the roman and the runaway

8/14/2019 The Roman and the Runaway

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The Roman and the Runaway

A. J. Braithwaite

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For Jill.

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PART I: The Roman

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Chapter One

"And what the bloody hell d'you call this?"

Luke Brownlow shut the front door behind him and felt his startofthesummerholidays

ha!!iness see!in away. #e turned to see what his father was shoutin about and reconised theob$ect he was wa%in as his school re!ort. &he ha!!iness was re!laced by a risin feelin of

loom as he !re!ared himself for another arument.n the li%in room( the unwelcome reetin had brouht forth frihtened wails from

Luke's toddler sisters. #e watched his mother rush out from the kitchen to soothe the irls( with a

stressed and re!roachful e)!ression on her face. Luke decided that a%oidance was the best

res!onse to his father's *uestion and made for the stairs. #is dad could mo%e remarkably *uicklyfor a bi man and he interce!ted Luke at the foot of the staircase. "+h no( you don't. n there." #e

!ointed at the kitchen and Luke slouched inside.

",ell?" -ad asked( lookin furious. #e usually seemed to look furious when he wastalkin to Luke these days.

"t's my school re!ort(" re!lied Luke( sulkily( choosin to answer the oriinal *uestionliterally. #is father didn't a!!reciate this.

"t's a!!allin(" he snarled. " don't belie%e you'%e done a sinle day's work at that school

in the two years you'%e been there."

As this was almost true( Luke did not bother to re!ly. #is mother( ha%in calmed downthe twins( came back into the room( still lookin worried and u!set.

"#i( um(" Luke %entured( tryin to introduce a bit of friendliness into the con%ersation.

But -ad turned out to ha%e Luke's mother !layin on his team. "/our mother and are

%ery concerned about your lack of !roress."um nodded and added( " can't understand it( Luke( when you used to do so well at the

%illae school."

Luke knew he wasn't oin to be able to e)!lain the differences between the two schoolsto them. #e miht ha%e tried if it was $ust his mother( but he wasn't oin to attem!t it with -ad

there. #is father seemed to be on at him about somethin or other all the time.

"s the work so much harder( Luke?" his mother asked( her forehead creased withconcern.

"+f course it isn't(" -ad snorted. "#e's $ust bone idle( that's all. 0ncool to work hard is

it?"

&his was uncomfortably close to the truth( but Luke wasn't oin to i%e his father thesatisfaction of knowin that. #e stared at the floor in silence.

"-umb insolence( as usual(" his dad decided. ",ell( warned you that there would be

conse*uences if you didn't et your act toether. 1or starters you're not oin to be s!endin any

time this summer with your socalled friends."",hat?" said Luke( startled into s!eech. "/ou can't sto! me seein them"

"'m also lookin into findin you a different school to o to in e!tember(" added -ad."t seems to us that a clean break is the only thin that's oin to work( now."

Luke was horrified at this !ros!ect. "/ou're fuckin $okin"

#e hadn't meant to swear and instantly reretted it as his father lost his tem!er com!letelyand dealt him a hea%y( o!enhanded blow to the side of his face. Luke cried out in !ain and

staered sideways( !ressin his hand to his cheek. &he three of them stared at one other( all


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e*ually shocked by what had $ust ha!!ened. Luke had ne%er sworn at his !arents like that and his

father had ne%er struck him before.

-ad s!oke first( breathin hard and lookin annoyed with himself. " a!oloise for that(Luke( but think you'%e $ust made u! my mind for me. 5et out of my siht."

Luke dashed u!stairs to his bedroom( only too willin to et as far away from his father as

!ossible. #e slammed the door shut and threw himself hea%ily onto the bed( tryin to hold backanry tears.

After a cou!le of hours of confinement in his small( hot bedroom( Luke couldn't bearbein in the house any loner. #e could hear the irls across the landin in the bathroom(

s!lashin and chatterin away as um ot them ready for bed. &he co%er of their noise !ro%ided

him with a ood o!!ortunity to try to esca!e. #e *uietly o!ened the door and cre!t down the

stairs( kee!in to the edes to a%oid makin the ancient treads creak. +n reachin the halflandin where the stairs turned down to the hall he s!otted his dad's les !rotrudin from

underneath a news!a!er. #e was sittin on the bench by the front door and was clearly waitin

for Luke to come down( !robably to demand an a!oloy.

Luke couldn't face another row. #e silently re%ersed his course and slunk back to hisbedroom. -es!erate now to et out of the o!!ressi%ely warm and stuffy little room( Luke leaned

out of the o!en window and looked at the dro! below him. Althouh it was u!stairs( the ceilinsof the cottae were so low that the room was not a lon way abo%e the round. A !ile of sand due

to be used to build a !atio was hea!ed directly beneath the window( con%eniently !laced to break

his fall. &he room immediately below his was -ad's study and would not be occu!ied since heknew his father was stationed on uard duty in the hall. ,ithout thinkin any more about it(

Luke climbed on to the window sill( lowered himself backwards throuh the window and

dro!!ed softly onto the !ile of sand.

#e considered his ne)t mo%e. &he cottae was one of se%eral flintfaced homes in a shortterrace( meanin there was no way out of the arden a!art from throuh the house. &he arden

was fenced and surrounded by other !eo!le's !ro!erties( but the cottae ne)t door was the end

one of the terrace. f he was oin to esca!e( it made sense to shin o%er the fence in that direction.&hat house was sometimes let out as a holiday cottae( with Luke's mother actin as housekee!er

for the absent landlord( but Luke was fairly sure there weren't any tenants this week and he was

confident he would be able to sneak out of its side ate without runnin into anyone. 5ettin asfar away from his !arents' cottae as !ossible was the only thin on his mind.

&he twins' !lastic !ushalon car was restin aainst the fence on that side( makin it

easy enouh to clamber u! onto it( rab the fence and !ull himself o%er. Luke tried not to think

about how he was oin to et back into the house or about what was oin to ha!!en when his!arents disco%ered he wasn't in his room.

As he dro!!ed down on the other side of the fence Luke realised he was headin towards

a newly!lanted flower bed. &ryin to a%oid treadin on too many of the youn !lants( heo%erbalanced and landed hea%ily on his knees in the dam! soil( s*uashin se%eral more !lants in

the !rocess. t seemed that someone had recently watered the bed. Luke looked down at the lare

number of !lants he had manaed to obliterate in his fall and at his mudcoated trousers and letout a further strin of swearwords.

"As '%e $ust s!ent all afternoon weedin and !lantin that bed( can a!!ro%e the

sentiment( if not the %ocabulary."

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Luke looked u! to see the owner of the cottae standin in the doorway with a waterin

can in his hand. "7erha!s you'd like to et off the flower bed( before you destroy any more of my

!lants(" suested the man."+h( yes( riht. orry." Luke manaed to say( ste!!in hastily on to the !atio.

"t's Luke( isn't it?" asked his neihbour.

Luke nodded( dumb aain( this time with embarrassment and with the certainty forminin his mind that this encounter was oin to result in yet another un!leasant confrontation with

his !arents8 !resumably after an initial row here o%er the decimated flower bed. #owe%er his

neihbour did not seem to be in a rush to send him back ne)tdoor8 nor did he a!!ear to be!articularly anry.

"y name's 5raham 9elly(" the man introduced himself( "but most !eo!le call me :ed."

",hy?" asked Luke( !u;;led.

"/ou'll ha%e to look it u! one day and find out(" re!lied r 9elly with a smile. 1at chanceof that( thouht Luke. #e felt e)tremely uncomfortable and was keen to et out of this situation

as fast as !ossible.

&he ne)tdoor neihbour( howe%er( seemed unfa;ed by the sudden arri%al of a sweaty(

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Luke stared at him with a hue feelin of relief and ratitude. ",ould you?"

" don't see why not." r 9elly took a si! from his lass and looked at Luke with a

serious e)!ression on his face. ",e all make stu!id decisions sometimes. &he im!ortant thin isnot to re!eat the mistake."

Luke found now that he wanted to e)!lain why he had tried to esca!e. n a low %oice( for

fear of bein o%erheard by his !arents( he tried to $ustify his actions. "&hey want to send me to adifferent school #e wants to sto! me seein my friends"

#is neihbour frowned. "And how are you ettin on at the school you're at now?"

A thouht that had been lurkin on the sidelines of Luke's mind suddenly ste!!ed onto thefield and he remembered his mother tellin him that r 9elly was a teacher. 9nowin that the

man had a !rofessional interest in the answer to this *uestion brouht his embarrassment floodin

back( turnin his face briht red. #e had no intention of answerin anyway and remained silent.

But r 9elly a!!eared to be im!er%ious to the dumb insolence which so enraed Luke's dad. #eseemed to think Luke was blushin because he was ashamed of his !erformance at school.

"7erha!s it's not such a bad idea then( to make a fresh start somewhere new." Luke's

e)!ression remained lum and the man chaned the sub$ect. " can't do anythin about your

muddy clothes( 'm afraid( but at least we can et your shoes clean before you o back."#e hel!ed Luke remo%e the worst of the mud before lea%in to !erform his role as a

distraction for Luke's reentry to the cottae. As r 9elly went into the li%in room with umand -ad( Luke slid into the house( swi!ed a ornish !asty from the fride and made it safely

back to his bedroom without detection. #e left his muddy trousers in a hea! on the floor. #is last

thouht before fallin aslee! was that if -ad cauht siht of them( there was oin to be anotheralmihty row in the mornin.


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Chapter Two

As he woke u!( Luke couldn't remember immediately why he felt so u!set( when it was

the beinnin of the summer holidays and he had si) schoolfree weeks ahead of him. &hen the

dull ache in his left cheek brouht the e%ents of the !re%ious e%enin back into his mind and herealised he was oin to ha%e to face his !arents.

