Chapter 9
Nine
Brian
Tabby still loitered by his door, constantly trying to catch him out, and it was beyond annoying.
He wanted to shout, go boil your head, but that would wake Aunt Claudia up and he didn’t need her breathing down his neck while she forced him to turn his tech off and get into bed like he was a five-year-old.
Their aunt wasn’t even that old being their Mum’s little sister, born fifteen years after, but she was stuffy.
‘Don’t you have school tomorrow, Tabby?’
Tabitha ignored him, pretending not to be there.
‘I can hear you breathing like a dying warthog.’
‘I do not breathe like a warthog, least of all a dying one.’ She peered around the door frame in her skull and cross bones pyjamas. ‘Can I come in?’
He nodded. ‘Look, I’m sorry for threatening to tell Aunt Claudia about the morning after pill. Also, that thing you saw earlier, it was an accident. Shall we watch something together, then we should both get some sleep.’
She nodded and sat next to him. He clicked onto one of his favourite YouTube channels where auditors filmed things that cheesed people off.
His sister lay her head on his arm as he pressed play.
It was just like when they were kids, when Mum and Dad were still alive.
They’d watch on-screen arguments, thinking it was funny.
A man with a drone is approached by someone in a security uniform.
There’s an argument, almost a fight. The police turn up and they don’t even know the man is allowed to film.
He’s not doing anything against the law.
Then the cop radios the station to check and the stupid security guard has egg on his face.
They both laugh. ‘Tabby, you should seriously get some sleep now. You only have about six hours left and you have to be up for school.’
She yawned and nodded.
Great, now he could get down to doing what he really wanted to do.
‘Night, bro.’
‘Not dumbass?’
‘That was a slip up. Night, dumbass.’ She smiled and left his room but annoyingly she didn’t fully close his door.
Her bedroom door creaked, which it always does when she opens and closes it. Then he heard the hum of something playing on her telly. It was just him and his computer again, exactly as he liked it. He clicked back onto his messages and started typing.
Hey, are you still up? Did you watch the audit link I sent you? See that guy’s annoyed red face when the copper turned up and let him carry on with his drone filming?
He was typing back already. Brian couldn’t help checking out the face on his new friend’s profile photo.
Cody from somewhere in the middle of Wales.
He imagined Cody would have a Welsh accent.
He liked the way his hair was all brushed over the one side of his head.
Cody’s profile told him that Cody was also eighteen and he was set to get four As to study computer science at uni.
He looked clever, much cleverer than Brian.
Brian had been a straight-A student until their parents died, he’d been such a disappointment to himself.
He didn’t really know why Cody enjoyed chatting online with a loser like him.
Bri, you’re such a laugh. Keep sending them. It’s just me and my mum living in the middle of nowhere and I get so bored. I’m glad you’re still up because I can’t sleep.
That was it. Cody liked him because he was funny and Brian was okay with that. He liked being funny. He replied.
Same.
Did you get the chance to look at that stuff I sent you? It’s like Big Brother on steroids.
My stupid little sis caught me so I had to shut it down.
Serious? WTF.
He didn’t want his new friend to be angry with him. This was top secret stuff and he was meant to guard it. He panicked, knowing he needed to reassure Cody.
Don’t worry. I told her it was some AI bull crap and she ate it up.
Okay, I guess. Try to be careful because I gave you the pass to get in and I don’t want to be chucked out. It’s too good. VPN?
Yeah, I used a VPN like you said. Neat!
Are you ready to go down the dark path yet?
I’m not sure. I’m worried I’ll get virused and I can’t afford another computer if something goes wrong.
You haven’t got virused yet. I wouldn’t let that happen to you. It’s not what you think but you’ll like it. You’ll get to see loads more comments too, not just the ones under the video. It’s like a private club. Exclusive. I have a spare code if you want it.
Brian left his fingers hovering over the keys.
He’d told Tabby that he was done with the live streams, not that she properly knew what they were.
The more he thought about the idea of never logging on again, the more he knew that was never going to happen.
What harm could it do? The people being watched didn’t even know.
It wasn’t hurting them at all and it was just a laugh.
It’s not like anyone made contact in real life.
Curtis had found it funny when Brian showed him earlier, so it must be okay.
Brian’s stomach flipped. He’d really betrayed Cody’s trust by showing Curtis but Cody would never know.
He let out a laugh. They’d been watching the man bleaching his anus hair two days ago.
The woman who was nearly always broadcast asleep in bed with the morph exposing her breasts, she had a really funny snore that made him laugh.
She was also a goer in the bedroom. When the man with the eagle on his thigh came over, they barely made it onto the bed.
He felt a stir in his pants and tried to ignore it.
He frowned as he wondered what had happened to her.
She hadn’t been live all day. The last scene was there to watch on catch-up.
Okay, he wasn’t innocent and it wasn’t all for laughs.
He got to see real peoples’ bodies, something he’d never experienced in real life, and it was intoxicating.
He’d only seen his dad naked once when his dad had drunk too much one night and had to run to the loo to barf.
Bri, are you still there?
Soz. Needed to piss. Yes, and yes to the code. I’m ready to walk the path.
Cool. I’ll ping the code through. Are you around tomorrow?
Brian had to pot wash and prep at the café between ten and four but he couldn’t wait to get home because he was going to save the path for then, when his annoying sister wouldn’t be spying on him.
I’ll be at my computer around five. You?
At college in the day so catch you then. Speak tomoz.
He stiffened as a shuffling sound came from the landing.
He crept towards his door and saw the back of Tabby as she closed her bedroom door.
His stomach sank as he wondered if she’d been peering through the slight gap in his door, right at his screen.
A part of him wanted to drag her out of her room and give her a good shake, telling her that if she ever spied on him again, her life wouldn’t be worth living but he heard stirring coming from Aunt Claudia’s room so he closed his door.
A minute later a code pinged through. Brian’s hands shook as he clicked to open it. He was finally going to walk down the dark path.