the surrounding farms.
Thy don't you piss off back where you came from??he shouted.
Zara was startled by the outburst. Bardon me??
Tou heard,?he shouted. Bloody grockles, coming up here to gawp. Youre seen it now, so turn around and sling your hook.?
James opened the electric window beside his head and gave the young driver a two-fingered salute as he sped off, 慤p yours, you hick.?
That was that in aid of ??Lauren asked.
Zara explained as she cut over the centre of the roundabout, turning right into the village. The locals don't like protestors. I mean, living out here in the middle of nowhere and suddenly finding that youre got hundreds of demonstrators and the TV news turning up on your doorstep twice a week.?
The car headed up a steep hill, through a main street that consisted of a pub set in a large garden and a strip of shops. Except for a convenience store on the corner, the shops had all been converted into homes.
Beyond Main Street lay two modern housing developments where most villagers actually lived, but Zara pulled on to the driveway of a detached cottage without leaving what the locals called the Old Village.
The tiny front garden was overgrown and the exterior was shabby, but it would only have taken some pruning and a lick of paint to make it fit the picture-postcard image of an English cottage.
Man, what a hole,?James said as he stepped through the front door and caught a lungful of musty air, before bolting upstairs to find the toilet.
Must have been built by hobbits,?Kyle said, lowering his head to avoid ceiling rafters, as he dumped his suitcase on the carpeted floor of the pokey living-room.
The owner wasn't keen on renting to a family with kids,?Zara said. Te ended up buying her out, because this location is just perfect. You can cut through the fields at the back and be at Malarekt front gate within five minutes and some of the protestors drink in the pub down the road. The downside is that were only got three bedrooms.?
Bags not sharing,?Kyle and Lauren both shouted, as James came back from the toilet with wet hands.
So towel,?he explained, as he wiped them on his tracksuit bottoms.
Two of us have got to share,?Kyle said.
Areat,?James said sourly. He realised he had no chance of getting a room to himself because he could share with his sister or he could share with another boy, but Lauren and Kyle couldn't share with each other.
T don't know what you lot are complaining about,?Zara said. Tre got to share a bed with Ryan Quinn.?
James burst out laughing. And het gonna be horny after three years in prison.?
Sot funny, James,?Zara said stiffly. Tre had a king-size bed put in that room and Ire made it clear to Ryan that if so much as a finger crosses the middle IEl have his nuts in a jamjar.?
10. RELEASE
They flipped a coin and for the third time in his life James ended up sharing a bedroom with Kyle. Another flip earned Kyle the top bunk. It wasn't the end of the world, but James was used to the comfy double bed in his room on campus and hated having his feet dangling over the sides and the way the springs creaked whenever Kyle changed position. At least it was better than sharing with Lauren, who snored like a pig.
It was Saturday morning. James was still buried under the covers at ten o抍lock when he got woken up by Kyle jumping off his bunk and heading down the hall to take a shower. Deciding it was time to haul himself up, James threw off his duvet and gave himself a good scratch as he pottered across to the window in his boxers. He pulled back the curtain.
Noly crap 厭 James spluttered, as he looked down and saw half a dozen people standing on the tiny square of lawn at the front of the house. They all held polystyrene cups and a few had cameras strung around their necks.
Kyle, get out here,?James yelled.
That??Kyle yelled back. T'll getting in the shower.?
James leaned out into the hallway. Ecrew that Kyle, theret millions of journalists standing on our front lawn. What are we supposed to do??
Wearing a hand towel around his waist and covered in beads of water, Kyle disbelievingly hopped up to the leaded window and peeked between the curtains.
Eomeone must have told them Ryant coming out today.?
Tell duh,?James said. That are we gonna do about it??
Don't panic,?Kyle answered. Tre been on missions