#is mudrimed trousers were on the floor where he'd left them. Luke carefully turnedthem insideout and then took his du%et co%er( !illowcase and sheet off the bed. #e hid the dirty

clothin inside the du%et co%er and took the bundle of beddin downstairs to the washin

machine.

#is mother was in the kitchen( cuttin u! bananas for the twins' breakfasts. ,hen Lukewalked in with the washin and bean loadin the machine she smiled and said " was oin to

chane your bed on onday( sweetheart( but thanks for doin it anyway."

Luke felt undeser%in of this !raise( but smiled back( !ut deterent in the machine and setit runnin.

",here's -ad?" he asked( unable to a%oid %oicin his main concern. &he smile %anishedfrom his mother's face( re!laced by a frown of worry( and he wished he hadn't s!oken.

"#e went to et his !a!er from the sho!. +h Luke( do wish you'd be more considerate

of his feelins. #e's only tryin to do what's best for you( you know." he came u! to Luke and

held his hands. ",e really do think that a chane of school is oin to make all the difference foryou."

Luke still felt mutinous( but his mother clearly thouht this !lan was brilliant and he

couldn't see any way of !ersuadin her otherwise. A %ery small !art of him thouht she was

!robably riht( which didn't hel!."+h( know what meant to tell you(" she continued. ":ed from ne)t door came round

last niht."

Luke tried to look like this was news to him. "-id he?""/es( he's oin to be stayin in his house himself this summer. #e wondered if you'd be

willin to hel! out in his arden for some e)tra !ocket money durin the holidays."

Luke thouht of the flowers he'd destroyed durin his esca!e attem!t the !re%ious nihtand couldn't hel! smilin. "r( yeah. s'!ose so."

um went back to slicin the bananas. "#e hasn't been back here for years and the arden

could certainly do with a bit of attention( so you'll be busy( should think. +h( here's your -ad

now."Luke took one look out of the kitchen window( then rabbed a cou!le of bananas and

made a hasty retreat u! to his bedroom( des!ite um's ob$ections.

Later that mornin( when he heard his father !layin with the twins in the back arden(

Luke left by the front door and went round to his neihbour's house to thank him for his hel! the!re%ious e%enin.

"-id your mother tell you about my suestion for some hel! with the arden?" asked r9elly( as he in%ited Luke in. Luke followed him throuh to the cottae's tiny kitchen and smiled.

"/eah. !robably oweyou( for the thins flattened last niht."

"/es( was rather sorry to see them wi!ed out like that. #a%e you made thins u! withyour !arents?"

" ha%en't s!oken to himyet."

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r 9elly frowned( then said ",ell( !erha!s a coolinoff !eriod is best." #e hesitated for

a moment( then added "'m !lannin on takin a hike o%er the e%en isters today. t's a circular

route that'll take about three hours. /ou can come alon if you like."Luke really wasn't sure about this. #e liked walkin( and had often hiked o%er the -owns

with his mother in !ast summer holidays( but there hadn't been much o!!ortunity since the twins

had been born a cou!le of years ao. And the idea of ettin away from his father for three hourswas definitely a!!ealin( but did he really want to s!end it in the com!any of r 9elly( a !erson

he barely knew? And a teacher( for oodness sake

" won't be offended if you say >no'(" smiled his neihbour( a!!arently readin his mind." know you used to do *uite a lot of hikin with u;anne( but if you'd rather not( that's fine. /ou

can come and hel! me with the arden tomorrow."

&he memory of his lon walks with his mother came back to Luke stronly at these words

and he felt ine)!licably emotional at the way thins seemed to ha%e chaned so much since thosedays. ":o( mean( yes( 'll come. 7lease." Luke manaed to twist his mouth into a smile.

"5reat. 'll fi) us some sandwiches and you can o and check with your mum that it's

+9."

Luke dashed back home and was relie%ed to find his mother alone in the kitchen. #e toldher of the !lan.

"Deally?" she lauhed. ",ell( nobody knows the walks round here better than :ed. #eused to o on hikes with me and my brother when we were all teenaers. ,e used to tease him

because he was always tryin to et us interested in the !lants and birds( when all we wanted to

do was et away from our !arents. #e was the sameE his dad was a com!lete nihtmare and :edwouldn't s!end any time in the house if he could hel! it." he sto!!ed and looked shrewdly at

Luke. " ho!e you'll be more !olite to him than we were."

"'ourse will( um(" said Luke and he went back to r 9elly's house before she could

reconsider.r 9elly was loadin u! a rucksack with foilwra!!ed sandwiches and some bottled

water when Luke came back into the kitchen. #e !icked u! a wellused ma! and unfolded it on

the kitchen table." used to know the countryside round here off by heart(" he said( "but ha%en't been back

for so lon that it miht be wise to take the ma! with us." ,ith his finer( he traced out the route

he was !lannin to take so that Luke could see where they would be oin. ",e'll o out alonthe cliffs and then back throuh the woods. &hat way we'll be in the shade when it ets hotter this

afternoon. t's about eiht miles in all. -'you think you can co!e with that?"

t had been a lon time since Luke had walked so far( but he wasn't oin to chicken out

now. #e ho!ed he wouldn't embarrass himself by colla!sin from e)haustion half way round."&hink so(" he re!lied.

&hey headed out of the %illae toether and soon found their way to the abru!t ede

where the reen hills became cliffs of stark white chalk. &o the left( balanced on the brink ofBeachy #ead was the lihthouse of Belle &out. r 9elly told Luke how the lihthouse had been

mo%ed nearly twenty metres back from the ede of the cliff in FCCC( to !re%ent it from fallin

into the sea."+f course it had already been nearly com!letely destroyed in the war(" he added.

"By the 5ermans?" asked Luke( tryin to be !olite.

r 9elly lauhed. "/ou'd think so wouldn't you? :o( it was the anadians."

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Luke's knowlede of history wasn't wonderful( but e%en he was fairly sure that the

anadians weren't fihtin aainst the British durin the econd ,orld ,ar.

"#ow come?" he asked( ettin interested( des!ite himself."&hey had dummy wooden tanks lined u! for artillery !ractice on the cliff to! near Belle

&out(" e)!lained r 9elly. "&hey were su!!osed to be shootin at those( but the lihthouse ot

hit( too. ounds like they needed the !ractice."Luke lauhed.

"#a%e you e%er walked alon the base of the cliffs?" r 9elly asked him.

":o."",e can't do it today( because the tide will be in soon( but it's *uite a ood walk. #arder

than this one( thouh and takes a lot loner. &here's a 5erman submarine down there( you know."

"A whole submarine?"

":o $ust bits of one. ,ell( to be frank( they look like they could be any old bits of scra!metal. But it makes a ood story."

By the time they ot back to the %illae( Luke's le muscles were com!lainin and his feet

had sto!!ed talkin to him altoether.

"#ow are you feelin?" asked his neihbour."#onestly? Absolutely knackered(" re!lied Luke( who was no loner feelin the need to

be scru!ulously !olite to his new ac*uaintance. "But think 'll be fit enouh to come round andhel! in your arden tomorrow."

Luke did do some work for :ed 9elly in his arden that summer( but both of them!referred the rander scale of nature laid out for them on the chalky hills and cool woodlands of

the outh -owns. After his lon absence from the area( r 9elly seemed to be en$oyin

redisco%erin his teenae haunts and Luke often went with him. #e could not hel! but be

entertained by his neihbour's enthusiasm for the history and eora!hy of their surroundins andby his dry sense of humour. r 9elly showed Luke how to read a ma! and( after their first few

walks( a%e him the res!onsibility of na%iatin them home. Luke was sur!rised at how much he

en$oyed the hikes they were takin and it wasn't lon before he was thinkin of his neihbour as':ed' rather than 'r 9elly'.

&he aruments between Luke and his !arents were continuin to make their house an

un!leasant !lace to be and it was always a relief to et out and s!end some time away from them.And from -ad( in !articular. Luke was broodin o%er the latest row with his father when he was

ne)t out walkin with :ed. #is resentful thouhts about his dad reminded him of his mother's

comment about :ed's father. #e felt comfortable enouh now in their relationshi! to be able

*uestion his neihbour about him.",hat was your -ad like?" he asked. "um said you didn't et on too well."

:ed frowned and for a moment Luke thouht he had said the wron thin and that :ed

wasn't oin to answer. #e was worried he shouldn't ha%e mentioned it but( after a lon !ause(:ed re!lied. " think 'll need some sustenance before e%en try to address that sub$ect(" he said.

"Let's ha%e lunch."

&hey sat down on the rassy slo!e of the hill and unwra!!ed their sandwiches. :ed atesome of his in silence( then a%e Luke a thouhtful look.

"ince '%e been back in the cottae(" he bean( "the thinness of the walls between our

houses has become ob%ious and can't hel! but be aware that there are some !retty ma$or rows

ha!!enin on your side of them."

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Luke lowered his a;e to his sandwich( embarrassed.

",hich made me realise(" continued :ed( "that your mother and her family must ha%e

been e*ually well aware of the ma$or rows that used to ha!!en in my house when was aroundyour ae."

At this( Luke's interest was aroused and he looked back u! at :ed's face. :ed a%e him a

sad smile. " don't want to bore you with my entire life history(" he said( "but some of mye)!erience then miht be rele%ant for what you're oin throuh now.

"y father was o%er fifty when was born and don't think that lare ae a! hel!ed us

understand each other. #e had been a trawlerman since he was fifteen and hardly saw him when was small. ,hen was ten( my mother died and he retired from work. ,e mo%ed here and were

thrown toether( almost as straners( and fairly *uickly findin we had little in common.

"+ur relationshi! ot worse( rather than better( as time went on. #e couldn't see why

wanted to stay on at school and then( later( o to uni%ersity. #e thouht a man should o out andet work as soon as !ossible." :ed ate another mouthful of sandwich before continuin. ",e

fouht about it constantly. n some ways it was e)actly the o!!osite of the fiht that seems to be

oin on in your house.

