Campion's Choice

Jack looked around Hanston. It was a pretty village with hanging flower baskets, leafy lanes, a picturesque church and beautiful thatched cottages. Peace and quiet. A world away from the day’s craziness. He could almost begin to forget his troubles but for the fear in Tia’s eyes and the haunted look on Liam’s grim face

‘I’ll go home alone. I’ll be okay,’ Liam said.

Ursula shrugged.

‘Well, if you insist. But, I was careless before and I won’t be careless again. We will protect your house, Liam. And Jack and Tia, would it be possible for Max and Rashpal to stay at your houses tonight?’

They both nodded.

‘Good. I want you all to take this. It’s a brochure for Cancellarius College.’

She handed them a vividly printed handout for the ancient College. It had the words ’Welcome to Can Can’ written in bold psychedelic colours on the front cover.

‘Can Can?’ Tia said, staring at the leaflet.

’Yes. That’s what some of the students call it. Can Can or Canners,’ Ursula explained.

‘My whole family went there. Well, Dad, Mum and Grampus,’ Jack said. He was flicking through the leaflet when he suddenly recognised the picture on the front cover: knights in shining armour, dogs, men with crossbows, a dead wolf.

‘Is that a painting?’ he asked.

‘The Wolf Hunt? Yes, it’s one of the college’s most famous works of art. Some believe it’s a fake,’ Ursula explained. It was on the tip of Jack’s tongue to mention his ‘vision’ but he missed his chance. Ursula continued to speak.

‘If you’re worried about anything, in the next day or two, go immediately to the Porter’s Lodge at Cancellarius. Ask for Glenster. She’ll look after you.’

‘I’m … really … frightened … now … and … what about Gidean?’ Tia spoke up.

It was the first time she had said anything in ages.

‘Don’t be frightened. You are safe. Perhaps too safe,’ Ursula said.

The old lady gently took hold of Jack’s hand and placed it on the floor of the ambulance.

‘Watch this.’

In the blink of an eye she slipped Criel’s thin knife out of her pocket and, in one jerking movement, she tried to stick the blade into Jack’s hand.

‘Stop!’

‘Are you mad!’

‘No!’

Jack, Liam and Tia all shouted at once but the sight of Jack’s hand miraculously untouched left them amazed. Ursula Stanhope held up the weapon. They all looked at the crazily bent blade. It was like a conjuror’s trick.

‘What the …’

‘I don’t …’

‘Amazing!’

The three all stopped speaking to stare at the old woman. Ursula dropped the knife in her handbag and then spoke patiently.

‘The coins will keep Jack and Tia safe. The people of Hanston will protect Liam and keep an eye on Gidean. Now, I really have to go. I have a meeting to attend. I’ve arranged lifts back to Redemere. I’m sure you all have homework to do. Maths probably.’

In many ways, of all the things that happened to Jack that day, this felt the strangest. One minute someone was trying to stick a knife into his hand. The next he was being told to toddle off home and do some sums.

Arriving back in Fen Street, courtesy of a rather large BMW, Jack found Max and Elvis waiting at the end of his drive. After thanking the driver, a woman wearing one of those familiar three-stoned rings, he wandered towards his house. Max and Elvis were arguing but stopped when they saw him.

‘I keep telling Elvis to go home,’ Max said as soon as Jack got close.

‘And I keep telling him that I was the one who contacted you. I was the one who called The Orden together. And I was the one who Ursula said may have found something really important,’ Elvis protested.

Jack tried to laugh but the noise that came out sounded slightly hysterical. He led them to the front door.

‘Why don’t you both stay? The more the merrier,’ he said and put his key in the latch.

In the hallway the Dadster stood at the bottom of the stairs staring blankly at his son.

‘Dad, this is Max Strang and Elvis Carter. They’re a couple of my friends. They’ll be staying the night in the spare room. Okay? Good.’ The Dadster hardly blinked as his son ushered the guests straight up to his bedroom.

‘Is there … er … is there something wrong with …’ Elvis began and Jack finished his sentence.

‘Something wrong with my dad? Yes. But he’s harmless. Here’s the guest room. Make yourselves at home. There’s a shower down the end there.’

