Free Double-Cross by Sophie McKenzie

Caro.’
    ‘Hi,’ Ed said politely.
    The girls smiled. Man, how weird was this? We were all acting like we’d gone round to somebody’s house and were meeting their parents.
    ‘Two more jailers?’ I said.
    Avery frowned. ‘You’re not prisoners here, Nico. You’re free to leave whenever you like. But I know you have more questions and I’m happy to answer them.’ He paused. ‘Now, please won’t you sit and eat? We can carry on talking, but you all look half-dead from exhaustion.’
    ‘Er . . . would you let me mind-read you first?’ Ed asked.
    I nodded. That was a good idea. Ed would be able to see whatever was truly inside Avery’s mind.
    Avery’s grey eyes widened with delight. For a second, I saw a strong resemblance to Cal. Was it possible he was Cal’s father?
    ‘It would be my very great pleasure to have you mind-read me, Edward.’ Avery sat forward in his sofa. ‘Go ahead.’
    Ed perched awkwardly next to Avery and looked into his eyes. Silence fell on the room. I eyed the platter of sandwiches. It looked tempting and I was starving. Dylan edged closer to the lemonade.
    ‘Find out if the drink’s poisoned, Ed,’ she ordered.
    The door to the porch slammed back on itself. I jumped. Spun round. Cal was in the doorway, thankfully now wearing his T-shirt and panting after his run.
    His white-blond hair fell over his face as he grinned at Ketty.
    ‘Hey, Ketts,’ he said. ‘I’m gonna take a shower. Catch you later.’ He disappeared through another door.
    Ketts?
    I moved closer to Ketty, my irritation rising. Across the room Dylan was examining the gigantic elephant. Avery and Ed were entirely focused on each other.
    ‘Why is he calling you Ketts?’ I hissed. ‘That’s what I call you.’
    Ketty looked up at me, a confused frown creasing her forehead.
    ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered. ‘He abbreviates lots of words. I didn’t tell him to call me that, he just did.’
    ‘Yeah, I noticed the two of you were getting all bessie mates up there in outer space.’
    Ketty’s frown deepened. ‘Is that why you’re in this horrible mood? Because you’re jealous of me and Cal?’
    ‘Course I’m not jealous.’ I glanced over at Dylan. She was studiously ignoring us, peering at an elegant gold ornament on the sideboard across the room. ‘I just thought it was a bit odd that—’
    ‘Well, what did you see, Ed?’ Avery asked.
    I looked around. Avery was sitting back in the sofa, arms folded, an amused expression on his face.
    Ed turned to me and Ketty ‘Everything Avery’s told us is true. He wants to help us because he knows about the Medusa gene killing our mothers and he knows how powerful and dangerous Geri is.’
    Dylan walked towards us. ‘What about the lemonade?’
    ‘It’s fine – and, apparently, delicious,’ Ed said.
    ‘Good.’ Dylan poured herself a huge glass.
    Avery sat forward and poured four more. I looked at Ketty. She had tucked her hair behind her ears and had gone to sit on a sofa across the room from me, her mouth set in a grim line.
    I sank into the nearest seat and accepted the glass of lemonade Avery offered me. He was right – it was delicious. But I barely tasted it and, suddenly, I wasn’t really hungry for sandwiches any more either.
    Everything was usually so easy with Ketty – what was going wrong?
    Why couldn’t she see that her rushing off with Cal without saying anything was bound to make me feel annoyed? And it wasn’t just Cal . . . it was this whole set-up. Maybe Avery Jones did want to help us, but he’d still tricked us into coming here.
    Dylan and Ed munched on hunks of bread. Ketty nibbled at a carrot stick. Without warning, Ed appeared in my head.
    You okay, Nico?
    I’m great, thanks , I thought-spoke, knowing Ed would be able to see I was absolutely not great.
    I just wanted to say it’s true, Avery seems on the level. There’s just one thing . . .
    What?
    D’you remember that guy, Foster, from a few months back . . . the one I had