‘But it could help. I won’t stay long, just so I can –’
‘Is everything okay?’
Isabella flinched. The voice was unmistakable.
‘Yes, Major General.’ Mrs Gooding’s smile tightened. ‘A little hot chocolate was needed for someone who couldn’t sleep.’
‘Ah.’ His cane snapped against the floor as he began to pace around the kitchen. ‘It always happens to me when I’m somewhere new.’
He spied the freshly baked fruit buns. ‘May I?’
‘Of course, sir.’
He took a bite. ‘Delicious as always.’
The Major General walked over to the wheel of cheese. He gripped the knife and pulled it out.
‘This seems a little dangerous, Mrs Gooding, when you are normally so careful. I’m sure you can think of a safer way to run your kitchen.’
Mrs Gooding stood and took the knife. ‘Yes, Major General.’
Isabella felt his gaze fall on her. ‘Don’t stay up too late. Tomorrow is a big day.’
He disappeared into the dark corridor.
‘You heard the Major General,’ Mrs Gooding said with forced cheer. ‘It’s time for bed.’
She tucked the blanket around Isabella’s shoulders. ‘You are not to worry. Everything will be fine. I’m sure of it.’
Being with Mrs Gooding had made Isabella feel better, but as she made her way back to her room she couldn’t shake the feeling that her every step was being watched.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Jeremiah’s House
‘Do you think he heard?’ Griffin whispered to Isabella as they sat in the Armavan on their way to Jeremiah’s house.
‘I don’t think so,’ Isabella said, trying to convince herself.
‘What was he doing in the kitchen?’
‘He seems to have a habit of being everywhere.’
Corporal Smith drove through the narrow streets of New City and into the surrounding suburbs, on deserted roads, past houses with empty yards and shuttered windows.
They passsed a children’s playground with broken swings and torn soccer nets hanging from rusty goals.
‘Where do kids ride bikes or skateboards?’ Raffy asked.
‘All sport happens in large Recreation Halls. They have pools, basketball courts – even go-kart tracks.’
‘Can we go too?’ Raffy cried.
‘Of course.’
They headed into open country. Rich green paddocks stretched away on either side of them and giant coloured domes dotted the landscape.
‘These are our greenhouses,’ Corporal Smith explained. ‘All our crops are grown in specially reinforced Food Domes that can withstand anything the elements throw at them.’
‘So you don’t have farms?’ Griffin asked.
‘Not outside, it’s too risky. Why spend all that effort preparing a harvest when you could lose everything in one weather event?’
‘It has become quite bad then?’ Jeremiah asked.
‘Yes, but we’ve learnt how to manage it.’
Bea stared at the lush field of grass sprinkled with bursts of yellow dandelions. ‘Can we get out and have a closer look?’
‘I don’t think we should –’
‘Please?’ Bea pleaded. ‘We haven’t walked on grass in years.’
‘All right.’ Corporal Smith pulled over to the side of the road. ‘But stay close to the van.’
Bea and Raffy kicked off their shoes. A blue sky dotted with puffy clouds sprawled above them. Bea squealed with delight as she wriggled her toes in the thick grass. Raffy picked a clump and took a big whiff. ‘It smells just like when dad mowed the lawn.’
Isabella tilted her head back and let the sun warm her face. For the first time since they’d arrived in New City she felt a twinge of happiness. ‘We did it,’ Griffin said. ‘We’re standing on solid ground again.’
Isabella agreed. ‘We finally made it to safety.’
‘Nice work, Ms Charm.’
‘You too, Mr –’
A series of small beepings burst out around them.
‘What’s that?’ Isabella asked.
Corporal Smith reached into her pocket and pulled out her Weather Detector. ‘We need to go.’
Griffin looked at his own Detector. Red warnings blazed across the screen: High Alert. Seek Shelter Now. ‘What is it?’
‘Can’t we stay just a few minutes longer?’ Bea asked.
‘No!’ This time Corporal Smith lost her composure. ‘Get in the Armavan, now!’
