Page 18 of Never Tear Us Apart
‘We’re just doing our jobs.’ Danny removes his cap and runs his fingers through his curls, before replacing the cap. ‘Each one of us is proud to do our duty, sir. Especially for the people of Malta. There ain’t none braver that I’ve ever met.’ Danny flashes another smile at me.The ice-cold blue of his eyes reflects the sky he spends so much time in, as if he has brought a little bit of the heavens back with him.
‘Well, I shall wait a little way down the street for you, Maia,’ the professor tells me. ‘I know you would like a chance to speak with Flight Lieutenant Beauchamp in private. We are going to the half-house first on the right-hand street at the end of the Gut, Flight Lieutenant. That is where Maia will stay while she is in my care. Once again, my deepest thanks for your service.’
‘Champ,’ Danny calls after the professor as he heads into the shade. ‘My friends call me Champ.’ He turns to me. ‘So, you OK, Stitches?’ he asks. ‘OK with the prof?’
‘Do you really know him?’ I ask.
Danny raises an eyebrow. ‘He’syourcousin, ain’t he?’
‘Yes, but I only met him . . . recently. And I don’t have anyone else here. I suppose I only just met you, too, but you did stop me from dying, so . . .’
‘I’m pretty sure you’re in safe hands with the prof,’ Danny assures me. ‘As safe as you can be anywhere in this war. But I feel kind of responsible for you now, so I’ll keep an eye on you, if that’s OK with you?’
I nod. It irks me ever to need help from anyone, but it seems sensible to make allies until I understand what’s happening.
The professor has walked a few steps down the street to shelter from the sun in a doorway. The moment he stops, he fishes what looks like a notebook out of his pocket, and the stump of a pencil. He licks the end of it, then begins to take notes.
The sun is fierce. I can feel the skin on the back of my arms stinging with sunburn. The smell and taste of dust in every breath is chalk and oil. The way Danny Beauchamp stands,head cocked to one side as he waits for me to talk, is both assured and boyish. The scent of his sweat, his height, his golden skin, a graze of stubble and a crooked smile. He’s both so young – mid-twenties, at a glance – and so world-weary all at once. Life flows out of him with a barely repressed energy.
‘Oh, it’s Maia, by the way. My name, that is. Maia Borg.’ I offer him my hand.
‘Named after a star,’ he says.
I nod. ‘Good guess.’
The professor coughs from his doorway, and when I glance at him, he shows me his pocket-watch.
‘Oh, I know stars,’ Danny tells me. ‘They are my compass and companions. You have a pretty name. I might still call you Stitches, though. It suits you.’
‘Ahem.’ The professor is rather more insistent this time.
‘I’d better go.’ I hesitate. I have no idea what’s coming or even when.
‘You better had.’ Danny nods. ‘Next raid due any minute. Try not to die before we next meet, OK?’
‘Same goes double for you,’ I tell him.
‘I’ll do my best, Stitches.’ Danny tips his hat and strides away.
‘Not much time now.’ Professor Borg taps his watch-less wrist as I walk towards him. ‘Hell by clockwork. It’s how the Nazis want to wear us down. Get us softened up nicely for invasion.’
‘I need to ask you something before we go any further.’ I stand assertively, refusing to follow him for now. He looks anxiously towards wherever we are going, but I stand my ground.
‘Very well,’ he says.
‘Am I safe with you?’ It may seem like an odd question, but I’ve discovered that people don’t often lie when you are direct.
‘Yes, you are safe with me, Maia.’ He nods, and I think I believe him. ‘I am the only person on this island who can help you.’
What does he mean by that?
‘But we must go,’ he says.
‘One more thing: how did you know my name?’
‘That much is easy,’ Professor Borg tells me. ‘I know your name because I read all about you. And I’ve been waiting for you for a very long time.’
Chapter Twelve
