Evil Star

moment, he caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror that stood in the corner of the room. A fourteen-year-old boy wearing a gray T-shirt and boxers. Black hair. He had always cut it short, but recently he had allowed it to grow and it was untidy, with Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star no part. Blue eyes. Matt was in good shape, with square shoulders and well-defined muscles. He was growing fast. Richard had been careful to buy him school clothes that were one size up, but as he reached out and pulled on his pants, Matt reflected that it wouldn't be long before they would be too small.
    Half an hour later, dressed for school and carrying a bagload of books, he came into the kitchen. Richard was already there, stacking up the dishes that had been left out the night before. He looked as if he hadn't had any sleep at all. His clothes were crumpled and although he'd been in the shower, he hadn't shaved. His fair hair was still wet and his eyes were half closed.
    "What do you want for breakfast?" he asked.
    "What is there?"
    Richard swallowed a yawn. "Well, there's no bread and no eggs." He opened a cupboard and looked inside. "We've got some cornflakes but that's not much use."
    "Don't we have any milk?"
    Richard took a carton of milk out of the fridge, sniffed it, and dumped it in the sink. "It's off," he announced. He held up his hands in a gesture of apology. "I know. I know. I said I'd get some. But I forgot."
    "It doesn't matter."
    "Of course it matters." Richard sounded genuinely angry with himself. "I'm meant to be looking after you. . . ."
    Matt sat down at the table. "It's not your fault," he said. "It's mine."
    "Matt. . ." Richard began.
    "No. We might as well admit it. This isn't really work-ing, is it?"

    Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star
    "That's not true."
    "It is true. You don't really want me here. The truth is, you don't even want to stay in York. I don't mind, Richard. If I were you, I wouldn't want to have someone like me hanging around, either."
    Richard looked at his watch. "We can't talk about this now," he said.
    "You're going to be late for school."
    "I don't want to go to school," Matt replied. "I've been thinking about it." He took a deep breath. "I want to go back to another family on the LEAF Project."
    Richard stared. "Are you crazy?"
    LEAF stood for Liberty and Education Achieved through Fostering.
    It was a government program that had been designed for delinquents, and Matt had been part of it when he and Richard had met.
    "I just think it would be easier," Matt said.
    "The last time you joined the LEAF Project, they sent you to a coven of witches. What do you think it'll be next time? Vampires, perhaps. Or maybe you'll end up with a family of cannibals."
    "Maybe I'll get an ordinary family that'll look after me."
    "I can look after you."
    “You can't even look after yourself!" Matt hadn't meant to say it, but the words had just slipped out. “You're work-ing in Leeds now," he went on. “You're always in the car. That's why there's never any food in the house. And you're worn out! You're only staying here because of me. It's not fair."
    It was true. Richard had lost his job at The Greater Mailing Gazette

    Horowitz, Anthony - [Gatekeepers 02] - Evil Star but after a few weeks he had managed to find work on another newspaper, The Gipton Echo, just outside Leeds. It wasn't much better. He was still writing about local busi-nesses. The day before, he'd reported about a new fish restaurant, a garbage disposal plant, and a geriatric hospi-tal that had been threatened with closure.
    Chips, tips, and hips, as he put it. Matt knew that Richard was working on a book about their adventures together — including the events that had led to the destruction of the nuclear power station known as Omega One and the disappearance of an entire Yorkshire village. But he hadn't been able to sell the story to the press. Why should publishers be any different?
    "I don't want to talk about this now," Richard said. "It's too early.
    Let's meet up later. I won't be in late — for once — and we can go out for dinner if you like. Or I can get takeout."
    “Yeah. All right. Whatever." Matt gathered up his books.
    He still doubted he could bring Richard anything more than trouble.

    • • •
    Forrest Hill was a private school in the middle of nowhere, halfway between York and Harrogate. And although Matt hadn't said as much, it was the main reason he had begun to think