Then they saw why.
A formation of grey clouds stampeded towards them, and from the centre spilled a giant twister.
‘It’s a tornado,’ Jeremiah breathed, ‘but there’s something very different about it.’
‘Let’s go,’ Isabella ordered.
They began bustling the younger children into the Armavan. Fly tripped and fell, badly scraping her knee on the road. Griffin helped her to her feet and lifted her into the van.
‘Thanks, Griffin.’ Fly winced in pain.
‘You’re welcome.’ Griffin hoped he looked calmer than he felt.
Corporal Smith activated the door and it closed everyone inside with a shuddering thud. Griffin looked out the window as metal claws reached out from the body of the van and anchored it to the ground.
Protective shutters lowered over the windows.
On a screen embedded in the dashboard, they watched as the storm careered towards them. The sky was now boiling with dark grey clouds bruised with purple smudges and split by streaks of lightning. The grass rippled and bushes began to thrash and bend.
‘What is it?’ Isabella cried.
‘Ice twister,’ Corporal Smith said. ‘A hailstorm driven by a powerful funnel of wind. Buckle-up tight.’
‘Are we going to be okay?’ Raffy asked.
‘Of course we are. These machines are built for this kind of thing.’ Griffin fumbled with his buckle until Fly clipped it for him.
The twister was gathering speed. Writhing and turning, it moved across the landscape, uprooting trees and throwing chunks of earth into the air like confetti.
The rain hit first, pummelling into them in waves.
Every trace of blue sky was gone. Thick drops of rain turned into sheets of water, as if they’d been submerged into an ocean.
Then came the twister.
Even in the reinforced shell of the Armavan, they felt the storm’s power. Hail pounded into them like hundreds of angry fists trying to break in. The Armavan lurched and shook, throwing them back and forth.
Raffy pressed his hands to his ears to block out the noise. Bea wrapped him in her coat and hugged him closer.
The road was soon flooded with water rushing past them like a fast-flowing river.
Then, almost as quickly as it began, the ice twister passed by. The hail stopped, the rain became lighter, and the wind died down.
Raffy uncovered his ears. ‘Is it over?’
Corporal Smith checked her Weather Detector. ‘Yes.’
The clouds rolled apart and the sun shone from the same blue sky they’d seen only minutes before.
Griffin took a hanky from his pocket and dabbed it against Fly’s injured knee. ‘Nothing like that ever happened in Grimsdon.’
‘Do you think your house will still be okay?’ Raffy asked Jeremiah.
‘It’s hard to say. My father was a careful builder but that storm was something he never would have predicted.’
‘Many houses haven’t survived the new weather systems.’ Corporal Smith started the engine. ‘Jeremiah’s house may be one of them. We’ll see soon enough.’
The metal claws retracted and the shutters raised. The wheels easily gripped the mud and they drove off in silence. Soon they turned onto a small road that climbed a grassy hill and wound like an ant trail to to the top. At each turn they hoped to see the house.
Jeremiah sat with his hands clenched in his lap.
When the Armavan stopped, he was almost too scared to look up.
The door opened and they stepped out. Corporal Smith began filming with her phone. ‘While you look around, I’ll send footage to the engineer for analysis.’
Jeremiah took a deep breath before raising his head.
There it was. His house.
It slouched to the side, having sunk a little into the earth. The stone walls were riddled with cracks, and paintwork peeled from the window and doorframes. The front steps and verandah were cracked, and the broken glass in the windowpanes hung like jagged icicles.
Inside was even worse.
Part of the roof had caved in, many of the floorboards had rotted away, and cupboards had fallen to the ground.
Jeremiah’s heart sank.
This was the home he had offered these kids who had lost so much. He looked at the ruin surrounding him and wondered what he could possibly say to them.
‘I love it!’ Bea cried.
‘Me too!’ Raffy followed.
‘You do?’ Jeremiah stammered.
They hurried from one room to another, carefully sidestepping holes and furniture. ‘Of course!’ Bea said. ‘There’s space for everyone.’
