The End by Higson Charlie

Author:Higson, Charlie [Higson, Charlie]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9780141362151
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2015-10-29T00:00:00+00:00

37

Jordan had Blu-Tack Bill with him and a couple of older boys who Sam found slightly scary. Not as scary as Jordan, though. He was the worst. Bill was muttering something. He was probably counting. That’s what he did. Sam knew him well enough that whenever he went up or down stairs he always counted the steps, and did weird, complicated mathematical calculations in his head.

Jordan was looking at Paddy. Well, sort of half looking. Jordan hardly ever looked at you directly, and when he did …

‘We come to ask you something, boy,’ he said.

‘Yeah?’

Sam could see that Paddy was just as nervous as he was, even though he was trying to hide it. Paddy wasn’t as tough as he wanted everyone else to think.

‘Whassup?’ he said, as casual-sounding as he could manage, and then held his hand up for one of those complicated handshakes that Sam could never learn properly. Jordan ignored him. Sam had seen how he didn’t like to be touched.

‘Your dog,’ said Jordan.

‘What about her?’

‘Bright Eyes, yeah? That’s her name?’

‘Yeah. She’s a clever dog. A seeing-eye dog.’

Jordan nodded slowly. ‘Thing is – I need a dog.’

‘Yeah? There’s some around. Ryan and his hunters have loads. They might swap you one.’

‘I need this dog.’

‘But she’s my dog.’

‘I know. So I’m asking you a favour … Paddy. Yeah? That your name?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Well, Paddy. I’m asking if you’ll give me your dog.’

‘OK. I get you. But the thing is, she’s my dog and I don’t want to give her away. She’s spoils of war.’

‘I know that.’ Jordan was staying patient, but there was a coldness in his voice. ‘But I’m asking a favour of you. Give me your dog.’

For the first time Jordan looked directly at Paddy, through his thick, broken glasses, and the look was scary as anything. Paddy couldn’t hold it for more than a couple of seconds, and then he was staring down at his shoes.

‘It’s my dog,’ he mumbled. ‘Bright Eyes.’

Jordan squatted down and held the dog’s head, whispered something into her ear. When he stood up, the dog went to his side and sat to heel. Calm and placid. Like it was nothing.

Bill stood back from the others. Nothing to do with him. Leave him out of it. Fiddling with the piece of Blu-tack he always had with him, shaping it quickly between his fingers – little figures, men and women, animals, numbers, shapes, cubes and pyramids … and a dog, which he immediately crushed.

‘You can’t take her,’ said Paddy, his voice shaking, still staring at the floor. ‘Not like that. You can’t just take her.’

‘I’m taking her,’ said Jordan. ‘OK? That’s how it is. I need her. We’ll find you another dog. Don’t worry.’

‘I don’t want another dog,’ said Paddy. ‘I want Bright Eyes. She’s a good dog.’

‘She’s a very good dog.’ Jordan snapped a lead on the dog’s collar. ‘Which is why I want her. You’ll get over it.’

Paddy lifted his head. His face was shiny from crying, which made Sam feel not so bad for crying earlier.

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