by Rebecca Ward
Sam stands up. ‘That is enough Boudicca. I understand that you’re angry but please don’t reduce us to such banal stereotypes. We are trying to help you as best we can. We are your friends, and though you might not believe it right now, we are your best hope of bringing Ruby home.’
Bodi touches Sam’s arm. ‘Well that scares me Sam. And I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be rude to you after you’ve been so kind to me. But I feel like we’re wading through quicksand. Mum is getting further away and having to sit home in my princess tower so the baddies don’t get me! I just won't do it!’
Balt gets up to leave. ‘We will not waver on this Boudicca. That is my final word.’
Boudicca goes to lay into Balt again but Evan takes her hand and drags her out of the room. ‘When he’s like this it’s not worth fighting him. Believe me. And you know maybe he’s got a point. Not about the Rose stuff but about keeping you away from danger.’
Bodi takes a step back, shocked. 'You too?!'
She is surrounded on all sides by men that want to control her. She goes up to her room and slams the door like a punished child. She sits on her bed, absentmindedly twisting a blanket round and round with her hand, trying to work out what her next move should be. She is certain she can do something without the help of Balt and his minions. She hears the back door shut as Sam and Balt leave for their secret powwow.
‘What do they know about me or Mum even? Their idea of her is of how she was. She’s so different now,’ she thinks. A sadness sweeps over her. 'Is this my life now? With them telling me what to do? And the nerve of them, keeping me out of everything like a precious doll. I've never been that and if they knew me-' A sharp knock at the door disturbs her inner ranting.
‘What?!’ she snaps.
‘Erm hi Bodi.’ Bodi is surprised to see Flip’s face poke round the door. ‘I can go away if you want. Probably best, eh?’
‘Come in Flip. Sorry, thought it was one of them.’
Flip gives her room the once over.
‘I like what you’ve done with the place.’
Bodi laughs.
‘And those birds, honestly, they totally creep me the hell out. Why would you even do that?’ She visibly shivers.
Bodi clears some stuff off the bed and Flip sits down next to her. She looks as though she had been invited to sit on a muddy log.
‘So what are you doing here? Did they panic and send for female reinforcements?’ Bodi asks.
‘Pretty much. They all stress a bit about ‘girl stuff’. Think that they’ve managed to tune themselves out of dealing with women. That side of their brain has almost shut down from lack of use. Or it was never there to begin with.’
‘It’s just so prehistoric. Don’t you think?’
‘I wouldn’t say that it’s entirely sexist. It’s more like Balt likes to exert his authority over everyone. If you step out of line then you pay for it, male or female. Frankly I don’t think it’s all that different to living under the President.’ Bodi sees Flip’s dramatic side is still going strong. ‘If it’s any consolation I think they really care about you. I’ve never had as much attention as you get from them. What was it that you did to get them to react like this?’
‘I went to see my mum’s twin sister in Primrose Hill.’
Flip shrugs. 'So what?'
‘Turns out she’s Thomas Cleaver’s wife,’ Bodi adds.
Flip laughs. ‘Seriously?! Oh my god Bodi, that’s insane. You’re a total bad ass!’
‘I didn’t know who she was. I just thought she was another member of Populus. But she told me where mum was being held.’
‘Really? Amazing. Well, for you. Not so much for her. You know, ‘inside’…’ Flip gabbles on.
Bodi and Flip sit together awkwardly for a while.
‘We should just go, you and me. Check it out. We don’t need to tell the boys. No one would stop two girls, would they?’ Bodi expects Flip to say no.
‘Okay, maybe. Give me a few minutes to think about it,’ she says and leaves the room.
Bodi can hear Reed and Evan downstairs arguing over the ‘bip bip bip’ of some ancient computer game. She quietly makes her way to Reed’s room. She thinks that something there might guide her in the right direction. And she wants to see that photo of her mum again.
She finds Reed's room comforting, even if she is mad at him for backing Balt’s terrible plan. She scans the walls for clues but there's nothing. Photos become pixelated blobs of grey ink. How can Reed sleep surrounded by all this? It would give her nightmares. She drags his chair over to the window and sits starring at the photograph. She recognizes more of the faces now: a young Balt dressed in army fatigues but with a more genuine smile on his face and there just in the corner, Rose! Rose at the demonstration? Now that is a development.
