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Barb approached the Wuckenoge Academy with extreme trepidation. It had been a long walk through the woods, across the track and up the hilly land looking down over the city. She could have got the train to take her part way, but she didn’t want to draw attention to herself too near the Child Bank. She’d stopped at a brook on the way to wash herself down and have a drink. Arriving as a dehydrated, sweaty mess wouldn’t serve her plan, and at the moment, it was the only one she had.

The road seemed to go on forever, and she was beginning to think she was lost when she finally came upon the sign. The remaining driveway still seemed to go on forever. Visitors were definitely not encouraged, and even by academy standards, it was a very closed community. Wuckers did not have a reputation for being friendly or sociable. Wuckers liked to be in charge, so unless you liked being pushed around, they were not a group of people you wanted to spend your free time with.

She came to a second gate, this one staffed by a guard who demanded her name and business.

‘Barb Girin.’

The guard waited for the second part of her surname. ‘Barb Girin what?’

‘Just Barb Girin.’

He looked her up and down in a way that made Barb squirm uncomfortably.

‘You’re a bit old to still be in the Child Bank,’ he commented.

Barb wanted to comment that the guard was a bit young to be a Wucker, but she figured goading a kid with a gun was a bad idea.

‘Is Shaw here?’ she repeated.

‘I’ll see.’

A message went up to the building, and Barb turned her back and walked a short way from the guard rather than trying to engage in any further conversation.

The last time she had seen Shaw, he had been a scrawny-looking teenager. He was skinny, small and completely unremarkable. The most unusual thing about him had been the idea that he would survive in this place. Shaw turned up much more quickly than she had expected but was pink enough in the face to show he had moved quickly to get there, only slowing for casual nonchalance once in view.

He had changed. He had not only survived but clearly thrived and was now a full head taller than Barb and about twice as wide as he used to be.

‘Hello, Barb.’

‘Hello, Shaw. I wouldn’t have recognised you.’ She turned her face to him, knowing her eyes were still red from crying. There was a brief flash of concern, but Wuckers were not meant to show emotion.

He blushed, thrown by her agitation and unsure how to take her comment.

Jerking his head, he indicated that she was to follow him and walk through the checkpoint. Shaw kept his eyes on the guard, and the guard kept his eyes down. No doubt who was the alpha male between these two, Barb thought dryly. It was looking more and more like Shaw would be a good person to have on her side, now and in the future. Whatever it took.

At the back of the guard hut, there was another room, which looked like a holding area, with uncomfortable chairs and peeling brown paint. Once out of sight, he put his hand self-consciously on Barb’s back to guide her in. She took his other hand, which was missing one digit. All Wuckers had the little finger on their left hand cut off when they were fully trained, to mark them as belonging to Wuckenoge for life. She felt incredibly sad. She ran her fingertips gently over the scar and was sure she felt him shiver.

Shaw turned her to face him. ‘What’s happened?’

Straight to the point, Barb thought. No messing with the niceties or asking if she was all right.

She had decided to be shameless in appealing to Shaw’s attraction to her, but it helped that Shaw was not the spindly kid she remembered. He was all grown up, filled out from good food and exercise, and had a confidence that had grown from his position of power. Barb had a momentary pang of fear that he had outgrown her, but took courage from the fact that he had arrived quickly. More than ever, Shaw wanted to impress, and now it was important to ensure that she seemed vulnerable and in need of protection. She found she didn’t have to work too hard on being upset or needing comfort.

As she relived the last few days, the tears flowed, and leaning against Shaw and feeling someone close was consoling. Barb realised that she really did want someone to hold her. He hesitated for a moment, then put his arms around her.

‘Vander did something terrible.’

‘Really?’

‘He killed Scratch.’ She pulled back to look at Shaw’s face. He nodded grimly. He remembered Vander and Scratch, the golden couple, always scheming together and always resisting his attempts to be part of their group.

She knew she had him hooked.

Scratch was dead.

