before she raised the needle.
Kate knew it was useless to fight – if she wanted the children to stay safe. Nothing was her choice any more, least of all the bogus calls from America every evening.
The siren continued to scream and suddenly the lights flickered, just the once. She wondered what was happening. It had to be something to do with the children.
Held as she was, deep underground in the Hope Project’s sick bay, she could only pray that Rachel and Adam were all right. Could only wonder when any of them would see one another again.
part two:
flight
T hey hid in the woods until the search was abandoned.
Gathered beneath an enormous pine tree, they watched as the lights of those looking for them moved through the woods like giant fireflies. At times the guards passed within a few metres of them, and on several occasions they heard the voice of Clay Van der Zee close by, marshalling his troops, and then later telling them that they would begin searching again at first light.
Rachel knew that it was Gabriel keeping them hidden; that when it suited him he could make himself, and those close to him, all but invisible in plain sight. At one point Gabriel had leant across and whispered to her, the shouts of the search party echoing in the darkness around her, “They can’t see the wood for the trees.”
Once the searchlights had been switched off, they broke cover and began to move cautiously through the forest. The darkness was almost impenetrable and the noises of unseenanimals caused the little ones to clutch each other as they followed Gabriel on a path that wound through the columns of tall trees. Rachel knew she would have been every bit as frightened as they were, had her head not been buzzing with a thousand questions. She could see the fear clearly enough on Adam’s face.
“We need to move faster,” Gabriel said.
After half an hour or so there was a break in the blackness ahead of them, a momentary sweep of passing headlights and eventually they stumbled on to a narrow country road.
“Where to now?” Adam asked.
Gabriel thought for a few moments, staring along the road in both directions. “Away,” he said.
Adam nodded. “Sounds good.”
Rachel was about to ask one of her many questions, but was distracted by the crying behind her. She turned to see Morag and Duncan sitting on the side of the road, the girl being comforted by her brother. Rachel asked if she was OK.
“I’m cold,” Morag said.
Rachel realized that it was only adrenalin keeping the chill from her own bones and that the temperature would continue to drop: none of them would be able to spend the night outdoors.
“There’s a car coming!” Adam shouted suddenly. Morag and Duncan climbed excitedly to their feet and the children gathered together as Adam stuck out his thumb in preparation.
“It’s not going to stop!” Morag shouted.
The headlights grew bigger and the growl of what was clearly a large truck got louder as it rumbled towards them.
“Course it will,” Adam said. “Who wouldn’t pick up a bunch of kids out here in the middle of the night?” He stretched his arm out, the hope tight round his mouth as the lights moved across his face.
“Come on, come on,” Rachel muttered to herself as the truck got closer, but could only watch in alarm when, at the very last second, Gabriel moved past her and stepped calmly out into the middle of the road: the screams of the younger children were lost in the roar of the truck’s engine as it bore down on him.
“Michael!” Morag shouted.
Rachel stared. Why did they keep calling him that?
“Michael” raised his hand and the light seemed to bounce off his splayed fingers, reflecting back into the truck driver’s face in a tangle of thin beams.
The truck driver
knew
he was in big trouble.
He knew too that he shouldn’t have been driving while he was tired, that he shouldn’t have been going as fast and that he
certainly
shouldn’t have had that pint of
Kate knew it was useless to fight – if she wanted the children to stay safe. Nothing was her choice any more, least of all the bogus calls from America every evening.
The siren continued to scream and suddenly the lights flickered, just the once. She wondered what was happening. It had to be something to do with the children.
Held as she was, deep underground in the Hope Project’s sick bay, she could only pray that Rachel and Adam were all right. Could only wonder when any of them would see one another again.
part two:
flight
T hey hid in the woods until the search was abandoned.
Gathered beneath an enormous pine tree, they watched as the lights of those looking for them moved through the woods like giant fireflies. At times the guards passed within a few metres of them, and on several occasions they heard the voice of Clay Van der Zee close by, marshalling his troops, and then later telling them that they would begin searching again at first light.
Rachel knew that it was Gabriel keeping them hidden; that when it suited him he could make himself, and those close to him, all but invisible in plain sight. At one point Gabriel had leant across and whispered to her, the shouts of the search party echoing in the darkness around her, “They can’t see the wood for the trees.”
Once the searchlights had been switched off, they broke cover and began to move cautiously through the forest. The darkness was almost impenetrable and the noises of unseenanimals caused the little ones to clutch each other as they followed Gabriel on a path that wound through the columns of tall trees. Rachel knew she would have been every bit as frightened as they were, had her head not been buzzing with a thousand questions. She could see the fear clearly enough on Adam’s face.
“We need to move faster,” Gabriel said.
After half an hour or so there was a break in the blackness ahead of them, a momentary sweep of passing headlights and eventually they stumbled on to a narrow country road.
“Where to now?” Adam asked.
Gabriel thought for a few moments, staring along the road in both directions. “Away,” he said.
Adam nodded. “Sounds good.”
Rachel was about to ask one of her many questions, but was distracted by the crying behind her. She turned to see Morag and Duncan sitting on the side of the road, the girl being comforted by her brother. Rachel asked if she was OK.
“I’m cold,” Morag said.
Rachel realized that it was only adrenalin keeping the chill from her own bones and that the temperature would continue to drop: none of them would be able to spend the night outdoors.
“There’s a car coming!” Adam shouted suddenly. Morag and Duncan climbed excitedly to their feet and the children gathered together as Adam stuck out his thumb in preparation.
“It’s not going to stop!” Morag shouted.
The headlights grew bigger and the growl of what was clearly a large truck got louder as it rumbled towards them.
“Course it will,” Adam said. “Who wouldn’t pick up a bunch of kids out here in the middle of the night?” He stretched his arm out, the hope tight round his mouth as the lights moved across his face.
“Come on, come on,” Rachel muttered to herself as the truck got closer, but could only watch in alarm when, at the very last second, Gabriel moved past her and stepped calmly out into the middle of the road: the screams of the younger children were lost in the roar of the truck’s engine as it bore down on him.
“Michael!” Morag shouted.
Rachel stared. Why did they keep calling him that?
“Michael” raised his hand and the light seemed to bounce off his splayed fingers, reflecting back into the truck driver’s face in a tangle of thin beams.
The truck driver
knew
he was in big trouble.
He knew too that he shouldn’t have been driving while he was tired, that he shouldn’t have been going as fast and that he
certainly
shouldn’t have had that pint of
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