Disney for ever. He looked around the bare walls of the front room, the tables with nothing on them but coasters and junk mail. ‘Why don’t we have any family photos out?’
Mum removed the flannel. ‘We never have.’
‘Yeah, but why?’
‘I guess I got out of the habit of putting them up because we were in friends’ houses,’ she said. ‘Plus most of the photos we’ve got have Jordan and your dad in them.’
‘It’s like you’re ashamed of the family we are now,’ Wesley said.
‘Of course not.’ She patted the seat beside her, and he crossed to sit, letting her put an arm around him. ‘I don’t have a good reason for the photos, Wesley. But I’m proud of this family. We’ve been through a lot, and we’re still here.’
He nodded, allowing himself to sink into her embrace. It made him feel like a child, and for once he was glad of it.
‘I know there’s been a lot going on, and I should have spoken to you about it sooner,’ said Mum. ‘Is there anything you want to talk about?’
The family was still there, after everything that had happened. They had clung on, but Wesley wanted to do more than that. He hated that the only way it could happen was to let somebody else take his place.
There was a lot more change to come. He had to show her that he was strong.
‘I’m okay,’ he said, choking down everything else he wanted to say. ‘We should take some new family photos.’
‘Of course,’ said Mum. ‘What’s brought all this on, anyway?’
‘I just think it’s important that we keep memories,’ he said. So even if he did lose his place here, there would always be something to remember it by.
23
Existential Stakeout
At the corner before he reached school, Wesley almost collided with an older boy blocking the pavement. He wore torn jeans and an orange T-shirt, and dark circles under his eyes suggested he hadn’t slept.
‘Excuse me, have you seen Kat Waldgrave?’ he said, voice hoarse, as if he had been asking all night.
The question almost made Wesley laugh. ‘I really haven’t.’
The boy looked like he might cry. ‘I’m sure she’s here somewhere. I have to find her . . .’
Wesley thought immediately of Lukundo being drawn to Aaron’s house after he had been inhabited by his missing friend. ‘How do you know her?’ he asked.
The boy looked pained. ‘I don’t. At least, I don’t think I do.’
He must have been somebody Kat had inhabited. It did work. Wesley didn’t know what strange connection brought the host in search of their faded passenger, but if he was searching for her here she had to be close by. Kat must have heard his plan, and followed him to school to carry it out.
After a moment’s uncertainty, the boy followed Wesley to school, stopping finally to linger outside the gate.
In every lesson, Wesley couldn’t stop glancing beside him, wondering if Kat was there, judging the little work he managed to scrawl out.
No shared morning classes meant he went looking for Luke and Justin at lunchtime. On the way to the canteen he ran into Aoife.
‘Selena replied. You were right, as soon as I mentioned Aaron she agreed to meet us.’
‘When?’
‘Tonight. I haven’t told the others yet.’
Wesley nodded. ‘The sooner the better.’
He moved to walk past her, but Aoife stepped into his path to block him.
‘I’m glad you’ve made us do this,’ she said. ‘It’s made me rethink the whole thing. I think Robbie and Jae, too.’
‘I’m glad,’ he said, and kept moving before he had to think of a proper response. It embarrassed him to think Kat might have overheard.
The canteen was half-full when he arrived, and he spotted them at a table in the corner, wolfing down portions of lumpy chilli con carne. There were too many people here for them to turn violent, but their conversation would be masked by echoing voices and the smack of plastic trays on plastic tables.
‘Let’s do it,’ he said, hoping Kat was still with him.
He was already talking before he took the seat beside them. ‘I’ve been an idiot, okay, and I know I might have messed this up, but I’ve thought about it and I really want to—’
‘Whoa, mate,’ said Luke through a mouthful of chilli. ‘Calm down. We were going to come looking for you.’
There was nothing violent in his tone. Wesley felt himself relax a little.
Luke pushed his tray away. ‘We went too far the other night.’
A part of Wesley wished they hadn’t quite