Vander had killed him.

Shaw could legitimately get rid of Vander.

Scratch and Vander were history.

He struggled to express how he felt about it. ‘How … sad!’

Barb tried to understand the look on his face, but he had learned to hide his emotions well.

‘I’m scared Vander will hurt me next. I know where he’s hiding, and he doesn’t want me to tell anyone. You know how desperate people behave.’

‘I can find somewhere safe for you to stay.’

‘No. I need to go back to look after the children in the Bank. I work there. But I can tell you where he is, and then you can go and take him in.’

He nodded, but his face was still inscrutable.

‘He might start to run if he thinks you know where he is. If you go now, you’ll catch him.’

‘He won’t get far.’

‘He’s already escaped the Facility security.’

Shaw laughed. ‘Well, that’s not difficult. They’re rubbish. The Wuckers will get him and sort him out. I need to get a team together, but it won’t take long.’

‘I’m worried the Facility will find him first.’

‘Don’t be. I told you, they’re rubbish.’

‘Vander stole something from them. They are desperate to get it back. He said they want to deal with it themselves because they don’t want to share it with the other Heads.’

Shaw paused.

‘This is big, Shaw. If you can crack it, you’ll get the kudos from your boss.’

He loosened his grip a little and thought. ‘You wait here. I’ll dispatch a squad to deal with it and be back quickly.’

‘No.’ She put her hand on his chest and ignored his irritation at her contradicting him. ‘You don’t want anyone else taking credit for this, Shaw. It’s big.’

He opened his mouth to point out that he was commanding the squad.

‘Plus I want to be certain that Vander will be sorted out. Shaw, you’re the only one I trust to do that.’ She looked at him with what she hoped was a mixture of pleading and trust.

She threw in her final card. ‘I can’t relax until I know you’ve done this for me.’

Shaw reluctantly pulled away, but she could see that the idea of having her beholden to him appealed as much as the revenge and the glory.

She reached up and kissed him. ‘I don’t want to be alone, Shaw.’

‘You don’t need to be.’ He returned her kiss, holding her tightly so she couldn’t pull away or end the embrace. His hands slid down her back, drawing her closer. The buttons of his jacket pressed into her.

‘Won’t the guard come in?’

‘He’d better not,’ Shaw growled.

They both knew he wouldn’t. Everyone understood that Wuckers had power and they took the benefits that went with that position.

Barb set her jaw. There was no going back; she had to seal the deal. Shaw watched as she fumbled with the buttons on her top. The blush spread down his neck, turning it into a mass of red blotches, as she dropped it on the chair. The room was freezing cold, and the goosebumps spread over her exposed skin, making her shiver. Shaw removed his jacket and wrapped it around her, enclosing her next to him. On his shoulder, there was a starburst bullet scar.

He followed her gaze. ‘Occupational hazard.’

They didn’t linger as they came together, both in a rush to beat the cold and embarrassment that threatened to overtake them. Shaw looked dazed at the unexpected turn his day had taken, and Barb just wanted to be consumed with an act that wasn’t sickness and death and grief and decay.

When they had finished, Shaw pulled his uniform back on, straightened up and refastened his buttons. ‘Where will I find you after we’re done?’

Her mind drifted.

‘Were you listening?’

She realised Shaw had been speaking, and she shook her head and allowed herself to cry a little more.

More gently he tried again, taking her face in his hand to wipe away the tears and focus her attention. ‘I’ll sort it out. Go back to the Child Bank. I’ll come through in a few days, when I can get some leave. Now tell me where to find him.’

He listened carefully as she explained where the flat was and allowed him to kiss her again and smooth down her clothes before leaving the room. He escorted her back past the guard, who acted as if he had seen nothing. Turning back down the drive, she headed away.

A short way down the road, she heard him shout after her and turned to catch what he was saying. ‘Hey, Barb. You did the right thing coming to me.’

She held up her hand in a wave and turned to walk away so he could not see the expression on her face.