Blue Dragon Read Free Page B

went rigid. ‘Not long.’

CHAPTER TWO
    I went back with my tea and sat at the kitchen table. Simone was amusing my parents with stories of Zhu Que’s chicks.
    ‘The birds talk?’ my mother said.
    ‘They’re not really birds—’ I began.
    ‘Yes, they are, silly Emma,’ Simone said. ‘They’re really birds . Not really children at all.’
    ‘They look like baby emus,’ I said.
    ‘What’s an emu?’ Simone said.
    ‘I should take you to Australia again.’
    ‘That would be fun,’ Simone said. ‘Maybe after Daddy has gone, and we don’t have to worry about the demons so much. After he’s killed One Two Two.’
    My mother made a small sound and I glanced at her. Her face was unreadable.
    I turned back to Simone. ‘It’s a deal. Maybe next Christmas. Even if he’s still here, we’ll go and take him for a swim in the sea.’
    ‘What would you like to do today, Mrs Donahoe?’ Simone said. ‘Where would you like us to take you?’
    ‘Any suggestions, Emma?’ my father said through his cornflakes.
    ‘It’s difficult on a Sunday,’ I said.
    ‘Why, nothing open?’ my mother said.
    Simone giggled at that. My mother looked at her with bewilderment.
    ‘Everything’ll be open, Mum, that’s not the problem,’ I said. ‘Hong Kong is very densely populated, and for many people Sunday is the only day off. So the shopping centres, the streets, everywhere, will be packed.’
    ‘You can’t move in the middle of Causeway Bay,’ Simone said, still delighted. ‘The ground floor of Sogo is packed. You can’t even get in.’
    ‘Sogo is a big Japanese department store in Causeway Bay,’ I said. ‘I don’t know why, but everyone agrees to meet at the entrance on a Sunday. It’s absolutely packed to the rafters with people.’
    ‘Want to go yum cha ?’ Simone said. ‘There’s a couple of places that know Daddy, and we don’t have to take a number.’
    ‘Oh no, please , Simone,’ I moaned, ‘you know I can’t eat anything there. Hardly any of it’s vegetarian.’
    ‘What?’ my father said, still through the cornflakes.
    I ran my hands through my hair. ‘I’m mostly vegetarian now, guys. Sorry.’
    ‘It’s because Emma’s becoming Immortal,’ Simone said with relish. ‘Human Immortals are vegetarian. Like Kwan Yin.’
    The phone rang. I rose to get it, but John answered it in the study.
    ‘Tell us about this Immortal stuff, Emma,’ my mother said as I sat back down.
    I was silent. I didn’t want to go into detail about it.
    ‘If a human being attains the Tao, then they become Immortal,’ Simone said, her eyes sparkling. ‘That’s what Emma’s doing.’
    ‘Tao?’ my father said.
    ‘The Way,’ I said. ‘It’s complicated. I’d prefer not to talk about it.’
    ‘You are no fun at all sometimes, Emma,’ Simone said, sounding much more mature than her six years.
    John appeared in the doorway and leaned in to speak to us, one hand on either side of the frame. ‘Emma, we have problems.’
    My heart sank. ‘Already?’
    ‘Leo called from the dojo he teaches at on Sundays. It’s in Causeway Bay. Michael’s there. About fifty low-level demons have turned up at the front door seeking sanctuary.’
    He stopped and went rigid, his eyes unfocused. Then he snapped back and smiled gently. ‘More have turned up at Turtle’s Folly. And about a hundred appeared outside the car park of Hennessy Road. Altogether, about two hundred demons, all over Hong Kong, all pleading for protection.’
    The intercom next to the front door buzzed.
    ‘Oh my God, no,’ I said.
    John answered it.
    ‘Yes, Barnabas?’ he said. ‘How many? Okay. I’ll be right down.’
    He came back to the doorway, leaned in and smiled. ‘About twenty downstairs. We have a busy day ahead of us.’
    ‘What’s going on, Emma?’ my mother said weakly.
    ‘What are we going to do?’ I said. ‘I wanted to show my parents around.’
    ‘We can do that at the same time,’ he said. ‘You finish your breakfast; I’ll