" was miserable li%in here with him and my reaction


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+nly once did he $eo!ardise the whole thin. +n a day when he and :ed had !lanned a

hike( 9yle -awson( one of Luke's school friends( ran to in%ite Luke to han out in the nearby

town with a an of other friends from school. Luke knew his dad wouldn't let him o( so hedidn't bother askin either of his !arents. nstead( he e)!lained to :ed that he wouldn't be able to

o on the hike( but would walk with him as far as the bus sto! on the main road and o into town

instead. #e didn't see any reason to lie to :ed about where he was oin.&he first !art of his !lan worked fine8 Luke met u! with his friends at the entrance to the

!ier on the seafront. As usual( they s!ent an hour or two feedin coins into the slot machines of

the amusement arcade. &hen( also as usual( they left the !ier considerably !oorer and in%estedtheir remainin funds in stocks of hot dos( hamburers( chi!s and suarlaced soft drinks to

consume on the beach.

",here'%e you been all summer( Luke?" asked 9yle( lickin s!ilt ketchu! from his

finers. #eads turned in Luke's direction to hear his re!ly."y !arents ha%e banned me from seein you uys(" Luke told them( oin on to e)!lain

about the !lan to send him to a new school. #e was ratified at the e)!ressions of outrae that

reeted these re%elations.

"o how come you're here now?"" sneaked out they don't know 'm here."

"ool(" said 9yle. "+h( that reminds me." #e du into one of the !ockets of his caro!ants and !roduced a !acket of ciarettes and a lihter. " lifted these from my old man's $acket

this mornin."

9yle !assed around the ciarettes from his dad's !acket and the boys lit them.",hat you onna do about this school thin?" 9yle's attention was back on Luke.

Luke watched the smoke curlin u! from his ciarette. #e had been i%in this *uestion

some serious thouht. "'m onna !ro%e to -ad that it won't make any difference. 'll make sure

do $ust as badly at the new school so he sees it's a waste of money. miht e%en try to et myselfe)!elled."

#is friends( who usually made a !oint of ne%er bein im!ressed by anythin( were

enuinely admirin of Luke's current and !lanned acts of defiance. &hey entertained themsel%esin a discussion of the most effecti%e means of ettin !ermanently e)cluded from school.

Luke basked in the sunshine and in his friends' attention. &his was where he beloned. #e

knew his !arents' !lans were wron( howe%er wellintentioned.t would ha%e been a !erfect day if Luke had not missed the last bus back to the %illae


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the a!!earance of his dad in the doorway( with the customary e)!ression of fury on his face.

Luke snatched u! lsie in selfdefence and blew a loud ras!berry on her stomach( much to her

deliht.&he adults a!!eared considerably less delihted. um swun down u!on him( detached

lsie and took her off into the back arden with olly( her twin( without sayin a word to him.

Luke was left alone with the two men. #e was beyond carin about what his father thouht ofhim( but was dee!ly uncomfortable about ha%in draed :ed into this situation.

"'m sorry" he bean( talkin to :ed( but his father cut across him.

"Just shut u!( you disobedient little brat."Luke shut u!. #e wasn't sure what he'd been oin to say anyway. #is dad !ositioned

himself ne)t to the o!en front door and turned to :ed( lookin embarrassed. "'m sorry for the

misunderstandin."

:ed nodded at Luke's dad as he left( and a%e the teenaer a look which seemed to say "e)!ected better of you than this(" without the need for e)!ressin the thouht in words. &he

likelihood of oin on any more -ownland walks( his only means of esca!in from his family

this summer( seemed to be lea%in the house alon with :ed( and Luke knew he had only himself

to blame.-ad's embarrassment and aner were now %ented at Luke( who was told( at lenth(

e)actly what his father thouht of him for sneakin off without !ermission. Luke( who was tiredand also now %ery conscious of the thinness of the cottae walls( did not shout back( so for once

the lecture did not escalate into a fullblown row. Luke s!ent another e%enin in his bedroom(

without su!!er( and was forbidden to lea%e the house for the ne)t se%en days.

t was a week of chores. -ad seemed to think hard work would kee! him out of trouble

and he de%ised a !lan of housework and maintenance $obs for Luke to undertake. ,hile mowin

the front lawn on the e%enin of his third day of confinement( Luke finally ot the chance to talkto :ed( who was returnin from a sho!!in tri! and walkin u! the !ath beside the lawn to his

own front door( laden with bas of roceries. Luke sto!!ed mowin and hurried o%er to

a!oloise."Look( :ed( 'm really sorry. shouldn't ha%e ot you in%ol%ed. t was so stu!id."

:ed rearded him with that serious look of his( but said nothin.

"'m rounded for a week( but really want to carry on hikin with you( after that( if you'lllet me." &he words tumbled out of Luke's mouth in a rush. "7lease(" he added( with a note of

des!eration.

"'ll think about it(" :ed re!lied e%entually. "But you'll need to ask your !arents'

!ermission( too." #e shook his head. "t really was an incredibly thouhtless thin to do( Luke.As said to you before( we all make stu!id decisions sometimes. &he im!ortant thin isI"

"Inot to re!eat the mistake(" com!leted Luke. And with a small smile :ed entered his

own house and left Luke feelin slihtly more cheerful. 0ntil his father came outside to see whyhe'd sto!!ed mowin the lawn( that is.

#e was allowed to o out on hikes aain with :ed after his week of ser%itude. Lukesus!ected um had !ersuaded -ad to aree( as his father was still embarrassed about the whole

affair and would ha%e !referred to ha%e sto!!ed all of Luke's e)cursions. At first( Luke felt

awkward about what had ha!!ened( but :ed was as informati%e and easyoin as e%er and soon

he en$oyed the hikes as much as he had before.

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Luke ne%er discussed the issue of his new school with :ed. 1or one thin( he didn't want

to think about it( and for another( he sus!ected :ed would be likely to side with his !arents and

he didn't want to ha%e the same aruments out on the -owns that he was ha%in within the wallsof the cottae. #e !referred to !retend that if he inored it( the !roblem would o away. um

and -ad had manaed to et him into a !ri%ate school some distance from their house( as his

father was friendly with one of the o%ernors. &his meant Luke would ha%e to stay away fromhome durin term time. ,hen he found this out( the rows had broken out aain. &he idea of bein

!ermanently at school for weeks at a time seemed dreadful to Luke. But e%entually he a%e u!

aruin( as his !arents were both determined he would o to this other school( and there seemedto be little he could do about it.

&he last two weeks of the summer were the worst. :ed had let his cottae out to

holidaymakers aain and had returned to work himself( lea%in Luke alone with his family and

the realisation that he would be lea%in for a new school at the end of the first week ofe!tember. Luke now wished he'd talked to :ed about the ways !ri%ate boardin schools differed

from state day schools. #e rearded with bewilderment the !iles of clothes and s!orts kit his

mother had bouht for himE he certainly seemed to need a lot more in the way of stuff.

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Chapter Three

&he second aturday in e!tember arri%ed all too *uickly and Luke's father loaded the

trunk into the back of his car. #e had decided to lea%e his wife and the irls at home and take

Luke himself. Luke wondered if he thouht that um would ha%e chaned her mind if he hadentrusted her with the $ob instead. #e kissed and hued her and the twins( before turnin

de$ectedly to the car.&he $ourney was not a comfortable one. #is dad attem!ted to make con%ersation e%ery so

often( but Luke was not in the mood to humour him and a lare lum! of homesickness and

tre!idation seemed to ha%e settled in the back of his throat( makin it difficult to talk in any case.

At least when he'd started at his last school he'd been one of a whole rou! of new students( someof whom he'd been with at !rimary school. &his time he would !robably be the only new kid in

the whole year and it would be that much harder to make friends.

-ad made one last effort to talk to him. "/ou know Luke( don't care what you do onceyou'%e com!leted your education. f you want to o and !ick ra!es in 1rance( build skyscra!ers

or collect rubbish for the council( that's all fine by me. ,hat really don'twant is for you to cometo me in ten years' time and ask why didn't i%e you the chance to choose your future life bymakin sure you ot the most out of your education."

Luke said nothin( but his father continued( undeterred. "/ou were born while your

mother and were still at uni%ersity( but we both continued studyin because we knew it wasoin to be the best way of ensurin we could i%e you a ood life once we left. f you mess your

education u! now( then your choices in life are oin to be se%erely limited."

" don't care" Luke said.

"/ou don't care riht now because you don't know what you're talkin about(" -ad said(manain to kee! his tone ci%il. ",hile we'%e ot care of you( it's our res!onsibility to do the

best we can. &he uni%ersity career your mother and continued with( des!ite ha%in a baby to

look after and hardly any money( means that now we can !ay for better educational o!!ortunitiesfor you. +nce you et to school lea%in ae( then it's u! to you what you do."

&he rest of the $ourney !assed in silence. &hey carried the hea%y trunk between them into

the rand front entrance of the school. t had once been a stately home( -ad had informed Lukeon the way there. Luke felt small( rubby( and insinificant as they walked u! the ste!s. n the

entrance hall they $oined a short *ueue of other new !u!ils and !arents who were bein told

where to o and what to do. ,hen Luke and his dad ot to the front of the line they were reeted

by the woman who seemed to be in chare."#ello( 'm rs Lloyd and 'm the administrator here. ,elcome to #awley Lode." he

smiled warmly down at Luke. ",hat is your name( dear?"

Luke swallowed down the lum! that was threatenin to sto! him talkin altoether and

told her his name. rs Lloyd checked it aainst her list."Brownlow( Brownlow( Brownlow. /es( here you are. /ou're oin to be in the Domans

house. +h( and the headmaster wanted to ha%e a word with you after you'%e dro!!ed off yourstuff and said your oodbyes."

