Two Tribes, page 10
part #1 of Young Atlanteans Series
* * *
Xavier made three or four circuits of the room, just to make sure Paige hadn’t lied to him and come after all, then grabbed a can of coke from the drinks table, leaned against the wall and watched Alexia and the Johnson boy on the stage.
He didn’t get it. She was a spoiled princess that had always had everything she wanted, two brothers and loads of cousins who doted on her and here she was living in poverty, in the back of beyond, and he’d never seen her so damn happy. It made no sense at all.
The thing he hated most of all was that the source of her happiness was Dwayne. He was an ordinary boy from an ordinary family and yet he mixed up everything he wanted to feel about this place. Dwayne was a boy – a teenager with raging hormones, like any other. Something Xavier fully understood, especially wanting to get close to a ten out of ten girl like his sister. But every time he convinced himself of that and was ready to pound him into oblivion, he had to do silly little things that proved he was as attentive, sappy and totally into his sister as she was him.
She passed him a CD and he kissed her cheek as if to prove a point. It made him grind his teeth and seethe. It was clear where their little union was heading; it would be so much easier to split them up if the guy was a dick.
He took another swig from his can and watched Dwayne lead Alexia down the steps from the stage. Then something lit up his senses and made him straighten up from the wall. It was a change on the air currents, a shift in the mood of the room.
Xavier homed in on a group walking through the crowd towards them. The partygoers shifted and parted and he started to move parallel to them to reach his sister.
Almost immediately, the music was yanked off and replaced with hard rap that got the place jumping. And not in a good way. The mood in the crowd had become over-excited and aggressive, like an unlicensed firework display where the dangerous, unpredictable explosives could go off and hit anyone.
Thankfully, just as he reached his sister by the stage, teachers seemed to appear from every corner of the room and the plug was pulled from the sound system. Dwayne was already moving away, pulling Alexia by the hand.
‘What happened?’ Xavier called after them. Alexia looked upset.
It was difficult to see if she heard as the whole crowd seemed to be herded out at the same time. It wasn’t until they were free of the school building and almost to the school gate that he managed to break into a jog and get in front of Dwayne to stop him.
Dwayne glared at him. ‘You saw what happened. It was a takeover.’
Xavier made a quick assessment between him and his sister and gauged that the harm was mainly to Dwayne’s pride. He relaxed a little. ‘Do they go to another school?’
They were soon joined by Dwayne’s brother, Richie and then Latitia. JJ sauntered in through the school gate. It threw him for a moment. He hadn’t even realized he’d gone.
‘It’s finished already? What happened?’ JJ said, joining the circle of their group.
‘Gate crashers. It got pulled,’ Richie filled in for him.
Dwayne still appeared to be furious and began walking again towards the gate. They all fell in behind him, Xavier nudging his sister along by the small of her back. It was dark, they were out in the street and suddenly he was reminded of just how vulnerable they were.
Richie had caught up with his brother and was in deep conversation. Obviously talking him down, just as he’d done with JJ many times before. He was glad to see JJ the other side of Alexia, both now in their usual protective positions with her. Except this time, Latitia was brought into the middle of them too. That was new.
Xavier looked ahead, scouring the street for danger, his mind still on JJ and Latitia’s joined hands. Everything was changing. They were changing and he hated it.
* * *
It had stopped raining and the roads were shiny, reflecting the streetlamps. It gave the air a kelp-like smell and made the orange glow in the windows of the stacked dwellings almost inviting. It gave JJ an overwhelming ache for home. Although where exactly, he wasn’t sure: his mother’s family castle in Ireland, his father, Dante’s, Island of Filfla, his father, Jay’s London hotel? He guessed it could be any or all of those places. It was the people he missed. Comfort. The familiar. They were so far out of their comfort zone that it sunk in what a genius decision it had been on Dante’s part.
They were a sombre crew walking home. All the earlier excitement had been sucked out of the evening. Dwayne and Richie were in heated debate as to how Dwayne should save face, with Latitia chiming in every so often to not lose their heads.
