Page 7 of Box of Frogs
I pitter-pattered my way along the pavement, keeping a close eye out for anything untoward. It had finally stopped raining and the clouds were clearing. That was good. I couldn’t remember a full twenty-four hours of my life but so far most of it had included rain; anything that didn’t involve getting wet could only be deemed positive. I hadn’t tested it yet but I was fairly certain my cape wasn’t waterproof.
A small group of people appeared from the gloom on the other side of the street. They were laughing, merry with alcohol although not yet so sozzled that they couldn’t walk in a straight line. One of the men lifted his head and spotted me, grinning when he took in my costume. ‘Hey!’ he yelled. ‘Where’s the fancy-dress party?’
‘I’m not going to a party!’ I called back. ‘I’m a superhero! I’m looking for someone to rescue.’
All of them laughed and the man who’d hailed me clutched his chest melodramatically. ‘Rescue me! I’m being kidnapped and taken to yet another pub where these bastards will force me to drink more beer.’ His voice rose. ‘Help! It’s not even a good pub. It’s that poncey Metropolitan place.’
I paused. Well, hang onto your superhero tights. Providence was finally smiling on me. I shook out my hair and sprang across the street. ‘I must save you from a fate worse than death,’ I boomed.
‘Please, please, Miss Superhero Lady.’
‘I am the Madhatter,’ I intoned.
‘Please, Miss Madhatter. Please help me.’ The man, who close up was rather good-looking with strawberry-blond hair tied back in a daft man bun and sparkly blue eyes, fell to his knees, clasping his hands together and raising them towards me. He wasn’t exactly the sort of person I’d been looking for but this was far too good an opportunity to pass up. It certainly beat walking around the cold streets of Manchester hoping that someone would get attacked simply so I could try and save them.
I tapped my mouth as if deep in thought. ‘I can’t save you from the pub,’ I told him. ‘But I can accompany you as your bodyguard to prevent anything untoward from happening.’
The man’s eyes danced. ‘I’ve always wanted a bodyguard,’ he grinned. He looked me up and down, clearly enjoying what he saw. ‘Especially a superhero bodyguard. I can only pay you in beer though.’
Did I like beer? I smacked my lips and beamed back. ‘Done.’
He stuck out his hand. ‘Dave.’ He waited. There was no doubt as to what he expected in return.
Uh… ‘I can’t tell you my real name,’ I said conspiratorially. ‘It would compromise my secret identity.’
Dave was momentarily deflated. ‘Don’t worry, boyo,’ one of his mates said. ‘Your last girlfriend was mad too.’
Dave leaned towards me with a rueful expression. ‘He’s right. She kinda was.’ Then, as if he’d overstepped the mark, he tried to backtrack. ‘In a fun way. She wasn’t bad. She just, er…’
I touched his arm. ‘Let’s just get that beer, shall we?’
I was rewarded with another disarming grin. ‘Let’s.’
His friend leaned in. ‘He’s been desperate to get to the Metropolitan Bar all night,’ he confided.
I smiled. Him and me both.
***
As it turned out, the Metropolitan Bar wasn’t far away; in fact, I’d probably run past it during my escape bid from the Amazon woman. Despite Dave’s chatter and questions, each of which I neatly deflected, I felt a tight coil of fear inside me as we went in. I was half-expecting to be jumped on by several evil goons. Instead, not a single person glanced in my direction.
Scanning the crowd, I searched for any sign of bald villains or potentially nasty killers but the punters appeared innocuous. Unless the woman in the far corner was planning to stab me to death with one of her dangly earrings, or the short guy nursing a pint was hiding a machine gun inside his ancient Oasis T-shirt, I reckoned I was probably okay.
Dave and I strolled up to the bar, his friends apparently deciding that it would be wise to give us space. He glanced down at me. ‘Have you been here before?’ he asked.
I shook my head. ‘Nope,’ I said cheerfully. ‘First time.’
The woman behind the bar, with a neat blonde ponytail and a cheerful smile, ambled over. She took in my mask and costume and seemed unconcerned that I looked like an idiot. Then her eyes met mine and she squinted. ‘Oh. It’s you.’ Her friendly smile vanished and she glanced behind her as if seeking help. ‘Long time no see.’ She certainly didn’t sound very happy. But—
She was addressing me. And she knew me.
I stared at her, my expression as blank as my memory, while Dave nudged me in the ribs. ‘First time here?’ he murmured.
I paid him no attention. ‘You know me,’ I breathed, finding my voice and focusing my attention on the woman. ‘You know who I am.’
Her expression flickered. ‘No. No, I don’t.’ She turned her attention to Dave. ‘What would you like to drink?’
I reached forward and grabbed her arm. She stiffened immediately. ‘Yes, you do. How do you know me?’
