dusk only to stumble in on this situation, how would he be reacting now?
'Jonny, what's all this about?' he asked the presenter. 'Is it one of the games?'
Jonny rolled his eyes upwards. 'No, you stupid kid, it's not a game. Now sit down and shut up before you get us all killed.'
At least Jonny hadn't contradicted Alex's story. Alex felt Pirroni's eyes on him. He realized his fate was in the hands of the contestants. He cast his mind back to the shots he had seen earlier of them settling into the camp. He scanned the faces in front of him. He had to remember a name - and something that would convince them he was one of them. There was a girl with pink hair. No, he hadn't seen her before. But, yes, he remembered a girl with very long dark curls that hung like a shawl around her shoulders. He made his voice quieter, less confident. 'Holly,' he said, 'what's happened to your glasses?'
Holly shifted her position to get more comfortable. 'They're still down in the camp. I'm always putting them down and forgetting about them. I don't suppose you saw them when you were out there?'
'Sorry, no, I didn't,' said Alex. 'I was off exploring the forest and didn't realize how late it was getting.'
A girl with the two blonde plaits nodded to Alex as he moved over to the group. 'Here you go, sit here,' she offered, and moved sideways to make a space for him. Alex remembered her name was Milla Davey. 'Move your backside, Woody,' she said. Alex picked his way over and sat down in the gap they had made for him.
'Thanks, Milla.' Alex smiled at her. 'Did we talk earlier? My name's Alex.'
Milla looked at him, frowning as she tried to remember. 'What did you say your father did? Or was it your mother?'
To protect his cover, Alex's parent would have to be famous, of course. But he realized these kids would be familiar with most areas of show business and might ask awkward questions. He needed to choose something they wouldn't be very interested in.
'My dad's a celebrity fitness instructor,' said Alex. Inwardly he grimaced and apologized to his dad. 'Aerobic Vic. You probably won't have seen him,' he added hastily. 'He's on cable.'
'Oh . . . yeah, I remember,' said Milla.
Alex suspected that what she was actually saying was: Now I remember why I didn't find you interesting enough to remember the first time I met you. But all the same he could have kissed her for it. She had corroborated his cover story.
Pirroni had taken up position on one of the two chairs by the door. From there he could see the bank of monitors with their view of the camp perimeter, and he also had a good view of the hostages. He was still looking at Alex, as though weighing up whether he believed him or not.
Eventually he said, 'Yes. I remember you too.'
Alex's mouth went dry. In the car park the day before, right after talking to Amber, Pirroni had got a good look at him. How was he going to get out of this?
'Where?' he said. He couldn't make it look as though he remembered the encounter.
'Out shopping.'
Pirroni was clearly going to say as little as possible and watch how Alex reacted. Alex had to make sure he didn't betray any extra knowledge. 'I'm sorry, I don't remember. When was it?'
Pirroni was looking at him with the same expression Alex remembered from the car park. The same intense, probing telepathic stare. 'Yesterday,' he said. 'Before these other kids arrived, come to think of it.'
'I came long haul from the UK. I wanted a couple of days to get over the jet lag,' said Alex. 'I did a bit of exploring yesterday.'
Pirroni seemed satisfied with that - as far as Alex could tell.
In the monitoring room, Li, Amber and Paulo watched in horrified silence as Pirroni escorted Alex up the steps and into the control
Jonny Cale shrugged. 'How should I know?' he said. 'I've met so many damn kids in the last few days.'
Alex was thinking fast. He had to act the part. If he had been one of the contestants and had wandered off at dusk only to stumble in on this situation, how would he be reacting now?
'Jonny, what's all this about?' he asked the presenter. 'Is it one of the games?'
Jonny rolled his eyes upwards. 'No, you stupid kid, it's not a game. Now sit down and shut up before you get us all killed.'
At least Jonny hadn't contradicted Alex's story. Alex felt Pirroni's eyes on him. He realized his fate was in the hands of the contestants. He cast his mind back to the shots he had seen earlier of them settling into the camp. He scanned the faces in front of him. He had to remember a name - and something that would convince them he was one of them. There was a girl with pink hair. No, he hadn't seen her before. But, yes, he remembered a girl with very long dark curls that hung like a shawl around her shoulders. He made his voice quieter, less confident. 'Holly,' he said, 'what's happened to your glasses?'
Holly shifted her position to get more comfortable. 'They're still down in the camp. I'm always putting them down and forgetting about them. I don't suppose you saw them when you were out there?'
'Sorry, no, I didn't,' said Alex. 'I was off exploring the forest and didn't realize how late it was getting.'
A girl with the two blonde plaits nodded to Alex as he moved over to the group. 'Here you go, sit here,' she offered, and moved sideways to make a space for him. Alex remembered her name was Milla Davey. 'Move your backside, Woody,' she said. Alex picked his way over and sat down in the gap they had made for him.
'Thanks, Milla.' Alex smiled at her. 'Did we talk earlier? My name's Alex.'
Milla looked at him, frowning as she tried to remember. 'What did you say your father did? Or was it your mother?'
To protect his cover, Alex's parent would have to be famous, of course. But he realized these kids would be familiar with most areas of show business and might ask awkward questions. He needed to choose something they wouldn't be very interested in.
'My dad's a celebrity fitness instructor,' said Alex. Inwardly he grimaced and apologized to his dad. 'Aerobic Vic. You probably won't have seen him,' he added hastily. 'He's on cable.'
'Oh . . . yeah, I remember,' said Milla.
Alex suspected that what she was actually saying was: Now I remember why I didn't find you interesting enough to remember the first time I met you. But all the same he could have kissed her for it. She had corroborated his cover story.
Pirroni had taken up position on one of the two chairs by the door. From there he could see the bank of monitors with their view of the camp perimeter, and he also had a good view of the hostages. He was still looking at Alex, as though weighing up whether he believed him or not.
Eventually he said, 'Yes. I remember you too.'
Alex's mouth went dry. In the car park the day before, right after talking to Amber, Pirroni had got a good look at him. How was he going to get out of this?
'Where?' he said. He couldn't make it look as though he remembered the encounter.
'Out shopping.'
Pirroni was clearly going to say as little as possible and watch how Alex reacted. Alex had to make sure he didn't betray any extra knowledge. 'I'm sorry, I don't remember. When was it?'
Pirroni was looking at him with the same expression Alex remembered from the car park. The same intense, probing telepathic stare. 'Yesterday,' he said. 'Before these other kids arrived, come to think of it.'
'I came long haul from the UK. I wanted a couple of days to get over the jet lag,' said Alex. 'I did a bit of exploring yesterday.'
Pirroni seemed satisfied with that - as far as Alex could tell.
In the monitoring room, Li, Amber and Paulo watched in horrified silence as Pirroni escorted Alex up the steps and into the control
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