‘If that plank was on the ground, you’d walk up and down it all day long and not fall over,’ he explained, as he rested a reassuring hand on Kevin’s shoulder.īruce took the lead on to the next section of the course, which comprised two long scaffold poles stretching across the ten-metre gap to the next platform. James could remember his own first time on the platform, twenty metres up and less than two boot lengths wide. ‘There ain’t one,’ Bruce said, with a flourish in his voice that made James wonder if Bruce actually enjoyed making Kevin suffer. ‘Where’s the railing?’ Kevin asked, when he reached the platform. In some ways, it was easier going over the obstacle in darkness because you were much less aware of your surroundings. He was a little slow and he stopped moving when the wind made the ropes sway, but James thought he was doing OK for a first timer. As Bruce raced ahead on another ladder, James followed a few rungs behind Kevin. James remembered how frightened he’d been the first time he’d gone over the obstacle. ‘Don’t look down,’ James said, as Kevin nervously planted his boot on the bottom rung. The obstacle started with a line of rope ladders, each of which led up to a wooden platform suspended between two huge trees more than twenty metres off the ground. James was pleased to see Kevin choke back his tears, grit his teeth and show the same defiant expression as he’d done after jumping off the roof the night before. ‘How are you ever gonna make it as a cherub if you start bawling before you even try?’ ‘Cry baby,’ Bruce sneered, pinching Kevin’s cheek. James’ instinct was to give him a hug and tell him that he’d be OK, but they’d already made one breakthrough by being ruthless. ‘Looking a bit pale there, Kev,’ James grinned. If you were scared of heights, it was your worst nightmare. The mixture of towers, planks, poles and rope swings built amidst tall trees was a tough challenge for anyone. ‘Now let’s see how you get along with this baby.’Īs James turned the key, banks of floodlights came on, illuminating the wooden framework of CHERUB’s sprawling height obstacle. ‘We saw progress last night,’ James said, as he reached into his jacket for a key Mr Pike had given him and slotted it into a grey box on the post above Kevin’s head. ‘You pull another stunt like that and I’ll personally find the most disgusting toilet on campus and shove your head down it. ‘Think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?’ Bruce said, as he grabbed Kevin by the scruff of his jacket and squeezed him against a wooden post. Kevin was waiting when they reached the wooden obstacle, dressed for the cold weather in a thick jacket, gloves and woolly hat. She might be little, but you just try getting hold of her.’ ‘He was acting pretty confident.’īruce shook his head. I swear, he looked like he was gonna shit his pants.’ ‘I grabbed hold of a chisel, went up to him and said: You got a problem with me, sunshine? All the colour went out of his face. ‘Stuart Russell’s in my woodwork class,’ Bruce grinned. Bruce ran up behind and slapped him on the back. It was dark and bitterly cold as James headed out of his last lesson and towards the training compound. ‘They mustn’t send me back there,’ Anna sobbed. Lauren put her arm around Anna’s back as a tear ran down her face. ‘Not many people want kids our age, but now I’m out of the way he’ll be adopted easily. ‘Georgy is cute,’ Anna said, matter-of-factly. ‘If it’s a children’s home, they’ll look after him, won’t they?’ ‘I hoped she’d tell me about Georgy, but I suppose they sent her away too.’ ‘I thought I’d seen the last of you.’Īnna turned ghostly white as she snapped the phone shut. The woman made a sound like a door creaking and followed it with a knowing laugh.
‘I’m not a secretary.’Īn address flashed up in Cyrillic letters on John Jones’ laptop: ‘Oh,’ Anna said, slipping into her normal voice for a moment. ‘Polya isn’t here any more,’ the woman answered sourly. The computer was doing a reverse search of the Russian telephone directory, via a secure link to CHERUB campus. He listened to Anna’s conversation, with a laptop spread on the bed in front of him. John Jones sat in his bed and breakfast half a kilometre away. ‘Hello,’ Anna said, putting on a deep voice. ‘It’s ringing.’ Lauren handed the phone across to Anna. It took Lauren a couple of minutes to call the operator and get the correct codes for Nizhniy Novgorod and dial the number.
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