The Sentinel Read Online Free Page A

theatrically. ‘Why are we whispering?’
    I was very aware that the woods around us were silent. I couldn’t hear the footsteps behind me anymore. What did that mean? Had they given up? Unlikely. But maybe they didn’t want to show themselves in front of Seth. They would be watching, veiled in the darkness.
    ‘Seth what the hell are you doing here?’ I hissed.
    He laughed. ‘I could ask you the same thing.’
    His laugh sounded so good. I wanted to wrap myself in his arms and cry, but it was far from over yet. I could see the gleam of something metallic behind him. ‘Is that your bike?’ I asked.
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘Get me out of here and I’ll explain everything.’
    ‘Your chauffeur awaits m’lady.’ He motioned toward the bike like a game show host showing off a fabulous prize. He hopped on and I threw myself on behind him, holding tight to his waist as he kick started it and took off through the woods. He skilfully manoeuvred through the trees at some speed. I knew the men would be following us, but maybe Seth could lose them on his bike.
    ‘Seth faster!’ I yelled over the noise of the engine and I smiled as the bike sped up.
    We hit the road a while later and I kept an eye on the woods behind me, waiting for the men to break the trees. But as we rounded the bend and the trees disappeared from view, the road behind us stayed empty.
    ‘Where to?’ Seth called. ‘We can go to my house, my Dad’s away.’
    ‘That sounds good to me,’ I yelled back. He nodded and now the open road was in front of us, he gunned the bike even faster. I yelled with relief as the wind tore through my hair.
    As I held him tightly, pressing my face against his jacket, his warmth and familiar woody smell calmed me. Seth Hamilton. I thought about my life with him, how he had always been there for me, even now when I needed him most. I had known him ever since I had started school at the age of four. The first day I couldn’t find my lunchbox, he had split his lunch with me. A few days later I had fallen off the climbing frame and he had caught my leg before I had hit the ground. This had kind of set a precedent over the next few weeks. I’d fall over on the playground and he’d be there to pick me up. When one of the other children was mean to me, he punched them in the face. But he had seemed to do all this with a weary acceptance. One day I had accidentally spilt my milk over him. Seth, dripping from head to toe, had laughed loudly, mostly at my expression of horror. We had been best friends ever since.
    He slowed down as he took some small side roads to get back to his house.
    ‘What’s going on Evie?’
    I felt my body tremble as the adrenaline finally started to leave it, though partly it was from the cold; I was in my pyjamas on the back of a motorbike in the middle of a winter’s night.
    ‘I don’t know. Do you know anything about Guardians?’
    He shook his head and I sighed. That was going to be a long explanation.
    ‘I think someone’s trying to kill me, either that or I’m losing my mind.’
    We drove alongside a bank of trees that separated us from Seth’s house. I could see the houses in his road, sleeping peacefully in the darkness, but to my surprise his house was lit up like a beacon. There were cars parked outside and lots of people standing on the grass and in the open door.
    ‘Is Trey having some kind of party?’ I asked. I’d only met his brother a few times; he was a lot older than Seth and had more important things to do than hang out with us when we were kids.
    Seth didn’t answer, I could see him slowing down and looking as well.
    Suddenly I saw the silver Land Rover through the trees, the red car with its back smashed, its door open as the occupants leaned on the outside. Eli was there as was Quinn.
    ‘God Seth, they’re here, they’re looking for us. Quick, get out of here.’
    He hesitated. ‘Eve…’
    Eli turned to look at us through the trees and as one all the people standing around