The twins had driven to the racetrack with Mrs Vanden Boom in one of the estate’s numerous khaki Land Rovers. They were the only students undertaking driver training, as apparently the rest of them were all experts. The twins had both noticed that since arriving at Alexandria their Science teacher had swapped her usual school attire of a white lab coat over an array of peasant skirts and floral blouses for sturdier outfits of jeans, wellington boots and a Barbour jacket. She was looking far more relaxed than at school, where she was always rushing about.
‘Mrs Vanden Boom, can’t people see the racetrack from the air?’ Max asked. ‘And the noise must drive the neighbours mad. I remember we once went to Portugal and Estoril was just over the hill from where we were staying. Anytime you set foot outside, it sounded like millions of mosquitoes were about to attack.’
Romilly smiled to herself. ‘Pharos has ways to make sure there are no prying eyes,’ the woman replied.
Kensy frowned. ‘The track’s not covered by a roof or something, is it? Because that would be ridiculous and impossible.’
Romilly’s eyes flickered up to the rear-vision mirror and she grinned at the girl in the back seat. Kensy reminded her of herself as a child – constantly curious and always pulling things apart. Except that by her age Romilly had already built her first engine, right down to machining the parts. Her father had been in charge of all gadgets and technology for Pharos and was keen for Romilly to follow in his footsteps, but she loved teaching too. Perhaps one day she’d make the change to full-time research and development, but for the moment life was just fine as it was. ‘You do know that everyone in the village and for miles surrounding us is part of Pharos, don’t you?’ Romilly said. ‘And your peers at school – their entire families as well, even if some are too young to understand it yet.’
This was news to the twins although it made sense as Song had told them all the workers from the estate lived close by. About a mile from the ornate front gates of Alexandria was a gorgeous village of the same name. There were at least a dozen cottages, a pub called the The Lamp and Lantern and a general store built around a village green. Several farmhouses bordered the enclave on the road to the main house. Max had seen some of the residents when they’d arrived, but he’d had no idea that it all belonged to his grandmother.
As they crested the top of the hill, Romilly stopped the car. Even after many years, she still thought the racetrack was one of the most brilliant things she’d ever seen. ‘There it is,’ she said.
Kensy leaned forward between the front seats. ‘Um, where?’
Max couldn’t see anything other than a green field. ‘Is it a hologram?’ he asked.
Romilly Vanden Boom smiled. ‘Largest one we’ve ever created.’
‘Mind officially blown,’ Kensy said, shaking her head as she sat back in her seat.
The Land Rover lurched forward and clattered along the road until they reached the track a half-mile further on. Carlos was right – it was a proper road circuit and the facilities wouldn’t have looked out of place at Silverstone or Daytona.
The pit lane was deserted, and the row of garages seemed to be locked up tight. Perched in the middle of the squat row of sheds was a small tower that would have served as a commentary box at a commercial facility.
Max eyed the dented hatchback that was sitting on the edge of the roadway. ‘I thought we’d be driving Formula Ford cars.’
‘Yeah, so much for our race car lessons,’ Kensy grumbled.
Romilly Vanden Boom slapped her skinny thigh. ‘Has Rodriguez been filling your head with fanciful notions, Maxim?’
Max nodded. Learning to drive in a beaten-up yellow Fiesta wasn’t at all what he’d had in mind.
Romilly directed the children to some changing rooms in the bottom of the tower. ‘You’ll find your driving suits hanging up inside,’ the woman said.
‘Is that really necessary?’ Kensy asked. Puttering around the track would hardly require a special outfit.
Romilly Vanden Boom grinned. ‘I think you’ll appreciate the need for your clothing once we get started.’
Kensy and Max exchanged quizzical glances before disappearing into their respective change rooms. They returned ten minutes later in fire-retardant racing suits, helmets, special leather boots and gloves. Kensy was decked out in blue and Max was in red.
Mrs Vanden Boom was nowhere to be seen.
Suddenly, a voice bellowed from a loudspeaker and the children looked up to find their teacher inside the tower. She was wearing a headset and held a pair of binoculars in her left hand. ‘Right,’ she said, ‘Maxim, you’re up first. Kensington, I want you in the passenger seat.’
The children eyed the car on the edge of the track.
‘Well, don’t just stand there,’ the woman tutted. ‘Do you want to learn to drive or would you rather play tiddlywinks?’
