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CHAPTER ONE

It doesn’t look et outside is often like that People, especially, can be so different frooes on in their secret places What they are capable of In my case, what lurked within was so well hidden even I didn’t know about it

Aiden pulls the car down the side of the rundown building He glances at me ‘Don’t look so scared, Kyla’

‘I’lance at the road, and all at once, I am ‘Lorders,’ I hiss, and scrunch down in the seat A black van pulls in behind, blocking us in Leaden dread pools ininside is screa run The fear takes un in his hand, pointed at me, and then—

Bang!

Katran’s blood A sea of hot red that covered us both, and took o that it wrenched up that most buried memory Both dead Both my fault

Aiden puts a hand over mine, one worried eye on the mirror and the van, one on me Doors open, soure, a woman, hat pulled do to shield her face She walks to the door of the building It opens froh it

‘Look at , and I tearto worry about; just don’t draw their attention’ He twists in the driver’s seat, slips his arid with fear ‘Play along,’ he says, and I force iving the curious’

I breathe in slow They’re not after o away now They’re not afterto Aiden and his arhter There are vehicle sounds behind; tyres crunch on gravel And keep going

‘They’re gone,’ Aiden says, but he doesn’t let go And the relief is so strong that I sag against hi a thu else

But this is wrong He’s not Ben

My fear is replaced by eer at myself I pull away How could I be such a total wi to Aiden just because I was scared? And I remember what he said on the way earlier: that Lorders coovernment officials and their families People with money and poho can make others look away and keep quiet That woman is probably a Lorder’s wife She is probably here for the same reason as me I flush

Aiden’s blue eyes are warm, concerned ‘Are you sure you can pull this off, Kyla?’

‘Yes Of course I can And I thought you weren’t supposed to call me that any more?’

‘It’d be easier if you’dto be’

I don’t say anything, because I sort of have, but I don’t want to share it yet I’m not sure he’ll like it

‘Walk in like you own the place, and no one will look at you twice It’s all anonymous’

‘Okay’

‘Best get going before anyone else comes’

More Lorders?

I open the car door, step out It is cold, a grey January day The chill is reason enough for the scarf wrapped around e I square my shoulders, walk to the door It opens, and I step inside

My eyes widen; my feet almost falter until I remember: walk like I own the place This shiny place, with enor nurse? A discreet guard in the corner The woo is ensconced in a chair with a wine glass in one hand

The nurse approaches, smiles ‘Welcome Do you know your number?’

‘7162,’ I say, the nuhknown by a nu a Levo aroundone now: there are no visible marks left behind, but the scars remain

She checks a handheld screen, sain ‘Have a seat for a moment Your IMET consultant will be with you very soon’

I sit, startled when the chair y Barely whispered about, hellishly expensive, and totally illegal I’anisation, MIA MIAin Action, but it turns out they don’t just find n for the truth about the Lorders to be revealed Turns out they also sneak people out of the UK who need to disappear, and others in at the saood black market opportunity when they see one

The woman in the other chair turns towards me She is attractive, fifty or so If the ruer before she leaves this place There is an inquisitive glint to her eyes, a what are you here for? look I ignore her

A door opens and footsteps approach She starts to get up, but the steps continue past her, and a man stops in front of me A doctor? But not like any doctor I’ve seen before: he is in scrubs, but they are a bright purple shimmery fabric It matches his streaked hair and purple eyes to perfection, unnatural shimmer and all

He holds out both hands, helpsI’m Doc de Jour, but you can calldrawl, an unfamiliar accent: Irish?

I follow hi woman’s face She must wonder who I am, why I take precedence If she only knew

If she knew, she’d go straight to her Lorder husband

Doc de Jour is disappointed in ? Hair In brown’ He says it like brown hair is the ulti in is what I need

‘Yes: brown’

He sighs ‘Such lovely hair you have, and so hard to hts 9’ He runs fingers through it, ait for his next patient Then he studies my face ‘How about eye colour?’

‘No I like thereen’

‘They’re distinctive: it’s a risk,’ he says, and my eyes widen What does he know?

He winks ‘They are an interesting shade Alreen 26, butin around and looks me up and down I squirm ‘Wouldn’t you like to be taller?’