The Society by Karen Guyler (best ebook reader android txt) 📕

“We should go, we shouldn’t be outside watching when it goes up, we want them to think they’ve succeeded.”

“Shouldn’t you have shut the front door then?” Eva looked at Lily. “Wait there.”

“Mum, where’re you going?”

“I’ll be just two minutes.”

“You might not have two minutes.” Charles pointed out.

She knew where her father’s memory box was, she’d need only one.

31

It wasn’t the boom action movies had taught Eva it should be, but the drawing away from her of all the air, as if their house had inhaled it. A crumpled collapsing inwards and then the house sighed it out again in a concussive wave that knocked her backwards. Another collision with unyielding concrete.

She lay where she fell expecting a rain of debris to sear her skin, stab and maim, like in her father’s photo. But maybe he had a hand in directing it away from her because nothing hit her. She staggered to her feet, her ears ringing a loud silence.

Their house had imploded into a tangled mass of bricks and wood, plastic, roof tiles. Fires sprouted where the gas fire had been, where the oven was, spreading over the debris, seeking anything flammable. The houses on either side were okay, if not leaning towards the mangled mess that had stood between them for so many years, as though bowing to their fallen neighbour.

Lily, Charles and the others got to their feet, their shocked faces popping up on the other side of parked cars that screamed their indignation at the disturbance in flashing hazards and beeping.

“Mum!” Lily screamed.

“Stay there, I’m coming.”

Lily hugged her tightly enough to hurt. She was safe, that was the important thing. Eva’s memory box, it was gone, nothing left except for the bracelets she could feel on her wrist, the tiniest of comforts.

A far away siren penetrated the fog in Eva’s ears. No more police questions.

“Thanks, Hugo, for having Lily last night. I’m so sorry about this.” Eva waved a hand at their street, they’d all have to be evacuated while the non-existent gas leak was checked out, while their homes were made safe.

“I was going to redecorate,” Hugo stared at his house. “No excuse now.”

“I’m just taking Lily to find a toilet.”

He nodded, distracted by a wriggling Cynthia, staring at the shocking scene as though he could wish it into being normal.

Charles followed them while Eva limped past the coffee house to the internet café at the top of the high street. She chose the biggest chocolate extravaganza for both of them and looked the question at him.

He handed her a couple of twenties. “Just coffee, I’ll be back in a moment.”

Eva barely processed his words, what his absence might mean. “Go wash your face, sweetheart.”

When Lily rejoined Eva, her face lit up at the pile of marshmallows, cream and chocolate sprinkles in the biggest mug the café had. Oh, to be eleven and believe everything was right in your world no matter what happened. And that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, your parents had everything under control.

Eva couldn’t help herself. She’d bought the minimum fifteen minutes of internet time and opened a Google tab, closed it, tried again on DuckDuckGo who promised no tracking. She’d pretend she didn’t know someone like CJ could probably still follow what she was doing. It wasn’t a secret anyway.

She didn’t have to go any pages in this time to find mention of the unrest at Tirupudur. It was hard to see the scenes of desperate people pulling the aerial network of water pipes down, the precious resource it carried being spilt onto the shacks and into the dirt. Fury spilled like the water through the streets, fuelled by old fears the people had believed forgotten. Betrayed and frightened, Eva understood why they were so angry. She needed to get out there.

Charles reappeared while she clicked into the next article.

“What’s happening?”

“More sickness at Tirupudur, there’s fighting, people are angry.”

He leant in closer and peered at the photo of the unrest. “They shouldn’t be pulling the pipes down, they’re keeping them safe.”

“They think it’s the water that’s making them sick.”

“They shouldn’t be pulling the pipes down.”

Eva closed the browser. It felt like torture not being able to do anything, to show them Every Drop was only trying to help, to push to get samples tested, to figure out what was causing this. To fight it.

“There you are.” Charles held out a box to her. A knee support. “I thought it might help, make things easier for you.”

“Thank you.” The stiff formality of strangers hurt, but she didn’t know what they were now.

“We can’t stay here.” Charles murmured when Lily went to get another serviette and a packet of crisps.

“Let her be, she needs to eat, to—”

“I meant in the UK.”

“I can’t go anywhere, your ‘friend’ took care of that.”

“I persuaded him to do you a passport. We all have new ones.”

“Fake ones.” Eva couldn’t keep the snap out of her voice.

“Does it matter if they get us out of here?”

“And go where, with what money? Your emergency fund will stretch to that, will it?”

Lily looked at them as if she could see the tension that curled between them. She placed the change coins on the table like they were made of dynamite.

“Can you get me some of those, sweetheart?” Eva lightened her tone. Lily nodded, went back to the counter.

“Can’t you get one of your big shot donors to help?” Charles asked.

Eva sipped her drink. “I can’t take advantage of a donor.”

“You’re not at Every Drop anymore.”

How did Charles not look any different to the man she loved on the outside when his entire personality seemed to have changed?

“That’s irrelevant.”

“Not even to keep Lily safe?”

“Here you go, Mum.” Lily handed her the crisps with a smile.

“Thanks.” Eva pulled her to her and kissed the top of her head.

Lily nodded, nestling closer. “I knew you’d prefer salt and vinegar, I got pigs in blankets.”

“You knew right.” Eva hugged her tighter. “You okay?”

“I’m good, I’m