The children made their way to the car and buckled their harnesses while Max checked if the key was in the ignition. Images popped up on the windscreen, forming an instruction guide on how to start the car.
‘You’ll notice it’s a manual transmission, so you’ll have to learn how to change gears. There’s a clutch on the left and next to it is the brake. The accelerator is on the right,’ Mrs Vanden Boom’s voice crackled through the headsets that were built into the twins’ helmets. ‘Left leg for the clutch. Right leg for the other two. Have a little play with it. And, Max, adjust the seats and mirrors accordingly. Now, I want you to listen to Esmerelda – she’s going to talk you through everything.’
‘Who’s Esmerelda?’ the twins asked in unison.
‘Good morning, Master Maxim, Miss Kensington,’ a cheery voice spoke. ‘It’s lovely to make your acquaintance and I do apologise for my appearance. I’m afraid I’ve had a rather rough time of it the past few years.’
Kensy looked around the vehicle. ‘Esmerelda,’ she said slowly, ‘are you . . . the car?’
‘Yes, Miss Kensington, I am indeed. In the next hour, you and your brother are going to become expert drivers. Guaranteed! I never thought I’d see the day that I got to teach the two of you. I taught your father a long time ago and Agent Williams. I’ve had an update since then, but between you and me, I think I’m long overdue for another one – I’ve had a slew of overly enthusiastic learners of late, somewhat lacking in skills. Now, shall we begin?’
Max couldn’t believe his ears. Since when were talking cars a thing? Then again, when did self-tying shoelaces with the ability to fly out of your shoes and turn into a lasso exist either?
Esmeralda gave Max blow-by-blow instructions on how to start the car, put it into gear, accelerate, change gears, steer and brake. He completed his first lap of the track with hardly a crunch.
‘This is amazing!’ The boy grinned. ‘I’m driving.’
Kensy yawned theatrically. ‘Woohoo,’ she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. ‘Great job, except I think I just saw Mrs Thornthwaite overtake us with her shopping trolley.’
‘Ouch, Kens. There’s no need to be mean.’ Max pushed his foot down a little further on the accelerator.
‘Miss Kensington, your brother is doing very well,’ Esmerelda said. After a pause, she added, ‘But, Master Maxim, I will advise that you step on it. I need you to do the next lap at sixty.’
Max gulped. ‘Sixty kilometres an hour?’
‘No, sixty miles per hour, Master Maxim,’ Esmerelda replied politely.
Max did the conversion in his head. ‘But that’s one hundred kilometres an hour!’
‘By the end of our session, I expect you to take a lap at almost twice that speed,’ Esmerelda said. ‘And don’t take your eyes off the road. You never know what might jump out at you.’
Kensy fidgeted in her seat, itching for her turn behind the wheel. She felt a rush of excitement and desperately wanted to show Esmerelda and Mrs Vanden Boom that, out of the two of them, she was the better driver. Of course, she didn’t actually know if that was the case, but she couldn’t wait to give it a whirl.
Max tentatively increased speed just as they rounded a blind bend. Without warning, a flock of sheep filled their view.
‘Max, look out!’ Kensy screamed, throwing up her hands to shield herself.
Max swerved to the right, managing to miss the sheep that had appeared out of nowhere. Esmerelda talked him through the gear changes and how to avoid spinning out.
‘Were they real?’ Kensy asked, her nerves jangling as Max pressed his foot to the floor on the long straight. He watched the speedometer climb until it hovered at one hundred and twenty. It felt like they were flying.
‘Well done, Master Maxim,’ Esmerelda said. ‘Please drive into the pits and change over. I am looking forward to seeing what your sister can do. As for the sheep, yes, of course they were real. Where do you think I got all these dents from? And I’m afraid those red marks on the tarmac aren’t tomato sauce.’
Kensy’s prediction was right and she soon proved herself, setting a cracking pace around the track and earning great praise from Esmerelda and Mrs Vanden Boom.
‘Last lap,’ Esmerelda reminded her. ‘Now, I really want you to go for it!’
Without a moment’s hesitation, Kensy slammed the pedal to the floor, changing through the gears as she reached the top of the long straight. She braked hard as they neared the first set of chicanes, successfully negotiating the bends, then rapidly increased her speed as they crested up and over the hill. The Fiesta shot across the finish line.
