The Vanished Read Free

were no longer visible, I forced myself to look around at my surroundings, shadowed by the night. We were in the entrance of what seemed to be a large campsite. The immediate space had been divided by the same narrow gravel path that the ambulance had travelled along. On either side of this path were mobile homes and tents. They were small, but people had made the best of things, hanging their washing on wire stretched between poles, sectioning off little gardens in the same manner and nailing little plaques to the doors of their trailers. There were children’s toys, little bikes and trikes, dotted around the camp. It looked as though families had settled here.
    But that didn’t quite describe the feeling I got from looking out at the glorified campsite. There was something else. It was just tangible, more of an instinct or a feeling: a little niggle at the back of my mind. It was a good feeling. A sense of calm. I didn’t understand why, but I felt like I was home.
    “What is this place?” I said.
    “It’s an Army Barrack,” Ali explained. “Scotland separated from the rest o’Britain during the Fracture. They put a wall up, some of it merging with the old border. Parts of the army settled here to help keep the English out.”
    “I’m English,” I said. “Does that mean people will hate me?
    “That’s different. Yer a Separatist too. Yer’ve left all that behind.” He put a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Yer part of the vanished now, kid. That’s what we all are – the people who’ve been forgotten.”
    I frowned into the darkness, trying to take everything in. I had been Blemished all my life. Now I was no one. I was forgotten. It didn’t feel good and it didn’t feel bad. Perhaps I was still numb from the fight getting out of Area 14.
    “Come on,” Ali said. “I’ll find ye and the boy here somewhere te sleep fer the night.”
    I turned to Sebastian on my right. I’d been so busy taking in my new home that I’d forgotten him next to me. Behind me the gate guard, Reg and Stevie were examining the damage to the van. Mary sauntered over to Ali and the two of them started talking about tyres. Ginge had sloped off into the darkness somewhere.
    “What do you think?” Sebastian asked me.
    How could I describe my strange feeling? It sounded crazy in my own mind. “I feel… good about this place. Hopeful.”
    “Yeah,” he said, in a slow, thoughtful way. “I think I do too.
    Ali and Mary finished their conversation and Mary left Ali with a pat on the shoulder. She nodded to us and left.
    “Tomorrow ye kids need te get registered with the Council,” Ali said. “Follow me, I’ll find ye somewhere te get a kip.
    “Registered?” I said. “I thought you were outside the law?”
    “We are,” Ali said with a raised eyebrow. “We just have our own laws, which ye are just going to have to abide by. That a problem?”
    “No sir,” I said in pseudo-obedience.
    Sebastian sniggered.
    Ali rolled his eyes. “Ye more hassle than ye worth, kid.”
    “I just saved your ass out there,” I replied.
    He laughed. “Ye guys all right in a tent fer the night? Ye can have Reg’s and he can bunk with me. There’s sleeping bags inside.”
    I felt weird about spending the night in a small space with a boy, but this wasn’t some sleazy hook-up, it was a necessity – and just sleep. I tried to ignore Murder-Troll’s voice in my head.
    “Sure,” Sebastian said. “I’ll keep Mina out of trouble.”
    Ali smiled but then for a moment he seemed haunted. The shadows under his eyes appeared more pronounced than usual. “Oh there’s going te be enough of that tomorrow.”
    “What do you mean?” I said.
    “I mean, when the Council find out I’ve brought back a GEM.”

3
    I curled up against the side of the tent, turning my body away from Sebastian. With the sleeping bag and blankets gathered up around myself, I started to drift into a reverie – Daniel and Dad on my mind. Go find your dad was the