The Lie (The Seekers Book 2) Read online

  Millie understood the meaning behind the question, but how could she answer it? Oh, I’m just looking to see if she has anything to do with my brother’s disappearance! Then it struck her, perhaps it wasn’t the girl, perhaps it was another member of the family. But which one?

  “I’m afraid we’ve only just met, she fell off her bike right in front of us so we helped her in.”

  “We?”

  “Yeah – me and Winston, the dog.”

  Right on cue Winston leapt on the bed and the old man’s face lit up. “Ah - a terrier, what a handsome dog.”

  Winston will love that thought Millie as she measured out the dose, all eyes watching her slightly shaky hands. The old man sat back and closed his eyes for a moment, but his right hand stroked Winston contentedly.

  “Better than that blasted cat of your gran’s, she only comes when she wants something. A dog always has love to give.”

  The room was silent except for the ticking of the clock. Time was running out and Millie still didn’t know what to do.

  T he Apprentice floated in the corner of the room observing his charge. How boring was this? When the young man wasn’t playing on his tablet or mobile he had music plugged into his head. He hardly spoke to his family, never went out and had no friends, except for his contacts online.

  Suddenly, the Apprentice had a wicked thought ... what if I warn him? Immediately terror gripped him and he fled to the opposite corner scanning the room wildly for them. They could read his thoughts for sure, what if they found out?

  He looked at the young boy trying to remember what it was like to feel the comfort of jeans and a warm jumper, to be touched...

  How to do it then? What did Deceiver always say – oh yes – the mind is the battlefield ... well two can play at that game.

  M rs Benton liked Fridays. It was the only time she had to herself and she could pretend to forget. The building was cold of course, and your bones ached at the end of it, but then the Normans hadn’t known she would be here alone doing the flowers all these years later. She chuckled. Fancy that eh? Hundreds of years, centuries of worship, and now it was her turn. Made you wonder it did, made you think.

  She looked at the small display. It was beautiful in its own right but she always wished she could do more. No weddings this week-end so she had paid for the fresh flowers out of her pension and added foliage from her own garden. Her little gift. Not much to some, but He knew.

  She finished by sweeping up the few crinkly old leaves that had missed her carefully laid down newspaper and dusted the shelf with the Bibles and Songs of Praise neatly lined up, ready for action. The church was full every week now, standing room only some days, but bless ‘em, they always reserved a seat for her. Just her now.

  The old Church key felt as heavy as her heart but she had never left without a prayer of thanksgiving, and she wasn’t about to start. Only now she knew why they called it a sacrifice.

  Upon the mountains of Ararat – 371 days after The Flood began.

  Shem was trembling with anticipation. It had taken them over a year to get to this point and for eight weeks they had watched the waters recede and the land dry out. Father had said the ground was hard enough to walk on and the dove had returned with the olive leaf, so new life had blossomed. Now the animals were free to make their way down the gentle slope to the valleys below. Shem marvelled again at how they had landed on this flat, rocky outcrop with its glorious views.

  The day was starting to warm up rapidly and the last of the dark clouds were rolling away. Shem turned his face to the sun, luxuriating in its warmth, and he realised he would never again take it for granted. But when he finally turned away and opened his eyes the sight took his breath away.

  Stretching over the horizon was a magnificent arc, from one side of the sky to the other; he was amazed and awed by its brilliance. Beginning with red, orange and yellow at the top and fading to shades of blue and violet at the bottom, it shimmered with a shocking intensity. He dared not blink in case it disappeared, he wanted to drink it all in. After the darkness of the past twelve months it was almost too much for his senses, but he hoped it would stay. He had never seen anything like it before, but his father would know what it meant.

  A s the medication began to take effect Millie could see that the old man was tiring, the room was stuffy and the smell of pain and age crept into you. Millie was about to suggest a tactful retreat when the sound of the front door opening and closing intruded into the silence.

  Cheryl rushed away, “Ooh that will be Nan, come on Millie, you can say hello.”

  Millie had never seen a kinder face in all her life. A snowy white mop of curly hair sat upon the roundest of faces with shiny, button eyes that welcomed you immediately. This tiny figure was struggling to get a large trolley into the corner, next to the fridge and Millie rushed forward to help.

  “Why, thank you love, I do believe this blooming thing gets heavier every week!”

  Cheryl laughed, “This is Millie, Nan, and Winston is upstairs with Grandad.”

  “Winston?” A look of concern crossed her face.

  “Oh – don’t worry, he’s a well behaved dog ...” said Millie.

  Well, most of the time...

  Millie thought she’d better give some sort of explanation, “We were just passing when Cheryl fell off her bike and she invited us in.”

  “That’s very kind of you Millie. Are you okay sweetheart?”

  “Yes, Nan it was just a scratch. Can I have a biscuit before tea?”

  The smile said it all, “Just one mind. Would you like one dear?”

  Millie wasn’t really hungry and she felt bad about taking anything from this little old lady but she needed an excuse to stay a bit longer. “No I’m fine, thank you, but I’d love another cup of tea, if there’s one going.”

  “I’ll join you love, then I’d better check on George.”

