-A note form me:-

Sorry I havn't updated this for so long… I guess I lost interest for longer than I thought… I only write when I feel like it, if I don't feel like it I just end up writing something fast and rubbish, much like half the chapters in this fiction, but whatever, here's an update, half of it is from my original writing I did months ago, and the other half is something I did today. I haven't really got back in my stride yet, so I'll see how it goes. Thanks for the many reviews, I really appreciate you all :)

22. Ignoring the problem

'WILL!'

A horse voice range out to will as he walked home from school. Ducking slightly against the screech he turned to see who the speaker was.

A group of the In Crowd led by the old enemies was marching steadily toward him. Most of them were hangers on wanting to look hard, but Spaz and Mark were up front were sparking with grinning malice.

'I've got an idea.' said Kirjava, walking beside him, 'Walk faster.'

'Faster's the word.' replied Will, and he increased his pace.

Will wasn't worried yet; it was quite probable that this rabble were only there to taunt him, in which case it would roll off him. All the same they were well aware he wouldn't take on a group of ten single headedly.

A sharp whiz and a sting on his ear brought him back to his surroundings, he saw an acorn bounce into the road ahead of him. He walked ever faster, eager to reach the next corner.

Another acorn ricochet off the road sign with a sharp ping and will stepped round the corner, then he stepped off the path and doubled back into the tall bush bordering a garden.

'Where'd he go?' said Mark stupidly, the cronies stared round with furrowed brows but didn't say anything.

'Stuff him- we'll see him tomorrow anyway.' said Spaz, resuming the march.

Mark followed with one last look

Picking twigs off himself, Will emerged from the bush and silently crossed the road and began to walk the longer way home up the road and through the park.

'What are we going to do now?' said Kirjava, 'They're not going to leave us alone until your heads on a stick.'

'I think I'll concentrate on getting home with my head attached first.' He said, they still had to follow the In Crowd for a while before it was possible to avoid them.

'Hey Will!'

Will recognised Michael's voice behind him but didn't stop to look around, he performed another goalkeeper dive behind a garden wall.

'Will?! What are you doing man?'

'They're coming back, Will- let's get out of here!' hissed Kirjava, Will didn't need telling twice and he made a break for it.

'Will?'

'Shut up! Can't you see who's behind me?!'

Michael looked round Will,

'Ah… I'll see you tomorrow then?'

'I sincerely hope so!' yelled Will, now past him.

For a split second, Will thought of using the knife, then he remembered he didn't have it and this time he really did have to run.

Down the alleyway, left, right, over the road, duck behind telephone junction box.

Kirjava looked round at the alley they had come from and saw Mark and Spaz come panting out from it. They looked around but didn't see him.

'Damnit Will!' bawled out Mark, 'Your chickin arse won't save you ever day!'

Then Will saw the last thing he needed, Inspector Walters walking toward him, looking him in the eye.

'Ah! You have GOT to be kidding!' he said, 'He must've seen us running from them and gone round.'

'Well I think I can guess who we'd rather have a confrontation with.' said Kirjava, and they both made for the alley they'd come from- directly toward Mark and Spaz, who now looked totally confused seeing Will fleeing from a black suited man.

'Coming through!!!' yelled Will, ploughing between the two of them.

'Go after him you morons!' said Walters running up to them,

'Fuck that.' They said, 'You said give him a hard time, not chase him over the fuggin town. We're tired.'

Walters didn't run after Will, have lost him more than twice now he didn't bother.

'Cough up old man- you said you'd make it worth our while.'

'Well it ruddy wasn't worth my while so piss off.' he replied scathingly. He started running after Will again and took out his phone.

Will kept going. If he could get home he would be safe again for a little while.

Until he next left the house... then he'd be running again…

He slowed to a walk and then stopped, too confused to continue.

'What are we going to do?' he said to the dæmon, 'Seriously, we can't do this everyday. It's stupid, he'll never give up.'

'Let's keep going. There's not much else we can do- You should go home and rest, then we'll work this out. This is hardly the pla-'

Kirjava was cut off and an all-might BANG rang out behind them, they turned and saw Walters standing just a few paces away holding a gun in the air.

'Make a run for it and I'll shoot you.' he said, 'And don't try anything funny, I've had enough of these games.'

Will rolled his eyes and put on a rebellious stare.

'Yea, like your going to shoot me. You can't just kill people outright for no particular reason. It's against the law.'

Walters laughed, he smiled and shook his head,

'You know that's exactly what my former partner said the morning you killed him.'

Will shivered and glanced around, looking for an escape, but Walters carried on.

'That's right Will. He was an ordinary guy like you and me. You think this is all about you? You're nothing Will. You're a piece on the chess board. What? You disagree? You think the powers of reality have been chasing you and the girl through the depths of time and space cos we decided we didn't like you? You're not special Will. You think because you can hide and disappear into a crowd that you're gifted. If you gave the knife to your friend Mike we go after him instead. You'd be forgotten in a moment. And I'm sure Mike can run fast and hide behind a bush when we come down the street as well. People mean nothing; you have to understand that, all that matters is power. While the knife is in your possession you have power. But that power is neither yours, nor does it care for you. You're just it's conduit to the living world.'

'Thank you for that little speech.' Will said with his remaining scorn, 'What's you're point?'

Walters shook his heard again.

'You're an idiot you know that? But whatever. Give me the knife and I'll make all your trouble go away. Me, my agency, you school enemies, even the double glazing salesman. They will never bother you again.'

'What do you want it for? I fought to stop the knife's intentions. I went to death and back to stop it destroying everything, and you, you with your suit and black cars and secret agent gun come along and you think I'd just give it to you like that? You call me nothing, yet you're just another grunt for whatever government agency you work for. You're just a hypocrite like everyone else.'

Walters lowered his gun and looked at it. The gun was his power, he had the power to cause Will fatal injury, but it wasn't the gun that would kill him, it was the hole it left behind. He un-cocked the gun and put it in a holster behind his blazer.

'This is where your knowledge ends. You look at life like a James Bond film.'

Will turned to walk away, but Walters wasn't done yet, taking 3 paces he gabbed Will's collar and slung him to the floor.

'Sit still and listen! I've had enough of this cat and mouse crap. In a James Bond film there are two types of people. There are characters, and there are soldiers.

'The Soldiers are nothing. They where a uniform and carry a gun and shoot uselessly at James Bond. He kills them in one shot, that's then end of them. Characters are the important people. They cannot be killed by soldiers. Only a character can kill another character. And when that happens, a long speech and fight scene with morals and ethics is needed.

'You're problem is that you haven't noticed that this isn't a James Bond film. Each person you and I kill has their own story to tell. They probably have family and friends that grieve for them or seek revenge for who killed them. You call me a grunt? You're spot on. But if I'm a grunt then you're a soldier. I kill you and the knife falls into someone else's possession and the cycle continues without you.'

Will stood up and shook himself, Kirjava rubbed against his legs for support.

'Well I think that's as depressing as hell. Cos you're just saying I may as well fall down and die right now for all the good I'll do the world. But if that's true, then the world is going round in circles, so I'll just tell you out right. The knife is broken. I broke it myself so it wouldn't be used again. So if you're out to save the world you can go home with a clean mind- the knife is no more.'

'Fine. I'll be off then.'

With that, Walters turned round and started walking away like nothing had happened.

'So that's it?!' called Will, but the man didn't answer, he just kept walking, then he turned the corner and was gone.