‘He ran?’ Her face was incredulous. ‘He ran and left us?’
Gui’s expression was unfamiliar, a hint of disappointment. ‘You think too little of your brother, Nikki. He decided to be the diversion, he decided to go out on the road. He could have come in with us, live in this hall like Daniel and Madrah and I, but he couldn’t leave you alone. I could’ve found a better way, but he’d become so paranoid that he was sure that, only with his death, could you three stop being targets.’
‘But we never – there weren’t any threats, not obvious ones anyway – ’
‘Not then, but Nick was right to trust his instincts. Since then, we’ve learnt that the Iyseeks are a group of people, that they were plotting to hunt down all of us, not only because we’d provoked them, but also because they’d found out about our projects.’
This time, it was Radzi who spoke up. ‘But why would they want you dead? Without you, they wouldn’t be able to build more projects or use more of your stuff.’
‘It's because we were going to sell it to police authority. I had already started the early processes of patenting the projects, they must have realized then – ’ The shame was like a red flag across Gui’s forehead, but he tried to shake himself out of it. ‘Daniel tried to check on his parents the next day, wanted to see them in person. He never came back.’
‘What happened to Madrah?’
‘Now there’s one question I can’t fully answer. He was always the most resourceful, had such a mind to create from the simplest materials – metal, rubber, wood, you name it. He was here with me until a month ago, when he decided to run for it, couldn’t stay holed up in this place no more. I helped him cover his trail, but it was his own work for the most part, and no one trying to look for him would ever succeed, myself included.’
Nikki collapsed completely into her chair. All of this information, this other life of Nick, the detail, the things she knew and didn’t know – everything swirled in her head, too heavy to process.
If only to distract herself, she asked, ‘What do you mean, you failed Nick’s last request?’
‘Your mother hasn’t been the same.’ Gui’s large face looked painfully sad. ‘I hardly consider myself to have protected you three.’
Nikki shook her head, still lightheaded. ‘Mum was hooked on alcohol even before what happened.’
‘Still, I dare say she’s been considerably worse since.’
A silence fell between them, weighted and tensed. Then she asked, ‘Doesn’t Madrah have a family? Don’t you?’
‘Madrah’s an orphan. And whatever’s left of my family is in China, and I have sufficient money and connections to ensure round-the-clock security for them, and for myself to have some semblance of a normal life.’
‘But what’s going to happen now? How long can you keep hiding?’
‘It is only me guarding the projects now. I cannot destroy or walk away from everything we’ve created, I am not able to. Some of us, you see, have neither the brains nor the guts to do what’s needed, and we are fit only to guard the brilliance of those we revere.’
For the first time, Nikki noticed, even with his mischievous good looks, how old his face was for an eighteen-year-old.
'Reliving old memories.' Gui forced a chuckle and a wink. 'How fun, eh?'
For the first time, Nikki noticed, even with his mischievous good looks, how old his face was for an eighteen-year-old.
'Reliving old memories.' Gui forced a chuckle and a wink. 'How fun, eh?'
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