  Millie was about to say “No sugar please” when Quark suddenly materialised above the kitchen table, did his funny little bow and then floated off to sit on a dining chair. He folded his arms and waited.

  Millie raised an eyebrow, but Quark merely smiled happily and focussed on the elderly lady as she bustled with cups and saucers. When she turned around Millie was half expecting a scream but, of course, Quark was invisible to her.

  “Thank you Mrs er ...”

  “Benton, but you can call me Ruth.”

  Just then Winston decided to put in an appearance, but before he could say anything a loud hissing noise came from under the table and a large black cat appeared, its eyes dark with rage and its coat bristling with indignation.

  “Now Frankie, don’t be mean,” Mrs Benton warned, “Cheryl take your new friend into the garden then Frankie can relax. Would that be okay dear?”

  Millie stifled a smile, “That would be perfect.”

  Winston appeared quite happy about the arrangement, so while Nan unlocked the back door Millie sipped her tea.

  “What do we do now?” she whispered.

  But Nan was back and Quark continued to smile.

  “Great. Thanks for your help.”

  “You are welcome.”

  Nobody had spoken but Millie had heard the words as clear as crystal. Now Quark was positively beaming.

  “You can read my thoughts?”

  “Of course, Your Highness, but a gift I shall only use when necessary.”

  “I- er...” suddenly thinking had become so hard!

  “You wanted to know what to do next.”

  Nan continued to drink her tea and fuss over the cat.

  “Oh yes ... what do we do?”

  “Absolutely nothing of course!”

  “But ... Oliver needs our help and so far I’ve learnt nothing.”

  “Oh, I very much doubt that, Your Highness.”

  “Well my dear, if you will excuse me I’d better get on. George will need me before supper, there’s always something to do when one of you is ... poorly.”

  Mill
ie stood up, “Yes, of course. I will fetch Winston and then we will be out of your way.”

  “No hurry. That girl loves animals, especially dogs. Her mam works all kind of funny shifts to make ends meet, so I think you being here is a real treat for her.”

  Millie could see them now through the window, child and dog in a world of their own. A pang of something long forgotten nudged at her consciousness, but it was too fleeting. As Nan made her way slowly up the stairs Millie wondered again about this “finding” business.

  T he Apprentice had monitored in every room in the house, had meandered outside for a very brief trip to the shops and had even watched daytime television ... heaven help me! The boredom was relentless, how could people live like this? His charge was now sleeping. At last, an opportunity to experiment presented itself. He knew he wasn’t as skilful as the others, but he had heard them talking, saying that targets were more susceptible to suggestion when they were asleep.

  He drifted over to the young man’s side and observed the shallow, rhythmic breathing. His long dark eyelashes fluttered occasionally and a peaceful innocence emanated from him. He was a good-looking target. Guiltily he thought back to his last review ... nothing to report. Except that wasn’t entirely truthful. The target had an acquaintance and she was very dangerous indeed. He leant over to the young man’s ear and whispered her name, over and over like a mantra. He wasn’t capable of touch, but he caressed the sound as best he could and he almost felt something. Almost.

  “W hat do you mean do nothing? Oliver is relying on us!” hissed Millie as she flopped down next to Quark and kept her eyes on the stairs for Nan’s return.

  Quark stood and bowed, “We are finished here, Your Highness, I suggest we move on.”

  “But ... but how has any of this helped Oliver? I thought you said we would know when something significant had happened.”

  “Indeed.”

  “And ...”

  Quark was gentle but unyielding, “We have less than twenty four hours, we must leave this great warrior and check on the other doors.”

  Millie was confused. “Great warrior ... who? Wait a minute; did you say less than twenty-four hours? How come?”

  “I have seen Oliver and we must check the other loops quickly. Millie, you must be brave. Oliver is currently in a deep sleep and your doctors will call it a coma. Do not be afraid, simply follow the paths and all will be well.”

  Millie felt her insides turn to water and her legs were like jelly but she raced to the back garden and grabbed Winston by his collar, hurriedly fastening the lead, “Sorry Cheryl but we have to go. Thank your Nan for the tea and pop into the shop anytime, we would love to see you.”

  They were briefly out in the street, but it quickly faded, and soon they were all facing the doors again.

  “This one.” Millie announced and without consulting the others she approached the plain white door and touched the handle. She made it through to the other side, but the others were nowhere to be seen.

  “Bother!” she proclaimed.

  “Yes indeed,” said a cultured voice, “Why do we bother?”

  At first Millie could not see who had spoken. She was transfixed by the splendour of the room and the amazing number of books on show. It was like the world’s biggest library. As far as the eyes could see the dome-shaped room was filled with rows and rows of books, from floor to ceiling. It was an impressive sight and any other time Millie would have loved to browse, but today she was a girl on a mission. She called out impatiently, “Hello, is anybody here?”

  A tall, thin, bespectacled man with receding hair stepped out from behind a book case; he was formally dressed in a light-grey suit and sported a showy purple bow tie somewhat at odds with his conservative appearance. “Well of course I’m here, I’m the Doorkeeper, where else would I be?”