‘Seriously, B, what is it with you and my room?’ Bodi turns to see Reed at the door. He is smiling though.
‘Well, I felt an overwhelming desire to induce my own migraine, so what better place to start?’
He walks over.
‘I’m still mad at you, don’t think I’m not!’ she says, but her face says different.
‘I know, I totally get it. The big bad Balthazar cramping your warrior style. But I’m starting to wonder what would I do without you? If something happened, if you were hurt, or taken away?’ Bodi feels suffocated.
‘What if something happens to you? Did you ever think of it like that?’ she says.
‘Good point,’ he concedes.
‘It’s not like I feel I’m being kept out of the game in the playground, Reed. I brought this to Populus and now I feel they’re taking it away from me. I can’t just sit on the side lines like some dopey cheerleader.’
Reed starts playing with her hair. Pulling the curls down and letting them spring back. ‘Reed! Can you not just pay attention?!’ she reprimands.
‘It’s just nice to have you back. All feisty and raging against the machine. The delirious Goth Bodi was scary.’ His irreverence amuses her. He is so much more at ease with her now that she finds it disarming. His initial brooding meant she had kept him at a safe distance. But now the gloves are off.
‘Focus!’ she teases.
‘I am focusing.’ He leans in and kisses her on the lips. She steps back. She had sensed that might be coming but it still shocks her.
‘You’re just trying to distract me so that I won’t do anything…’ she loses the word as he kisses her again.
‘Anything stupid? Is it working?’ he asks.
‘Maybe…’ Bodi gently touches the back of his neck where the stubble of his short back and sides is already growing out. She feels so self-conscious of her lack of experience and worries if she is doing it right. She reassures herself hat they are probably both new to this. ‘Stop thinking’ she thinks. ‘Just enjoy it.’ And she is.
‘Well that’s a development!’ Flip is back. ‘I knocked but you two were too busy gnawing each other’s face off to notice. Nice.’
Reed and Bodi step away from each other, slightly mortified that they have been caught out, by Flip of all people.
‘Back again? Can’t believe you have so much time for us Flip,’ Reed turns the focus to Flip. He knows the easiest way to distract her is to get her to talk about herself.
‘I think we should get going,’ Flip says to Bodi. ‘You know, for our walk.’ They head downstairs and Evan comes out to meet them all.
‘Your ‘walk’?' Reed says and laughs. 'Very subtle. You’re off to Kenwood aren’t you? What exactly is your plan, Flip? You gonna wave your magic lip gloss at the Sick Boys and they’ll open the gates and let you in. Have you even thought through what you’re going to do or are you rushing headlong into things again?’ Reed’s tone is more than a bit patronizing.
‘We’re going and that’s it. I know Mum is there.’ Bodi is adamant.
Flip harrumphs, ‘Seriously Bodi, you are terrible at this. What did I say about keeping things to yourself?’
‘This is ludicrou
s. B you have to think things through more. Can’t you just go with the plan, for once?’ Evan and Reed block the door.
‘No.’ She tries to shove past them, her mind made up. Balt will be back again with some lame plan that will involve being a waitress or something and it will be even longer till she sees her mum. She needs to get things moving again.
‘But what is your plan?’ Reed confronts her. ‘Just tell me what you want to do and we'll see if it will work.’
‘I don’t know okay. I don’t know but I have to do something. Let me out!’ The boys stand firm, there is no way she is getting past.
‘Forget it. If you’re going to do something then we’re coming too.’ Reed is surprised by Evan’s change of heart. ‘Come on. We can’t let them head off into some nightmare situation.’
‘We’re fine, we can take care of ourselves.’ Flip stands next to Bodi, arms folded. Together they are invincible, a two girl attack squad.
Reed steps forward and uncrosses Bodi’s arms, taking her hands in his. She won’t look him in the eye. ‘Please B. Let’s go back upstairs think about what we can do. Together. The four of us, right?’ Reed looks at Evan who agrees. Flip shrugs. Bodi doesn’t budge.
