"What's going on?" Matt shouted as he and Richard ran into Scott's room. They were shocked to see Pedro trying to wrestle a writhing, convulsing and screaming Scott back into the bed he was going to fall out of. They were so shocked it took them a moment to act. Matt ran to Pedro's side and Richard ran to the opposite side of the bed and together they tried to calm Scott down. But the more they tried to push him back the more he screamed and writhed free of their grip, the fact that Scott was well built and perhaps stronger than any of them just made it more difficult to restrain him. What he was screaming Matt had no idea but after a few minutes the boy began to calm down. Once Scott was completely still again they all stood in silence, breathing heavily after their efforts. Matt had not paid much attention to this one of the Five, Scott had been still, in bed for the past three days. Pedro and Jamie were really the only ones who had spent time with him; communication was fruitless, the boy said nothing back. Jamie had claimed he'd stopped sending thoughts until yesterday; a faint echo in the back of his mind had brought him to his brother's bedside.
"What happened?" Richard looked to Pedro and repeated the question in Spanish. The other boy, still shaking slightly, began to speak quickly and quietly for fear of waking Scott up again. Richard nodded as Pedro talked but Matt stared at Scott. He hardly knew the boy, he hardly knew Jamie. In the three days the boys had been here had hadn't really had a chance to talk to Jamie properly. It seemed that once they were together it was about the future, about the war against the old Ones. Matt hadn't asked about their past, about the childhood he sensed they had tried to forget. "Pedro came in," Richard said and Matt looked over at him, "began to heal and Scott began to mumble, he thought it was working, that Scott was getting better but…" Richard gestured to the unmoving boy on the bed, "the mumbled turned to screams, and the twitches turned to convulsions."
"Will he be OK if we leave him?" Matt turned to Pedro who looked to Richard for a translation. Pedro shook his head violently; still scared that Scott might awaken. "OK," Matt gentle kicked a chair next to Scott's bedside. "I'll stay here with him for a while; you two go help Professor Chambers and Jamie-"
"They're out." Richard said but quietened as he heard a car door slam shut. Even so Richard didn't get why Matt should stay with Scott, surely it should be Pedro. But Richard could see in Matt's eyes that there was a determination so Richard beckoned Pedro who followed him out of the room. Matt glanced at the boy up and down, unsure of what exactly he was doing sitting with him but sure this is where he needed to be.
Matt. He jumped. Someone's voice had called out inside his head. He looked down to the sleeping boy and saw that his brow was furrowed as though thinking hard.
Yes. He thought back, feeling slightly foolish.
Where's Jamie?
Coming. Matt thought for a moment about what to say.
It doesn't really work like that. Scott's voice came again, I can understand what you're thinking and the answer is "fine."
Do you know what's happening? Matt said and suddenly, as though this communication was the key, he felt closeness to the boy, now that he could talk to the fourth.
Yes. The Five. The Old Ones. The Other Girl. I've got it all from Pedro.
What happened just then? When you were-
Memories. Of that God awful place. Silent Creek. Matt shook his head; this boy had been through a lot. Don't worry about it; it's all in the past now.
You need to wake up. You need to get better.
I know. But I want to talk to Jamie first.
I'll get him.
Thanks. Matt walked to the door and turned back as he heard something shuffle behind him. For the first time since they had met Scott was sat up in his bed. "Thanks." He said and Matt was surprised, his voice was harder than Jamie's, he was entirely different to the other boy. More sure of himself, stronger, calmer. He looked at Matt, although they had met before he hadn't properly looked at him. Dark hair cut short. Harsh, blue eyes. Broad shoulders. A strange, welcoming hostility about him. Matt nodded at him and walked out.
"Who?" Mia said innocently but John could hear in her voice that she had something to hide.
"Matt." He repeated, watching her for any sing of recognition. She merely shrugged and shook her head. He put a hand on hers but she stood up quickly from her bed, jumped down and went to her bathroom. "You're very bad at dodging questions Mia," he said loudly so she could hear him.
"I have no idea who Matt is." She said as she walked back into the room.
"Last night," John took a breath, "you had a nightmare." She stopped when opening her cupboard to listen to him. "You screamed for while; kept me and Anna up. When we came to see you the screaming had stopped and you were just mumbling…about a boy called Matt." He stood up from her bed, put her plate back on the tray and picked it up.
"I told you, I don't know who Matt is!" She said desperately, opened her cupboard sharply, removed a white dress and went behind a screen in her room to change her clothes. John realised he'd made her angry and walked over to the screen; he leant against it and sighed.
"I'm sorry Mia, I was just curious." He said before he left the room. Mia threw off her night dress and stood in the soft sunlight entering her room; she leant against the screen too and sighed. She slid down the hard wood behind her until she was sat down, she drew her knees up and held her head in her hands.
"I wish I knew who he was." She whispered, "I wish I knew what was happening."
"Oi!" John shouted playfully as he came back into her room. "I have a meeting with an interested company this weekend; do you want to come?" She knew he was only trying to cheer her up but she replied anyway.
"Where're you going?" She asked.
"Hong Kong." He answered.
"You don't have any connections in Hong Kong." She said in confusion and again John was surprised. Mia was one of those people who, when they have read something once, they can recall that information whenever needed. It's how she managed to get away with so much stuff when she was in Ipswich.
"Yes," he said with a slight laugh, "but there's a company there that's gone under-"
"You're not talking about Nightrise are you?" She shouted in surprise.
"How do you know-"
"I read about it." She said quickly, "You can't really be thinking about saving them?"
"Since when did you become such an expert on what I do?" He was joking but Mia knew him well enough to understand that she'd stepped over the line; John hated being told what to do/ being told what he was doing was stupid.
"I'd love to come." She said happily, changing the subject.
"Good, we leave for Heathrow in half an hour-"
"Half an hour?!"
"Anna will help you pack!" He shouted before leaving the room to pack himself. As he ran out, up the stairs to his room, he thought about what Mia had said. It was true that Nightrise had been involved in fraud but that's why he's been called in; he was famous for going into slowly degenerating businesses and bringing them back. He shook his head, Mia was wrong; everything would be fine.
Oooh…so Scott's finally, pretty much, better. Erm and Mia is headed to Nightrise in hong kong :D but you guys remember who else is headed there right? -- well then go read the last chapter of nightrise!
Thanks for the reviews!