Luke looked at her( then at -ad( in sur!rise( but his father seemed as bemused as he was(

and rs Lloyd was busy ettin out a !hotoco!ied floor !lan of the school to show them whereto o. &he buildin was sha!ed like a ca!ital #( with the dormitories on the to! floor( arraned

so that one school house was in each of the four wins. rs Lloyd e)!lained that there were

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tried to alle%iate his fears. "t's alriht( you'll really only see me at a distance here( at assemblies

and mealtimes and so on. n the holidays 'll be :ed your neihbour( and here 'll be r 9elly

your headmaster. &wo different !eo!le( really. wanted to talk to you today to e)!lain thesituation( but doubt %ery much we'll ha%e any reason to s!eak to each other aain until we're

back at home( Luke."

Luke finally felt ha!!y enouh to be able to form words aain. #e smiled back at hisneihbour. "+9( think can handle that."

"5ood. /ou're oin to find it %ery different here from your old school( Luke. think this

!lace miht be $ust what you need. +h( and really don't want to interfere in your life here at all(but it occurred to me today that if you want to kee! !ractisin your ma!readin( you miht like

to think about $oinin the orienteerin club. t'll i%e you a chance to e)!lore this area too."

"+9(" said Luke aain( ha%in no idea what orienteerin miht be and beinnin to feel

bewildered aain.":ow off you o to your common room and meet your fellow year nines. ,ork hard(

Luke and make your !arents !roud of you."

Luke found his way back to the to! floor( still rather stunned by this turn of e%ents( but a

little comforted that he knew at least one !erson in this new world. #is oriinal !lan of ettinhimself e)!elled as soon as !ossible was already forotten8 there was no way he was oin to

deliberately make :ed think badly of him.

&he common room was at the end of the to! floor. t was a noisy !lace( with many of the

boys of the Domans house already there( catchin u! with each other after the lon summerbreak. A %ery oldfashioned lookin tele%ision was blarin out a music channel in one corner of

the room( while at the tables to Luke's riht an armwrestlin cham!ionshi! seemed to be in

!roress.

An immensely tall black boy dressed in what a!!eared to be a calflenth stri!ed skirt andsandals le%ered himself out of a saylookin armchair and a!!roached Luke.

"/ou're the new year nine( riht?" #is %oice was dee! and seemed to %ibrate the floor.

Luke thouht this boy looked as thouh he'd ste!!ed out of a documentary about Africa.#e found himself unable to s!eak aain and $ust nodded. "'m &oranda. rs Lloyd asked me to

look out for you." &he tall boy turned and shouted to the room at lare. "Any year nines here?"

&hree boys who had been watchin the armwrestlin contest turned around. &orandabeckoned them o%er and they came( lookin curiously at Luke.

"&his is your new roommate. how him the ro!es will you?" &oranda seemed to consider

that makin this !erfunctory introduction had fulfilled his obliation to Luke and he turned back

to his seat( lea%in the four boys starin at each other. Luke thouht he had better tell them hisname.

"'m Luke Brownlow(" he stated.

"#i Luke. 'm Jay &renton(" said the tallest boy of the three( who was slim( with lonishblond hair and brown eyes. #e estured to the short boy ne)t to him( who had a thickly freckled

face( dark hair and rey eyes. "&his is 1red ,riht and this" here he !ointed at the tall( dark

skinned and darkeyed boy ne)t to 1red( "is &a$ Kerma. -'you want a uided tour?""/es( !lease(" said Luke.

"+9 we'll start here. &his room is called the 1orum(" said Jay. "t's the Domans'

common room( you see."

Luke didn't see( and e%idently this was a!!arent from his face.

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"&here are four houses( riht?" e)!lained 1red. "&he :ormans' common room is called

the 9ee!( the Kikins' is the Lonhouse and the a)ons' is the tockade. &hey're all at the far

ends of the to! floors. /ou can see the tockade o%er there." 1red !ointed at the e*ui%alent roomto theirs on the o!!osite of the school. "&he Lonhouse and the 9ee! are riht at the front of the

school".

"+h( see."Jay( &a$ and 1red took Luke all o%er the school( !assin on in%aluable information about

the way thins were done and where Luke would be e)!ected to be at !articular times. &he

classrooms were in the wins of the lower two floors( with the to! two floors reser%ed foraccommodation for staff and students. &he Domans e)!lained to Luke that the central corridor on

the first floor of the school


20/79

Chapter Four

#awley Lode chool was small( with barely a tenth the number of !u!ils that had been

in Luke's !re%ious school. t was !ossible to know e%ery student and im!ossible to be an

anonymous face in the crowd. &his took some ettin used to for Luke( who found he could notcoast alon without doin much work as he had done in his old school. )!ectations of the

students were made !lain and Luke ot the feelin that the staff here had more time to make sureall the members of their classes were enaed and kee!in u! with their work.

n some ways the school seemed oldfashioned. Dules about uniform were stricter than

Luke was used to and he found it odd that :ed wore a black own around the !lace. &he boys

were e)!ected to stand when a member of staff entered a classroom and to call their maleteachers 'sir'. &he students themsel%es were usually addressed by their surnames. All of these

traditions struck Luke as relics of a byone time8 teachers at his old school had ne%er insisted on

such thins. ost of the boys were boarders( althouh there were a few that li%ed close enouh toattend as day !u!ils.

#e found he missed ha%in irls around( althouh he'd ne%er s!ent much time talkin tothem in his old school. &here were a few irls in the si)th form who attended as day !u!ils( butthey seemed terribly rown u! to Luke. &here were some female teachers and there were other

women on the staffE rs Lloyd the administrator8 iss roft( the headmaster's secretary8 the

school's atron and the terrifyin rs ould( who cleaned the boys' dormitories and who was$ustly feared by all who crossed her !ath. rs ould took her duties seriously and Luke ot into

trouble with her almost immediately by lea%in a halffinished can of coke in his bedside cabinet.

nstead of sim!ly tellin him that no food or drink was allowed in the dormitory( rs ould

informed the Domans' housemaster( r ,ilmot( of her disco%ery. r ,ilmot was also the tutorfor the year nines and he held Luke back one breaktime to let him know the rules and to warn

him that there would be conse*uences if any other contraband items were found in his room.

",hy couldn't she $ust tell me herself?" Luke com!lained to his roommates later."t's not the way she works(" &a$ told him. "he lo%es runnin to the housemasters with

the sordid details of our crimes. -on't try to use your boyish charm on her( either. he's immune

to it."&a$ said this in the tone of someone who had already tried to et round rs ould and

failed.

"And why was she !okin around in my bedside cabinet anyway?" Luke wondered.

"5et used to it(" ad%ised 1red. "&here is no !ri%acy in this !lace."As :ed had !redicted( Luke rarely saw him e)ce!t durin assemblies and mealtimes( and

they did not s!eak to each other aain( but Luke was keenly aware that howe%er distant :ed

miht a!!ear to be( it was hihly likely that he would be kee!in an occasional eye on his

!roress. #e still didn't care what his father thouht of him( but he didn't feel the same way abouthis neihbour. Luke was interested to see what his classmates thouht of :ed and was *uietly

!leased to disco%er that his neihbour was treated with a ood deal of res!ect by them( ha%in are!utation for bein fair and consistent.

+rienteerin turned out to in%ol%e runnin around the countryside while na%iatin

between check!oints marked on a ma!. Luke en$oyed it immensely and *uickly became amember of the Domans' orienteerin team. ,hen it came to school work( howe%er( Luke found(

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as he'd feared( that he was a lon way behind his colleaues and was ha%in to work hard to catch

u!.

:ed had clearly s!oken to Luke's mother( as he recei%ed a letter from her towards the endof his first full week of term.

Dear Luke,

I'm sure you were as surprised as we were to find out your new headmaster

was none other than Ned Kelly! I had no idea I hadn't linked up Graham Kelly Mcwith our Ned at all! I'm really happy you hae him there to keep an eye on you,

althou"h I'm sure you won't need it #please!$%

&he "irls and Dad are all fine and send their loe% lsie and Molly hae (eenaskin" )*here's Lulu+' eery sin"le mornin"% Missin" you so much and lookin"

forward to your halfterm (reak,

peak soon,

Lots of loe,

Mum

&his letter reminded Luke of the day he had met :ed and the way his neihbour had

suested he should look u! the name :ed 9elly. #e had an & lesson that mornin( so as the

class settled themsel%es at the com!uters he searched for the name on the nternet. &he first result

took him to an online encyclo!aedia( where he read the story of the famous Australian outlaw.&he !hotora!h of that :ed 9elly( taken on the day before his e)ecution( !ortrayed a man with a

hue bushy beard and a mass of thick( dark( wa%y hair. &he contrast with the headmaster's clean

sha%en face( baldin head( lasses and short fair hair was so e)treme that Luke nuded Jay( whowas sittin ne)t to him( and showed him the !icture. Jay was $ust as tickled as Luke and they

both burst into a fit of hel!less lauhter which turned the attention of the whole class in their

direction and brouht their teacher( r ,ilmot( stridin o%er from the front of the room.Luke hastily shut down the webbrowser window( but r ,ilmot turned out to be more

technically ca!able than any other teacher Luke had met. #e reo!ened the !roram( dis!layed

the history of !aes which had been %isited that day( sorted them by the order in which they had

been %iewed and brouht back the most recent oneE the encyclo!aedia entry on :ed 9elly(toether with his e)tremely hairy !hotora!h.

Althouh Luke knew he was ettin himself into trouble( the treacherous lauh was

buildin u! inside him aain as the !hotora!h rea!!eared and he had to bite his li!s toetherhard to sto! it from s!illin out. #e didn't dare to look at Jay or at r ,ilmot.

",hat's so amusin about this entry( Brownlow?" asked r ,ilmot. #is %oice was *uiet(

but somehow full of menace. Luke suddenly found he wasn't in the mood to lauh any more andwondered if he could et himself out of trouble by sim!ly tellin the truth. #is mind refused to

come u! with any other o!tions( so he went with his first instinct.

