Necropolis

the same thing. The events that had closed in on her in London had followed her here. She was caught in the same trap. And here it was even worse. She was far from her friends and family, alone in a city that seemed to be hostile in every way.
    This was all happening because she was a Gatekeeper. She remembered what Father Gregory had told her. He had talked about an ancient evil…the Old Ones. Scarlett didn't know exactly what they were, but she could imagine the worst. They were here, in Hong Kong. That would explain everything. The Old Ones were toying with her. They were the ones who were controlling the crowd.
    What was she going to do?
    She could march into the kitchen and tell Mrs. Cheng that she didn't want to wait for her father, that she was taking the next flight back to London. She could telephone her mother in Australia or Mrs. Murdoch or the headmistress at St. Genevieve's. They would get her out of here. She could even contact the police.
    But she knew that none of it would work. The forces ranged against her were too powerful. She could see it every time she went outside. Hong Kong was sick. There was a sort of cancer that had spread through every alleyway and every street and had infected everyone who walked there. Did she seriously think that they were just going to let her walk out of here? So far, they hadn't threatened her directly.
    That hadn't been part of their plan. But if she challenged them, if she tried to assert herself, they would close in on her, and it would only make her situation worse.
    She had just one hope. The people who were trying to reach her — they had to be on her side.

    We are your friends.
    That was what they had told her. She just had to behave normally until she reached them. Then, once she knew what was really happening, she would be able to act.
    She got up and got dressed. The fortune-teller's note was beside the bed, but now she tucked it away beneath the mattress. Whoever her friends were, they were being very careful. They were contacting her in four separate stages: the guidebook hidden in her luggage, the illuminated sign across the harbor, the bird of fortune at Tin Hau, and finally a meeting this afternoon. The question was, how was she going to persuade Mrs. Cheng to take her back to The Peak?
    They had already been there once. Victoria Peak was the mountain that rose up behind Hong Kong, a must-see for every tourist. Scarlett had gone there on the second day, taking the old wooden tram — it was actually a funicular railway — up the slope to the top, five hundred yards above the city. The views were meant to be spectacular, but they hadn't seen very much on account of the pollution. Maybe that was the answer. If the weather cheered up, it would give her an excuse to go back.
    Mrs. Cheng was in the kitchen, cooking an omelette for Scarlett's breakfast.
    "Good morning, Scarlett."
    "Good morning, Mrs. Cheng."
    "Did you sleep well?"
    "Very well, thank you."
    As Scarlett sat down, it occurred to her that she had never seen the woman eat — not so much as a mouthful. Even when they went to restaurants together, Mrs. Cheng ordered food only for Scarlett. In fact, she had only ever shown hunger once. That had been at the market when they examined the hideous, sliced-in-half-but-still-living fish.
    "So where would you like to go today, Scarlett?" They were exactly the same words she had used the day before. And she spoke without any real enthusiasm, as if it was simply what she had been programmed to say.
    "Why don't we go back to The Peak?" Scarlett suggested. "We didn't see anything very much last time.
    Maybe we'll get a better view."
    Mrs. Cheng looked out of the window. "There's a lot of cloud," she remarked.

    "But it's going to cheer up this afternoon," Scarlett said. "I saw the forecast on TV." It was grim outside, with a nonstop drizzle sweeping across the sky. And the forecast had said it would stay the same for the rest of the week. But somehow Scarlett knew she was right.
    "I don't think so." Mrs. Cheng shook her head. "Maybe you would like to go to the cinema?"
    "Let's see what it's like this afternoon," Scarlett pleaded. "I'm sure it will clear up."
    And against all the odds, it did. At around two o'clock, the clouds finally parted and the sun came out, still weak against the ever-present pollution, but definitely there. Even Mrs. Cheng had to agree that it was too nice an afternoon to stay indoors, and so the two of them set out.
    The