‘This room would be perfect for a dining table,’ Fly said.
‘It needs a lot of work,’ Jeremiah worried.
Griffin shrugged. ‘A little paint and some new windows.’ A floorboard cracked beneath him and he almost fell through, but Bea and Raffy caught him and pulled him back. ‘Easy.’
Jeremiah glanced at the sky through the rafters. ‘And a new roof?’
‘Only part of it,’ Bea said.
‘I think it’s perfect!’ Isabella said. ‘Just the place for our new home.’
There was a brief silence when everyone turned to Corporal Smith, who was filming every nook and corner.
‘Will it be good enough?’ Jeremiah could barely breathe.
‘The engineers will decide, but it’s still standing, which is more than we can say for most houses after three years in these conditions.’ She smiled. ‘Your dad did a fine job.’
‘Does that mean we can live here?’ Bea asked.
‘I think there’s a very good chance you can.’
‘Did you hear that, Raffy?’ Bea cried.
Jeremiah’s eyes filled with tears. ‘I will work day and night to make it a home, just as I promised.’
When they piled back into the Armavan, Jeremiah turned to take one last look at his property.
‘Are you okay?’ Isabella asked.
‘My Milly and Eliza loved this place. We’d come here for holidays. Milly called it her special hideaway.’ He wiped away a tear. ‘They would be very happy to know we’re going to bring it back to life.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Citizen Combat
Isabella took a sip of water and wiped her brow. She was in the main hall of the Garrison, where she’d spent the morning learning the basics of Citizen Combat.
‘You’re a natural,’ the training officer said. ‘Any opponent of yours had better watch out. Good luck.’
He jumped off the platform to join the crowd of soldiers who had gathered to watch the exhibition match. Cameras lined up behind them, ready to broadcast the event throughout the city.
‘You don’t have to go ahead, you know.’ Griffin was at her side. ‘You’ve never even done this before.’
‘It’s just like fencing but with a whip –’
‘And no rules,’ Griffin frowned.
‘I’ll be fine. If the Major General is so keen for me to show him what I can do, let him see.’
‘That’s my girl,’ Xavier said.
‘She’s not your girl,’ Griffin said through gritted teeth.
‘No, but if she were, I’d be proud of how brave she’s being.’
‘Ready?’ Corporal Smith asked. ‘We’re about to get started.’
‘Who is my opponent?’
Isabella’s question was answered by the bulky man in a padded suit and mask who entered the hall.
‘Him?’ Griffin blustered. ‘He’s twice as big as Isabella!’
‘Citizen Combat is about agility and cunning, not size,’ Corporal Smith said. ‘Plus it’s a training match, so Sergeant Brown will be gentle on her. We have to go.’
‘Be …’
‘Careful,’ Isabella finished. Griffin turned to join the crowd and ran into the hard chest of Isabella’s opponent. ‘Sorry.’
The man grunted as if he’d been buzzed by an annoying fly.
Isabella slipped on her mask and padded gloves. Sergeant Brown stood beside her and whispered, ‘Just because you’re a kid, don’t think you’re getting any special treatment.’ Isabella only just made out his piercing glare from behind the mesh of his mask. ‘We don’t need no more Moochers round here. Be prepared to be taught a lesson.’
The referee stood to the side of the platform. ‘The first combatant to disarm their opponent and lay them on the floor wins. Ready?’
Isabella and the hulking man nodded.
The soldiers cheered as the ref blew his whistle and the sergeant wasted no time in lunging forward. Isabella twisted her body and the sabre missed her completely. He followed with another thrust, and she jumped aside just as fast. Sergeant Brown pulled the sabre across his body and whipped it though the air with a grunt, slamming it into her padded breastplate.
She momentarily lost her balance and stumbled back before regaining her footing, just in time to leap over the sabre slashing at her legs.
‘So much for being gentle on her,’ Griffin whispered to Xavier.
The sergeant pressed on with the attack, this time striking her mask. Isabella’s ears rang with the force of the blow.
