Going party with Tom and Zia. See you in week?

I throw my phone back on to my bed. Why hasn't Leia replied? Did she hate it? She hated it. She thinks I'm just trying to shock. Will you shut up?

Tommy's standing in my bedroom doorway holding something grey.

"What's that?"

He scoops up Dad's coat. "You got a black vest?"

"What? Why?"

He drops the coat on to my bed, his eyes dancing. "Yo, your brother was wearing one. Borrow that one."

"No, what for? What is that?"

Tommy sighs. "For God's sake, Luke, work with me, yeah?"

I don't move.

"Fine. I'll get it." He flicks me the V's and walks out again. I stare at Dad's coat and listen to the mumbled voices coming from the kitchen.

Beep. Please be her. Please.

No poblem. Hav fun. B careful. x "Put that on." Tommy throws me Marc's black vest.

"What's going on, Tom? Did he just give it you?"

"Course he gave it me, he's got vision. Just put it on, will ya?"

So I do. And it fits. More or less.

"Perfect. I wouldn't fight ya," says Tommy, picking up Dad's coat. "This too."

I slide my arms into the coat and feel the weight.

Tommy's almost giddy. "Right, now hold still," he says as he moves behind me. I stare into the mirror and see a grey dust mask come over my head on to my face, the elastic straps cut across my cheeks behind my ears. Tommy's grinning reflection peers over my shoulder. He points straight into the mirror. "Bane!"

And I can't lie, it feels wicked.

"Do the voice," Tommy says.

I stare into the mirror. "I am Gotham's reckoning."

It's crap. Tommy laughs. "I'd go with the silent, dangerous flex instead."

I fold my arms and frown. Dressing up is all right. Then I feel the knife.

I pull it out of the inside pocket. "Take this back." I hold it out.

"Why?" Tommy says.

"Because I don't need it, that's why."

"What about Miller?"

I look down. There's been no sign of Craig Miller since that night.

"Just take it, Tom." I push it into his hand just as Marc comes up the stairs. Tommy quickly sticks it into his jeans pocket.

"Here you go, lads." Marc's topless. He looks like a shopping channel model, holding a plate of meat skewers with fresh mint and a little bowl of yoghurt. It smells amazing.

He puts it on my bed.

"Even Bane and a zombie need grub before a big night." He looks me up and down. "Suits ya."

I pull off the dust mask. "Thanks. For the food, I mean."

"No problem. You driving, Tom?"

Tommy nods, stuffing his face with kebab.

"So no drinking, eh?"

"Course not, Marc. This is beautiful."

Marc points at him. "I'm serious." Tommy's genuinely scared, in that silent contained way you can be of family.

"You stopping in?" I say, taking a kebab.

Marc smiles, shaking his head. "Going The Goose. With Dad. Maybe try and surprise a certain barmaid, eh?" He actually winks. "Have a good one, boys."

INT. HOUSE NIGHT London Grammar 'Hey Now' plays as a girl's hand stirs a bowl of red liquid with a wooden spoon, adding vodka as she goes.

We pull round the back of the supermarket under the one floodlight. I stare up at the dark wall and see the security camera.

Tommy lights a cigarette.

We stare at the door, waiting for Zia to pop out.

"He wants to hurry up, man. Emma'll be missing me."

"Her name's Megan, Tom. You might wanna start with getting her name right."

Tommy pouts and nods. "Course. All good, Lukey." He rubs his hands together. In this light his face looks like a skull.

"Promise me, man," I say.

"Promise you what?"

"That you won't do anything dumb. Promise me that."

"Shut up. What am I gonna do? Why you gotta be like that?"

"Because I know you."

Tommy wiggles his fingers like he's casting a spell. "Don't worry, Luke, I won't embarrass you in front of your posh mates."

"I'm serious, Tom."

I stare at him like a parent stares at a child they know is lying. Tommy cracks. "All right, fine, I promise. Whatever. Happy? It's not even one of them ones, is it? We're not fighting. Tonight's about the ladies." He gropes imaginary breasts in front of him. My oldest friend.

"Do you even hear yourself when you're speaking?"

