Chasing Stars

by Helen Douglas

  ‘You are?’

  ‘Do you think you could get a blanket? I want to lie back and look at the stars, but I hate getting sand in my hair.’

  ‘You can use my jacket as a pillow,’ he said, unbuttoning it.

  ‘Thanks, but I want a blanket. I want to stretch out.’

  Clarence sighed deeply and I knew I was pushing my luck. I reached across and ran my fingertips lightly up his left forearm. ‘We can lie next to each other.’

  He sighed again, but this time it was not annoyance I detected. ‘I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere,’ he said, leaping to his feet.

  I heard him jogging up the beach and across the lawn.

  ‘Hey!’ came a voice from the nearby forest.

  ‘We need more time,’ I whispered.

  ‘Have you slipped him the powder yet?’

  ‘I’m just about to do it.’

  I tore the packet of sedative open and sprinkled it into one of the beers. Using my index finger, I stirred it around. Bella had said it would dissolve within a minute or two and had no obvious taste.

  A few minutes later, Clarence was back with a picnic blanket. He spread it over the sand close to the lake.

  ‘Cheers,’ I said, holding up my glass.

  ‘To new friends,’ he said.

  He downed half the glass in one mouthful. I sipped at my glass, careful not to swallow any of it. Belle had told me the sedative took about five minutes to work once the full dose had been ingested. Clarence put his glass down in the sand.

  ‘I’m not going to embarrass myself tonight by drinking too much,’ he said. ‘I like a few drinks but I’m completely humiliated by last night.’

  ‘Don’t be silly,’ I said, touching his arm. ‘It was a party and we both drank a lot of beer on empty stomachs. This is different.’

  ‘Even so.’

  I glanced at his beer. His glass still had half the sedative in it. Possibly more if it had sunk to the bottom.

  ‘Let’s play a game,’ I said.

  ‘I like the sound of this.’

  ‘It’s a drinking game. Do you have drinking games in 2123?’

  He smirked. ‘Of course we do.’

  ‘If you get the answer right, you get to ask a question. If you get the answer wrong, you have to chug the rest of your beer.’

  Clarence raised his eyebrows. ‘Are you trying to get me drunk?’

  ‘I might be. Just a little.’

  He rested a hand on my knee.

  ‘Who was the president of the USA in 2012?’ I asked.

  ‘What? How obscure is that? Not fair.’

  ‘I could have asked you who the Prime Minister of the UK was, but I’m being kind.’

  ‘I’m crap at history.’

  ‘Oh, dear. Guess you’re gonna have to down that beer.’

  ‘Hang on a minute. I know. Barack Obama. First black president of the USA. Elected for two terms.’

  ‘Congratulations. Your go.’

  I heard a rustle from the treeline. I knew it was Peg, reminding me that time was short.

  ‘Who is the current president of the USA?’ asked Clarence.

  I smiled. ‘A trick question? The USA no longer exists.’

  ‘Touché. Your go.’

  ‘What was the name of the war that began in 1914 and ended in 1918?’

  Clarence snorted. ‘Another history question? Please.’

  ‘Long before my time,’ I said. ‘Before my grandmother’s time. It’s a valid question.’

  Clarence sighed. ‘Korean?’

  I shook my head. ‘The Great War. Or the First World War. Either would have been fine.’ I picked up his glass and handed it to him. ‘Time to chug.’

  Clarence leant his head back and poured the drink down his throat. ‘Something’s wrong with this beer. It’s all powdery at the bottom.’

  ‘I might have accidentally kicked some sand earlier.’

  He shrugged. ‘My turn, right? I’m gonna ask you the name of the war that began in 2050 and ended in 2053.’

  I racked my brain. Peg had given me a quick history lesson of the main events in the last hundred years. ‘The Arctic War?’

  ‘How the hell?’

  ‘Lucky guess.’

  Clarence rubbed his eyes and yawned. ‘I don’t know about you, Eden, but I’m beat. How about we head back upstairs?’

  ‘In a minute or two. I’m hoping to see another shooting star.’

  ‘Fine. You know, when I get back from this . . .’

  He flopped on to his back and his eyes closed. It had only been about thirty seconds. Inwardly I hoped that Belle had been right about the dosage and the interaction between the sedative and alcohol. I didn’t like Clarence especially, but I didn’t want him to die.