‘I know you think I don’t understand, that I’m being overly protective,’ Reed says. ‘But I do understand. I’d be just the same if I had a chance to get my dad back. Even for one day. One hour.’ The words catch in Reed’s throat. Bodi feels terrible. She hasn’t considered the fact that Reed has lost both of his parents. She is steadfast, looking pleadingly at him. He caves: ‘How about we all go up to Kenwood then and have a look round? You said so yourself, Rose’s information is good. Why would she do anything but help? Ruby’s her sister.’
With Balt and Sam expected back anytime, the four of them grab their coats and hurry out of the house. Flip 's excitement at their imminent adventure manifest as hilarious tiny squeals. Flip is growing on Bodi, despite the barbed remarks that land her way every other sentence. She reckons there is more to her than her snippy exterior. Bodi is sure that Flip’s mum is not an easy person to live with and she seems like the last person that would be part of Populus, but perhaps they are the only option she has to survive. She doesn’t seem like a natural coper. To look at her you would imagine she was more likely go the way of Rose and marry some security bigwig. Who knows how she got involved in all this. She will have to quiz Flip later about how Penelope had ended up where she is.
A few clouds loom ominously on the horizon but it’s dry for now. It will take them a while to get so far north but Reed has thought of a plan. He stops short next to an old van and dangles some keys.
‘What now?’ Bodi is impatient to get going.
‘Result.’ Evan grabs the keys from Reed. ‘Particularly because you can’t drive and I can!’
Reed reluctantly hands the keys over to Evan. And Flip joins Evan in the front of the van.
‘It’s Sam’s but he thinks I don’t know where the keys are,’ Reed explains. ‘He only uses it for emergencies. But I think this constitutes an emergency, don’t you?’
Evan turns the engine over but it's flat. ‘You’re going to have to push it guys.’ Evan sniggers, he isn’t giving up his spot in the driving seat.
‘For get about it!.’ Flip is not happy with the way this joy ride is turning out.
‘Well, you can always stay here sweetheart and do your nails,’ Evan mocks.
‘Fine.’ Flip flounces out to join Reed and Bodi at the back of the van. ‘This is fun.’
It seems Bodi’s sarcasm is rubbing off on everyone.
They give the van a huge shove but nothing.
‘Sorry. Hand brake.’ Evan yells and lets the brake go. The van rolls back towards them and they catch it just in time. Flip is hardly putting her back into it but Reed gives it a huge push and they gather momentum.
‘Right, Flip, go!’ Reed yells and Flip runs squealing to the passenger door. A few seconds later when the engine has kicked in Reed opens the back door of the musty van for Bodi and they bundle in, slightly hysterical.
Evan is fiddling with the van’s ancient radio, trying to find some music but Flip keeps going on about a secret dance station only she knows about. Bodi sits up and leans against Reed. She feels safer, steadier. A lot more than she would have with just Flip, so she is glad Reed changed his mind. She looks over to him and smiles. She feels happy. Then she feels guilty for feeling happy.
She whispers to him. ‘What you said back there, about your dad. I’m really glad you said it.’ She tries to look at him but is embarrassed. ‘I’ve become so self-obsessed that I think I’m losing any understanding of what other people are going through.’
‘You’re caught up in yourself because your world has been turned upside down. And it’s frustrating,’ he says perceptively.
‘Yeah but I’ve been getting so worked up and I end up with tunnel vision, you know? But I’m not like that normally. I want you to know that. I’m not an angry person. I’m normally quite thoughtful but I think that all this has changed me. I don’t feel like myself at all.’ She feels better for getting that off her chest.
‘I get it. Plus you’re living with people you didn’t even know a week ago and we’re asking you to trust us, and why should you? We don’t even trust each other most of the time.’
She thinks she trusts Reed but she still doesn’t know how she feels about him. What he is to her? It is all so overwhelming. Are her feelings for him real, or is she looking for a port in the storm? She is enjoying her time with him, despite what led her to him, but she really feels her lack of experience. She is standing on a precipice and being with him might be too big a leap to take.
