Michael and I threaded our way through the parents and children on the first floor to get to the uniform shop. I was rostered to help out that day, and he needed some new trousers. I kept threatening that if he didn’t stop growing I’d chop his legs off. He didn’t think it was funny at all.
Michael would be as tall as his father when he was fully grown. He already towered over me. The Tiger was delighted.
Despite the fact that he looked ridiculous in his too-small uniform, Michael still didn’t want to go into the shop and buy new pants. He had given me an extremely hard time about me doing it myself, but I wanted to be sure that the pants would fit.
We entered the uniform shop together and he immediately slouched into Sullen Teenager mode. I glared at him. He glared back.
I greeted the two women behind the counter, and they both smiled and waved back. Jessie was a tall, slim Chinese lady who’d been born and raised in the UK, then married an Australian engineer and moved around the world with him, latest stop Hong Kong. Short, blonde Bridget was the wife of an Australian airline pilot and had been in the Territory for many years.
‘Michael’s getting some new trousers,’ I said.
‘Sure, Emma,’ Bridget said. ‘Looks like he needs them. Need to put a brick on his head.’
Michael scowled but didn’t say anything.
‘Turn around,’ I said, and he obliged. ‘What size are these ones?’
I lifted his shirt to check the size and laughed. Like most of the boys in his year, he had the trousers pulled down over his hips with a pair of silk boxers from Temple Street showing above them.
‘You look ridiculous like that,’ I said, and pulled at the waistband of the trousers to check the size.
‘Cut it out, Emma!’ Michael dragged my hand off and jumped away. ‘Let me check the size myself!’ He dropped his voice. ‘You’re as embarrassing as my mother sometimes.’
‘That’s a compliment, Emma,’ Bridget called from the other side of the shop, where she was watching us with amusement.
‘Go and check the size then,’ I said, gesturing towards the changing booths. ‘I’ll find you some to try that are two or three sizes bigger.’
Michael slunk into the changing room.
Bridget and I shared a smile. Jessie looked confused; she didn’t know about the Chen family.
There were some rustles and grunts in the changing room, then Michael called, ‘Twenty-nine.’
‘Way too small,’ Bridget said. ‘Thirty-three or thirty-five at least.’
I pulled some larger sizes off the sample rack and handed them through the curtain to him. He grabbed the curtain and wrenched it closed.
‘How about his PE uniform?’ Bridget said. ‘Are his shorts too small too?’
‘No!’ Michael said.
‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘But if we get uniform pants that fit, the PE shorts just need to be the same size.’
‘Thirty-three is okay,’ Michael said. ‘Can I go now?’
‘Come out and let me see,’ I said.
Michael sidled out of the changing room scowling. The pants did appear to be long enough, but I wanted to check.
‘Lift the shirt, let me see,’ I said patiently.
He almost didn’t do it, then caved in and raised his shirt. These pants were also pulled way down over his hips, and obviously too small around the middle.
‘Go and try on the next size up,’ I said.
He scowled, turned and went back into the changing room, jamming the curtain closed.
‘What size jeans does he wear?’ Bridget said.
‘Forty-four,’ I said, and she snorted with laughter.
I had no problem with Michael wearing jeans that were ten sizes too big for him. It meant he could carry a small weapon and it was unnoticeable. That was where the fashion for pants that were much too large had originated, and it suited us just fine. He couldn’t carry his white katana, that was too big. But he could slip the matching wakizashi, a long dagger, easily into one pocket and it was entirely invisible. He’d never been caught with it in a shopping mall or on the street, and he’d already had to use it three or four times, but not on humans. Guys still came after him, but he was a match for any human bare-handed. The weapon was for demons.
John had suggested that Michael be armed at school and we’d had a huge argument about it, me and Michael both firmly against it. If he was caught with it in the changing room or at the lockers he’d be in serious trouble.
The bell on the shop door rang and Kitty Kwok wandered in, as casual as anything, and strolled up to the counter.
‘Michael, have a careful look around right now,’ I said loudly.
There was silence from the changing room. Then: ‘Nothing,’ Michael said. ‘Any problem, Emma?’
I went to the curtain and spoke quietly. ‘Mrs Simon Wong just walked in.’
‘Holy shit,’ he whispered over the frantic sounds of him dressing. ‘You want me to call someone?’
‘Check Simone,’ I said softly as he threw the curtain back and peered around.
His eyes unfocused, then snapped back. ‘She says she’s okay.’
‘Are you absolutely sure there are no demons anywhere near here?’ I said.
His eyes unfocused again. ‘None. Simone says no as well.’
Kitty chatted with Bridget.
‘She may have brought humans, Emma,’ Michael said. ‘Neither of us can sense them.’
‘Let’s go up to Simone’s classroom,’ I said. ‘Leave the pants. Let’s go.’
Kitty ignored us completely as we went out.
‘What the hell is going on?’ I said as we headed to the stairs.
She’s following us, he said silently.
‘Can we take her? The two of us?’ I whispered as we went up to the second floor where Simone’s class was. Kitty wandered casually behind us.
‘Easily,’ Michael said. ‘She’s a perfectly normal human being with no training whatsoever.’
‘What the hell is she doing then?’ I hissed. ‘She’s on the run from the police right now!’
‘You want me to call for help?’ Michael said.
At the top of the stairs I hesitated. ‘Let’s check Simone first.’
Michael nodded and we both went to Simone’s classroom. I didn’t open the door; I used my Inner Eye to check inside. No demons. Michael’s eyes snapped back to focus on me; he had been doing the same thing.
Everything’s fine, Emma, Simone said silently.
Kitty came up the stairs behind us. Michael and I readied ourselves.
Kitty walked right past us and tapped on the classroom door, then opened it. She ignored us completely. Michael and I shared a look. When she went in, we followed her.
Kitty went up to the teacher and smiled. ‘I’m here to take Helen to the dentist.’
Michael and I posted ourselves either side of the door and waited.
‘Sure, Mrs Ho,’ the teacher said.
One