  I lay back next to him. Above us a meteor made a quick dash across the sky. I took that as a good omen.

  ‘Clarence,’ I said, touching his arm. ‘Did you see that?’

  ‘Hmm?’

  ‘Never mind.’

  The sound of a twig snapping told me that Peg was making his way towards us. A vice-like panic seized my chest. What if Clarence wasn’t completely under? He could identify Peg and me later. He had to be completely unconscious.

  I ran my fingers through his thick blonde hair. Nothing. No sigh or acknowledgement that I’d touched him. Not even a flicker of his eyelids. I shuffled down the blanket and began unlacing his shoes.

  ‘Couldn’t you have chosen a more hidden away spot?’ asked Peg, as he approached. He looked like a ninja in his black wetsuit, his brown hair even darker than normal now that it was wet. ‘Anyone looking out of the window might see us.’

  ‘Clarence put the blanket here.’

  ‘Let’s drag him to the side. We’ll blend into the shadows more if we move to the bushes.’

  Together we pulled the blanket. Clarence rolled from side to side moaning gently.

  ‘Have his parents gone to bed yet?’ asked Peg.

  ‘His mother turned in just before we came outside. His dad is out of town on an “important business event”.’

  ‘That’s great news. Who’s on the door?’

  I shrugged. ‘Clarence didn’t speak to him. I’d guess it’s not one of the doormen he knows well.’

  Peg was busy pulling Clarence’s jacket off his deadweight body. It was a light, green jacket that reached his hips. Underneath he was wearing a white shirt.

  ‘Do you think you could finish undressing him?’ asked Peg. ‘While I take this wetsuit off.’

  I nodded and looked away. Feeling slightly sick, I unbuttoned Clarence’s trousers and pulled them down over his hips.

  ‘Please tell me you don’t want his underwear,’ I said.

  ‘I’d do almost anything to help Ry,’ said Peg. ‘But I draw the line at wearing Clarence Wolfe’s underwear.’

  I threw the trousers to Peg and started work on Clarence’s white button-down shirt. Clarence moaned again and a tiny stream of drool made its way out of the corner of his mouth. Peg helped me prop Clarence up so we could pull the shirt off his back.

  ‘How do I look?’ asked Peg, as he tucked the shirt into his trousers.

  Clarence’s trousers were too short and too baggy for Peg, but with the jacket and straw hat, he might be confused for him. Anyone who knew Clarence well, however, would know at a glance that Peg was not him. Clarence was much broader.

  I picked up the bottle and two glasses. ‘Better look drunk,’ I said.

  Peg put an arm around me and held me close. ‘OK, it’s time for some role play. I get to be the loud-mouthed, alcoholic jerk. And you get to be the pretty girl.’

  He kept his arm around me and I leant in close to him, but we stuck to the shadows as we made our way towards the residential wing. The first part of the operation had been a success, but we still had so much to do before Ryan would be free. Just before we reached the door, Peg stopped.

  ‘He mustn’t see my face.’

  ‘Don’t worry about that,’ I said. ‘Pu
ll the brim of the hat down low and keep the bottle in your face.’

  Peg held the bottle of beer up to his mouth and drank from it. I wrapped my arms around his waist from behind and giggled loudly.

  ‘Clarence, save some for me.’

  As we walked through the door, I spun him around so he was facing me, his back to the doorman.

  ‘Come on, my turn,’ I said, reaching for the bottle.

  I gave the doorman enough time to recognise me, smiled and waved, and steered Peg towards the lift. Peg pressed the call button for the penthouse. The seconds it took for the lift to arrive felt like minutes. If the doorman asked Peg a question, we would be caught. Even if Peg managed to run, they knew who I was. I knew enough about criminal law in 2123 to understand I’d be sent to the Lunar Facility.

  The lift pinged to announce its arrival and the door slid open. Empty. I pushed Peg inside and pressed myself up against him, pretending to kiss him as the door shut behind us. As soon as the lift started moving, I took a step back.

  ‘What if his mother sees me?’ asked Peg.

  ‘We have to turn right when we get out of the lift,’ I said. ‘The dining room is all the way at the end of the hall. If his mother shows up, Clarence’s bedroom is the second door on the right. He has an en suite bathroom. Go inside and lock the door.’

