colours not quite right. And at the same time it felt as though that night with Alba never happened. The world would make much more sense if it hadn’t. A criminal from South and a stuck-up North princess couldn’t ever be friends …
Could they?
‘You’re doing it again.’
Seven started, looking round to find Loe staring at him from beneath her choppy bob, a knowing glint in her eyes. She crouched beside him. She was wearing a tattered T-shirt and ripped black jeans, tight on her scrawny body.
‘Doing what?’
‘Smiling.’
Seven rolled his eyes. ‘Just because
you’re
angry all the time doesn’t mean the rest of the world has to be.’
‘Ooh!’ Loe smirked. ‘Someone’s on their period.’
Yeah – you
, he wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. You had to pick your fights with Loe (which basically meant don’t try and fight at all).
‘Where’s Mika?’ he asked instead. ‘I haven’t seen her yet.’
‘Carpenter’s teaching her how to steal properly. Said she’ll need to start now if she’s ever gonna be a skid-thief like us.’
Seven raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that what you want her to be?’
‘What d’you mean?’ Loe shot him a hard look. ‘What
else
is there for her?’
She was right, of course. What future was there for a young South orphan, and a female one at that? Seven knew Mika was lucky to have been taken in by Loe. There were worse things she could do to earn money than skid-thieving.
No one knew what had happened to Mika’s family. Why she’d been wandering the riverside streets near Loe’s place in Bankside two years ago, just a toddler, barely able to walk. Loe had never told anyone. She’d just turned up with the girl at the skid-market one day and glared at anyone who looked as though they were even thinking about asking.
‘Anyway.’ Loe elbowed Seven in the ribs. ‘What d’you think about the whole Murray business?’
‘Oh, just overjoyed, of course.’
‘Seriously, you idiot. Do you think Carpenter’ll be next?’
‘No way,’ Seven said quickly. ‘He’s smarter than the other crew leaders. He won’t let himself – or any of us – get caught.’
Loe looked away, tongue playing with the loop through her lip. Her guard had slipped for a moment, and Seven could see how worried she was. He felt a warm flash of affection for her, then inwardly grimaced.
His brain must be malfunctioning. First Alba, and now Loe? He was going soft.
‘You really think that?’ she asked quietly.
‘Yeah. When has Carpenter ever let us down?’
Before she could answer, a shrill voice danced towards them, bursting with excitement.
‘Loe! Loe! Loe! Seven! Seven! Seven!’
Loe rolled her eyes. ‘I swear, that girl has a tracker on me or something.’ But her face softened all the same as Mika ran into view, a bush of fuzzy black hair weaving in and out of legs and tables. Loe pushed off the floor and mussed Mika’s hair. ‘What
now
?’
Mika jiggled on the spot. ‘Carpenter wants you,’ she said to Seven. She giggled. ‘Maybe he wants to teach
you
how to steal, too.’
Loe sighed heavily. ‘What d’you think we all do for a living, Mika?’
‘I know what
you
do.’ Mika hid behind Loe’s legs. She pointed at Seven and sang gleefully, ‘Your job is fancying
him
–’
‘MIKA!’
Loe’s roar was so loud her voice cut through the noise of the market crowds, practically cleaving the air in two.
‘Oops!’ screeched Mika, and she threw her hands in the air and ran back into the crowds, her giggles floating around her like a cloud of technicolour bubbles.
There was a heartbeat of tense silence. Then, throwing Seven a thunderous look that practically hissed
Don’t you even
dare, Loe stormed off after Mika, her cheeks flushed so dark they were almost purple.
‘How was that
my
fault?’ he shouted after her.
In his head, he took back his earlier affection for Loe. He might be going mad, letting himself care about a stuck-up North girl like Alba, but
Could they?
‘You’re doing it again.’
Seven started, looking round to find Loe staring at him from beneath her choppy bob, a knowing glint in her eyes. She crouched beside him. She was wearing a tattered T-shirt and ripped black jeans, tight on her scrawny body.
‘Doing what?’
‘Smiling.’
Seven rolled his eyes. ‘Just because
you’re
angry all the time doesn’t mean the rest of the world has to be.’
‘Ooh!’ Loe smirked. ‘Someone’s on their period.’
Yeah – you
, he wanted to say, but he bit his tongue. You had to pick your fights with Loe (which basically meant don’t try and fight at all).
‘Where’s Mika?’ he asked instead. ‘I haven’t seen her yet.’
‘Carpenter’s teaching her how to steal properly. Said she’ll need to start now if she’s ever gonna be a skid-thief like us.’
Seven raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that what you want her to be?’
‘What d’you mean?’ Loe shot him a hard look. ‘What
else
is there for her?’
She was right, of course. What future was there for a young South orphan, and a female one at that? Seven knew Mika was lucky to have been taken in by Loe. There were worse things she could do to earn money than skid-thieving.
No one knew what had happened to Mika’s family. Why she’d been wandering the riverside streets near Loe’s place in Bankside two years ago, just a toddler, barely able to walk. Loe had never told anyone. She’d just turned up with the girl at the skid-market one day and glared at anyone who looked as though they were even thinking about asking.
‘Anyway.’ Loe elbowed Seven in the ribs. ‘What d’you think about the whole Murray business?’
‘Oh, just overjoyed, of course.’
‘Seriously, you idiot. Do you think Carpenter’ll be next?’
‘No way,’ Seven said quickly. ‘He’s smarter than the other crew leaders. He won’t let himself – or any of us – get caught.’
Loe looked away, tongue playing with the loop through her lip. Her guard had slipped for a moment, and Seven could see how worried she was. He felt a warm flash of affection for her, then inwardly grimaced.
His brain must be malfunctioning. First Alba, and now Loe? He was going soft.
‘You really think that?’ she asked quietly.
‘Yeah. When has Carpenter ever let us down?’
Before she could answer, a shrill voice danced towards them, bursting with excitement.
‘Loe! Loe! Loe! Seven! Seven! Seven!’
Loe rolled her eyes. ‘I swear, that girl has a tracker on me or something.’ But her face softened all the same as Mika ran into view, a bush of fuzzy black hair weaving in and out of legs and tables. Loe pushed off the floor and mussed Mika’s hair. ‘What
now
?’
Mika jiggled on the spot. ‘Carpenter wants you,’ she said to Seven. She giggled. ‘Maybe he wants to teach
you
how to steal, too.’
Loe sighed heavily. ‘What d’you think we all do for a living, Mika?’
‘I know what
you
do.’ Mika hid behind Loe’s legs. She pointed at Seven and sang gleefully, ‘Your job is fancying
him
–’
‘MIKA!’
Loe’s roar was so loud her voice cut through the noise of the market crowds, practically cleaving the air in two.
‘Oops!’ screeched Mika, and she threw her hands in the air and ran back into the crowds, her giggles floating around her like a cloud of technicolour bubbles.
There was a heartbeat of tense silence. Then, throwing Seven a thunderous look that practically hissed
Don’t you even
dare, Loe stormed off after Mika, her cheeks flushed so dark they were almost purple.
‘How was that
my
fault?’ he shouted after her.
In his head, he took back his earlier affection for Loe. He might be going mad, letting himself care about a stuck-up North girl like Alba, but
Similar Books
