The Legacy

he’d done the impossible – done what no one else had even attempted. He might not be a hero in Pip’s eyes, but Sheila believed in him and that had given him the idea. He’d got into the Pincent Pharma security system, which wasn’t in itself terribly challenging – he’d been doing that before he’d even met Pip. Network security had been his bread and butter in the Outside world and there was nothing he didn’t know about firewalls and chinks that let him go wherever he wanted. But now things were different. Now he’d made the leap into the most protected area in Pincent Pharma. Now he was seeing what no one else could see.
    He hadn’t expected to get into Richard Pincent’s camera system on his first attempt, though. He hadn’t expected to be sitting here a few hours later watching him up close.
    Silently Jude watched as Richard stared at some handwritten notes in front of him. Then, hearing someone approaching, he quickly turned the volume down even further and got ready to minimise the screen. But it wasn’t Pip, it was Sheila. He considered minimising the screen anyway, but he didn’t want to. Not now. Not when he was this close.
    As Sheila approached, her eyes widened like saucers. ‘That’s . . .’ she said anxiously.
    Jude nodded. ‘Shhh,’ he whispered and Sheila sank silently into the chair next to him, her face white.
    ‘He keeps looking at that picture,’ Jude said under his breath. ‘And muttering about the circle of life.’
    Sheila looked at him worriedly and he put his arm around her. ‘Don’t worry. You’re safe here.’ She leant into him and as usual he felt his chest lurch.
    ‘What’s the circle of life?’ she asked under her breath.
    ‘I don’t know. But I think this image has got something to do with it. Look.’ He zoomed in on the flower. ‘I’ve seen it before,’ he said. ‘I know I have. But I can’t remember where.’
    Sheila looked at it carefully. ‘And why is he looking at it?’
    Jude looked at her for a few seconds, then looked around again to check no one else was near. ‘I don’t know,’ he said cautiously. ‘I mean . . . I don’t think Richard Pincent knows either, to be honest. But he keeps staring at it and he was shouting before, asking what it was.’
    ‘Does Pip know you’re doing this?’ Sheila asked, frowning.
    Jude shook his head.
    She appeared to digest this for a second, then she leant forward. ‘Richard Pincent’s got a very nice room,’ she breathed. ‘Big windows. And it looks really warm.’
    Jude nodded. ‘Yeah, well, when you’re Richard Pincent I guess the normal rules don’t apply.’
    Sheila nodded. Then she looked at Jude intently. ‘The other day. You were going to tell me about my parents. Will you tell me now?’
    Jude looked down. ‘Your parents? It was nothing. I didn’t find anything – that’s all I wanted to tell you.’
    ‘Really?’ Sheila asked suspiciously.
    ‘Really,’ Jude said, not meeting her eyes.
    ‘That’s a shame. Because I know what it is. The picture, I mean.’
    Jude raised an eyebrow. ‘The picture Richard’s looking at? How?’
    ‘I just do,’ Sheila said with a little shrug.
    ‘So tell me,’ Jude said, raising an eyebrow.
    She turned to look at him; she was so close he was sure she could feel his heart thudding in his chest and wished it would calm down a bit. ‘I’ll only tell you if you promise to find my parents. Properly find them.’
    She was staring at Jude intently and he felt himself getting hot. Pip wouldn’t be happy about it, but then again Pip was never that happy. And after all, this was Sheila they were talking about. She probably didn’t know anything. She was just making stuff up as usual.
    ‘OK,’ he said.
    ‘You promise? You cross your heart and hope to die?’
    ‘What?’ Jude screwed up his face. ‘Why would I do that?’
    ‘It was in a book I read,’ Sheila said earnestly. ‘You have to say it. That means I know you’re telling the truth.’
    ‘Fine,’ Jude said with a little grin. ‘I cross my heart and hope to die. So? What is it? If you really do know.’
    ‘Of course I know,’ Sheila said lightly. She got up and stood behind Jude. ‘Zoom in on it again,’ she said.
    Jude did what he was told.
    Then she nodded happily. ‘Don’t you recognise the pattern?’ she asked.
    Jude stared at it. ‘I do. I think I do, anyway. But I can’t . . . I don’t know where it’s from.’
    ‘I do,’ Sheila said. ‘It’s