  ‘It disturbs me that you know your way around the inside of his bedroom.’

  The lift arrived. I quickly checked to make sure no one was in the hall, put my arm around Peg and headed towards the dining room. Once we were in the alcove, we were out of sight unless Mrs Wolfe decided she needed something from the kitchen. I opened the door to the dumb waiter.

  ‘Jeez,’ said Peg. ‘I have to squeeze in that?’

  ‘It’s bigger than it looks. You should go first in case Mrs Wolfe wakes up. When you climb out at the bottom, make sure to send it back up for me.’

  ‘Where does it go?’

  ‘To the kitchen.’

  Peg swore. ‘What if someone sees me climbing out of it?’

  ‘The Wolfes are the only family who live here all week. The other Guardians go home for the weekend. And it’s late. There should only be a skeleton staff on duty, so unless someone orders a late-night snack from the kitchen, we shouldn’t run into anyone.’

  ‘But if I do get seen?’

  ‘You’re Clarence Wolfe. You’re a stupid drunk boy doing a dare or something. Just keep that hat tilted over your face.’

  Peg wedged himself into the dumb waiter and tucked his knees under his chin.

  ‘Take the bottle. We’ll need it to hit the guard,’ I said, passing it to him.

  I pressed the button and watched as the door of the dumb waiter closed. It was only about a five-second journey, plus climbing in and out time. I counted silently in my head. On twenty, the dumb waiter whirred and began its return journey.

  I yanked open the door and squeezed myself in, bottom first, then legs and finally arms. It wasn’t until the door opened again in the kitchen, that I realised I’d been holding my breath.

  Peg was waiting for me. ‘Just one woman in the kitchen,’ he whispered. ‘She’s watching a soap on the com-screen.’

  I spun my legs out of the dumb waiter and slipped out. ‘Let’s go.’

  I peered around the corner into the corridor that linked the various service areas. Nothing. We started along the corridor. There were no sounds from above or below us, just the patter of our footsteps on the marble floor.

  ‘If someone sees us?’ he whispered.

  ‘We make it look like we’re trying to find somewhere private to make out.’

  ‘If you wanted to kiss me so bad, you should have just said. There was no need to go to such elaborate lengths.’

  I shushed him with a finger to my lips. I knew he was just trying to lessen the tension, but this was no time for jokes. I needed to focus all my attention on finding my way.

  We passed the sweet-smelling laundry rooms and the storeroom. I turned down the next corridor, my heart beating faster when I saw the analogue clock at the end.

  ‘This is it,’ I whispered. ‘Follow me to the end of this corridor, but don’t come any further. When you hear me cough, you know the guard has his back to you. Ryan’s cell is about ten metres down the corridor.’

  ‘He might hear me coming.’

  ‘There are two of us. He’s not expecting anyone. We can do this.’

  Peg nodded.

  ‘You OK?’ I asked.

  ‘Terrified. I need to knock this guy out, but I don’t want to kill him. If I don’t hit him hard enough, he’ll have time to raise the alarm. I’ve never done any kind of hand-to-hand combat training.’

  ‘It’s going to be fine,’ I said.

  I took a deep breath, but nothing would calm my jittery pulse. I knew my story; I’d practised it many times. I was playing hide and seek with Clarence Wolfe. If he found me, I had to let him kiss me. Please let me hide here for a couple of minutes. He wouldn’t agree – I knew that – but it should be enough to distract him. I would get him to face away from Peg, but if he did see Peg approaching, he would assume it was Clarence come to seek me. All I had to do was play the role of a silly drunk girl.

  I passed the three open cells and turned the corner towards Ryan’s cell.

  No one was there. I was definitely in the right place. But if there was no guard to knock out, there was no key to steal. Perhaps there was a shift change and the new guard hadn’t shown up yet. I ran along the corridor till I reached the cell where Ryan was being held. If I could talk to him, I could let him know what we were planning. His was the last cell.

  Before I even got there, I knew something was wrong. The cell was unlocked, the door slightly open. I ran faster and pushed open the door.

  Ryan wasn’t there.

  Chapter 20

  Lyra was waiting for me halfway down the hill from the Institute. Her car was parked against the kerb, under a tree. A faint glow from her port-com lit up her face.

