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Emily distracted them then by pulling a bag of coconut icefrom the glove box and passing it around. In a car full of Blues this was an immediate silencer, and Madeleine wasparticularly grateful, shaking as she grabbed a handful of pink and whitesquares and worked her way through them.
At Noi's speed and with clear roadsit was a short trip to Rushcutters Bay, and Gavin directed them through awide-open iron gate to a small car park surrounded by clipped hedges and many-windowedbuildings. The white hatchback was therewaiting for them, its occupants clustered around Pan as he stood arguing with adozen boys holding cricket bats.
"I'm going to turn the car for a quick getaway,"Noi said, after a brief survey.
She was speaking to empty seats, as Gavin and Nash werealready out and bounding forward. Fisherwas slower to move, glancing up into the sky before following.
"What the hell's this, Matt?" Gavin said, stridingup to confront a tall, ta
"You've got to move," the boy, Matt,replied. "All you Blues. We won't stop you going, but there's no wayyou're staying here when any of you could have one of those things insideyou."
"All us Blues?!" Gavin exploded. "What shit are you pulling now?"
"They're not interested in Greens, Gav," adifferent boy said apologetically. "We were watching on TV, and they ignored all the Greens. They only went for Blues. Matt's right – even if none of youare...whatever, there's too much chance you'll draw them here."
"And in what way are the cricket bats going tohelp?" Nash asked, his beautiful voice mild yet commanding. "We are only here to warn you –u
He walked straight at the heart of the crowd, head high andstride scornful, and they wavered, wilted, and stepped aside.
"Tossers," Pan muttered, following.
"Oh, eat it Rickard." The boy called Matt threw the cricket batafter Pan, which was a mistake since Pan had been waiting for it, and the thickwooden bat bounced spectacularly off his shield and through a window.
Nash whirled protectively to stand by Pan, and the two groupstensed, but further words or action were cut short by Noi, leaning on the hornof Tyler's car.
"Can we save the dick swinging until after we've escapedfrom the aliens?" she shouted into the silence the horn left behind. "Seriously, Blue, Green, Purple,whatever – now is the time for ru
They listened. Withinmoments only Noi, Madeleine and Emily remained in the car park.
"What were they thinking?" Emily asked, close totears. "A Blue could turn a Greeninto a smear without even trying."
"They're afraid." Noi sighed, and ran a hand over her eyes. "When you're afraid, sometimes it'seasier to be angry."
Madeleine, suffering a raging thirst after her handful ofcoconut ice, spotted a tap on one side of the car park and fished an empty,dented water bottle out from her well-mashed shoulder bag. She was drinking thirstily when a thin,oscillating sound made her gulp and then desperately try not to cough. Noi pulled Emily behind the nearest hedge andducked down and Madeleine followed suit, though the hedges near the tap werehalf the height, forcing her to lie full-length between bush and building tohave any hope of concealment.
Eyes streaming from suppressed coughing, Madeleine peered upthrough dense leaves, trying to track the source of the noise. Was there – yes. Floating lightly over the roof of thebuilding opposite was a ball of light. She pressed down into the dirt and leaf litter, sure she could hear anecho of the thing's song. More than oneof them.
The memory of the lightest touch stopped her breath, and sheguessed, knew, that it was the same one, the bright, rich blue one which hadbeen so close. It had followed her, andno amount of branch or leaf could hide her.
The song died down as the star moved further into the school,giving no sign it was aware of three Blue girls. Madeleine lifted her head cautiously, butacross the car park Noi immediately made a lowering gesture. They would wait.
Boys began appearing. Three Greens, ru
Pan and Nash emerged from Madeleine's side of the car park,crossed without seeing her and paused beside the two driverless cars until Noibeckoned them over for a hasty, whispered conference. Then, as Shaun, Gavin and Fisher appearedamong a large clump of Greens, she signalled a dash for the car.
Tensed for the return of the oscillating song, Madeleine wasunprepared for a sudden chorus, louder and yet more distant than the encounterat the beach. It wasn't coming fromanything in the school, was strangely pervasive, overwhelming. Ahead of her the group of boys stopped andturned, orienting toward it.
"That's the Spire," Emily said, as Madeleinereached the car.
Noi didn't pause, leaping into the driver's seat and startingthe engine. "Care later. Leave now."
Madeleine obediently climbed in back as Pan and Nash headedfor the white hatchback.
"Shaun?" Gavin, about to join them, darted back. "C'mon man, we've got to move."
Shaun didn't react, listening intently to the wordless,fluctuating noise.
"He's got the keys," Pan said
With a swift, comprehensive glance at a dozen boys, allGreens, all standing motionless staring in the same direction, Nash reversedcourse, he and Pan climbing into the sports car. Fisher, who had stowed his bag in the boot,took the front seat and a lap full of Emily.
"Gav! Comeon!"
Trying to shake some response out of Shaun, Gavin glancedback and that was the worst of timing because he saw their horrified reactionbut not the deep blue kite shape which flowed down from the roof and settled inan embrace around him.
Noi let the clutch out, then stamped immediately on thebrakes as the hidden boy erupted from the white hatchback and threw himselfacross the sports car's back seat, heavy bag thumping against the car door untilPan dragged it in.
The car leaped forward, engine rising from a purr to a roar,and they left the school and a dozen unmoving boys behind them.
Chapter Nine
Staring back, Madeleine could see the lone strawberry blondeboy who walked to the gate. Watchingthem go.
"Gav! Bastardthings! We'll get them forthis!" Pan writhed under the weightof bags and the boy lying across all three back seat occupants. "Shit. Fuck them all! Shit, shit,shit. Damn it, I need betterwords."
He took a deep breath, and boiled out with:
"I will do suchthings, what they are yet I know not, but they shall be the terrors of theEarth! You think I'll weep. No, I'll not weep."
He was shouting, eyes bright and wet, punctuating thesentences with thumps on the legs of the boy lying on top of him.
"I have full causeof weeping, but this heart will break into a hundred thousand fragments beforeI'll weep! Oh Fool, I shall go mad!"
Noi darted a glance back at him, then at Emily's gasp sworeherself and swerved around the three Greens who had left first, standing justaround a bend in the road. The boy lyingon top, a spiky-haired Asian kid, slid dangerously sideways, and Madeleine andNash grabbed to stop him zipping over the side.