"orry( sir. didn't know the story( so searched for it and when saw that !hotora!h(

well( he looks so different from our r 9elly that it made me lauh." #e looked ho!efully u! at

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be trifled with and all the boys knew that if their rooms were left in anythin other than a !ristine

state( she would o straiht to their housemaster in the mornin to re!ort them.

n his rush to hel! clear u! most of the mess before r ,ilmot saw that their lihts werestill on( Luke did not immediately notice that Jay's !oster had been taken by the raiders. &he

cleanu! $ob made all the year nine Domans late for bed that niht and they had to et u! much

earlier than usual to finish the task in the mornin. By the time their room was lookin tidyenouh to meet rs ould's e)actin re*uirements they were all %ery late for breakfast. As they

made their way blearily !ast the main school notice board outside the school hall Luke was

interce!ted by r ,ilmot."ome with me( Brownlow(" said the housemaster( and Luke found himself bein led

towards the dis!lay of staff !hotora!hs. Jay( wonderin what was oin on( followed them(

while &a$ and 1red headed into the hall( more concerned about ettin some breakfast before the

start of mornin school." take it this isyourhandiwork?" r ,ilmot hissed in Luke's ear.

n front of them( fi)ed o%er the usual !hoto of the headmaster( was the ,anted !oster

which Jay had !roduced( !ublicly declarin that :ed 9elly was uilty of crimes aainst fashion

and cruelty to children and offerin a GG(GGG reward for information leadin to his arrest."r(" said Luke( tryin to think of a res!onse that would not incriminate them but findin

his slee!de!ri%ed brain slow to res!ond.Jay's was clearly not functionin !ro!erly either( because he blurted out "#ow did thatet

there?" which landed them well and truly in the frame.

",e didn't !ut it there( sir(" Luke said hurriedly( attem!tin to limit the damae Jay hadcaused. "But it is my !oster( yes. Just a $oke( you know." #e smiled o!timistically( but sensed

immediately that this time they weren't oin to esca!e as lihtly as before.

"&his(" said r ,ilmot( ri!!in down the !oster( "is defacin school !ro!erty." #e held

u! the artwork and tore it in half( with a sickenin look of satisfaction on his face.Luke thouht of the raffiti which had disfiured many areas of his old school and felt

this %erdict was a bit stron. #e was also annoyed to see Jay's !oster destroyed and hihly

irritated that they were clearly about to become the sca!eoats for some Kikin idiot's idea of a$oke. #is tem!er ot the u!!er hand and he found himself re!lyin anrily. "+h come on( it's not

that bad. :othin's damaed. A!art from my !oster( that is."

r ,ilmot looked coldly back at Luke. #is e)!ression suested that he thouht Lukehad finally shown his true colours.

"ir(" added Luke( as an afterthouht. uch too late.

r ,ilmot's eyes narrowed and Luke felt Jay shift slihtly beside him( as thouh his

body was recommendin to his brain that it was time to make a swift e)it."/ou will both re!ort to me at se%en o'clock e%ery mornin for the rest of the week.

e)!ect your uniforms to be immaculate." #e sur%eyed their a!!earances and both boys became

conscious of their uncombed hair( hastilydoneu! ties and the small !ieces of shredded !a!erthat were still clinin to their shoes and sweaters. "f you turn u! lookin like this will arrane

for you to ha%e a detention on aturday with the headmaster." #e lanced at his watch. "Likewise

if you are late for reistration this mornin.",ith that he turned and stalked off to their classroom( crushin the remains of Jay's !oster

into a tiht ball. Luke looked at his own watch and saw they had !recisely fi%e minutes before

reistration was due to start. "-amn( no time for breakfast. ,e'd better follow him. #an on." #e

sto!!ed and straihtened Jay's tie. Jay rinned.

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"&hanks( um." #e returned the fa%our and they walked lumly down the corridors to

their tutor's classroom( which was at the far southwest corner of the school.

"orry about that(" said Luke( feelin he'd handled the situation really badly.":ot your fault(" re!lied Jay. "f 'd ke!t *uiet we miht ha%e ot away with it. ,ilmot's a

com!lete !ain in the arse. f e%er find out who !ut that !oster there( 'llI"

Luke rearded Jay( whose lon hair( slender build and slihtly nerdy a!!earance didn'tmake him look terribly threatenin( e%en thouh both his fists were tihtly clenched. ",ell

what will you do?"

Jay looked back at Luke( who was shorter but a lot broader than he was and said "asy('ll set you on them"

,ith that they had arri%ed at r ,ilmot's classroom and neither of them said another

word. Both their stomachs were rumblin loudly by the time the midmornin break came around

and Jay was lookin *uite !ale by then.":oone should be forced to do chemistry on an em!ty stomach(" he com!lained as they

hurried to the tuck sho! to buy somethin to eat which would last them throuh to lunchtime.

uch of the school had seen the !oster on their way to or from breakfast and news of

Luke and Jay's encounter with r ,ilmot had clearly s!read. e%eral !eo!le conratulated themon the stunt and 1red ,riht and &a$ Kerma( their fellow Doman year nines( huddled round to

commiserate with them and to !lan re%ene on their Kikin raiders.Luke would ha%e none of this( howe%er. &he last thin he wanted to do was to et into

any more trouble. #e had more reason than the others for not wantin to be sent to see r 9elly.

"Look uys( it wasn't deliberate. &hose Kikins didn't know ,ilmot would reconise that!icture straiht away and know it was us. t was $ust a silly !rank for them( and bad luck for us(

that's all. And they'll be e)!ectin us to do somethin now. Let's wait until they're off their

uard."

&he others seemed im!ressed by this mananimity( which made Luke feel a bit of a fraud.#e sus!ected that if it had been anyone but :ed sittin in the headmaster's office( he would ha%e

been leadin a raidin !arty aainst the Kikins that %ery niht. #e was also aware that one of the

Kikin boys( Ben$amin ,harton( had been sittin at the com!uter behind his in the & lesson(which meant that the conse*uences of the !rank miht not ha%e been as much of an accident as

he was makin out.

+nce their week of early mornin starts and ins!ections by r ,ilmot had finished( the

rest of the halfterm !assed relati%ely !eacefully. Luke's entire family came to collect him and he

showed them all around the school before they went home. #e manaed to be !olite to his father


25/79

Chapter Five

#alfterm week was a busy one for the staff of the school. t was always a chance to catch

u! with $obs which were hard or im!ossible to do when the school was full of students. &he

caretakers ot on with re!airs( the school's atron restocked her medical su!!lies and theteachin staff !lanned lessons and started to !re!are re!orts on all the students. &he headmaster

s!ent his time meetin with all the other members of school staff and catchin u! with !iles of!a!erwork. +ne of his last meetins of the week was with the four housemasters. t was an

o!!ortunity to chat about how the term was oin so far( to make !lans for the forthcomin half

term and to disco%er whether any !articular !roblems had come to liht.

&hree of the four housemasters had been with the school for some years( and :ed knewthem all %ery well. John ,ilmot had $oined the school the !re%ious year and :ed was not sure

that he had yet ot into his stride in the $ob. ,ilmot had been a !u!il at the school himself( which

had swayed the board of o%ernors into i%in him the !ost( des!ite :ed's !ersonal misi%ins.#e would rather ha%e !romoted the year se%en tutor and 1rench teacher( llen Dichmond( but

,ilmot's oldboy credentials and


26/79

&he headmaster felt slihtly concerned about this confidence of ,ilmot's( but now was

not the time to !ursue the matter. #e returned to the aenda and the meetin continued without

further mention of Luke.H

&he ne)t half term started well for Luke. &he Domans won the interhouse orienteerin

challene and Luke was chosen to $oin the school team. &he com!etitions took him away fromthe school on se%eral aturdays and the trainin for the team was i%in him an e)cellent

o!!ortunity of e)!lorin the surroundins of the school. &he hiltern #ills in which the school

was situated were similar in many ways to the outh -owns of home and Luke thorouhlyen$oyed these sessions. &he only !erson who seemed unha!!y about his $oinin the school team

was the other year nine member of itE the Kikin student( Ben$amin ,harton. ,harton( too( had

$oined the team that year( ha%in s!ent two years as a member of the orienteerin club

beforehand. #e seemed to feel that Luke should ha%e ser%ed a loner a!!renticeshi! before beinallowed to $oin the team. ,harton took e%ery o!!ortunity to !ut Luke down and to criticise his

!erformance.

Luke continued to !ut in a lot of effort( with Jay's hel!( on his schoolwork and radually

he bean to catch u! with the other year nine boys. #e also manaed to kee! his head down andhis mouth shut while in the !resence of r ,ilmot( althouh this was *uite a strule( on

occasions.arly -ecember brouht a cold sna! to the south of nland. &he boys bean to wonder

if they would see snow before hristmas( somethin that had not ha!!ened for many years. +n a

1riday lunchtime it bean to fall( thickly and steadily. Luke and his classmates s!ent more timestarin out at the snow than they should ha%e( e)cited at this rare siht and des!erate to et out

and make the most of it. &he heatin in the school had been turned u! hih and the classrooms

were ettin unbearably stuffy.

&he afternoon draed by until it was the last teachin !eriod of the day. r ,ilmot( whotauht them maths and had been co%erin *uadratic e*uations that afternoon( announced that he

needed to lea%e the class to attend a housemasters' meetin.

"7lease continue to work on the sheet of e*uations you'%e $ust started for the rest of thelesson. /ou can hand them in as your homework to me on onday mornin. e)!ect you to

work in silence. 'll be back in half an hour."

