Above the Vaulted Sky - Page 113

                  Teague falls silent. He knows I have him. His silence is punctuated by an air of worry and self-pity and I feel the better part of myself tug. I will it to keep quiet. It’s the sort of nice side that doesn’t stand up for itself, and keeps quiet when it needs to speak up.

                  ‘How long do you have?’ I ask.

                  ‘There’s no way of knowing,’ he says kicking his feet.

                  He looks at his shoes and kicks his heels. He’s like a child who hasn’t got his way.

                  ‘Look, Teague,’ I appeal. ‘We’ll fix this, we’ve got three people who can work on this, you me, and my friend Graham. We won’t let you die, Teague.’

                  He shrugs. Teenager now, having a strop. I give up with him.

                  We walk in silence down the street. It’s busy, being the middle of the day. Cars fill the road and I catch the glimpse of the occasional trademark yellow taxi. The same old stores fill shops either side of me and I wonder is there a city in the world untouched by a coffee chain. A high flying business type walks towards us, chatting on his phone, barging past people in front of him. I have the express urge to knock the paper coffee cup from his hand. My fingers itch but I refrain. With great power comes great responsibility.

                  A little while later, the green tinge of the park appears around the corner. We walk a little further until we come to an entrance, dodge around park-goers. I stop and think for a second. There are kids everywhere and I remember it is a Saturday. I steal a glance at the man next to me. A man I know is prone to exploding and not caring who he hurts.

                  ‘Don’t worry yourself, Easton,’ he says. ‘I’m not going to hurt the kiddies. I’m not a monster.’

                  I don’t reply. How well does he know me? Anyone can tell what someone’s thinking when they’re suspicious. But what if he actually knows my thoughts. He was in my mind.

                  ‘And now you’re worrying if I can read your thoughts because I was in your mind,’ he says. His face lights up with glee. ‘Maybe this will be fun after all.’

                  ‘Well can you?’ I venture.

                  ‘That’s for me to know and you to find out.’ He smirks, then looks to his left, picking up an ice-cream from a display on a cart while no one looks. I hope he knows how to make things disappear. ‘Shall we?’