Evil Star

lie to me. Now sit down." He threw Matt's exercise book onto the desk as if it were something he had found in the gutter.
    The lesson dragged on until the lunchtime bell. There were games that afternoon and at least Matt should have enjoyed that. He was fit and fast on his feet. But he was never part of the team on the sports field, either. They were playing cricket this term and Matt hadn't been surprised when he was sent to field at deep cover, as far away from everyone else as possible.

    Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star The school ate lunch in one of the school's modern buildings. There was a self-service buffet with a choice of hot or cold food, and fifty long tables arranged in lines beneath an ugly, modern chandelier.
    The boys were allowed to sit where they wanted to, but normally each year stuck together. The clatter of knives and forks and the clamor of so many voices echoed all around.
    Matt was hungry. He had been late for the school bus and hadn't had time to buy anything at McDonald's. And there hadn't been much to eat in Richard's flat the night before. The food was the one thing at Forrest Hill that he did like, and he helped himself to a healthy lunch of ham, salad, ice cream, and fruitjuice. Carrying his tray, he looked for somewhere to sit. After five weeks at the school, he had lost hope of anyone inviting him to join them.
    He saw an empty space and made for it. With the tray in front of him, he didn't see the foot that was stretched out in his path. The next thing he knew, he had been tripped. Helplessly, he pitched forward. The tray, two plates, a glass, his knife, fork, and spoon left his hands and hit the floor with a deafening crash. Matt followed them. Unable to stop himself, he fell on top of what was meant to be his lunch. The entire room fell silent. Even before he looked up, Matt knew that everyone was staring.
    It hadn't been Taylor who had tripped him up. It was one of Taylor's friends. But Matt had no doubt that it had been Taylor's idea. He could see him, a few tables away, standing up with a glass in one hand, a stupid smile spread-ing across his face. Matt got to his knees. Ice cream was dripping from his shirt. He was surrounded by pieces of salad, kneeling in a puddle of fruit juice.
    And then Taylor laughed.
    It was a cue for the rest of the school to join in. It seemed to Matt Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star that just about the entire room — the entire school — was laughing at him. He saw Mr. O'Shaughnessy making his way toward him.
    Why did the assistant headmas-ter have to be on lunch duty that day?
    "Why do you have to be so clumsy, Freeman?" Mr. O'Shaughnessy asked. The words seemed to be coming from a long way away. They echoed in Matt's ears. "Are you all right?"
    Taylor was pointing at him.
    Matt looked up. He could feel the anger coursing through him —
    and not just anger. Something else. He couldn't have stopped it, even if he had tried to. It was as if he had become a channel. There were flames flowing through him. He could actually smell the burning.
    The chandelier exploded.
    It was an ugly thing, a tangle of steel arms and lightbulbs that some architect must have thought would suit the room. And it was directly over Gavin Taylor. Now, as Matt stared, the bulbs shattered, one after another, each bursting apart with the sound of a pistol shot.
    Glass showered down, smashing onto the tables. Taylor looked up and cried out as a piece of glass hit him in the face. More glass rained down on him. A few wisps of smoke rose up to the ceiling.
    Nobody was laughing anymore. The entire room was silent.
    Then the glass that Taylor was holding exploded, too. It simply blew itself apart in his hand. Taylor cried out. His palm had been cut open. He looked at Matt, then at his hand. His mouth opened but it seemed to take him forever to find the words.
    "It was him!" he screamed. "He did it!"
    He was pointing at Matt. His whole body was trembling.
    The assistant headmaster stared helplessly. He looked bewildered, Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star unsure what to do. This sort of thing had never happened before. It was way outside his experience.
    "It was him!" Taylor insisted.
    "Don't be ridiculous," Mr. O'Shaughnessy said. "I saw what happened. Freeman was nowhere near you."
    Gavin Taylor had gone pale. It might have been the pain, the sight of his own blood welling out of the cut in his hand. But Matt knew that it was more than