Alexia looked sulky and angry. However, a sideways glance at Xavier’s tight expression made JJ suspect it was less to do with her spoilt evening and her boyfriend being taken down in front of the whole school, and more to do with Xavier using it as an opportunity to berate her. Judging by her face and the way she stopped and glared at him a couple of times, Xavier was clearly having a go at her in her head.
‘Leave her alone, Xav. It wasn’t her fault,’ JJ had to say in the end.
Latitia looked at him strangely.
JJ instantly realised his mistake. Then, after everything said between them earlier, a reckless wave of spite whipped through him. ‘We talk in our heads,’ JJ said, without further explanation.
‘Oh, that’s it, tell the bloody world,’ Xavier said, throwing his hands up in exasperation.
‘I’m sick of lying,’ JJ said, without breaking stride. ‘Stop picking on Alexia just because you feel so shit.’
Xavier’s face dropped and darkened, and Alexia seized her chance. ‘Yes, Xavier. They are our family now; we should be able to be honest.’
They turned into the road they lived on and, thankfully, Xavier didn’t outwardly react. However, he looked across at Alexia who widened her eyes at him. Xavier was furious. His aura was an angry pulsing red and his face had hardened to granite. He clearly hadn’t settled in as much as the rest of them and was becoming more unhappy and volatile.
They walked past the rubbish-strewn playground, now deserted except for a huddle of teenagers, congregating after the rain on the small roundabout. Something insidious niggled at the edges of his consciousness and formed a feeling of dread in JJ’s gut. It wasn’t them, eying them curiously, and it wasn’t Xavier, now ignoring him completely. It was something else.
He could smell it.
He felt it in a current of polluted air.
Fear. Anticipation. Excitement. Very human and very close. ‘Slow down!’ he called out to Dwayne and Richie. ‘Something’s wrong.’
They immediately stopped, looking around them to see what he meant. There was nothing there. Not yet. There was something else, too, that he didn’t have time to process. The imminent danger was something only an Atlantean could detect. ‘Do you feel it?’ he said to Alexia and Xavier. They nodded.
‘What is it?’ Latitia said. She looked scared, trusting his instincts explicitly.
‘Stick with me,’ he said.
They turned the last corner. A souped-up SUV with music thumping was idling next to the curb. Its windows were blacked out so he couldn’t see inside. A neon-blue light ran around its skirts, screaming that someone had a lot to prove. Unfortunately, there was only one way into the building and they had to walk past it, so they stuck closer together.
Nothing happened.
Their apartment block was now in view. ‘Do you know that car?’ JJ whispered. It was still there, just waiting.
Dwayne and Richie nodded. ‘One of Trick’s friends.’
He’d guessed right. They were walking into some kind of ambush.
Xavier had fallen into formation with him, coming to the same conclusion. He didn’t need to say a word. They both knew the ones that had broken up the party were waiting. They came into view on the low wall at the entrance to their building. There were a couple of girls with them. They were laughing and chatting until they went silent when they saw them approaching.
‘Let me do the talking,’ Dwayne said.
JJ nodded, pulling Latitia and Alexia in tighter between them.
Trick pushed one of the girls off his knee and stood up from the wall. ‘Ah, there they are. DJ Tame Dwayne and his micro-crew of toffs.’
His followers laughed loudly and gathered around him.
JJ did a quick count: five boys, including Trick and two girls. There was at least one keeping the engine running. They were outnumbered and he didn’t know about Latitia, but Alexia couldn’t fight. She’d managed to slope off every time his father wanted her to learn.
‘What do you want, Trick? It’s late. We just want to go home,’ Dwayne said, in a last-ditch attempt to be civil.
‘Late?’ Trick mimicked in a fake posh accent. ‘Why, the night is young?’
His followers sniggered.
‘What say we continue our little battle from earlier upstairs?’ Trick said, holding out his arm for them to lead the way.
Dwayne took a step back. ‘No! My mum and little brothers are inside.’