  Millie hesitated, he appeared cross for some reason, maybe the library was closed and she shouldn’t be here. She was intimidated by him but the thought of Oliver spurred her on.

  “Sorry. I was looking for someone.”

  He was dismissive. “Obviously. Number?”

  Millie shook her head, “No, I was looking for someone, not a book.”

  “Yes. I know. What is your number?” He wearily sat at a desk and opened a huge ledger. He took out a different pair of spectacles from his top pocket and massaged his hands together in preparation.

  Millie hesitated, “I ... er ... don’t have a number ...”

  The man sighed, “Good grief, you couldn’t have got here without a number, let me see your hand.”

  Millie was too astonished to argue and she offered her hand to the man.

  “Both hands dear, no telling these days where you were registered.”

  As Millie held out her arms the man frowned and got up to take a closer look. He tutted and picked up a small object which he started to roll over Millie’s forehead. He tutted again and slammed it back down. “Ridiculous. How’s a Doorkeeper to keep proper records if they can’t do their job right. You will have to go back.”

  Gladly, thought Millie, if only...

  Chapter 13

  W inston looked up at Quark, one small furry being to another. Of course he considered himself an intellectual equal, why wouldn’t he? So he didn’t really like to admit he was confused.

  “Er ... didn’t we all go through last time?”

  “Indeed. Most odd.”

  Quark stood facing the door, making a steeple with his fingers and muttering under his breath.

  Winston sat down, “So what now? Can you open it?”

  “I am afraid not, it would seem only a Child of the Garden is permitted to enter.”

  “Well can’t we find another one?” Winston scratched his ear with irritation at the delay.

  Quark clasped his tiny hands together and grinned at his little friend, “Winston, you are a genius! Of course we will fetch Oliver.”

  “But I thought you said he was in a deep sleep.”

  Quark was now pacing the room, doing his funny little bobs as he walked. “Yes, yes. In the material plane his body is asleep, which means his spirit can join us here. Brilliant idea Winston!”

  Winston was pleased with the praise but he was used to humans treating him like an imbecile, “But won’t he need it?” he asked simply.

  Quark stopped pacing. “He cannot wake up in your world without it, and there is danger in leaving him exposed for too long, old friend, but it is a risk we must take. We cannot leave Millie alone on the other side.”

  Winston nodded, pretending to understand, “Of course, let’s go.”

  “No need. You wait here, I shall return with Oliver.

  Winston wished he had a dog biscuit for every time Quark had done his disappearing act. Talking of biscuits he was starving, but there was no food in here. Ah well, might as well take a nap.

  Quark made it just in time. The neighbours were all collecting outside, pretending not to look, and the paramedics were just entering the building. The bright lights of the ambulance pulsed in the evening air and anxiety billowed on the wind. As Quark entered the bedroom ahead of them he watched Sarah tenderly stroking Oliver’s forehead. The nurse was calm but the mother was terrified. In the background Jamie was giving details...

  “... he just won’t wake up, his records are up- to- date at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, my wife is a nurse there and she can tell you more. Please hurry.”

  Quark knew of course that Sarah could not see him but he gently laid his hand on her shoulder. He then spoke to Oliver. “Come forth, Child of the Most High.”

  Oliver’s spirit floated out of his body on a fine silver cord. He smiled at Quark and looked down on his body with disinterest. As they left the room he turned to get one last look at his mother.

  “Will she be okay?”

  “She must endure for a while, but we can help her better by leaving for now.”

  Oliver accepted this simple statement. He remembered how time had “stood still” before. He
trusted Quark and he had never felt this good in all his life!

  J ack woke up with a groggy head and wandered into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror before splashing water on his face. Yuck! Freezing cold but necessary if he was going to tackle the next level on his game, he needed a clear head to pick up all the clues. He just had to beat Asia, she was way out in front of him and she still wouldn’t say where the anointed charm was, so embarrassing!

  He could hear his phone blasting out Slipknot but he couldn’t remember where he’d left it. Oh yeah, jacket pocket. He opened up the text - bad news always travelled fast, Oliver Freeman had just been admitted to hospital. He was a bit of a geek, but he was a good mate around school and his sister was hot. Jack didn’t like the look of the text though, he had to get on Facebook fast to find out more.

  He grabbed a drink from the fridge and took the stairs two at a time, his dad would be home soon and he wanted to maximise his time before the usual interrogation about homework and exams started. He would do some work later... maybe.

  He was soon totally absorbed by his newsfeed, snacking on Munchies and totally oblivious to the dark shadow floating over his shoulder.

  T he Doorkeeper hesitated, “I could always look you up on the transfer list I suppose, what’s your name child?”

  “Millie. Millie Freeman.”

  “Any middle name?”

  “Lydia, after my grandmother.”

  He shifted to the next table and started keying information into a blue screen, “Date of birth?”

  “28/05/99”, Millie gave the usual response expected at school.

  The Doorkeeper sighed, deeper this time, “Which century?”

  Millie was startled; she had never been asked that before,

  “Er ... 1999.”

  “Thank you.” He finished with a flourish and then sat back. He looked at the screen, then he looked closer at Millie. He looked at the screen again.