The Post-Humans (Book 1): The League Read Online Free Page A

that catchy one about the hotel in California. He brought the guitar to the patio where he could strum away in the fresh air like the musicians in the videos.
    It was at that point that Perky, the family cat, decided to spring one of his famous surprise attacks.
    He leaped up onto Andy’s chest, then sprang off, nearly knocking Andy to the ground. Andy was only six years old, and Perky was old enough to know better. But for the third time that week he ambushed young Andy. Only this time Andy had been holding Dad’s beloved guitar in his hand. It was the good one that Dad had usually kept in a case high up on the wardrobe.
    Andy’s little fingers had let go of the coveted acoustic guitar to fend off the fluffy grey monstrosity that had sprung out of nowhere.
    The guitar fell hard against the doorframe, before clattering across the concrete pavers near the barbeque.
    Andy stood still, unable to move, while the cat disappeared
    The guitar’s body looked battered. There were splinters of wood and a broken string.
    Before Andy could react, his father grabbed him from behind and turned him around.
    His father’s angry face was close to his.
    The world blurred into a kaleidoscope of colour. His uncontrollable tears made it impossible to see and he couldn’t understand what his father was yelling.
    Andy choked.
    He couldn’t answer.
    It felt as if he had swallowed a sock, like it was stuck in his throat, and all he could do was try to breathe again.
    “I said, what the hell do you think you are doing?”
    He couldn’t look at his father, and he couldn’t speak. So he broke free from his grip and ran.
    He didn’t stop running.
    He kept moving down to the picnic ground at the other end of their street. It was his special place.
    The rock was where Andy would hide when he knew his Mum would call ‘home time’.
     
    Andy examined the edge of the slick brown rock that shielded him from the unrelenting wind. This was the side he would peek from to see if Mum had guessed his hiding place.
    This was his rock.
    This was his park, but it was so cold. Why was it so cold?
    “ Hello ?” called a man’s voice in the dark.
    A man, but not his Dad.
    Had some other man found Dad’s broken guitar? Did Dad call the police? It was his father’s favourite thing, maybe he would go to jail for breaking it. He deserved it for what he had done.
    “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Andy.”
    Andy looked up nervously at the man holding Dad’s guitar.
    He was wearing a dark suit and tie and his hair looked wild in the wind. He didn’t look very happy.
    “Are you the police?” Andy choked as he looked at the damaged guitar in the man’s hand.
    “Me? No , I’m just a guy taking a walk.”
    Andy looked confused.
    “So, is this baby yours? I have a couple at home. Better nick though.”
    “It’s Dad’s. It broke.”
    “Well, laying around in all this snow is no good for the wood you know? But this one looks like it’s taken a beating.”
    He knows.
    Andy shut his eyes hard to stop the stinging cold, and to avoid looking at the man who knew about guitars. He could tell the man blamed him for breaking it. He wanted to run, but there was nowhere left to go. The storm was thick and swirled like a grey ocean around the solitary rock.
    He couldn’t see the swing set or the picnic table Mum and Dad always sat at. He was alone with this man.
    The guitar thumped into the snow in front of Andy. It caused him to look up at the stranger who brought it.
    The man sat himself down and leaned his back against the rock beside him.
    “Who are you? How did you find me?” Andy watched the man carefully.
    The man half smiled. “It’s easy to find someone when you know what to look for. Did you break that guitar, Andy? Is that why you’re hiding?”
    “Dad was angry at me.” Andy blurted. “I didn’t mean to do it.”
    The man tugged at his jacket sleeves and crossed his arms. “So Dad wasn’t happy then? But your Dad loved