JJ stiffened. Everything was fast becoming out of control. Trick walked up in Dwayne’s face and two of his friends barred Richie’s way to go to his side. Trick pointed at the small silver box Dwayne was carrying. ‘Do you mind if I take look?’
JJ knew most of his music would be on SD card or USB, but DJs still coveted those rare grooves on CD that they could reliably transport to shows and showing Trick was the last thing Dwayne would want to do. No DJ wanted to give access to his arsenal to a competitor – particularly a slimeball like Trick. But he left him little choice and he handed over the box.
Trick turned and grinned to his friends at his small victory and took it over to the wall to open it.
All the while, JJ bided his time in the hope this petered out and racked his brains for a way to handle it if it didn’t.
Can’t you do something, JJ? Alexia said, desperately, in his mind.
We can take them, Xavier said.
Not unless we have to. There’s too many of them. We’re better off protecting the girls.
Xavier shuffled his feet in agitation and was spotted by one of Trick’s friends. ‘Stand still, posh boy.’
‘Mmmm-mm,’ Trick was saying, looking intently at a CD case he’d pulled out. ‘Nice track.’ Everything he said was in the same exaggerated, mocking tone. ‘Must be worth a few quid.’ He took it out of its case and fumbled, almost dropping it, catching it just in time. But his hands were all over it which, of course, was deliberate.
Dwayne took a step forward in reflex to save his beloved property and one of Trick’s friends stepped in to bar his way. Now Dwayne’s temper had flared up and he bumped chests with him.
JJ readied himself to jump in but the two girls had circled behind them and he didn’t trust what they would do to Alexia and Latitia.
‘Give me back the box,’ Dwayne said, his patience now gone.
Richie shoved the boy out of the way, who’d been holding him back, to stand with his brother.
The boy ran back and shoved them both in the chest. ‘Who d’you think you are? … get back in your place!’
Suddenly, they felt surrounded. JJ looked across to Xavier and they had to turn their backs to the girls to keep watch behind them. Everyone seemed to be turning and moving, trying to protect their backs and keeping an eye on everyone else. It was impossible to keep track.
The boys were now roughly shoving Dwayne and Richie from all sides. Under ordinary circumstances, JJ and Xavier would have been in the thick of it, but Alexia and Latitia were now being stalked by the two girls from the opposite direction. To take their eye off them would leave them exposed.
The shoves became rougher. ‘Leave us alone!’ Dwayne shouted.
JJ kept an eye over his shoulder.
Too late. A punch was thrown at Dwayne.
Xavier took a step forward to intervene, just as one of the girls lunged and pushed Alexia in the chest, almost knocking her over.
No, Xav! JJ projected. The girls!
Xavier turned his head and saw the danger at the last minute. He switched directions.
‘Don’t you push me!’ one of the girls squealed when Alexia had barely touched her.
JJ and Xavier had spent their childhoods learning to fight. They were surrounded by soldiers and guards – their own aunt had been a government assassin. Unfortunately, Alexia was into ponies and braiding hair and was totally vulnerable here and Latitia’s abilities were completely unknown. It wasn’t ideal.
Dwayne and Richie were now separated and in the middle of the boys who were still pushing them around. ‘You’re nothing!’ Trick was shouting in his face. ‘You’re not a DJ … you’re only good for school discos and weddings.’ Dwayne was shoving back, but it wasn’t having much impact.
JJ quickly assessed that their best defence was in one group with the girls in the middle. They were too out in the open where they were.
Xavier had seen the danger too and made sure he pulled Alexia between them.
Then JJ felt a familiar tingle on the edges of his senses. He’d felt it faintly a few times while they’d been in south London. Something they took for granted as it was so prevalent at home. Here, starved of everything they knew, it was as easy to sense on the air like bonfire smoke. Atlanteans were close by.
CHAPTER 12
Four huge males stepped out from the shadows. Alexia and Xavier saw them at the exact same moment. The others stopped pushing Dwayne and Richie around and the grin dropped from Trick’s face.
