Above the Vaulted Sky - Page 118

I’d been skirting the issue. Did the connection bode ill for me too? Teague had said our connection was unnatural. I didn’t want to be connected to him in the event that he did die.

‘I’ll take this,’ Yates says. He slides the bag off of Teague’s big shoulders.

‘Be careful,’ warns Teague like Yates holds a new-born child in his hands.

‘You don’t get to lecture people on careful,’ Yates replies. ‘Thief.’

‘Scientist,’ Teague snaps. ‘Pioneer! You people should be happy I’m doing the work I am.’

‘You can shush,’ I point at him again. ‘Will you keep him out here?’ I ask Elle and Yates. ‘I doubt Graham can touch him and I want to check out his lab before we let him go inside.’

Elle nods. ‘Be quick,’ she says. ‘He smells.’

I laugh and me and Graham enter the lobby of the hotel. ‘Look confident,’ I say to him, realising that the receptionist can see him. ‘You own the place.’

Graham adopts the sort of bop that really doesn’t befit him and I snort. ‘Confident not 90s rapper.’

He eases on the bop a little but the tactic works. The receptionist continues to be interested in whatever he was doing.

We start up the stairs. ‘I thought you guys would go to Central Park,’ I say. ‘Did you find Benjamin?’

‘Not a trace,’ replies Graham. ‘You lot do have some fun,’ he says. ‘Dying doesn’t seem so scary.’

‘Yeah well enjoy life while you can,’ I say. ‘Being dead’s fun but you can’t do anything else. I wanted to do a lot of stuff with my life.’

‘Yeah, but you’re free to go wherever you want!’ Graham says. ‘That must be cool.’ He smiles but he rubs his temple.

‘Are you going to tell me what that is?’ I ask. He’s been doing it since we found him and I’ve noticed every time.

‘Just a headache,’ he smiles. ‘It’ll go away.’

‘Tell me if it carries on,’ I say. ‘I’m honest, Graham.’ I look at him with my eyebrows raised. ‘Us dragging you through the Edge can’t be good for you.’

‘I’m fine.’ He waves his hand. ‘As far as I can tell, I’m demolecularised and we reform on the other side. It must just be more difficult for solid matter. No big deal.’

I know I’m not going to be able to argue with Graham. If you ask me, being broken down to a molecular level and then pieced back together again across thousands of miles is a fairly big deal.