canât,â he says.
He reaches out and touches my face with the back of his hand. I am not expecting this. I stare into his green eyes. He draws my face closer to his and leans in. I feel his breath on my lips and my stomach does a thousand backflips. His lips almost brush mine.
There is a noise and we jerk apart. Someone is coming in through the front door. I hold my breath. It is Tattoo Guy. He slinks in. He canât see us but we can see him, silhouetted against the moonlight. He is alone.
âJake! Sean! Are you here?â he whispers loudly.
âOn three,â Jae says, which means on one.
âOne,â he says, and we charge.
Tattoo Guy yells as I tackle his legs and bring him down. I hang on tight as he tries to free himself. Iâm stronger than he is. Jae manages to tie his hands behind his back. He loops the rope around his legs and ties them together too. Heâs a much easier target than the Eaters. I grin up at Jae and he offers me a half smile.
Jae hauls Tattoo Guy into a sitting position.
âYou!â he says when he sees me.
âYou know me? Where do you know me from? Tell me!â I say, shaking his shoulders.
Tattoo Guy shrugs nonchalantly. And that annoys me.
I slap him. Hard.
âWhat do you know?â I demand.
âWhat?â
âWhy are you following me?â
âI am not following you.â
âThen why are you here?â
âI want my food!â
âIt isnât your food,â Jae says, stepping in.
The conversation doesnât seem to be going anywhere. I storm into the kitchen and grab a cheese grater.
âIâll use this on you if you donât tell me.â
âYou wouldnât dare.â
I narrow my eyes at him. Heâs right. I donât dare. I fling the grater away in frustration.
âTalk,â Jae says, coming to stand next to me.
âAbout what?â he asks. He looks truly puzzled.
âWho am I? You recognised me!â I am so angry, but I try to keep my voice low. âTell me who I am!â
It takes him a moment to realise what Iâm asking him. He laughs. âYouâve lost your memory? Oh, that serves you right. Iâm not telling you.â
I am at a loss for words. I kick his legs, but somehow, it brings me no comfort. Kicking a tied-up man seems really mean and I canât do it again.
âPlease. Just tell me who I am.â
âOr else what?â he says, mocking me.
âOr else I will leave you tied up here. For the Eaters to find,â Jae says.
That seems to have an effect on Tattoo Guy. âThe Eaters? Thatâs what they are called? Youâve seen them too? Youâve seen what they do? You wouldnât! No, no. Donât leave me here.â
âThen tell me who she is!â Jae points at me.
He panics and struggles against the rope, but gets nowhere. He gives up struggling and looks at me. âI really donât know who you are. I just recognised you from before. You and your group.â
âMy group?â
âYour other group. With the children. You were the ones who kept taking our food.â
âHow many? How many in that group?â
âHow should I know? I only remember you because of your hair. You and that red-headed girl. Thatâs all I know! I donât know your name. I donât know who or what you are. I donât care! All I know is you have been trouble! Now let me go!â He is shouting.
âHe knows nothing,â Jae says, sighing. âWeâd better go. We need to sleep.â
I am so disappointed. I nod and we head for the front door.
âHey! Hey!â Tattoo Guy calls. âDonât leave me here!â
Jae and I look at each other.
âYou will probably figure out the knots in a few hours. In the meantime, I suggest you keep as quiet as you can. The Eaters are attracted to sound,â Jae tells him.
We go out and Jae locks the door from the outside.
âHe should