Necropolis

one hundred percent Chinese — a slightly pudgy twelve-year-old who probably went to an expensive private school and dressed like his dad. She even smelled like a boy. Maybe they had put something in all the chemicals they had used.
    "Now you must practice walking," Lohan said. "Walk like a boy, not like a girl."
    For the next two hours, Lohan kept her pacing up and down with slouching shoulders, hands in her pockets. Scarlett had never really thought that teenage boys were so different in the way they walked, but she was sensible enough not to argue. Finally, Lohan was satisfied. He crouched next to her. "It is time for you to leave," he said. "But there is something I must tell you before you go."
    "What?"
    She was alarmed, but he held up a hand, reassuring her. "There is a boy who is coming to meet you," he said. "He is on his way already, traveling from England."
    Her first thought was that it was Aidan — but that was ridiculous. Aidan knew nothing about what was happening.
    "His name is Matt."
    The boy in her dream! The boy who had led her through the door at the church of St. Meredith's. Scarlett felt a surge of hope and excitement. She didn't know why, but if Matt was on his way, then she was sure that everything would be all right.
    "He is not coming to Hong Kong," Lohan went on. "It is too dangerous here. But he will be in Macao.
    He is being protected by the Master of the Mountain. He will remain there until he knows that we have been successful and that you have escaped. Then he will follow you, and our work will be done."
    "Who is the Master of the Mountain?" Scarlett asked.
    "He is a very powerful man." That was all Lohan was prepared to say. He straightened up. "Don't speak until you are on the boat. If anyone tries to talk to you, ignore them. When you are with your new parents, hold your mother's hand. She alone will talk to you, and you'll smile at her and pretend that you understand. When you are on
    The Jade Emperor, she will take you straight to her cabin. You will remain there until the ship leaves."
    "Thank you," Scarlett said. "Thank you for helping me."
    Lohan glanced at her, and just for a moment she saw the hardness in his eyes and knew that whatever else he was, he would never be her friend. "You do not need to thank us," he said. "Do not imagine that we are helping you because we want to. We are obeying orders from the Master of the Mountain. You are important to him. That is all that matters. Do not let us down."
    They opened the warehouse door and, remembering her new walk, Scarlett went out. She found herself in a concrete-lined alleyway. It was after five o'clock and the light was already turning gray. As she stood there, a car drove past and she flinched, afraid of being seen. But she was a boy now, the son of Chinese parents. Nobody was going to look at her twice. Jet and Sing had joined her. The three of them set off together, making their way toward the main road.
    The alleyway came out at the very tip of Kowloon, where the Salisbury Road curved around on its way to the ferry terminals. The harbor was in front of them. Scarlett could see all of Hong Kong on the other side of the water, with The Nail, the headquarters of Nightrise, slanting diagonally out of the very center where it seemed to have been smashed in.
    "Walk slowly," Jet whispered. "If you see anyone looking at you, just ignore them. Don't stop…"

    They walked down the Salisbury Road, passing the Hong Kong Cultural Center, a huge, white-tiled building that looked a little bit like a ski slope. The weather had changed again. The sky was clear and the evening sun was dipping down, the water shimmering silver and blood red. Despite the horror of the last thirty-six hours, everything looked very ordinary. There were several groups of tourists on the promenade, enjoying the view. Crowds of people were pouring out of the terminal for the Star Ferry, on their way home. Young couples walked together, holding hands. Newspaper and food sellers stood behind their stalls, waiting for business. A fleet of ships, all different shapes and sizes, was chugging back and forth.
    And all the time Scarlett was thinking:
    What is real and what isn't? Which of these people are shape-changers? How many of them are looking for me?
    She walked on between Jet and Sing, trying to behave normally but knowing all the time that there were a thousand eyes searching for her. She was already beginning to sweat with all the padding pressing down on