Free Beyond the Shroud by V M Jones Page A

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    But Jamie was reaching out an eager pink hand. ‘Awesome, Q! I’ve always wanted a tan! Bags I first go!’
    Ten minutes later we were ready to go. At Nanny’s insistence we’d each wolfed down a steak pie — ‘I’ve never let a child head off on an adventure on an empty stomach yet, and I’m not about to start now!’ — in fact Rich and Jamie had gobbled down two, in record time. The weight of my backpack felt familiar and reassuring.
    It had given me a weird feeling of excitement to see it again … I bent my head to sniff it, and sure enough, there was the faint, indescribable fragrance that was Karazan. I checked quickly through the contents: compass, sleeping bag, compact aluminium cooking pot, lighter …and there, in the front pocket, a replacement for the pocketknife I’d given Kai. Rich was holding up an identical one, a grin of delight on his broad brown face. Brown face … I stared round at the others. Gen’s pale prettiness had darkened to a golden glow — with her mane of sandy hair, she looked as wild and beautiful as a young lioness. Kenta, naturally darker-skinned like me, was the same as ever; Rich looked like a real beach bum, his teeth startlingly white in his beaming bronzed face.
    As for Jamie … he was peering anxiously into the mirror with his back to us. ‘Well, come on, Jamie,’ goes Rich, ‘let’s have a look at the new, improved James Fitzpatrick!’
    Slowly, reluctantly, Jamie turned round. His hair was its usual neatly combed blond pudding-bowl … and beneath it shone a woebegone moon-face, bright orange as the setting sun. Richard gave a splutter of laughter, which he quickly turned into a cough when he saw the tears in Jamie’s eyes. Kenta was at his side in an instant. ‘Jamie — what happened? However did you do that? What went wrong?’
    â€˜I — I just … like I said, I’ve never had a tan before. I always burn, then peel,’ said Jamie miserably. ‘So I thought I’d put on a double dose — just to be sure it’d take, you know … seeing I have such a fair skin. A delicate skin, my mum always says,’ he added, a touch defensively. He rubbed uselessly at his face with orange fingers. ‘But now …’
    â€˜Now you look like a carrot,’ said Rich cheerfully. ‘A walking, talking carrot — or an orange turnip, more like. Still, never mind, Jamie — what did Q say? Guaranteed to last a week, then fade completely. Let’s hope he’s right! And meanwhile, we can use you as a torch if our batteries run out …’
    â€˜Oh, give it a break, Richard,’ said Gen crossly. ‘He doesn’t look too bad … and if he keeps his cloak on andthe hood pulled forward, no one will even notice. Now, has everyone got everything?’
    â€˜Perhaps you should each take a good book …’
    â€˜Groundsheets, water bottles, dehydrated food — and plenty of it — sunscreen, insect repellent, polypropylene underwear, something for runny tummies …’ recited Nanny, ticking things off on a list.
    â€˜Oh come on, come on — can’t we just go?’ begged Gen, in an agony of impatience.
    â€˜I’m sure there’s something I’ve forgotten — something really, really obvious, that I’ll remember the moment you leave. Oh dear, whatever can it be …’ lamented Q. ‘I wish I were more practical!’
    I pulled out my shawl from my school bag and stuffed it down deep into my backpack, along with my Bible . No one was going to sneak a look inside that while I was away. Rich watched me, grinning, but didn’t say anything. I looked at him levelly, daring him to comment, running through my personal checklist in my mind. Shawl, Bible, ring — yes, there it was, cold and comforting under the rough fabric of my shirt — penny whistle … I