Lost Worlds Read Free

Caucasus Mountains to look for the Almasti. The chances of that were slight, however.
Cryptozoology – the study of creatures that either shouldn’t exist at all or shouldn’t
still
exist – was frowned on in academic institutions around the world. No
researcher who valued their job or their reputation would ever get involved. Not obviously, anyway. He knew, from the ISP addresses of the computers that connected to his website, that about a
third of his regulars were associated in some way with universities or colleges. Perhaps they were students looking for something unusual, something for a laugh, but he liked to think that there
was a small core of zoology and palaeontology professors checking him out in their spare time.
    And maybe, just maybe, one of them would take the plunge one day and get in touch with him.
    Maybe this latest photograph would be the trigger.
    ‘Now remember: be nice, smile if you can and try not to get too freaked at the way Calum moves around his apartment.’
    Natalie Livingstone raised her eyebrows at her mother in what she hoped was appropriately withering teenage scorn. ‘I’m always nice, I always smile and there’s nothing in the
world that can freak me out apart from mismatching shoes and handbag.’ She paused, replaying in her head what her mother had said. ‘Why – what’s freaky about the way he
moves around his apartment?’
    Gillian Livingstone –
Professor
Gillian Livingstone, Natalie corrected herself in the same way that her mother corrected anyone who introduced her without the honorific –
glanced at the rivet-studded metal door that separated the two of them from the apartment of this Calum Challenger boy. ‘You know I’ve been taking an interest in Calum since his parents
died, don’t you? Between us, his great-aunt and I try to make sure that he can live the kind of life that he wants. They were my best friends, and I promised them that if anything happened
I’d make sure Calum ate properly, got a good education, didn’t spend all his inheritance on a Ferrari Testarossa and didn’t mix in the wrong company.’
    Natalie closed her eyes briefly. Parents were so stupid sometimes. She’d heard the story, like,
sooo
many times before. ‘Yeah, I know. They died in a car crash three years
ago. I remember when it happened.’
    ‘Two.’ A brief spasm of pain crossed her mother’s face. ‘Two years ago.’
    ‘Right. Sorry.’
    ‘What I didn’t tell you is that Calum was in the car with them. He was fourteen – a year older than you were. He was . . . injured.’
    Natalie had a sudden flash of horrible scarring, like from some gross horror film, and winced. She didn’t like ugly things.
    Her mother must have caught her expression. ‘Oh, don’t worry,’ she said drily. ‘He’s not a monster who has to hide away from all human contact. Looking at him, you
can’t tell quite how serious the crash was. But when he moves . . .’ She paused. ‘Well, his spine was affected. There was nerve damage.’
    ‘He has a broken back?’
    ‘Not quite. It was never actually broken, but the damage to the nerves was so great that his legs are paralysed.’
    Natalie thought for a moment. ‘Oh, right. He’s in a wheelchair. That’s OK.’
    Her mother shook her head. ‘Actually, no. He’s
got
a wheelchair – a very good, very expensive one, but he doesn’t like to use it. He says it makes him feel like
he’s not on a level with anyone else.’
    Natalie tried to imagine what Calum Challenger did without a wheelchair. The only thought that came to mind was just too stupid for words, but she said it anyway. ‘So what does he do
–
crawl
around the apartment or something?’
    ‘Not quite. It’s difficult to describe. Wait and see.’ She reached out and pressed a series of keys on a security pad by the door. Somewhere behind it, Natalie heard a
buzz.
    While she waited for something to happen, Natalie looked around. Behind her was a large lift – one of