"Chill out, Lukey. Yo, reach in the glovebox. I nicked Jamie's Kano CD."

Then Zia walks out of the dark in a full pin-stripe suit and shoes. He's carrying a rucksack. Tommy looks at me. "What the hell?"

I pull on my mask and get out to let Zia in.

"Bane!" He says straight away and I take a bow.

"Who's he supposed to be?" Zia's pointing through at Tommy.

"Shut up! I'm a zombie, man. The Walking Dead and that." Tommy does his zombie groan.

"And who are you, James Bond?" I pat Zia's suited shoulder.

His face lights up. "Check it. Close your eyes, both of you."

We do. I hear a zip and the bag fall on the floor. "One sec, hold on ..." His voice is muffled. "OK."

I open my eyes and it's Chewbacca. In a suit. He's got the full head mask and hands. It looks brilliant.

"Where'd you get that?"

Chewbacca shrugs. "Got it online ages ago. Couldn't afford the whole suit. This is my first chance to wear it out."

"I don't get it," says Tommy.

Chewbacca's head tilts and from inside Zia says, "The Wookie of Wall Street, ready to party!"

EXT. NIGHT Moving Car. Through windscreen. Kano's 'Ps & Qs' plays.

Bane, The Wookie of Wall Street and a crap zombie nod along in time to the track as they drive through town.

I pause before ringing the bell.

Michelle's front door has stained glass panels in it, like Leia's. The kick drum and muffled chatter of a party from inside. I can smell the plastic of the mask and, stupid as it sounds, in my costume, in Dad's jacket, I feel powerful.

"Remember, yeah?" I hold my hand up like a platoon commander. "Together."

I feel the two of them sigh behind me.

"OK, Captain Bane," says Tommy. "We get it."

"What did I say, Tom?"

Zia speaks for him. "We know, Lukey. Kitchen is the base. We go off, do what we want, and if anything happens, we find each other first. Relax, yeah? Nothing's gonna happen."

"Not nothing," smirks Tommy, and I know he's grinding the air behind me.

"Can we ring the bell now?"

A furry hand reaches past me for the door. I block it off.

"Just remember, yeah, some of them talk different. Mouthy. Doesn't mean they're startin'." I picture Simeon. "Just stay cool."

"OK, Lukey." Zia pats my back. "You don't have to be so dramatic."

"Yeah," adds Tommy. "Stop being such a drama king, Baaaaaaaaaaannnnneee."

And then the front door opens and it's Stewie from Family Guy.

INT. PARTY NIGHT Muffled music. The glint of a metal cannister. The hiss of gas. A balloon inflates.

The layout of the house is the same as Leia's.

I can see Tommy taking it in like it's MTV Cribs as Michelle leads us back past the two rooms to the kitchen. Her Stewie costume looks expensive and has a full head mask like Zia's. I don't recognise the music in the back room. It's some glitchy obscure electronica and there's already a bunch of people dancing.

The kitchen is massive. The fridge is one of those big curved American ones and has the ice cube dispenser thing built into the door.

There's maybe fifteen people standing around and more outside on the patio, through the French doors. I see Frankenstein, a couple of glittery vampires, Iron Man and the Joker. Down one sideboard there's a buffet that looks like it's straight out of a Marks & Spencer advert. This isn't just any fancy dress party, this is- "What do you want to drink?" Stewie Griffin points to a crowd of spirit and beer bottles next to the sink. "Help yourselves."

"Is that punch?" says Tommy, pointing to a big glass bowl of red liquid.

"We're driving, Tom," I say.

"Yeah," says Michelle. "My sister made it."

Tommy's already spooning himself a plastic cupful of the punch. He feels me staring. "What? Just one. Then I'll drink pop, I promise."

"I love your costume," Zia says to Michelle. "I love Family Guy."

"Me too!" she says a bit too excitedly. "Yours is great! Chewbacca on his wedding day, right?"

Chewbacca glances at me and Tommy. "Yeah."

Stewie nods. "I got a bit nervous about mine; thought somebody else might choose it. There's a Brian and a Meg here somewhere too."