sixteen. Callum

‘Callum, wait.’It was the end of another lousy school day where the most obvious

lesson I’d learnt was how much the Crosses despised and resented us. Itried to tell myself that only a few Crosses had bashed into me; it wasn’tall of them by any means, but that didn’t help much. I mean, it wasn’texactly as if any of the other Crosses had tried to stop it either.

‘Callum, hold on. WAIT!’I turned and watched Shania race towards me, her school bag slapping

up and down against her side.‘What’s the matter?’‘Have you heard?’ Shania puffed.‘Heard what?’‘About Sephy?’‘What about Sephy?’‘She’s been beaten up,’ Shania said with relish. ‘She was found crying

in the girls’ toilets, the ones next to the library.’My heart stopped. I swear it did. Just for a second, but it did stop. I

stared at Shania. I couldn’t have said a word then if my life had dependedon it.

‘Serve her right!’ Shania said with glee. ‘Coming over to our tableand acting like the big “I am”.’

‘She didn’t. It wasn’t like that.’ Was that really my voice, so hollowand cold?

‘Of course it was. She wanted to lord it over us, a little kid like thatsitting at our table. Well, we didn’t have to teach her a thing or two; herown kind did it for us.’

I shook my head. ‘What’re you talking about?’‘Just ’cause her dad’s in the government, that Sephy Hadley thought

she’d play Lady Magnanimous and sit with us. I bet she went andscrubbed her hand after I shook it.’ Shania sniffed.

‘W-where is she now?’‘They sent for her mum but no-one knew where she was so the

chauffeur came to pick her up instead. Her mum was probably having hernails . . .’

I didn’t bother to listen to any more. I walked away whilst Shania wasin mid-sentence.

‘Hey, Callum. Wait for me. D’you fancy an ice-cream at the . .?’I started to run until my legs were moving so quickly, my feet

scarcely touched the ground. I ran and ran and I didn’t stop until I was atthe Hadley’s. I pressed on the bell and kept my finger on it for the fifteenor twenty seconds it took for someone to open the front door.

‘Yes?’ Sarah Pike, Mrs Hadley’s secretary, opened the door andglared at me with angry suspicion.

‘I want to see Sephy – please.’‘I’m afraid the doctor said she’s not to be disturbed.’ Sarah tried to

shut the door in my face. I stuck my foot in the door.‘I want to see Sephy. Is she all right?’‘She’s badly bruised and very upset. The doctor has advised that she

be kept at home for the rest of the week.’‘What happened? Why . .?’ I didn’t get any further.‘Who is it, Sarah?’ At the sound of Mrs Hadley’s voice, Sarah almost

broke my foot in her haste to shut the door. I pushed back and Sarah hadto spring back to stop the door from walloping the side of her head. MrsHadley stopped on the stairs when she saw me. She recognized me atonce.

‘You’re the McGregor boy, aren’t you?’‘That’s right, Mrs Hadley.’ She didn’t have to say that. She knew who

I was all right.‘What can I do for you?’ Her voice dripped with frost.‘I just heard what happened. I’d like to see Sephy, please.’‘Don’t you think you’ve done enough.’ At my blank expression, Mrs

Hadley went on, ‘I believe my daughter was beaten up for sitting at yourlunch table yesterday. You must be so proud of yourself.’

I shook my head. The words wouldn’t come. I tried to think ofsomething, anything to say – but what?

‘And as I understand it, you turned your back on her and told her to goaway,’ said Mrs Hadley. ‘Is that right?’

Mrs Hadley didn’t understand. No-one understood. Not even Sephy.‘Should I have let her sit at our table for longer then? I knew this wasgoing to happen. That’s why I didn’t want her sitting with us. That’s theonly reason.’

‘So you say.’ Mrs Hadley turned around and started to go back up thestairs.

‘If I’d welcomed her on to our table with open arms, you’d have beenthe first to condemn her and me as well,’ I shouted after her.

