CHERUB: The Sleepwalker - Robert Muchamore Page 0,56

on the ground holding a dislocated jaw, one slumped against the wall with a bloody nose and a split lip and one who’d run off rather than get knocked down again.

‘I don’t want no trouble,’ Alom said ridiculously, as he let Fahim go and smiled innocently at Lauren. But he turned around and legged it before she got close.

‘You OK, Fahim?’ Lauren asked.

Jake looked at the carnage as he hobbled towards Lauren, clutching his stomach. A few kids hanging around the school gate had witnessed the whole thing and he realised that there were going to be cops on the scene and an ambulance for at least one member of Alom’s crew.

He turned towards the gate and shouted: ‘We didn’t start this. Anyone snitches and they’re dead, you understand?’

Lauren wasn’t too impressed with what had occurred and she glowered at Jake as he came near. ‘Make a scene, why don’t you? We’d better get the hell out of here.’

Jake and Fahim were both hurting but Lauren grabbed their blazers and forced them to walk quickly. The first bus stop was only two minutes from the school, so they carried on walking towards the next one. This took them past a McDonalds, which was pretty empty at this time of the afternoon.

‘Inside,’ Lauren said stiffly.

Fahim shook his head. ‘I haven’t got any money.’

‘I’m buying,’ Lauren said. ‘We need to talk.’

Fahim smiled awkwardly. ‘I appreciate what you two did, but I’m not stupid. If anyone asks what happened back there I’m just gonna keep my mouth shut.’

But Fahim’s smile was fake. He was terrified that news of the brawl would reach home, and if he got suspended or expelled it would be the excuse his father needed to send him abroad.

‘I don’t want to talk about the fight,’ Lauren said, as she pulled a twenty-pound note out of her blazer pocket. ‘You two must at least be thirsty after all that lot.’

As Lauren said this, she noticed that Jake was in a state. The Year Nines had landed some bad punches and his eyes were moist. ‘Do you want a tissue or anything, Jake?’

‘I’m not crying,’ he said defensively. ‘Just get me fries and a Coke.’

There were no customers waiting at the counter, so it only took a couple of minutes for Lauren to come across with a tray of fries and soft drinks.

‘I got six nuggets,’ she said, as she sat with Jake and Fahim in the quietest corner of the restaurant. There were a few kids from a nearby primary school with their parents and some pensioners drinking cups of tea, but basically the place was empty.

Fahim opened the box of nuggets. ‘Two each,’ he said.

Lauren shook her head. ‘I’m vegetarian.’

‘None for me,’ Jake groaned. He was still clutching his chest and Lauren was getting worried about him.

‘Are you sure you’re OK?’

‘Been better,’ Jake croaked. ‘Think I’m just winded.’

Lauren looked at Fahim and sounded serious. ‘Fahim, there’s something I have to tell you. Jake and I came here to help you.’

Fahim looked mystified. ‘I really appreciate what you did. If Alom had his way I’d be eating dog turd instead of McNuggets right now.’

Lauren shook her head. ‘That’s not what I meant. Two weeks ago, you made a call to the anti-terrorist hotline. You sounded extremely scared about something and we’ve noticed that your mum has disappeared.’

Fahim’s jaw dropped, exposing a nasty-looking mouthful of chewed-up chicken. ‘Pardon me?’

‘I know it’s a bit of a shock,’ Lauren continued, as she tried a reassuring smile. ‘But keep calm and listen carefully. Jake and I work for the government. The intelligence service traced you from your call.’

Fahim tapped his head. ‘You’re messing with me. How come you know all this?’

Jake didn’t sound too healthy, but he took up the story. ‘Our people have been running background checks on your father, but rather than send a bunch of police in to arrest him and start asking questions we wanted to speak to you first and get some more information.’

‘Was the call a hoax?’ Lauren asked bluntly. ‘Do you think your dad might have anything to do with the airliner that crashed?’

Fahim was in shock. He thought about trying to fob Lauren off, but the past two weeks had been the worst he’d ever known and he was desperate to speak to someone about his nightmarish excuse for a life.

Fahim spluttered as he pointed at Jake. ‘You’re eleven. Lauren, you’re like, thirteen. You work for the government … I mean, what are you, kiddie detectives