‘Told you I’d beat your time!’ Kensy said triumphantly. ‘Ha!’
‘Keep you hair on, Kens. I noticed there were no stray flocks of sheep on any of your laps,’ Max retorted.
Kensy eased her foot off the accelerator and gently pressed the brake. When the Fiesta failed to respond, she pressed the pedal harder. Again, nothing happened. ‘Um, Max,’ she said, fighting the panic rising in her throat, ‘the brakes . . . aren’t working.’
In fact, despite pumping her foot up and down on the pedal, the car was only getting faster. It was then that the twins realised Esmerelda had been strangely silent since they’d started the last lap.
‘Mrs Vanden Boom!’ Max shouted into his headset. ‘We have no brakes and Esmerelda’s not answering!’
There was no reply from their teacher either.
Kensy held tight to the steering wheel as the hatchback flew over the top of the hill. When they landed with a jolting thud, the car swerved sharply to the left. Kensy tugged at the wheel with all her might, trying to correct it, but it jerked away from her, as if possessed. The Fiesta veered left and right so violently that the twins were thrown against the doors.
‘Pull the handbrake!’ Max shouted as they were flung from side to side. The boy’s helmet smacked against the window.
Kensy reached for the lever between them. She didn’t know what to expect, but, given they were heading straight for a concrete barrier, she had little choice. ‘Here goes nothing!’ she yelled, yanking the handbrake as hard as she could.
The car was thrown into a spin. Around and around and around it went, like an out-of-control carousel, before slamming sideways into one of the barriers, teetering on two wheels and then crashing back down onto the track.
For a moment, the whole world fell silent. It was as if they were in a state of suspended animation.
‘Are you okay?’ Kensy panted.
Max nodded. A blanket of white steam poured from under Esmerelda’s bonnet. Through the cracked wind screen, Kensy spotted the Land Rover hurtling down the hill towards them. Romilly pulled up beside Esmerelda and leapt from the car.
‘Thank goodness you’re alive!’ she gasped, wrenching Kensy’s door open. She released the girl’s harness and dragged her from the wreckage.
Max unbuckled his seatbelt and crawled across to the driver’s side. His own door was jammed against the barrier. As he clambered onto the ground, he felt a splash against his right hand. He raised it to his nose and coughed, the pungent odour immediately recognisable. Max pushed himself to his feet and took off towards Romilly and Kensy, who was now in the back seat of the Land Rover.
‘Mrs Vanden Boom! The fuel tank is leaking!’ he called, pointing to the pool of liquid that was slowly trickling closer to her and Kensy.
Romilly ran around to the front of the car just in time to see a spark ignite at the rear of the Fiesta.
The flame flickered to life, licking at Esmerelda’s battered panels. ‘She’s going to blow,’ Max said in horror.
Kensy opened the back door of the Land Rover. ‘Max! My watch – it’s gone. It must have fallen off in the car when we crashed.’
Tears fell onto the tops of the girl’s cheeks. Max’s mind raced.
‘Oh, no, you don’t!’ Romilly yelled, but the boy wasn’t to be stopped.
He ran back across the tarmac and dove into the car as the flames danced around it. Romilly Vanden Boom ripped an extinguisher from under the dashboard of the Land Rover and raced towards the burning Fiesta, spraying it with foam. Still, the flames intensified.
‘Max!’ Kensy screamed as the fire took hold. ‘Get out of there!’
Her chest tightened as she spied her brother’s silhouette surrounded by fire and then, finally, he was running at them. His suit was intact, and he was holding something in his hand. Romilly doused Max with foam and grabbed his arm, the pair charging towards the Land Rover. She bundled him into the front and jumped into the driver’s seat, turning the ignition and planting her foot on the accelerator as Esmerelda exploded, sending a fireball hurtling into the sky.
Perched on the edge of the topmost diving board, Autumn was willing herself to remain calm. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath and was about to launch into the air, when there was a loud bang. The diving board shook beneath her feet, throwing the girl off balance. Autumn managed to steady herself and looked out in time to see a burst of red in the sky. She scurried back to the railing and gripped it, seized by a fear that stemmed beyond her phobia of heights.
At the archery range, Carlos saw it too. His breath caught in his throat as he lowered his weapon. If he was right, the plume of black smoke was coming from the racetrack.