‘Sarah, see this . . . boy out. And make sure he doesn’t set foot in myhouse again.’ Mrs Hadley issued her orders without even turning around.She just carried on walking up the stairs in her ladylike, unhurriedfashion.

‘Please let me see Sephy,’ I begged her.‘You’re going to have to go now,’ Sarah told me apologetically.‘Please . . .’‘I’m sorry.’ Sarah gently but firmly kicked my foot back and shut the

door.

I rubbed a weary hand over my face which was dripping withperspiration. No-one understood. No-one.

Least of all – me.

seventeen. Sephy

There was absolutely nothing on the telly. What a choice! Silly cartoons,a brainless quiz game, the news or a war film. With a sigh I plumped forthe news. I looked at the screen without really watching it. Thenewsreader finished the story of a banker who’d been sent to prison forfraud and was now talking about three nought robbers who’d smashed inthe front of an exclusive jewellery store and made off on motorbikes withgems and jewellery and watches worth close to a million. Why was it thatwhen noughts committed criminal acts, the fact that they were noughtswas always pointed out? The banker was a Cross. The newsreader didn’teven mention it.

‘Who did it?’I turned to face my sister, Minnie.‘Who was it, Sephy?’ she repeated. ‘Who beat you up? ’Cause

whoever it was, I’ll kill them.’I shook my head, switching off the telly before turning away. Go

away, Minnie, I thought.Her outrage was comforting, if more than a little surprising. But all I

wanted was to be left alone. There were about three eyelashes over eacheye that didn’t hurt. The rest of my body ached like blazes. And the lastthing I wanted to do was open my sore, bruised lips to speak.

‘How many of them were there?’I held up three fingers.‘Would you recognize them if you saw them again?’I shrugged.‘Would you?’‘I don’t know. Maybe. Go away.’ I was talking like my mouth was

full of stones – and sharp, jagged ones at that.‘No-one thumps my sister and gets away with it. No-one.’‘Well, they did, and they have.’‘I’ll find out who did this and when I do – they’ll be really, really

sorry.’ And the look in my sister’s eyes told me that she was serious.Deadly serious. For the first time since the three pigs had started layinginto me, I felt almost good. Minnie had never been on my side like thisbefore. It was almost – but not quite – worth it if it meant Minnie and Iwould grow closer . . .

‘No-one touches a Hadley. No-one,’ Minnie stormed. ‘If they thinkthey can get to you with no comeback, then it won’t be long beforesomeone tries it on with me. I won’t have that.’

My tentative bubble of well-being was well and truly burst.‘Go away, Minnie. Now!’ I shouted, the words slurred and blurred as

they left my mouth. But even if the words were practicallyincomprehensible, the look on my face obviously wasn’t. Minnie stoodup and slammed out of my bedroom without another word.

I closed my eyes, trying to find something to focus on besides thebruises all over my body. Callum . . . Even thinking of him didn’t bringme the comfort it usually did. No-one cared. Not about me – not aboutwho I really was and what I thought and felt inside. What was it about methat made everyone turn away? Even my best friend had turned his backon me. I knew I was feeling well and truly sorry for myself, but I couldn’thelp it. I had no-one now. I had nothing.

Ruddy noughts . . . This was all their fault. If it hadn’t been for them .. . And as for Lola and the others. I was going to get them, if it was thevery last thing I did. I was going to get them – and good. I opened myeyes and stared out into nothing but hate. Minnie and I had a lot more incommon than I’d ever imagined. And I wasn’t sorry either.

eighteen. Callum

Maths! This was something I could do! Something in this world I couldmake sense of. Mrs Paxton had already taken me to one side and told methat I would probably be moving to the top Maths stream for my ownyear after the Crossmas holidays. Mrs Paxton was one of the few Crossteachers who didn’t treat me like poo she wanted to scrape off her shoes.And she’d offered me extra lunch-time or early-morning tuition if Iwanted it. I was on the last question of my sheet on simultaneousequations when a strange ripple swept through the classroom. I looked up.

