The Elites

Chapter Fifteen

The situation had been going on long enough for people to shut up and stare at me whenever I moved an inch, but my going over to Paxley of all people was a moderate exception. Mainly Mr Hetley, who knew I'd rather drink bleach - or, more accurately, fly to America all the time - than spend any extra time with the Agency's overseer than I absolutely had to... which was very little.

However, the space on the floor next to Paxley was far too appealing for me to pass up not going over there. The attitude he'd shown since the first tape was shown was alien-like for me to see, sparking my interest instantly in this other side of him I'd never seen before. I wondered if he'd had this more vicious behaviour when he was an Elite or whether he had always been a snob.

He saw me coming over but didn't move a muscle or watch me as I sat down. He just stared dead ahead coldly, clenching and unclenching his fists.

I realised that, being the one that invaded his space, I should probably be the first to speak. However, upon sitting down and giving myself a few seconds, I found that I didn't really have much to say.

Luckily, and saving me from either awkwardly sitting there in silence or even more awkwardly standing up and walking away again, Paxley spoke. Again, it was a tone far different to his usual voice.

"We have to get this bitch."

While I did agree, I had many concerns. I only hoped Violet wasn't listening and wouldn't announce Paxley's name in the next roll call of who she wanted for her next game. While it definitely wasn't the best plan by a couple thousand miles, I'd decided it'd be best to go along with what she wanted for as long as possible. She clearly had a plan; I wasn't going to be the one to screw it up and get us all killed.

"We will," I said vaguely. "Somehow. I don't know what her endgame is but we need to be prepared."

"God help me if I end up having to go on one of her missions," he spat, confirming my worries about him. "I swear if I have a gun with a bullet when I'm face to face to her-"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," I said quickly; I could sense Paxley's anger rising rapidly. "We need to think about this properly."

"Go on then, Eastbourne," Paxley said coldly. "What are your rational thoughts about this?"

I paused, running through what had been going through my head for the past hour for the hundredth time. "We're saving family members with every game we win," I said slowly. "But the original three choices meant some family members would die."

"The families only die if she dies," Paxley interjected. "Any of the other two the families live."

"Right, so these guys we're saving - they're a separate deal," I said. "It's like a game within one bigger game."

"It's these three damn choices!" Paxley seethed, banging his fists on the floor the way an ape would. Several people nearby looked around in concern. "I don't get them! It makes no sense!"

"They actually do," I said calmly. "They're perfectly clear. They're just not the ones we're focusing on."

"What are you talking about, Eastbourne?" he said, out of breath as if he'd run a mile.

"We're focusing on the prospect of her being dead by the end of the night. But if that happens, everyone dies. The families, the kid, us - there's no clear way around it."

"You were the one who said we'll think about it when we get there," Paxley scoffed. "When we don't even know how to get there, let alone what action to take when we do."