  I pulled open the passenger side door and climbed in.

  ‘Well?’ she asked, leaning towards the retinal scanner on the dash. The car purred to life.

  ‘He was gone.’

  Lyra turned to look at me. ‘What?’

  ‘Everything went to plan. Clarence passed out, Peg and I got inside the Institute, but when we got to his cell it was empty.’

  ‘Where’s Peg now?’

  ‘He’s swimming back across the lake to Antoine and Belle. He couldn’t walk out of the main gate because he’s not registered as a guest.’

  Lyra pulled away from the kerb. The avenue was empty of cars and pedestrians, but she drove slowly, her forehead creased.

  ‘They must have moved him early,’ I said.

  ‘No shit.’

  ‘I just don’t understand why. It’s only Saturday night now. He’s not due to leave Earth until Tuesday. How far away is the nearest spaceport?’

  ‘New Marseilles. It’s about two hours south of here on the expressway. They might have moved him to the prison there, I guess.’

  ‘Clarence said his dad was in New Marseilles tonight. That he’d gone there for work.’

  Lyra shrugged. ‘Might be connected.’ She glanced at me. ‘I don’t know how you could stand to let Clarence Wolfe touch you.’

  ‘He didn’t touch me. Well, he held my hand, but that’s all.’

  She shuddered. ‘You’re lucky he didn’t try anything with you. He doesn’t think the usual rules apply to him. If he’s spending time with you, it’s because he thinks he can use you in some way.’

  ‘His mother was in the room with us all evening. Until we went to the lake, anyway.’

  ‘Good move.’

  Light rain began to fall. Droplets dotted the windscreen until the world outside blurred.

  ‘Wipers on,’ said Lyra.

  ‘Peg told me about you and Clarence,’ I said.

  ‘Told you what about me and Clarence?’ She made no attempt to hide her irri
tation.

  ‘About the accident. That he was drinking and crashed his car, but let Ryan take the blame.’

  ‘He thinks his family’s name and wealth can protect him. And he’s right. If the world knew the truth about Clarence Wolfe, he’d be kicked out of the Academy and facing a trial of his own.’ She gripped the steering wheel hard, her eyes burning with anger. ‘I wish I could tell the world about Clarence Wolfe.’

  ‘Why don’t you?’

  She flashed her eyes at me. ‘Orion asked me not to. If I told about Clarence crashing the car, Clarence would tell about Orion travelling back to 2012. To keep one secret, I had to keep the other.’

  ‘Ryan’s not in 2012 any more. There’s no reason to keep his secret.’

  ‘I’ve thought about it. But I don’t want Peg to be implicated. Peg helped Orion steal the time-ship.’

  We were in the heart of the city now. We sped past the Lakeview Hotel and then Lyra pulled off the wide main street and into the narrower streets of the market district. The rain had thickened and the ground gleamed under the streetlights.

  ‘Wipers full speed,’ said Lyra.

  The slow rhythm of the wipers changed to a furious slash back and forth across the screen. For a moment I felt bad about leaving Clarence passed out on the picnic blanket in the rain. But then I reminded myself of the way he’d treated Lyra. That was nothing compared to a broken pelvis and leg.

  Lyra made abrupt turns, sounding her horn against a lone pedestrian making his way slowly across the road.

  ‘Tell Peg to call me when he gets home,’ she said, pulling the car alongside a skip just outside the noodle bar. ‘I need to know he got out safely.’

  I bought myself a tub of satay noodles and let myself into the flat. Before the rescue attempt, I’d been much too nervous to eat; now I was starving. I sat in the dark at the dining room table and shovelled food into my mouth with the cheap wooden chopsticks that came with the food. Through the windows, the last of the Saturday night party boats were sailing back to the dock. A bright half-moon floated in the dark sky.

  My head spun with worries. So much planning had gone into this rescue attempt. There was almost no time left and I had to come up with a Plan B. How could I plan to rescue Ryan when I didn’t even know where he was? What if Lyra was right and he’d been transported to the prison in New Marseilles? The advantage we’d had when planning to bust him from the Institute was that it wasn’t a real prison. But the one in New Marseilles was the real deal. We’d need weeks or months to plan a rescue from a place like that. If he was even there.