&he door swun shut behind their teacher and the boys tried to concentrate on their sheetsof e*uations. Luke stared at the !ae but the numbers seemed to be mo%in around and they

were makin no sense to him at all. #e a;ed ho!elessly at them for fifteen minutes without

sol%in a sinle e*uation. t was too hot. Luke's seat was near one of the tall windows and he

a%e u! on the work to look loninly out at the snow( imainin the feelin of the fresh air onhis face. Before he e%en really knew what he was doin( he found he had risen from his seat(

crossed to the window and !ulled the hea%y sash u!wards.

A cold drauht of air and a billow of fat( fluffy snowflakes washed o%er Luke in arefreshin shower. +utside( a smooth blanket of unblemished whiteness stretched away behind

the school into the fallin darkness of the early e%enin. t was too in%itin to resist. n%iorated

by the cold( Luke climbed o%er the low sill of the o!en window and $um!ed out into the snow.#e felt fantastic8 liberated. #e reached down( scoo!ed a handful of snow into a ball( then turned

to face the school buildin. All his classmates had left their seats and were atherin at the o!en

window( watchin him. #e lauhed at their astounded faces and threw the snowball straiht into

their midst( deliberately aimin it at the smirkin face of Ben$amin ,harton. &he missile

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"Diht. &he work will still be com!leted toniht( and r ,ilmot will stay with you all to

see you do it !ro!erly. &he rest of you will stay in this e%enin but can o outside at the weekend.

%eryone e)ce!t Brownlow can o back to the classroom with r ,ilmot now."&he class filed out( ushered by the rimfaced housemaster. ,hen the door shut behind

them all( :ed came out from behind his desk and sat on the front of it( still treatin Luke to a

frownin stare. ",hat on earth were you thinkin of?"Luke tried to e)!lain what had ha!!ened. #is face was still red( but was now burnin with

embarrassment rather than cold. " was $ust so hot. couldn't concentrate. t looked beautiful

outside. o!ened the window and then uess $ust lost it. couldn't resist $um!in out into thesnow."

:ed sihed. ",ell( don't. mean it Luke. &his sort of thin miht make you !o!ular with

your !eers( but it won't do your school career any ood at all. &rouble has a knack of attractin

more trouble( if you're not %ery careful. '%e seen it ha!!en and it can be a ra!id and sli!!eryslo!e. -o you understand me?"

Luke nodded. "'m really sorry. t was $ust a moment of I"

"tu!idity( yes( and one 'm sure you are not intendin to re!eat. will look into the

tem!erature issue( but your !unishment stands and will e)!ect to find you s!endin most ofyour weekend workin in the library on some e)tra maths 'll et r ,ilmot to set you. don't

want to see you in this office aain( Luke. +r climbin out of any more windows( for that matter.:ow o back to your class."

Luke left and returned to r ,ilmot( tryin to inore the fun that the rest of the school

seemed to be ha%in outside. By the time he had manaed to finish the e*uations he was the onlyboy left in the classroom. #e handed in his work and left *uickly( before r ,ilmot could !ass

any comment. #e was( howe%er( treated to a black look from the housemaster and knew their

relationshi! had hit a new low.

#e ot back to the 1orum( where the Doman year nines had been tem!orarily $oined bymost of the year nines of the other houses( to find( as :ed had !redicted( that he was e)tremely

!o!ular. &he rest of the class seemed to think the whole affair had been an e)cellent esca!ade. #e

tried not to en$oy the moment( but failed com!letely and e%entually a%e u!( fiurin he'd ha%ethe rest of the weekend in which to feel suitably re!entant.

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Chapter Six

:ed was true to his word and the tem!erature in the school was brouht down to more

reasonable le%els o%er the ne)t few days. By onday the weather had returned to its more usual

-ecember state and the snow was turnin to a wet slush. After the mornin break issDichmond was takin the year nines for 1rench. As the class were takin their seats( she !assed

on a messae to Luke."Luke( the headmaster wants to see you after this class." #is classmates' heads turned

towards him( some of their faces lookin curious( others sym!athetic. Luke wasn't sure how to

feel about this summons8 althouh he was fairly confident that he had a clear conscience( for

once( ha%in dutifully stayed inside all weekend.After 1rench( Luke climbed u! the main staircase in the entrance hall( feelin as thouh a

s!otliht was shinin on him( the way the others were watchin him. iss roft( :ed's secretary(

reeted him in a friendly fashion this time( which made Luke more assured that this %isit was notoin to be an un!leasant one. #e went throuh to :ed's office.

"#ello( Luke(" :ed reeted him. "orry to dra you u! here aain( but wanted to askyou whether you want a lift back here in January. 'm not oin to be at the cottae until afterhristmas( but !lan on s!endin the :ew /ear there( and could brin you back with me( if it

suits you and your !arents. thouht 'd better check with you now( to i%e them some notice."

"&hat's fine by me(" Luke said."+9( 'll !hone them this afternoon(" said :ed.

Luke $oined his friends in the hall for lunch.

",hat was that about?" asked Jay.

"+h( nothin much(" re!lied Luke. "#e was $ust checkin somethin about my !arents."Luke still wasn't comfortable enouh with Jay( or with anyone else( to want to e)!lain about his

outofschool relationshi! with the headmaster.

&he term ended on the followin 1riday( by which time the snow had all melted and-ecember had returned to its usual rey( dam! nature. Luke's family came to take him home.

+n the followin mornin Luke was su!er%isin the twins' breakfast when the mornin's!ost landed on the front door mat. Luke went to collect it and deli%er the en%elo!es to his !arents(

who were en$oyin a !eaceful cu! of coffee in the li%in room. #e returned to the kitchen to find

that in his brief absence olly had taken it u!on herself to feed her own !orride to lsie( who

was not coo!eratin. ore !orride was makin its way into her blonde curls than into hermouth. Luke lauhed at the mess they were makin and carefully mo%ed olly's chair to a safe

distance from lsie's before wi!in lsie's hair and face clean with a dam! dish cloth.

+nce he had manaed to et a sufficient *uantity of food inside his sisters( Luke cleared

u! their breakfast thins and took the irls to $oin his !arents in the li%in room. A small !ile ofo!ened mail lay on the coffee table in front of them and Luke immediately reconised the coat of

arms of #awley Lode on the to!most !iece of corres!ondence. #is !arents were readin throuha small booklet which bore the same emblem. #is school re!ort.

Luke thouht of the snowball fiht and of the incident with :ed 9elly's wanted !oster and

his stomach clenched uncomfortably around his own share of the breakfast !orride. #e scannedhis !arents' faces an)iously( antici!atin a re!eat of the row that had eru!ted o%er the last school

re!ort they'd recei%ed.

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After the :ew /ear( :ed came round to the house to see if Luke was interested in oin

for a hike. #a%in s!ent three weeks inside the house with his small sisters' sea of !ink !lastic(and ha%in done his best not to !ro%oke his father in any way( Luke was lad to et outside and

o for a walk with his neihbour. #e thouht thins miht feel a bit awkward( but it was almost

as thouh the inter%enin weeks at school were !art of other !eo!le's li%es. &hey seemed to !icku! the relationshi! they'd had in the summer as if they hadn't seen each other since then and

neither of them talked directly about anythin that had ha!!ened at #awley Lode( althouh they

did discuss the orienteerin com!etitions in which Luke had been takin !art.&erm was oin to start on a &uesday8 :ed dro%e Luke back to #awley Lode the day

before. As they ot near to their destination( the thouhts of both neihbours returned to school

matters.

" understand you worked out who :ed 9elly was(" commented :ed( recallin his halfterm con%ersation with the housemasters.

"-id you see the !oster?" Luke asked.

":o( but heard about it(" re!lied :ed. " don't think r ,ilmot was too im!ressed."

Luke lauhed. ":o( he wasn't. should ha%e told him it was all your fault for suestin look him u!."

:ed !arked in the area reser%ed for staff cars on the eastern side of the school. As Lukeot his rucksack out of the car's boot( he became conscious that he was bein watched. #e looked

u! to see the Kikin orienteer( Ben$amin ,harton( on the ste!s leadin u! to the door on the east

wall of the school( carryin a ba and lookin curiously o%er at Luke and :ed. #is heart sank.,hat would ,harton make of this situation?

"&hanks for the lift" he said to :ed( before shoulderin his back!ack and headin

towards the school. ,harton had one inside before Luke reached the entrance( but he was

waitin for him as Luke went throuh the door."-oesn't 9elly trust you to et here by yourself( Brownnose?"

Luke inored him and went to climb the staircase u! to the ne)t floor.

"+r is it that your !arents can't afford a car and so one of the staff has to come and !ickyou u!?" ,harton continued( doin Luke's footste!s.

Luke said nothin( refusin to rise to his $ibes.

"o that's how you ot onto the orienteerin team( was it? /ou're best buddies with9elly?"

&hey'd almost reached the firstfloor landin and were about to round the corner to the

ne)t staircase. &his last comment needled Luke into makin a res!onse.

"7iss off( ,harton(" he said( $ust as r ,ilmot came down the stairs in the o!!ositedirection. #e sto!!ed them both.

"&hat sort of lanuae is unacce!table( Brownlow. A!oloise to ,harton."

Luke rearded the smu smile on ,harton's face and had reat difficulty in formin thewords of the a!oloy. "'m sorry swore at you."

":e)t time( Brownlow( it will be a detention(" said r ,ilmot. "9ee! a ci%il tonue in

your head.""/es( sir(" Luke re!lied( thinkin that the new term could hardly ha%e started in a worse

way. ,as r ,ilmot alwaysoin to be near him whene%er he did somethin wron? #e

continued u! to his dormitory( with ,harton's unwelcome !resence and mockin lauhter

accom!anyin him u! the stairwell.

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-es!ite this unfortunate beinnin to the term( it was ood to be back with Jay( &a$( 1red

and the other students. Luke soon ot back into the routines of school life. ,harton was the only

real nuisance8 their ri%alry in orienteerin seemed to be s!illin o%er into daytoday life morereularly. n orienteerin com!etitions they were wellmatched and their determination to out

!erform each other was !ro%in beneficial for the school team( as their fitness and their s!eed and

skill im!ro%ed.