‘He’s hurting her,’ Bea cried.
‘She’s protected by her suit,’ Griffin said, hoping it was true. ‘She’ll be fine.’
‘So that’s how you want to play,’ Isabella whispered.
As he lifted his arm to strike again, she cracked her whip at his gloved hand, and his sabre fell from his grasp. It clanged to the ground behind his stupefied gaze. When he turned to pick it up, she hurried forward and jammed her foot into the back of his knee. His legs buckled and he thudded to the floor. He almost fell forward, which would have ended the match – and declared Isabella the winner – but he managed to pull himself back up just in time.
The crowd of soldiers cheered.
‘Get him, Isabella!’ Raffy cried.
The sergeant shook his head, trying to work out what had just happened.
He grabbed his sabre and got to his feet, spinning round to face Isabella. She stood firm, even giving him a small smile.
Sergeant Brown charged at her with all his force, but she was ready. She drew her arm high above her and skimmed the whip across the ground. It wrapped around his ankles and tripped him up mid-run. As he fell, she snapped a kick at his outflung arm and struck the weapon from his grip.
In one beautifully timed moment, it somersaulted through the air as he continued to catapult forward. Meeting the look of bewilderment on his face, Isabella waved goodbye just as he hit the corner post of the ring and knocked himself out.
‘Thank you, Sergeant Brown,’ she said. ‘I think I’ve learnt my lesson.’
The ref climbed into the ring, blew his whistle and held Isabella’s arm in the air. ‘Nice work.’ He smiled.
The soldiers cheered as the other kids climbed into the ring and smothered her in hugs.
‘You beat him!’ Raffy said.
‘We knew you would,’ Bea cried.
Xavier nodded in admiration. ‘Couldn’t have done better myself.’
Griffin and Isabella’s eyes met. He shook his head. ‘You did it.’
She simply shrugged. ‘He had it coming.’
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Some Startling News
‘How was it?’ Jeremiah and Fly were waiting for them when they got back to their rooms.
‘Isabella was amazing,’ Bea gushed.
‘This guy was twice her size,’ Raffy said,
‘and she beat him in about five minutes flat.’
Jeremiah held his hand across his heart. ‘Oh, that’s a relief. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there, Isabella. I couldn’t stand the idea that you might get hurt, but I’m so glad you did well.’
‘She did very well indeed.’ The Major General stood at the door beside Cleopatra. ‘With fighting skills like that, I’ll have to make sure we stay friends.’
He limped inside and sat on the lounge. Cleopatra curled at his feet.
‘The engineer has examined the footage of Jeremiah’s house.’
‘And?’ Jeremiah asked, holding his breath.
‘He’s run it through a special computer program.’ He spoke slowly, savouring every word. ‘And found it to be stable. So I’ve sent the builders to begin work.’
‘Oh, thank you, sir.’ Jeremiah was so grateful he almost bowed. ‘I’ll go there right away and help.’
‘It’s really going to happen,’ Raffy said to Bea. ‘We’re going to have our own home!’
The Major General was all smiles. ‘But that isn’t the only reason I am here.’
He looked at each of them carefully. ‘We’ve made a rather astonishing discovery.’
Isabella felt her skin tingle. Her mind flew back to last night in the kitchen with Mrs Gooding. Maybe he did overhear their talk of the camp. Maybe he would punish her or maybe –
‘We’ve found Fly’s parents.’
No one moved.
‘Sorry, sir?’ Isabella asked.
‘With Fly’s DNA code and information gathered from her interview, we were able to track down her mother and father.’
Fly had to check that she’d heard right. ‘Are you sure they’re my parents?’
‘Very much so,’ the Major General said. ‘I’ve even spoken to them.’
‘You have?’ Fly’s stomach jolted. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or burst into tears. ‘Do they want to see me?’
‘Absolutely! They’re overjoyed that we’ve found their little girl.’
‘Can I see them?’
‘They are making plans to travel here now, but it will take a day or so. Depending on the weather.’
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