Necropolis

her. When she walked past a security camera outside a shop or an office, it almost seemed to swivel round, its single, glass eye focusing on her — and she could imagine someone in a secret room far away, staring at her on a television monitor, picking her out from the crowd.
    Even when she was on her own in her room, she had got the sense of someone eavesdropping, and after a while, just the flapping of a curtain would be enough to unnerve her. When she made phone calls — it didn't matter if it was her mobile or a landline — she was sure she could hear something in the background. Breathing. A faint echo. Someone listening.
    She wasn't imagining it. It was there.
    Scarlett had tried to tell herself that none of this was possible. She knew that there was a word for what she was experiencing: paranoia. Why would anyone bother to watch her? Nobody was watching her. She was just freaked out by what had happened before.
    "There were five children. They came to be known as the Gatekeepers. Four boys and a girl. You are the girl."

    It was when she saw the Mercedes with Aidan that Scarlett understood that what had begun at St.
    Meredith's wasn't over yet. It had only really begun.
    The next day — Friday — was miserable. Scarlett hadn't slept well. She was snappy with Mrs. Murdoch and managed to make a spectacular mess of a math test at school. She didn't want to be in class. She just wanted to go back to her room and close the door — to shut "them" out, even though she didn't have any idea who "they" might be.
    That evening, she got a phone call. It was Aidan.
    "Hi, Scarlett," he said. "I was wondering… do you want to come to a movie tomorrow?"
    Just that one sentence and she knew that something was wrong. Scarlett didn't reply immediately. She cradled her mobile in the palm of her hand, playing back what she had just heard. First of all, Aidan never called her Scarlett. He called her Scarl. And there had been something weird about his tone of voice. He hadn't asked her out as if he really meant it. He sounded fake, as if he was reading from a script.
    As if he knew he was being overheard.
    She lifted the mobile again. "What do you want to see?"
    "I don't know. The new Batman or something. We can go into the West End…"
    And that was odd too. Why travel all the way into town? Dulwich had a perfectly good cinema.
    "Okay," she said. "What time do you want to meet?"
    "Twelve?"
    "I'll see you here…"
    Aidan arrived at exactly midday, dressed in his trademark hoodie and jeans. As they walked over to the Tube station together, Scarlett wondered if she hadn't read too much into the conversation the night before. He seemed completely relaxed and cheerful. The two of them chatted about school, fast food, and the American election, which was still in the news. Aidan was interested in politics even if it left Scarlett completely cold.
    "Charles Baker is a creep," he said. "I can't believe anyone voted for him as president. The other guy, Trelawney, should have walked away with it."

    "So why didn't he?"
    "I don't know. Some people are saying they botched the voting slips. But I'm telling you, Scarl, the wrong guy won."
    They reached the cinema, the Empire in Leicester Square, but as they approached the box office, Aidan suddenly grabbed Scarlett and dragged her to one side. In an instant, his whole mood changed. He made sure there was no one else around, then hurriedly began to speak.
    "Scarl, I've got to tell you. Something really weird has happened."
    "What is it?" Scarlett was completely thrown.
    "I didn't know whether to tell you or not. But yesterday, when I called you, I was told to do it! This guy came up to me when I was coming out of school."
    "What guy?"
    "I'd never seen him before. At first I thought he was trying to sell me something. He was Chinese. A young guy. He asked me to get a message to you."
    "Why didn't he tell me himself?"
    "I'm only telling you what he told me." Aidan ran a hand through his long, shaggy hair. There was still no one in this part of the foyer. A short distance away, a family of four was just going in to the film. "He just came up to me and asked if he could talk to me. He knew my name. And he knew I was your friend."
    "What did he want?"
    "Listen — I don't want to freak you out, but he told me that he couldn't approach you himself because your phone was bugged and you were being watched. He said you were in danger." Aidan paused. "Has this got something to do with what happened