When he left them alone they had already started arguing about who got which side of the bed.

Back in his own bedroom Jack held on to a chair because the world was spinning. Taking deep breaths he patted the ban liang and waited until a strong feeling of sickness passed away.

It was hard to get everything straight in his head.

He’d lost the phone, which meant he had no evidence to prove Criel was potentially a killer and he couldn’t take a trip into the past to find out what happened to the Dadster. He’d also see a man stabbed and somehow brought back from the edge of death. And he had a coin that stopped you getting stabbed.

If it was possible Jack found himself full of feelings: full of fear and excitement, of dread and amazement. Could things possibly get more strange?

Max and Elvis were eating a vegetarian shepherd’s pie when his mum arrived home. She was earlier than expected from work and came into the kitchen carrying Lettie.

‘Mum. This is Max Strang. You may have heard of him. We’re good friends. I invited him to come and stay, for the night, ages ago but, what with my birthday and everything, it just slipped out of my head. Dad’s already met him,’ Jack said as he happily filled his mouth with minced lamb and mashed sweet potato.

‘Mister Strang. I had no idea that Jack was a fan!’

His mum acted cool, calm and collected, pretending that most nights of the week her son had famous television personalities around for a sleepover.

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you .. Mrs ..’ Max began.

‘Kimberley. Call me Kimberley.’

‘Kimberley. Jack’s told me all about you.’

‘Really. Well there you have the advantage. I had no idea that Jack was interested in the great outdoors.’

‘Oh yes. He’s always writing to me about how he would like to travel to exotic places and have adventures,’ Max answered politely.

Jack could see that his mum found that hard to believe. She turned to Elvis.

‘And you are?’

‘Elvis Carter. I’m Max’s manager. Well, I say manager but I do a lot of his action stunts. In most of the close up shots it’s my hand around the snake’s throat,’ Elvis said happily.

‘Wow. Two TV stars? Well, welcome to our house. I’m sure that things here will be very tame. We have a cat that scratches and Lettie, who pinches, but that’s about as exciting as it gets.’

Lettie, hearing herself mentioned, burbled, pointed to the food and uttered her first ever word.

‘Pie.’

The Dadster sat silently at one end of the kitchen table and occasionally picked at a plate of cold pie. At the other end Jack’s mum flirted outrageously with Max until he finally jumped up, looked at his oversized wristwatch and said, ‘Gosh, is that the time? I really must get to bed. I fly to Africa tomorrow.’

‘Yes. We’re off up the Amazon,’ Elvis added with a grin.

‘Idiot. I said Africa. That’s in South America!’ Max hissed.

Jack jumped up and ushered them out of the room.

‘Oh Jack, sweetie, there’s a good boy, Mummy would like a little word with you before she pulls yet another all-nighter.’

His mum’s voice dripped with poisoned honey.

Jack sat down at the table. He was expecting a grilling about Max and Elvis but instead his mother, her voice thick with drink, said, ’I didn’t want to embarrass you in front of your famous friends and talk about your dirty clothes, darling, but there was blood on your t-shirt, although how it got there is a mystery, given you lead such an unexciting life. Did you have a reading accident? Is it a bad paper cut? Olga is furious and says it won’t come off. Don’t do it again, sweetie, please.’

Jack forgave his mother the slurred words and sarcasm. She was miserable and working too hard. It was best to let her think her son led a very, very boring life. The truth would certainly not set her free.

In the middle of the night Jack woke and sat bolt upright. His heart was racing and sweat ran down his cheeks.

‘Bad dream?’ a voice came out of the dark and Jack jumped. He could just make out a thin, shadowy figure. It was Elvis, huddled under a duvet, by the bookcase.

‘We decided that we should be in here, to keep an eye on you. However, as you can see, Mister Muscles is fast asleep, snoring fit to crack the plaster.’ Elvis grinned.

Jack threw off his covers to cool down. Sitting up he saw Max, jammed into a corner of the room, under a pink, rose patterned duvet.

‘I’ve been keeping watch. I’m used to this kind of thing. Staying awake for hours. When I worked with the CIA, in Russia, I once stayed awake for three weeks,’ Elvis said proudly.

‘Really?’

