CHERUB: The Sleepwalker - Robert Muchamore Page 0,18

James. He’s disgusting.’

James took this as a cue to lean across and peck Dana on the cheek. Joshua screwed up his face and put his hands over his eyes.

James spoke to the whole table. ‘Who else fancies a walk down to the lake after dinner?’

Callum and Shakeel had too much homework, but Connor and a few others said yes. As soon as Lauren found out that the Askers’ dog Meatball was on campus she joined the plan, along with Bethany and a few members of their crowd.

It was only a walk, but Joshua had put himself in charge. He went off to put his coat and hat on before coming back and ordering several people to eat faster. All the while he grazed from the bag of stale bread one of the chefs had given him to feed the ducks in the lake.

In the end Joshua and Meatball led out a pack of eleven cherubs for the two-kilometre walk towards the lake. Joshua’s dad, Ewart Asker, trailed the group with his daughter Tiffany asleep in a buggy. It was a nice evening, although the breeze had some bite to it.

While Lauren and the younger cherubs ran around throwing sticks for Meatball and mucking about, James found himself strolling along the concrete path beside Ewart with his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. He’d had a few run-ins with Ewart over the years, but they got on better these days.

‘Has Zara heard anything about the crash that isn’t on the news?’ James asked.

‘Not that I’m aware of,’ Ewart said, shaking his head. ‘All I know is that she went down to London for an emergency meeting of the anti-terrorist committee.’

‘So they definitely think it’s a terrorist thing?’

‘They’ve got to work on that assumption,’ Ewart said.

‘Poor Mac,’ James said, as he took a deep breath and stared thoughtfully at the sky. ‘His wife was only sixty-two. They could have had years together.’

‘That’s sad,’ Ewart nodded. ‘But at least she’d lived some kind of life. Angus and Megan weren’t even teenagers.’

‘Did you ever meet them?’

‘Just the once,’ Ewart said. ‘Mac had a barbecue a few summers back and they were running around in the garden with all his other grandkids.’

‘I heard that he’s got six kids and at least a dozen grandkids,’ James said. ‘I guess it’s some consolation that he’s got other family.’

‘There’s something else I wanted to ask you, actually,’ Ewart said. ‘A sort of favour.’

James was curious. ‘What?’

‘Joshua has always liked you. With us being away on missions, Zara having Tiffany and then getting promoted to chairwoman, we’ve never had a chance to get the kids christened.’

Meatball whizzed between them, in pursuit of a rubber ball with a chime jangling inside.

‘Crazy dog,’ James grinned.

Ewart cleared his throat before continuing. ‘Zara and I were cherubs, so neither of us has family. We’d like to ask if you’d be interested in becoming Joshua’s godfather.’

James was flabbergasted, but he broke into a big smile. ‘Yeah, I guess … I mean, I’d be honoured. To be honest, I never really thought you liked me much.’

‘Meh,’ Ewart shrugged. ‘You and I have had our share of problems, but you saved my life. That counts for a lot. And you’ve always had time for Joshua when a lot of kids your age would have told him to buzz off. He doesn’t have any older brothers or cousins, and when you go on a mission he always asks when you’re coming back. You mean a lot to the little fella.’

‘He’s really grown lately,’ James said. ‘I haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks and I’d swear he’s got bigger.’

‘He’s had a little spurt,’ Ewart agreed. ‘Unfortunately he’s starting to ask some pretty awkward questions.’

James smiled. ‘What, like where babies come from and stuff?’

‘I can handle those,’ Ewart smiled back. ‘But he asks questions about campus. Like, he asked why nobody on campus has a mummy or daddy and he asks where we are when we go away on missions.’

‘I guess he’s getting to the age where he can’t come on to campus.’

Ewart lowered his voice. ‘Zara and I are in discussion with the ethics committee about changing CHERUB’s admission policy.’

‘So that your kids can become agents?’ James asked.

Ewart nodded. ‘And children of other ex-cherubs and members of staff. It’s always been a struggle to recruit enough agents. This might be a partial solution.’

James didn’t seem sure. ‘But wouldn’t you feel different? I mean, would a parent feel right sending their kid off on a dangerous