At a com!etition shortly before the aster break( Luke found himself at the start line with

,harton. om!etitors set off at timed inter%als and the !erson due to start before ,harton was atall( slim( darkhaired irl of about their ae who was from one of the other schools. ,harton

a!!raised the irl's fiure with an e)!ression of distaste on his face. "5od( they could ha%e i%en

me someone worth chasin. he's ot no arse and !robably no tits either."

&he back of the irl's neck flushed red."hut u!( ,harton(" said Luke( embarrassed on the irl's behalf.

he set off and soon afterwards( ,harton( and then Luke( made their starts.

Luke was makin ood !roress around the course when he heard a whistle blowin. All

the runners carried whistles( which were only su!!osed to be used in emerencies. Luke carriedon runnin( as the noise was in front of him. n a minute or two( he was %ery close to the

whistlin( which was comin from somewhere $ust to the riht of the forest !ath he'd beenfollowin. &here was a stee! slo!e on that side8 Luke sto!!ed and scanned the area to see who

was soundin the alarm( and why.

&he tall irl who had been at the start line in front of ,harton was sittin a short wayfrom the !ath( her hands wra!!ed around her left ankle and her whistle in her mouth.

"Are you alriht?" Luke asked( althouh it was fairly ob%ious she was not.

&he irl remo%ed her whistle and said( throuh clenched teeth( "!rained ankle."

t was one of the main rules of orienteerin that com!etitors should always sto! and hel!anyone who had been in$ured. Luke went down to the irl and offered her his hand. "ome on(

let's et you back to the !ath and et some hel!."

#e !ulled her u!riht and she !ut her arm across his shoulders( leanin her weiht ontohim as she ho!!ed on her riht foot. Like this( they made their way back to the !ath. Luke

checked his ma! and saw that they were not far from the finishin !oint( althouh there was still

more than half of the course to com!lete."Look(" he said( showin the irl the ma!( "we'%e only ot about four hundred metres to

the finish. -o you think you can make that distance( walkin like this?"

&he irl nodded and they started back down the hill Luke had $ust climbed. &he ne)t

com!etitor was comin towards them. #e was a year ele%en boy from #awley Lode calledonnor Deid( who was in the :ormans' house. #e sto!!ed when he saw Luke and the irl.

"-o you need any hel!?" he asked.

":o( it's +9( think we'll be fine like this(" said Luke. "/ou carry on.""At least you two sto!!ed(" obser%ed the irl. "&hat horrible boy who started in front of

you $ust looked at me and lauhed and then ran on without askin if he could hel!"

&his was a serious breach of orienteerin rules and Luke lanced at onnor( who wasfrownin.

"t was ,harton( wasn't it?" asked onnor.

Luke nodded( but said nothin. #e would lea%e it u! to onnor to decide whether to

re!ort ,harton's failure to sto!.

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"5ood luck( Deid(" he said and he and the irl continued their lim!in $ourney to the

finish line( where she was whisked away by the e%ent oranisers to the first aid tent. Luke went

o%er to r 7ettit( the s!orts teacher and orienteerin club leader( to e)!lain why he had failed tofinish the course.

,harton a!!eared twenty minutes later( crowin about his e)cellent time. &hen he

noticed Luke and his $ubilation e%a!orated. "#ow did you et back before me( Brownlow? /oudidn't !ass me on the course. -id you cheat?"

Luke said nothin( but a%e ,harton a look of contem!t. Deid came throuh the finishin

line a few minutes afterwards and then went straiht to talk with r 7ettit. After a shortconsultation( r 7ettit came across to ,harton and Luke.

" understand you both came across an in$ured com!etitor today?"

Luke nodded( but ,harton attem!ted to bra;en it out. ":o sir( didn't see anyone"

"ome with me( ,harton(" said r 7ettit( and he walked o%er to the first aid tent to%erify the in$ured irl's story.

onnor Deid came u! to Luke. "&he little s*uit will et dis*ualified for that(" he said.

",ith any luck 7ettit will kick him off the team as well."

Deid's !redictions !ro%ed to be correct. r 7ettit was horrified that a member of hisschool team had inored one of the fundamental rules of the s!ort. %eryone in the minibus was

sub$ected to a lon lecture on the sub$ect on their way back to the school( in which ,harton'sconduct was com!ared unfa%ourably with Luke's( much to Luke's discomfort.

Luke ho!ed that with ,harton off the orienteerin team( the enmity between them wouldcome to an end. &his was not the case. f anythin( Luke's in%ol%ement in his dismissal made

,harton e%en more determined to et his re%ene on his ri%al. &he traditional( healthy school

com!etition between the Doman and Kikin houses seemed to be !ersonified this year and

focused on these two indi%iduals. &he situation was further com!licated by the fact that the otherDoman year nines were still wantin to et re%ene for the raid on their dormitory which had

taken !lace at the beinnin of the school year. Luke continued to be reluctant to take any action(

ha%in manaed to a%oid ettin into any trouble in the s!rin term.Luke had an un!leasant sense of forebodin that the situation with ,harton was not oin

to be resol%ed without !hysically fihtin him( but knew any such conflict would be bound to

land him in trouble with r ,ilmot and !robably with :ed( too8 a situation he was an)ious toa%oid if !ossible. #e ho!ed the aster break would i%e ,harton time to cool off( or !erha!s to

find a new taret on which to %ent his frustrations. And for a while all seemed !eaceful on their

return to school for the summer term( until the uns!oken truce was broken aain in early June.

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Chapter Seven

+n the first onday in June( as Luke and the other year nine Domans went down the

stairs to breakfast( they found an altercation oin on in the entrance hall. A short man with a

neatly cli!!ed moustache was aruin with rs Lloyd( the school's administrator. #e seemed tobe holdin a white %est in his hands( of the ty!e the students wore for runnin. As the boys ot

closer( Luke noticed that the sinlet had a reen stri!e across the front of it8 the mark of theDomans' house.

"0hoh(" muttered Luke to the others( beinnin to ha%e a bad feelin about the scene that

was !layin out in front of them.

Just then( :ed 9elly a!!eared from the direction of the hall and went o%er to reet theman and attem!t to !lacate him. Luke and the others reached the bottom of the stairs and started

walkin towards the hall.

",ho's that man?" Luke asked."+ld 7ritchard(" Jay e)!lained. "#e's the owner of that country club across the road. A

riht little #itler( '%e heard.""-id you see what he was holdin?" asked &a$. " ho!e this isn't oin to ha%e anythin to

do with us."

Luke found himself lookin towards the entrance hall( his a;e irresistibly drawn to the

source of the disturbance. #e saw that :ed was now holdin the s!orts %est and readin the namesewn into it. ,ith a horrible sense of forebodin( somehow knowin e)actly what was about to

ha!!en( he watched :ed look u! and stare straiht back at him. &he headmaster raised his hand

and beckoned Luke o%er.

"+h( shit(" Luke said( under his breath. " knew it was oin to be mine. ee you lateruys." #e left his colleaues and walked towards the irate little man and the headmaster( tryin to

arrane his face into an innocent e)!ression( but feelin sure he was bein com!letely

unsuccessful( e%en thouh he knewhe hadn't done anythin wron."7erha!s you'd like to come u! to my office( r 7ritchard(" :ed was sayin( as Luke

came u! to them. Luke followed the two men u! the ornate wooden staircase( conscious of the

curious looks of the students !assin throuh the entrance hall. &he headmaster said nothinmore until the three of them had climbed the stairs and were inside his office. &here( he turned to

Luke( handin him the incriminatin %est to!.

"-o you ha%e any e)!lanation for the fact that your s!orts shirt was found on the statue

outside the front of r 7ritchard's hotel this mornin?"",hat?" said Luke( lookin down and reisterin that the to! was indeed his. ":o +f

course not. '%e ne%er been in the !lace." #e looked u! at :ed( sincerely ho!in he would be

belie%ed. ",hy would do somethin so stu!id as !ut my own shirt on a statue?"

"t's a #enry oore" r 7ritchard inter$ected. Luke stared at him( confused."'m sure that it is a %ery %aluable statue indeed( r 7ritchard(" soothed :ed( "and am

%ery sorry that one or more of my students has clearly tres!assed u!on your land in order totem!orarily s!oil its a!!earance. assure you that will do my best to disco%er who !ut it there

and take a!!ro!riate action."

Luke rela)ed( relie%ed that :ed( at least( didn't seem to think it likely that Luke wasin%ol%ed. r 7ritchard( howe%er( was less con%inced.

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"t could be a double bluff" he shouted trium!hantly( shakin his !ointed inde) finer

under Luke's nose. "#e !ut his own shirt there( relyin on the fact that noone would belie%e

anyone could be stu!id enouh to incriminate themsel%es":ed and Luke stared at the man( who seemed to be almost unhined.

" really didn't( r 7ritchard(" Luke told him( earnestly( "and 'm %ery sorry it ended u!

there." #e turned to :ed for hel!. :ed $erked his head towards the door and Luke ratefully tookthe cue( lea%in :ed to mollify the indinant r 7ritchard.

Back in the hall( Luke rabbed a bowlful of cereal and sat down ne)t to the other Doman

year nines( who had almost finished eatin. Luke u!dated them on the situation( while scanninthe faces of the other students( tryin to detect the real !er!etrator.

"Look and see if anyone is !ayin us !articular attention(" he told the others.

"#alf the school saw you towed off to 9elly's office(" ob$ected &a$( "so of course you're

ettin attention. AlthouhI" he !aused( "don't all look round at once( but 'd say ,hartonmiht be your man."

