‘I guess not,’ Riley says. ‘But I don’t want to hurt them.’
‘Everything we do here is for the children,’ Noon says. Riley sees that Peach, Whitey, Rufus and Hallie are standing in the doorway of the barn. They look on, silent.
`Everything,’ Noon says again.
‘I understand.’ Riley looks at Whitey. ‘I’m sorry.’
After a moment Whitey nods.
Noon comes close and looks Riley deep in the eyes. ‘You can’t do that again.’ She puts her arms around Riley and breathes in her ear. ‘Don’t make them angry.’
‘I’m sorry,’ Riley says. The shock of Noon’s displeasure is awful – she feels like she has been left outside a warm-lit window, looking in, shivering in the cold.
‘It’s all right.’ Noon touches Riley’s cheek. ‘Nothing can stay the same forever. It’s one of the signs of change – that Nowhere is getting ready to transform. We are becoming ready.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘No one grows up, here,’ says Noon. ‘This is a place for the children – for them to be safe. So we must leave, or we must transform. Midnight is almost too old for Nowhere already.’
‘You’re scaring me.’ Riley is held – she cannot take her gaze from Noon’s pale eyes.
‘Change means fear and loss,’ Noon says. ‘But it is the only way.’ She leans in and embraces Riley. ‘Children are sacred,’ she murmurs. Every hair on the back of Riley’s neck thrills. ‘Growing up is a demon.’
15Adam
He’s sitting in the sunshine drinking lemonade, thinking about Leaf’s return tomorrow. He chews on his lip, almost drawing blood. He starts at the tap on the shoulder. Lemonade spills from the rim of the glass onto the slate paving. Adam realises that no one touches him these days, except for Leaf.
It’s Samuel Ross. ‘There’s someone here for Mr Winham,’ he says, flat.
‘Well, he’s not here,’ Adam says.
‘I think it would be good for someone to talk to this person.’
‘Ok,’ Adam says. He has a terrible fear that it’s Christie, that she has come to mess it all up, to take him back or tell Leaf that Adam is a terrible person. The child is due in a month.
They drive the golf buggy down through the falling leaves to the Nowhere gate. Standing by the guard booth is a uniformed police officer.
‘I’m Adam Leahy.’ He offers his hand. The officer shakes it with both of his.
‘Officer Lloyd, Boulder PD.’ He’s probably only in his forties butlooks older, as people tend to do around here. He has a thick grey moustache and a constant look of mild surprise. ‘I wanted to talk to Mr Leaf Winham regarding a police matter.’
‘He’s not here. You can talk to me.’
‘It’s regarding Rick McFadyen.’
‘Oh.’ Sourness creeps through him at Rick’s name. ‘What did he do?’
‘Mr McFadyen has been missing for six months. According to his datebook, Mr Winham was one of the last people to see him. Here, at Nowhere.’ Officer Lloyd looks around at the peaks, the wooded hills. ‘Beautiful spot,’ he says politely.
‘Rick and Leaf don’t speak anymore,’ Adam says, distant. ‘Rick moved away.’
‘If so he moved without his passport or his ATM card. Both were still at his apartment. Why would be leave those behind?’
‘I don’t know, I never met him,’ Adam says. Jealousy spikes in him. Rick takes up more of his thoughts than he would like.
‘I thought maybe you had run into one another,’ says Officer Lloyd.
‘Leaf stopped speaking to him before I came here.’
