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Aren’t we all?

Later Penny tells us to split into sned topic: to talk about our fains to move their chairs around into twos and threes, without discussion: they all knohere they belong I hesitate, unsure what to do, then jump as a warm hand rests on my shoulder: Ben He leans over

‘Join us?’ he says, s up into his eyes Close up there are ware to paint, to get the colours ht, and--

Aht,’ I say, and stand His hand drops from my shoulder, and he lifts my chair and puts it next to Tori, then pulls his to sit opposite us both

Tori’s eyes narrow She starts to say so but stops as Penny comes over to join us

Soon I learn that Ben’s dad is a teacher, his mum is an artist and works in the workshop at the Dairy; Tori’s dad is a councillor in London, and she stays with her mum in the country He’s just home some weekends and the way she says it, sounds like she thinks it is a good thing At seventeen they are both a year older thanto as soon as they let me

‘Where’d you really come from then?’ Tori demands as soon as Pennyalong

‘What do you mean?’

‘Where were you, before here’

‘At the hospital I just got out last Sunday’

‘I don’t believe you’

‘Tori,’ Ben interrupts ‘Play nice’

She smirks at him ‘There is no way she was just released, the way she talks You know it as well as I do We’ve both been out more than three years; you kno the new ones are’

‘I was in hospital longer than ?’

‘Nine months, or so they tell me’

‘Even so You’re different’

And I want to protest, argue My ain There is the proof Most Slateds would just s you said to the what is so obviously true?

I shrug ‘So what if I am?’

‘Ah ha!’ Tori says

Ben leans forward, searchesdifferent?’

Tori scowls, then Ben gives her a hug and the scowl goes

‘Want to meet up with us on Sunday?’ Ben looks atto the county show’

Tori looks both surprised and annoyed

‘I don’t know I’ll have to check if I’et the distinct i with Tori, I’ll need to keep well clear of Ben And somehow, I don’t think that’s what I want to do

Penny corners

‘Kyla, stay I want to talk to you alone’

She waits until the last one goes, then sits next to o I need to check your Levo’

She pulls out a handheld scanner, like the ones in hospital but ss it into her netbook She holds it over raphs flash across the netbook screen

‘Oh my God’

‘What?’

‘Look, Kyla See for yourself’ She touches the screen, selects a graph marked 15/09 A whole section of it, in the early hours of Tuesday , is in the red She touches the points and numbers appear on the screen

‘Kyla, you were 23 That is too close What happened?’

I stare back at her Just 03 away fro up at all My stoht I knew the para me with Happy Juice I still have the headache to prove it’

‘Your Levo isn’t affected by dreams, you know that It is when you wake up afterwards’

I shrug ‘I don’t re’

‘What was the dreahs

‘I just want to help you, Kyla You’re not due for your first hospital check until the weekend after next, but maybe we should move it up to this one’

‘No! I just need--’ how do I put this in nurse friendly words? ‘--I need distraction, to fillto school? Please’

She leans back, and looks in

‘It’s too soon You need to get used to things at ho, that it is being hoon – that worries me These last days in bed with her and Sebastian ood