Kelly’s alarm went off for the seventh time.
‘Gah!’ she exclaimed, jumping out of bed. She was going to be late for work – again! She quickly threw on her uniform.
‘Hold up,’ her mother called, as Kelly raced for the door. ‘Don’t forget your lunch …’
Hannah stepped out of the kitchen holding a lunchbox. She had big green cat-like eyes, and luxurious brown hair that belonged in a shampoo commercial.
Her mum really was beautiful, Kelly thought, a quality she was relieved to have avoided inheriting. Maybe she got her looks from her father? Kelly often thought how nice it would be to have a photo of him, just one, but Hannah said there weren’t any.
‘What’s that?’ Hannah asked Kelly.
‘Mum, I’m in a hurry.’
‘Your forehead …’
Kelly reached up. She had totally forgotten about the lump, and as she felt it, she realised it was now even bigger than it had been the night before.
‘I bumped it, that’s all,’ said Kelly impatiently, but she still couldn’t remember when. Still, surely she must have? What other explanation could there be?
Hannah looked uncertain. ‘Okay, but try not to get your photo taken with that thing. It looks unusual and …’
Kelly flopped her fringe over the lump. ‘There, happy now? Which reminds me, you are overdue to upload a selfie. The Hornets will come buzzing if you don’t.’
‘Hornets’ was slang for the KG – partly due to their yellow-striped uniforms, but also the way they mindlessly swarmed to wherever their ruler commanded. At the mention of them, Hannah looked worried.
‘Mum, look, there are loads of beautiful women in the Kingdom. I don’t wanna sound harsh, but do you really think he’d be interested in you? They say his galleries couldn’t hold another supermodel or actress, so stop taking selfies in dark places with your face obscured. Just upload a nice, normal picture of yourself today. Everyone says the Soul Collector wants to paint more unusual subjects now, anyway.’
‘Exactly why you must be careful about who sees that thing,’ said Hannah.
‘Mum, I’ve got to go!’ Kelly grabbed her lunchbox, kissed her mum’s cheek and left before Hannah could object further.
Half an hour later, she arrived at Clyde’s, a large supermarket with many aisles. Kelly was meant to be stocking shelves today, so she zipped past the check-out attendants with barely a nod, not noticing the worry on their faces.
She hurried into the frozen goods aisle on her way to the stockroom, then stopped abruptly.
Standing in front of the freezer was her boss. Mr Wong was an overweight man with a round face that was normally jolly, but he wasn’t smiling now. With him were two KG officers. From their belts hung comsticks with retractable antennae, as well as standard-issue pistols that shot stunning tasers, known with alarming affection by the KG as ‘stingers’.
Wong spotted Kelly but quickly averted his eyes, trying not to draw attention to her. The more senior of the Hornets, a thin-lipped officer without an ounce of fat on him, followed his look and noticed Kelly.
‘You,’ he said. ‘Get over here.’
Kelly tried to brush her fringe forward as casually as possible. What did they want? Then she remembered Sid’s post on LifeScape the night before, and her heart began hammering.
‘What can I do for you, officers?’ she said, trying to sound calm.
‘One of your co-workers is wanted for treason,’ growled the Hornet. The ID badge on his chest read Special Officer Simon Raske. ‘You may have seen him post a misleading article on LifeScape last night. His name is Sid Hogan.’
‘Um … I don’t think so,’ said Kelly, her hands growing clammy.
‘Don’t lie to us, girl.’ Raske adjusted his glasses and stared hard at Kelly. ‘I recognise you from our intel reports. You’re Kelly Swift – one of this criminal’s friends on LifeScape. One of those whose mouse hovered over the “read more” link.’
Kelly’s stomach tensed. ‘I … maybe my mouse was just resting there? While I was looking at something else?’
Raske’s lips twisted into a smile. ‘Curiosity is natural,’ he said. ‘And some articles use untruthful headlines to catch the attention of vulnerable users.
At least you had the sense not to click. That counts in your favour.’ Raske put a hand on Kelly’s shoulder. It made her skin crawl. Was the man trying to feign friendliness? ‘You’re not in any trouble, Ms Swift. All we need to know is what you know.’
‘I … don’t know anything,’ said Kelly. ‘I hardly knew Sid.’
‘Did you speak with him yesterday?’
‘No.’
‘Do you know his family? Places he might go?’
Kelly tried to back off, but Raske only closed in.
‘A lot of staff work here,’ she said. ‘He was pretty new. He worked the check-outs, I do stocking. We weren’t really friends.’
‘So why did he add you on LifeScape?’ asked the other Hornet, an olive-skinned young man whose ID badge read Officer Daniel Delgado.
‘Well, I …’ Kelly paused. ‘People just add you even though you aren’t really friends. They want a bigger circle. Everyone does it.’
As she stared into the grim faces questioning her, she felt helpless. Raske was especially intimidating. He peered at Kelly, penetrating her with his milky grey eyes. Then he scowled.
Stupid girl doesn’t know anything.
Kelly had clearly heard Raske’s voice, even though the man’s lips hadn’t moved. The words just appeared in her mind, as if they had floated through the air. She blinked, stunned.
‘I can vouch for her,’ said Wong, forcing a smile. ‘Sid was new, and I never saw he and Kelly talk. He—’ Raske cut him off. ‘They don’t know anything,’ he told Delgado.
‘Are you sure?’
‘If this Hogan had a getaway plan, he certainly didn’t share it with these …’
Idiots.
The word came clearly once more, spoken in Raske’s voice but without his lips moving. Kelly wondered if she was the only one who heard it.
‘… fine, hardworking Citizens,’ finished Raske. ‘If you hear anything about this traitor, or any of his associates …’
‘I’ll tell you, of course!’ stammered Wong.
Or you could just leave honest, hard-working people alone, came more floating words, this time in Wong’s voice.
‘See that you do,’ said Raske.
As soon as they had gone, both Kelly and Mr Wong let out a breath.
‘Damn Hornets,’ muttered Wong. ‘They’ve no right …’
But Kelly was too busy wondering if she had really just heard other people’s thoughts to pay attention to him. She wiped her brow, and unthinkingly pushed aside her fringe.
Wong stopped and stared at her forehead. ‘My word, Kelly. What is that lump?’
Kelly cursed herself. ‘Oh, this? Uh, nothing, sir.’
‘It certainly is not nothing. You should have that checked out right away.’
‘But—’
‘No buts. There’s been enough upset in the store today as it is. I can’t have you walking around the aisles scaring customers with that thing. Not to mention, if the Hornets come back …’ He eyed her meaningfully. They might haul you before the Soul Collector, came his thought.
Kelly couldn’t argue. Whether he’d spoken the words or not, she knew Mr Wong was right. She needed to get away from here, at least until she worked out what on earth was happening to her.