‘Oh yeah. It would be impossible for most people but I have a special technique. I mean, I could teach it to the rest of the group, but it’s pretty tough and there’s probably only Rashpal who could handle it.’

There was a sound outside of a car passing and they both fell silent. When Elvis was satisfied that the coast was clear he started to speak.

‘I’m not really going to Africa with Max in the morning,’ he said.

‘Really?’ Jack tried not to sound unsurprised.

‘No. Yeah. Because I’m staying here to run things for The Orden. Aubon, Rashpal and Klaus are going to find out about that old bag you found in the air raid shelter. We need to know who it belonged to, where it came from and stuff like that. But I’ll be in charge,’ Elvis said self-importantly.

Jack looked at the young man. His eyes were shining with excitement. It made no sense. There was a crazy police Inspector running around trying to kill people but Elvis was deliriously happy.

‘Did Ursula tell you what happened at Clamp’s house tonight, after we left the caravans?’ Jack asked quietly. Elvis pulled a blanket up under his chin before answering.

‘She said that you talked to your teacher and that it’s going to be worth looking into the coins.’

‘That’s all?’

‘Yeah. Why? Did anything else happen?’

‘No. Sorry. I’m tired and a bit confused. Nothing happened at Clamp’s house,’ Jack decided to say. He wondered if Ursula was keeping all the members of The Orden in the dark about the murderous Criel?

To cool off, he got up, walked over to the bedroom window and pushed it open, to let in some air. Max grunted and shuffled on the floor but he stayed asleep. Jack stared up at the night sky and Elvis spoke quietly.

‘Can you see the new purple star? I’ve been looking at it for hours. No one knows what it is. It’s been top of the news all day. Some say it’s a gas cloud. Others think it’s to do with refracted light. It’s the biggest science story in years.’

‘It’s still there.’ Jack yawned.

’I’m going to look into it for the group. It’s another mystery and it appeared on the same day as the elephant. I think it’s connected.’

‘Tell me a bit more about the people in The Orden.’ Jack leant forward to try and catch the night’s breeze.

Elvis dragged his scrawny white body out of the sleeping bag and sat happily, cross-legged on the floor. Wearing nothing more than a pair of rocket ship patterned boxer shorts he stared up at the night sky.

‘What can I tell you about The Orden? Well, Rashpal’s interested in things like Kung Fu and saving the planet. Klaus is into robots that can think.’

‘Artificial intelligence?’

‘Yeah And Max, well, he’s a bit of a show off. He knows all about tribes and their medicines and how they talk to their spirit ancestors. ’

‘What about Aubon?’

‘She’s got a whole thing about ancient times. Druids and Stonehenge and Lay Lines.’

‘How old is she?’

‘Aubon? Eighteen. Nineteen. I’m not sure.’

‘She looks way younger.’

‘Yeah. Sort of like a little fairy.’

‘Yeah.’

Jack moved back from the window. He still wasn’t cool and the clammy night made him feel queasy.

‘And you’re interested in space,’ Jack said, sitting at the end of his bed.

‘And aliens.’

‘What? Like little green men?’

‘Green, blue, black, yellow. They can be of any colour. One day I will see an alien.’

Elvis said this with a steady firmness, as if it were something that had to happen.

‘Well, what about Ursula? What’s she interested in?’ Jack wanted to know. He stretched back on his bed.

‘Art and History. She paints and draws and stuff but she lectures at Cancellarius, in History. She’s a professor. And she’s mad about football… she supports Cambridge United and …,’ Elvis mumbled and fell silent.

‘Elvis?’

Jack looked sideways. In the orange light, from the street lamp, he could see that Elvis’ eyes were closed.

Jack left him to sleep peacefully. He crept past Max and stumbled back into bed but he knew there was no way he was going to fall asleep.

He turned on the bedside lamp and angled the light to make sure that the dozing Elvis slept on undisturbed. Carefully he reached over and grabbed a book.

Maybe his memory was playing tricks but, one year ago, he was pretty sure he had read something about people with unexplained powers.

Fingers twitching, he huddled under his duvet. He opened the first page of ’Take the coins, take the Earth - They’re here: Aliens all around us’.

This time he was determined to read Aunt Joan’s birthday present from cover to cover.