by Kim Curran
“Me too,” Connor said, opening a can of cashew nuts. “Remind me why she can’t stay again?”
“It’s not safe for her,” JD said. It was a poor excuse and no one was buying it.
Zek snorted his disagreement. Niv held his index and little finger out like the horns of a bull and with his other hand made an explosive gesture as if the bull was relieving itself.
“She’s not the same as us,” JD replied, understanding Niv’s gestures without needing his brother to translate.
“She kind of is, JD,” Connor said. “Orphaned by demons. All alone in the world.”
“And you have to admit, she can play piano,” Zek said.
“It’s too late now, anyway. She wanted to go home and who can blame her? I mean, who would want this life?” He held his hands up, indicating the hotel room.
“True enough,” Zek said, throwing his legs over the arm of his chair. “She’d have to put up with Connor’s snoring for a start.”
“For the last time: I do not snore,” Connor said.
Niv made small circles in front of his nose with his fist. Zek snorted with laughter.
“What’d he say?” Connor asked.
“He said you sound like a pig.”
“Ah, shut up, the lot of you.” He threw a cashew at Niv’s head.
The elevator rumbled and pinged. Gail was back. And she wasn’t alone. JD’s heart skipped when he realized who was with her.
“Hi,” Milly said with a small wave.
Connor was the first to jump up. “Does this mean…?” He looked at Gail, a hopeful smile on his face.
“Milly will be taking Tom’s place while he recuperates, as long as that’s okay with everyone.”
“Yes!” Connor said, giving Milly an enthusiastic high five.
“Very okay,” Zek said, kissing Milly on her right cheek. Niv did the same to Milly’s left, and she squirmed, squeezed between the twins.
“Thanks,” she said, before looking over at JD.
What could he say? That he was so glad to see her he could hardly find the words? “Welcome aboard,” he said at last. Milly’s smile made his heart ache.
“Um, one thing,” Zek said, raising a finger in the air. “We are a boy band, right?”
“We are that,” Connor agreed.
“And Milly is, well, I hate to break this to you, Milly, but you are not a boy.”
“Is that a problem?” Milly said.
“Hmm,” Gail said, stroking her chin and looking Milly up and down. “The fans might not like it.”
“Simple,” Connor said. He yanked a hoodie out of his bag and pulled it over Milly’s head. It swamped her. “Finishing touch.” He lifted the cap off his head and placed it on Milly’s, where it fell to cover her eyes.
“That could work,” Gail said, stepping back to consider Milly’s new look.
“It might be hard to hide. Although, I must say, Milly, you do make a very good boy,” Zek said.
“Rock stars have hidden bigger secrets, believe you me,” Gail said, adjusting Connor’s cap and tucking Milly’s hair up under it. “I’ll draft the press release tomorrow announcing that… I guess you’ll need a new name.”
“Ooh, ooh,” Connor said excitedly, “let me pick.” He sat down on the sofa and considered Milly, stroking his chin in serious thought. “Um, Frank. No, Fred. No. Frederick.”
“How about Milo?” JD said. “Then we can just call you Mils.”
Milly smiled softly and took a seat next to him. “Works for me.”
JD looked from Milly to Connor and the twins, who were both smiling, and something struck him. It didn’t feel weird. It was as if Milly was always meant to be a part of their strange family.
“So,” said Gail, clapping her hands together and leaning against the breakfast bar. “Back to business.”
“Can we go after the lizard men now?” Connor said, leaping back onto the sofa.
“Will you stop it with your lizard men?” Zek said.
“Come on, guys. Why will none of you believe me? After all we’ve seen. You believe me, don’t you, Niv?”
Niv stretched out his flat hand. He waved it from side to side. Maybe.
“Are you seriously trying to make us believe that lizard men have taken over Hollywood?” Zek said.
“He might be onto something there,” Milly said quietly. “I mean, take LA. It’s hot, like, all the time. Lizards like the heat.”
“See!’ Connor said triumphantly. “And lizards only have three-minute memories. It would explain all those Hollywood remakes, right?”
“That’s goldfish, Connor. Goldfish,” said Zek. “Maybe everyone in Hollywood has been taken over by goldfish?”
Despite himself, JD laughed at Zek’s puckered lips.
“We’ll check out your lizard men another time, Connor, okay?” Gail said, after Connor threw another cashew nut at Zek’s head. “A friend has been in touch and she needs some help with a pretty nasty demon that has been terrorizing the area for years.”
“Where?” JD said. Nothing could take his mind off his feelings like the prospect of kicking some demon butt.
“Japan.”
Zek caught a flying cashew and popped it into his mouth. “We’ve never played Japan before, have we?”
JD put his hands behind his head and leaned back in on the sofa. “Then I guess it’s time we did.”
SLAY are BACK for a second kick-ass adventure… And this time they’re heading to Tokyo.
Join Milly, JD, Tom, Connor, Niv and Zek for more music-playing, demon-slaying, hell-raising fun!
In 2012, I spent four months travelling in Central America exploring Aztec and Mayan temples, many only recently excavated. The temple that appears in Slay is a fictional amalgamation of many of the ones I visited. I have taken a few liberties in regard to Aztec rituals, although the Toxcatl Massacre was a true and tragic event.
Kim Curran is an author and creative director based in London. She has worked on some of the world’s largest brands and charities from EA to UNICEF.
@kimecurran
@kimecurran
@UsborneYA
#SLAY
I started this book a long time ago, never really intending it to be anything other than something I wrote for fun. Then a handful of very special people helped me see that just maybe, with these dark times we’re living through, a little escapist fun might not be a bad thing to share with the world. Without their encouragement, Slay would still be a Word file living on my computer rather than the actual, physical thing you hold in your hands.
Firstly, my thanks to Emma, it is no small exaggeration to say this book would not exist without your enthusiasm. To Sarah, Bex, Glen, Nick and Nazia for reading it when it was a shell of what it is now. Special thanks to John Wordsworth for your edit notes. To Juno, James, Will, Louie and Tanya for the encouragement in the early days. And to Patrick for endless advice and support over burgers.
To Amy for your constant support and guidance (coffee and courage) and to Laura, I hope we’ll have many, many more writing retreats together. I love you guys.
To James Wills, who is as kick-ass an agent as Gail Storm. To Anne Finnis, Becky Walker, Stevie Hopwood and the whole amazing Usborne team – working with you has been beyond incredible. I couldn’t have found a better home.
To my nieces, Bella and Darcey, because I promised I’d mention them. To Lisa and Sarah, shield maidens and the greatest friends a woman could hope for. And to my wonderful husband, Chris, who somehow manages to put up with me never having weekends or holidays.
Finally, the idea for this book began with a conversation with my two oldest friends, so I will finish by thanking them: Kathy and Susana, I hope we have many more rooftop cocktails together.
Writing Slay brought me enormous joy. I hope some of that joy comes off on the page.
Find more fantastic fiction at
usborne.com/fiction and usborne.com/ya
This edition first published in the UK in 2018 by Us
borne Publishing Ltd., Usborne House, 83-85 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8RT, England. www.usborne.com
Copyright © Kim Curran, 2018.
The right of Kim Curran to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
The name Usborne and the devices are Trade Marks of Usborne Publishing Ltd. This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or used in any way except as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or loaned or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
EPUB: 9781474949361
04417/02