Luke lanced o%er at the rou! of Kikin year nines who were ettin u! to lea%e on the

other side of the room. &hey did seem to be lookin *uite leeful about somethin. #e sihed. t

looked as thouh the situation with ,harton was escalatin aain.

&heir lessons were interru!ted later in the mornin by a %isit from the headmaster. &heclass rose to its feet and r 9elly s!oke briefly to r ,ilmot before motionin the boys to sit

down.

"As some of you may know(" he bean( "r 7ritchard( our neihbour and the owner ofthe country club( !aid us a %isit this mornin. #e was most distressed because a member of this

school had tres!assed u!on his !ro!erty and disfiured an e)!ensi%e statue there. am sure you

are all aware that the country club is strictly out of bounds to all !u!ils of this school. am

!articularly disa!!ointed that there seems to ha%e been a deliberate attem!t to im!licate one ofthis class in this act8 a !erson belie%e to be innocent of any in%ol%ement."

Luke felt hot under the collar at this %ote of confidence from :ed.

"f those res!onsible are willin to own u!( then they should come and see me or theirhousemaster by lunchtime today. +therwise this whole class will be sub$ect to an hour's detention

each e%enin for the rest of this week."

&he headmaster left and the class continued with their work in silence.

-urin the midmornin break there was a eneral outcry amonst the year nines at the

!ros!ect of a week's worth of detentions. &hose who were late to the story crowded round in the

corridor to find out what was oin on and to disco%er the identity of the innocent !arty r 9ellyhad mentioned. &he Domans e)!lained what they knew about the incident( while scrutinisin the

reactions of their classmates. t seemed ob%ious to all of them that the Kikins were actin

differently from the members of the other houses."5oin to own u! then( ,harton?" &a$ asked.

",hat are you talkin about( ,ormer?" sneered ,harton( makin fun of &a$'s occasional

difficulty distinuishin between >%' and >w' sounds. Jay( 1red and Luke closed ranks with &a$(the other year nines lookin on in interest.

",as it you( then ,harton?" en*uired 5uy Beeston( who was in a)on house.

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"As if 'd tell you lot( if it was(" ,harton retorted. " think Brownnose there knows more

about this than he's lettin on." #e !ointed at Luke. "&houht it would be cle%er to !ut his own

shirt on the statue( e)!ect( so noone would think it couldbe him. 9elly's little !et(" he s!at.1red( his courae fortified by the !resence of his three Doman com!anions( s!oke u! in

Luke's defence. "At least he had the uts to own u! after that snowball fiht. Looks like we can't

e)!ect the same from you. &hat e)!lains why the Kikins' shirts ha%e a yellow streak on them( su!!ose."

&he rest of the class lauhed at this remark and ,harton's face twisted in fury. #e luned

forward to rab at 1red. Luke( &a$ and Jay ste!!ed towards him to break u! the imminent and illmatched fiht. As they did so( r ,ilmot a!!eared on the scene( summoned from the nearby

staff room by some si)th sense that was unfailinly alert to the slihtest sin of trouble. ,harton

hastily ste!!ed back and tried to look innocent. r ,ilmot lanced sus!iciously from the four

Domans to ,harton.",hat's oin on here?"

Luke found himself wonderin if anyone e%er a%e an honest answer to this ty!e of

*uestion. And( as was traditional( on this occasion noone did. &he entire class stood in silence

around the small rou! of Domans and ,harton. 1ortunately( the situation seemed not to ha%edeteriorated far enouh to merit any !uniti%e action on r ,ilmot's !art. &he housemaster

merely said " suest you all o outside riht now( et some fresh air and cool off."&he class troo!ed off down the corridor and went out into the courtyard( which they had

to themsel%es as the mornin was windy and( certainly( cool. &he Domans huddled into a corner(

tryin to et some shelter from the bree;e."Luke" bean &a$.

" know" sna!!ed Luke. ",e'%e ot to do somethin about ,harton. 'm on it $ust let

me think about it for a bit."

&a$ didn't !ush the matter( but the lances he a%e both Jay and 1red told Luke that theothers had !re%iously been discussin the Domans' lack of res!onse to the Kikins' %arious acts

of aression between themsel%es. #e felt he was bein forced into corners whiche%er way he

looked.By lunchtime Luke found he had the erm of an idea about how to et some re%ene on

the Kikins. As they made their way to the hall for lunch he told the others that he thouht he had

a !lan.",hat?" they asked.

"t needs a bit of thouht(" Luke told them. ",e'%e ot crosscountry this afternoon let's

talk about it while we're runnin."

1red sihed hea%ily. #e hated crosscountry runnin.

1red's runnin was ne%er %ery fast and on the run that day he seemed e%en slower than

usual and the Domans radually fell behind the other year nines. By the last half mile their runhad become a walk and &a$ turned to Luke with a *uestionin e)!ression on his face. t was time

for Luke to e)!lain his !lan.

",ell( don't know if this idea's any ood( but wondered if we could !lant someciarette butts in the Kikins' dormitory rubbish bin. /ou know what old a ould's like( the

way she oes throuh the bins. he'd be bound to tell r &homas about what she'd found and

then the Kikins would ha%e a lot of e)!lainin to do."

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mokin was one of the more serious breaches of disci!line in the school. Luke's friends

from his !re%ious school had fairly reularly ot hold of a !acket of ciarettes and smoked them

in their leisuretime meanderins around the town( but it wasn't somethin he'd done oftenenouh that it had become a habit. o far( he hadn't heard of anyone at #awley Lode bein

cauht smokin.

&he others considered this !lan.",ell think it's a reat idea(" said Jay( "but where are we oin to et them from?"

"Just !ick some u! on the roadside?" suested 1red.

":o( we need them to look as thouh they'%e been freshly smoked(" &a$ ob$ected. "And itwould look weird if they were all different brands."

"&here's the !ub in the %illae(" Jay !ointed out( "but we won't be able to et there until

aturday( and e%en then( it would be difficult to collect any without bein noticed by any of the

others.""aybe we could et some from the country club instead(" Luke said.

"/ou must be $okin(" Jay told him( "after what ha!!ened today? f we et cauht in there

we'll be in dee! shit( es!ecially you( Luke. -on't e%en think"

#e sto!!ed then( realisin that their con%ersation was bein o%erheard by a irl who wasstandin ne)t to the wall near them.

Luke looked o%er at the irl as Jay sto!!ed talkin and wondered whether she miht bethe answer to their !roblem. ")cuse me(" he said( "but do you li%e around here?"

"r( yes( do. o what?" re!lied the irl. t didn't seem a !romisin start( but Luke

!erse%ered( lookin round at the other Domans for su!!ort. ",hat if we ask her to do it?""-o what?" demanded the irl( beinnin to sound thorouhly sus!icious.

&a$ mo%ed into fullon charm mode and smiled reassurinly at her.

",e are tryin to e)act re%ene for a cruel trick that was !layed u!on my friend here by

some of our colleaues."",ere they the ones with the yellow bands?" the irl asked( une)!ectedly.

",hy( yes(" said &a$( sur!rised at the *uestion. #e *uickly reco%ered( thouh. "And can

see they ha%e caused offence to you in some way( too. ,e ha%e come u! with a !lan to et backat them( but we are in need of some materials which are hard for us to obtain( but which miht be

easy for you to find."

&he irl stared at him warily. "/ou're not talkin about drus are you?"All four boys hastened to assure her that no( they were not talkin about drus. Luke

e)!lained that what they wanted were some ciarette butts from the ashtrays of the !ub in the

%illae. &he irl !ulled a face.

",hat's in it for me?" she demanded. &he boys looked at one another.",hat do you need?" asked &a$( !ramatically.

"Books(" she declared.

All four boys burst out in derisi%e unisonE "1ooks+""/es( books(" she re!lied( defiantly. "/ou'%e ot a library in that school of yours( ha%en't

you? ,ell 'd like to borrow some books to read. 'm here on holiday and 'm bored. 'll ather u!

somefreshlysmokedciarette butts for you( if you brin me some books."")cuse us for a moment(" said &a$( and the Domans formed into a small huddle to

discuss the situation.

",hat d'you think?" asked Jay.

"eems like a ood !lan to me(" 1red said.

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"'ll be doin a trainin run on ,ednesday for orienteerin(" Luke told them( " could

brin some books for her then."

"+9(" &a$ areed( "so you'd better talk to her about meetin u!."&hey broke u! and went back to the irl( whose mouth was twisted into a sarcastic smile.

"'%e ot a trainin run on ,ednesday afternoon(" Luke said. " could brin you some

books at around three.""+9(" re!lied the irl( "'ll meet you here at three with the ciarette butts. And don't brin

me any rubbishy books some decent stuff !lease."

",here are you stayin?" Luke asked."At the country club(" the irl said. "But that's out of bounds for you( isn't it? o 'll meet

you here."

,ith that( they !arted and the boys ran the last few hundred metres back to the school(

where they were all thorouhly shouted at by their s!orts teacher( r 7ettit( for bein more thanten minutes behind e%eryone else in their class. Luke ot the brunt of it( as his ood !erformance

in the orienteerin runs meant r 7ettit had hih e)!ectations of him. #e was told he'd be off the

school team if he didn't !erform better in the future.

"orry( Luke(" muttered 1red as they ot chaned.

-urin the afternoon break( Luke went to the school's library and asked the librarian forsome ood books. f the man was sur!rised at this sudden enthusiasm for readin( he did not

show it( findin Luke four %olumes that seemed to meet his needs. After school the year nines

re!orted to the school hall for the first of their week's worth of detentions. A number of blacklooks were directed from the rest of the class at ,harton( who inored them all.

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PART II: The Runaway

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Chapter Eight

" can't co!e with him any more( helley(" said 7aan Dandall( buryin her face in one of

the s*uishy cushions on helley's bed. "'%e ot to et out of there before o nuts."

",hy don't you tell your um what he's like around you? bet s

the roman and the runaway

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