Sephy.My heart bounced about like it was pinging on elastic. Sephy was

back. A whole five days without seeing her. A whole five days with noword from her. She looked OK. Maybe one cheek was a little puffy butotherwise just the same as before. Except for her eyes. She lookedeverywhere but directly at me.

‘Welcome back, Persephone,’ smiled Mrs Paxton.‘Thank you.’ Sephy’s smile was fleeting.‘Take a seat.’ Already Mrs Paxton was turning back to the

whiteboard.Sephy looked around, as did everyone else. The only free seat was

next to me. Sephy looked at me, then immediately looked away again.Her gaze swept around the room. I bent my head. Another ripple spreadround the room. Mrs Paxton turned around.

‘Is something wrong, Persephone?’‘There’s nowhere for me to sit, Mrs Paxton,’ Sephy said quietly.‘There’s a seat next to Callum. Er . . . that’s quite enough noise from

the rest of you. Get on with your work,’ Mrs Paxton called out against therising tide of voices.

‘But Mrs Bawden said I wasn’t to sit with any of the noughts . . .’‘Mrs Bawden meant at lunch-time,’ Mrs Paxton declared. ‘There’s

only one spare seat left in the class and unless you’d rather sit on thefloor, I suggest you use it.’

Dragging her feet, Sephy came and sat down next to me, drawing herchair away as she did so. And she didn’t look at me once. Inside, my gutswere melting.

‘OK, who’s finished the first equation?’ Mrs Paxton said.A few hands went up. Mine stayed down. I wanted to look at Sephy

but I didn’t dare.Clasp my hands together. Bow my head. Close my eyes.I know . . . I know noughts aren’t really supposed to believe in you or

pray to you because you’re really the God of the Crosses, but please,please don’t let anything or anyone come between me and Sephy. I’mbegging you. Please. If you’re up there.

nineteen. Sephy

Jeez! Time crawled like it was dragging a blue whale behind it. Thatsounded like something Callum would say. I smiled, but it died almostimmediately. Something Callum would say – when he used to talk to me.When he used to be my friend. Mrs Paxton was blathering on aboutsimultaneous equations like they were the best thing since computerswere invented. And every word was flying zip-zap straight over my head!When was the bell going to sound? Come on . . . Come on . . . At last!

I didn’t even take time to gather up my books. I just swept the wholelot into my school bag.

‘Sephy, wait.’I hovered in between sitting and standing, looking like a hen trying to

hatch an egg. Slowly, I sat back down.‘How are you? Are you OK now?’‘Yes, thank you.’ I still couldn’t look at him. I went to stand up again.

Callum’s hand on my forearm stopped me. He immediately removed it.He couldn’t even bear to touch me.

‘I’m glad,’ he whispered.‘Are you?’ I turned to him. ‘You could’ve fooled me.’‘What does that mean?’My hands itched to knock the bewildered look off his face. Just who

did Callum think he was fooling? I glanced around the room. Others werelistening intently even though they were trying to pretend they weren’t. Ilowered my voice so only Callum would hear what I was going to say.And I was determined it’d be the last thing I ever said to him.

‘Don’t pretend you were worried about me,’ I told him. ‘You didn’tcome to see me once. You didn’t even send me a Get Well Soon card.’

Callum’s face cleared. He leaned forward, also aware of our audience.‘I came to see you every day. Every single day,’ he whispered. ‘Yourmum gave orders that I wasn’t to be let in. I stood outside your gatesevery afternoon after school. Ask your mum . . . no, ask her secretarySarah if you don’t believe me.’

Silence.‘You came to see me?’‘Every day?’‘Really?’‘Ask Sarah . . .’I didn’t need to ask Sarah.‘Sephy, wild horses couldn’t have kept me away.’We regarded each other, our expressions equally sombre.‘I have to go now.’ I stood up. We were attracting way too much

attention. Callum stood up too.‘Look, meet me in our special place after dinner tonight. We can’t

talk here.’I turned to walk away.‘Sephy, if you’re not there, I’ll understand,’ Callum whispered.