‘Trusting people is difficult for me. I’ve been brought up to keep myself to myself and to not expect anything from anyone. It’s hard to change that overnight. Pretty much everyone at Populus has been good to me, but I’m still finding it hard to believe that they have no ulterior motives,’ she says confidentially.
On the street, groups of people have gathered around a line of posters that have been plastered along a hoarding each declaring ‘Reclaim London 31 October’ or ‘Take your city back 31 October.’ Above the text is a Black P in the middle of a gold peace sign, the brand of Populus. Bodi looks at Reed but he looks just as clueless. Four black vans pull up and TrueSec minions jump out to rip the posters down.
‘Did you know about this?’ Bodi asks Reed.
‘Bodi, as if?!’
‘Okay, sorry. Evan? Do you know if Balt has something planned?’
Evan shrugs. ‘You think he tells me anything?’
Flip shakes her head. They are all in the dark.
‘That’s this weekend. What’s Balt up to?’ Bodi wonders aloud.
Twenty silent minutes later they reach the park that surrounds Kenwood House. They park among some abandoned cars on a side street. This is a whole different story to Green Park. The grass is patchy; flowerbeds are overgrown with bramble bushes and trellises carry rogue wild roses that have survived years without care. The trees hold onto the last of their russet leaves. The rest crunch underfoot, a multicolour carpet. It holds a certain wild beauty. Here nature triumphs over the city that has neglected it.
Flip seems tetchy. She is either scared of what they are about to do or Evan isn’t paying her enough attention. Bodi can’t tell. Evan is wound up, marching backwards and forwards punching one hand into the other.
He turns to Reed. ‘That’s what he wants is it, more fighting? That march is like a death sentence. TrueSec won’t think twice about shooting everyone down who turns up. It’s not like the old days when you’d get sent hom with a slapped wrist.’
‘Did you know anything about this Ev?’ Reed asks. ‘Have you heard this mentioned before now? I know they’ve all been meeting up a bit more than normal but I thought that was about Bodi’s mum.’
‘Nothing at all! He can’t be serious. As if life’s not hard enough now we have Populus plastered everywhere and they�
�ll be trying doubly hard to get to us before that march happens.’
Bodi tries to rationalise it: ‘What if it’s like some rogue group.’ She recalls Sam telling her about how badly that turned out last time, and shivers.
‘You think my dad would miss a chance to get involved? He still won’t accept the fact they lost last time.’ Evan says, tetchily. ‘But, you know, we’re all old enough now, just right to help him reach a whole new generation of dissatisfied customers.’ His cynicism is palpable. ‘Hell, he’s been training me all these years but I didn’t think I’d actually have to lead the next revolution!’ He shakes his head.
Bodi goes over to him. ‘We don’t have to. We don’t have to march, or fight, or be the face of it. He can’t make us.’
‘Yeah right Boo. I can’t see me being allowed to get away with it, can you? Where would I go? I’d be out on the streets.’
She touches his arm and he stops pacing. ‘We’ll have to talk to him later. We’re here now. Let’s at least take a look around and see if we can gather any intel.’
Evan smiles. ‘Intel? Really?’
She laughs. ‘Just for you Ev. It appears I’m a soldier in training, albeit without my knowledge, so I’d better get with the programme. Right, if we get seen, the cover is that we’re just bored teenagers out with our boyfriends trying to find like a make out spot or something.’ Flip’s eyes light up. ‘We just want to see where things come and go from, delivery bays, if there’s an outside space, like an exercise yard, how many guards there are, that kind of thing.’
Reed steps in. ‘Let’s just get on with it. First sign of any real trouble just run, don’t wait for anyone else. We haven’t got IDs and we don’t want to be held, that won’t do anyone any good, least of all Bodi’s mum. We’ll go this way and you guys go that way. We’ll meet up on the other side in half an hour.’
Reed and Bodi set off and climb up a small hill. The institution lies just above them so they have to be careful where they position themselves. A lone magpie overhead catches Bodi’s attention, she quickly salutes him but he flies off. ‘One for sorrow’ rattles round her head. Not a good sign.