Dwayne tugged his brother back out of the way of the boys and Trick pulled out a knife that had been tucked into the waistband of his jeans.
‘Don’t be silly,’ the rich, deep, familiar London-accented voice said, pointing, completely unfazed by the knife. ‘Evening, guys,’ he said to JJ, Xavier and Alexia.
Keenan, JJ projected, allowing himself to relax for the first time, recognizing the guy who was married to his aunt. The lively blue eyes quickly surveyed the situation. The three other males nodded a greeting behind him. They were easily six and a half feet tall, dressed completely in black and packed with muscle and various weapons: a compact 9mm MP5, a Glock and several lethal knives. And that’s just what JJ knew. The huge men belonged to the Santalini royal family of soldiers, loyal to his fathers and had always been an object of fascination to him growing up.
JJ let out a breath and Keenan came forward and touched him and Xavier on the shoulder; the closest thing to a hug from the big guy. He approached the group of boys. They parted, exposing Trick standing there brandishing a knife.
Keenan tilted his head to the side to indicate to Dwayne and Richie to join the rest of their group. They obeyed. ‘Do we have a problem here, guys?’ he said, turning his attention back to Trick. When he didn’t answer, he glanced over his shoulder at Dwayne and pointed to the silver box, still sitting on the wall. ‘Yours?’
Dwayne nodded vigorously. It was hard to tell who he looked more scared of.
Keenan clicked his fingers and signalled for Trick to pass it to him. ‘Do you mind?’
Trick looked around him, completely bewildered, until he saw the futility of holding out. He walked over, put the CD he’d taken out back in its case, and handed it to Keenan – making sure he kept himself out of reach. JJ saw his powers of reasoning already at work even through the shock, as Trick tried to calculate who the big guys might be. He was recovering quickly. ‘Who are you? Don’t recognize you from around here.’
Keenan immediately took a threatening step forward, making Trick take an evasive step back. Not before the horror registered on his face. He’d given him the smallest glimpse of him: a flash of fang, the smallest swirl of blood in his eyes. JJ had always wished he could do that to intimidate his enemies. ‘Oh, we’re always around. You just don’t know it.’
It was just the right amount of threat to make Trick swallow. JJ couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
Then, without breaking eye contact, Keenan pointed back at the road, to the waiting car. ‘I think we’re done here.’
Trick nodded and, without a further word, skirted a wide radius around Keenan in the direction of the car. The others followed. Although, just as he went to pass JJ, he gave him a last warning glare. As if he thought he was somehow responsible for what had just happened. It was by no means over.
The four Santalinis turned and didn’t relax until the seven of them had squashed into their friend’s car and it screeched off into the night. Then Keenan turned back and grinned.
Alexia ran to him and hugged him tightly. ‘Uncle Keenan. You saved us.’
JJ rolled his eyes. She was so dramatic. Still, she was probably right. Even with his power, there were simply too many of them.
Keenan kissed the top of her head and ruffled Xavier’s hair. JJ shook all four of their hands in thanks and noticed Latitia, Dwayne and Richie looking on uneasily. He had to remind himself that he was used to Keenan’s longer canine teeth and sheer size. He guessed they did look pretty badass to a bunch of ordinary teenagers, even if they did appear to be on their side. He quickly introduced them.
Keenan nodded and smiled, careful to cover his teeth this time. Then he gave JJ a wink when his eyes rested on Latitia, making him wonder how much he knew. ‘What are you doing here?’ JJ asked, deflecting the heat away from his personal life. ‘Not that we’re not grateful to see you.’
‘Just passing by. Thought we’d just pop in to see you,’ Keenan said in that easy way he had about him. ‘Lacy sends her love.’
JJ smiled at the thought of his doting aunt, who spoiled them all rotten.
‘Are you coming up?’ Xavier asked. There was a light of hope in his eyes that maybe their father had sent the Santalinis to get them.
JJ doubted that very much. Somehow he couldn’t imagine any of them in the tiny flat. They seemed to dwarf everything around them.
