CHERUB: The Recruit - Robert Muchamore Page 0,2

while she watched daytime soaps and stuffed chocolates and pizza. She didn’t steal, herself. Gwen took orders and passed them down to thieves who worked for her. She covered her tracks, never going near stolen goods herself and switching mobiles every few days so the police couldn’t trace her calls.

*

It was the first time James had been back to primary school since his last day as a pupil before the summer holidays. A few mums stood at the gate nattering.

‘Where’s your mum, James?’ someone asked.

‘Off her face,’ James said sourly.

There was no way James was covering for her after she’d kicked him out of the flat. He saw the other mums exchange glances.

‘I want Medal Of Honour for Playstation,’ one of them asked. ‘Can she get it?’

James shrugged, ‘Course, half price, cash only.’

‘Will you remember, James?’

‘No. Give us a bit of paper with your name and phone number and I’ll pass it on.’

The gaggle of mums started jotting things down. Trainers, jewellery, radio-controlled car. James stuffed the papers into his school blazer.

‘I need it by Tuesday,’ someone said.

James wasn’t in the mood.

‘If you want to tell my mum something, write it down. I won’t remember.’

The kids all started coming out. Nine-year-old Lauren was last out of her class. She had her hands tucked in her bomber jacket and mud on her jeans from playing football with the boys at lunchtime. Lauren had blonde hair, same as James, but she kept asking her mum to let her dye it black.

Lauren was on another planet to most girls her age. She didn’t own a single dress or skirt. She’d microwaved her Barbies when she was five and hadn’t touched one since. Gwen Choke said if there were two ways of doing something, Lauren would always pick the third one.

‘I hate that old bat,’ Lauren said, when she got near James.

‘Who?’ James asked.

‘Mrs Reed. She gave us sums. I did them in about two minutes, and she made me sit still for the rest of the lesson waiting for all the dumb kids to finish. She wouldn’t even let me go to the cloakroom and get my book.’

James remembered Mrs Reed had done the same thing when she was his teacher three years earlier. It was like getting punished for being clever.

‘Why are you here, anyway?’ Lauren asked.

‘Mum’s drunk.’

‘She’s not supposed to drink until after the operation.’

‘Don’t tell me,’ James said. ‘What can I do about it?’

‘How come you got home early enough to pick me up?’

‘Got in a fight. They sent me home.’

Lauren shook her head, but she couldn’t help smiling.

‘Another fight. That’s three this term, isn’t it?’

James didn’t want to talk about it.

‘What do you want first?’ he asked. ‘Good news or bad news?’

Lauren shrugged. ‘Just tell us.’

‘Your dad’s indoors. The good news is Mum gave us money to get take-away. He should be gone by the time we get home.’

*

They ended up in a burger place. James got a double cheeseburger meal. Lauren only wanted onion rings and a Coke. She wasn’t hungry, so she got handfuls of little milks and sugar packets and made a mess on the table while James ate. She tipped out loads of sugar, soaked it with milk, then shredded the paper wrappers and stirred it all up.

‘What are you doing that for?’ James asked.

‘As a matter of fact,’ Lauren said acidly, ‘the entire future of western civilisation depends upon me making a smiley face with this ketchup.’

‘You realise some poor sod has to clean all that up?’ James said.

‘Not my problem,’ Lauren shrugged.

James tucked in the last mouthful of his burger and realised he was still starving. Lauren had hardly touched her onion rings.

‘You eating those?’ James asked.

‘Have them if you want. They’re stone cold.’

‘This is all we’ve got for dinner. You better eat something.’

‘I’m not hungry,’ Lauren said. ‘I’ll make toasted sandwiches later.’

James loved Lauren’s toasted sandwiches. They were mad: she got Nutella, honey, icing sugar, golden syrup, chocolate chips. Whatever sweet stuff was going, all poured on thick. The outside was crispy and the hot gloop was about three centimetres deep in the middle. You couldn’t eat one without burning your fingers.

‘You better clean up afterwards,’ James said. ‘Mum blew her stack last time you made them.’

*

When James turned into his road it was nearly dark. Two guys came out from behind a hedge. One of them grabbed James and knocked him against a wall, pulling his arm tight behind his back.

‘Hello, James,’ he said, his mouth up against James’ ear. ‘We’ve