Kelly wished people would stop giving her cups of tea, and serve up a mountain of food instead. In such a delicate situation, however, she was in no position to be pushy.
Minh kept staring at her forehead, then unconsciously reaching up to touch something under his own spiky black mop. As their eyes locked, he glanced away bashfully.
‘It started happening several months ago,’ said Margaret. ‘John saw Minh shake an apple tree to make the fruit fall. Then I spied him pulling a plough. No horses, just him.’
‘It’s not funny,’ Margaret said, and this time her sternness wasn’t fake. ‘What if someone else had seen you? You put the whole house at risk. What if Kelly and Stanley really were KG?’
‘Sorry, Mum,’ said Minh, dropping the smile.
‘Then he took his little trip to the city,’ said John, ‘and really screwed up.’
A bright spot of anger flashed from Minh’s eyes. ‘Should I have not helped that little kid?’
‘That’s not what your dad is saying,’ said Margaret. ‘You never should have been there in the first place.’
‘Where else was I gonna get medical texts? Round here most books have been turned to mulch.’
Kelly didn’t need telepathy to sense the sticking point between Minh and his parents.
‘So,’ said John, sitting down with his tea, ‘I guess you better tell us why you’ve come here. I mean, we’ve seen the news and wanted posters for, er …’ He nodded at Kelly. ‘The Golden Unicorn.’
Kelly swallowed, trying to figure out the best way to explain. She knew how hard it had been for her to take in all she had learnt in the last few days. Still, there was nothing else for it. She just had to speak the words.
She told her tale as best she could, expecting to be met with stark disbelief at every turn. The world, however, had grown so strange that maybe she had underestimated people’s capacity for acceptance. The Armstrongs listened and, although their eyes opened wide at some points, they never said things like ‘That’s impossible,’ or ‘You have to be making this stuff up.’
Stanley took over on the prophecy bits, since that was his speciality. As he moved on to the subject of the Minotaur, he nodded towards Minh several times. Meanwhile, myriad expressions played over Minh’s face.
‘Are you …’ Again Minh touched his head, just behind his ears on either side. Kelly had her suspicions why. ‘Are you saying I’m …’
‘The reborn spirit of the Minotaur, come to help me put an end to the Collector.’
Kelly thought it best to speak plainly, and that was about as plain as it got. She anticipated a reaction much like her own, when she had been told similar things – reluctance, denial and disbelief.
Instead, Minh stood up and pumped his fist.
‘Yeah, baby!’
‘I knew it!’ he exclaimed, and laughed. ‘I knew something epic was going on!’
‘Minh, please!’ said John. ‘Keep it down. What if somebody outside hears?’
In the entry hall, the front door slammed open.
‘What now?’ said Margaret.
‘Margaret! John!’ An old man’s voice came from the corridor outside the kitchen. Kelly quickly lowered her hood.
‘What is it, Neville?’ said Margaret, rising from her chair.
‘Hornets on the road!’ he said. ‘It looks like a whole division!’
