he saw the blood oozing out of Gavin's hand, saw the terror in his face. He could have torn the chandelier out of the ceiling. He could have crushed the other boy, buried him under a ton of twisted metal and broken glass. It had almost happened. He had to leave, go far away, before it happened again.
There was a movement behind the first-floor window, and Matt saw Richard, standing with his back to the street. That was strange. The journalist had said he wouldn't be late, but even so, he was never home before seven o'clock. The editor of The Gipton Echo liked to keep him in the office just in case something happened — although it very sel-dom did. Richard was talking to someone. Thatwas unusual, too. They didn't often have visitors.
Matt let himself in and climbed up the stairs that ran past the souvenir shop. As he went, he heard a woman's voice. It was one he recognized . . . and it filled him with dread.
"There's a meeting in London," she was saying. "Three days from now. We just want you to be there."
“You don't want me. You want Matt."
Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star
"We want both of you."
Matt put down his school bag, opened the door to the main living room, and went in.
Susan Ashwood, the blind woman he had met in Manchester, was sitting in a chair, her back very straight, her hands folded in front of her. Her face was pale, made more so by her short, black hair and unforgiving black glasses. A white stick rested against her chair —
but she hadn't come alone. Matt also knew the slim, olive-skinned man who was standing opposite her. His name was Fabian. He was the younger of the two, perhaps in his early thirties, and Matt had also met him before. It was he who had first suggested that Matt continue living with Richard and who had managed to get him a place at Forrest Hill. As usual, Fabian was smartly dressed, this time in a pale gray suit and tie. He was sitting down with one leg crossed over the other. Everything about him was very neat.
Both Fabian and Susan Ashwood were members of the secret organization that called itself the Nexus. As they had made clear from the start, their role was to help Matt and to protect him. Even so, he wasn't particularly happy to see either of them here. He knew they could only be bringing bad news.
Miss Ashwood had heard him come in. "Matt," she said.
"What's going on?" Matt asked immediately.
Richard moved away from the window. "They want you," he said.
"I heard. Why?"
"How are you, Matt? How's the new school?" Fabian smiled nervously. He was trying to sound friendly, but Matt knew the atmosphere was anything but.
Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star
"School's great," Matt said without enthusiasm.
“You're looking well."
"I'm fine." Matt sat down on the arm of a sofa. "Why are you here, Mr. Fabian?" he asked. "What do you want me for?"
"I think you know." Fabian paused as if unsure how to continue.
Even though he'd changed Matt's life, Matt knew very little about him ... or about anyone else in the Nexus.
"The first time I came here, I warned you," Fabian went on. "I told you that we believed there might be a second gate. You destroyed the first one, the stone circle in the woods outside Lesser Mailing.
But the second one is on the other side of the world. It's in my country. In Peru."
"Where in Peru?" Richard asked.
"We don't know," Fabian answered.
"What does the gate look like?" Richard followed up.
"We don't know that, either. We hoped that after what happened here in Yorkshire, we would have time to find out more.
Unfortunately, we were wrong."
"The second gate is about to open," Susan Ashwood said. There was no doubt at all in her voice.
"I suppose you've been told this," Richard said.
“Yes."
"By ghosts."
“Yes." Susan Ashwood was a medium. She claimed that she was in contact with the spirit world. “You still don't believe me?" she continued. "After what you've been through, after everything you've
There was a movement behind the first-floor window, and Matt saw Richard, standing with his back to the street. That was strange. The journalist had said he wouldn't be late, but even so, he was never home before seven o'clock. The editor of The Gipton Echo liked to keep him in the office just in case something happened — although it very sel-dom did. Richard was talking to someone. Thatwas unusual, too. They didn't often have visitors.
Matt let himself in and climbed up the stairs that ran past the souvenir shop. As he went, he heard a woman's voice. It was one he recognized . . . and it filled him with dread.
"There's a meeting in London," she was saying. "Three days from now. We just want you to be there."
“You don't want me. You want Matt."
Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star
"We want both of you."
Matt put down his school bag, opened the door to the main living room, and went in.
Susan Ashwood, the blind woman he had met in Manchester, was sitting in a chair, her back very straight, her hands folded in front of her. Her face was pale, made more so by her short, black hair and unforgiving black glasses. A white stick rested against her chair —
but she hadn't come alone. Matt also knew the slim, olive-skinned man who was standing opposite her. His name was Fabian. He was the younger of the two, perhaps in his early thirties, and Matt had also met him before. It was he who had first suggested that Matt continue living with Richard and who had managed to get him a place at Forrest Hill. As usual, Fabian was smartly dressed, this time in a pale gray suit and tie. He was sitting down with one leg crossed over the other. Everything about him was very neat.
Both Fabian and Susan Ashwood were members of the secret organization that called itself the Nexus. As they had made clear from the start, their role was to help Matt and to protect him. Even so, he wasn't particularly happy to see either of them here. He knew they could only be bringing bad news.
Miss Ashwood had heard him come in. "Matt," she said.
"What's going on?" Matt asked immediately.
Richard moved away from the window. "They want you," he said.
"I heard. Why?"
"How are you, Matt? How's the new school?" Fabian smiled nervously. He was trying to sound friendly, but Matt knew the atmosphere was anything but.
Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star
"School's great," Matt said without enthusiasm.
“You're looking well."
"I'm fine." Matt sat down on the arm of a sofa. "Why are you here, Mr. Fabian?" he asked. "What do you want me for?"
"I think you know." Fabian paused as if unsure how to continue.
Even though he'd changed Matt's life, Matt knew very little about him ... or about anyone else in the Nexus.
"The first time I came here, I warned you," Fabian went on. "I told you that we believed there might be a second gate. You destroyed the first one, the stone circle in the woods outside Lesser Mailing.
But the second one is on the other side of the world. It's in my country. In Peru."
"Where in Peru?" Richard asked.
"We don't know," Fabian answered.
"What does the gate look like?" Richard followed up.
"We don't know that, either. We hoped that after what happened here in Yorkshire, we would have time to find out more.
Unfortunately, we were wrong."
"The second gate is about to open," Susan Ashwood said. There was no doubt at all in her voice.
"I suppose you've been told this," Richard said.
“Yes."
"By ghosts."
“Yes." Susan Ashwood was a medium. She claimed that she was in contact with the spirit world. “You still don't believe me?" she continued. "After what you've been through, after everything you've
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