Chapter 10 - Meeting with the Mayor

"Ahh. Todd and Viola." He smiled dangerously. "So lovely to see you again." He gestured to the children and said, "New additions to the family? Making up for Manchee then -"

"If you even -" I stopped Todd mid-sentence.

"How does he know?" Harper asked me, and I shook my head. I had not a clue.

"To answer your question, little girl," he whispered.

"I have a name," she replied calmly.

Stepping closer, "And whats that?"

"Harper. Harper Hewitt."

"Nice name." he looked at me and Todd. "Nice pick." he stared at the ground for a second with sadness in his eyes, then carried on talking. I guessed that he regretted what he had done to Davy. "I know about many things in this world that you do not. I know about everything, I guess you could say. Everything that goes on here I find out about. Much easier than you do." He was crouching down in front of her now.

"So you have spies?" Toby said, creeping round from behind me.

The Mayor paused. "Not...spies, exactly. They don't spy, they observe and report. They are the police force, I suppose."

Gus nodded. "I understand."

"Why are you here?" The Mayor stood up, brushed himself down and looked to me and Todd. "Why are you back?"

You can ask her for that, Todd's Noise blared at me. "Yeah, why are we here." He crossed his arms and waited for me to respond.

"Its only natural that the children get to see where we spent a time in our lives. I mean, they've seen Old Prentisstown and the ship wreckage, so why not here?" I sighed. "I would be curious, if I was them."

"Fair reason," the Mayor said quietly, nodding so slowly that it was hardly visible. "Now, as you are probably thinking, why am I here? Or, more accurately, how am I here? Because I died, didn't I? I committed suicide. Or maybe I didn't. Maybe I just walked into the ocean and got picked up by a passing yacht with a friend on board. Maybe that friend bought me back and I have lived here in New Prentisstown for the last fifteen years while you have been making a family. Maybe all of that happened."

"No," Todd whispered, his mouth open and gaping. "That can't have happened. No." Gus wrapped himself around his father and hugged him tightly. Todd looked down at him and ruffled his hair softly.

"Come inside," the Mayor offered. "My humble abode is much less humble from when you last visited. You would like to look around, wouldn't you?"

"Actually, we -" Todd began, but something seemed to whack the air out of him. A second afterwards, I heard it. It didn't affect the children, but I heard it clearly - I am the Circle and the Circle is me.

And boy, did it hurt. It hit me hard and in the stomach, like somebody had punched me. It was so much harder than it had ever been before and I fell to the ground, moaning. Toby and Harper rushed over to me and helped me up - I was now weak.

"Carry her inside," the Mayor instructed.

Hey, so, I won't be updating this for a while. I'm sorry, and I know I really recently said that I would try to update it everyday, but I have started writing a Wolfblood fanfic, and I need to get that up ASAP. However, I will still be writing this so when I get back I will have a lot to put up!

I will try to write both fics kind of simultaneously but I'm not completely sure if that will be possible.

Adios amigos!

EggyDanosaur x