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‘Co now,’ Mrs Ali says, so I follow her back to the Unit Asthe path, I can’t stop the ies that appear in my mind: a bus stuck in London traffic, explosions, flaainst s; a final explosion Then, silence
A stone memorial, thorny roses, and all those names
Mrs Ali leaves me in a chair outside an office ‘Wait until she calls you,’ she says, and disappears down a hall
The door says ‘Dr Winston, Educational Psychologist’ Soon it opens; another student comes out
A woman’s voice calls from inside ‘Next!’
Does she mean ain, louder, and I get out of h the door
‘Hello, is that Kyla Davis? Don’t be shy, coht red lipstick painted on in a turned up crescent She has so ht crack
‘You’ve got your school ID done, I see: good See that, by the door: you put your card along it when you come in It says who you are’
I turn back: there is a card sized slot set in a small boxlike machine attached to the wall by the door
I look uncertainly at my ID, take it in one hand and look back at her
‘You don’t have to take it out of the holder, just hold it, face down, on the slot’ I do so and it beeps
‘Good girl, now have a seat You do that in and out of every class at our school; also at the Unit from now on So ays knohere everyone is’ She beae of a seat in front of her desk
‘Now listen up, and I’ll just explain the rest of your day’ And she tellstests all afternoon, to see where I ao to in with, or soned classes to
‘Any questions?’ she says but she is already folding her computer shut
‘Well yes, one’
‘Oh?’ She pauses, surprised
‘Can I take art? I can draw really well My nurse said that I should be able to, and…’
My words trail off Her eyes are looking impatiently at the clock She is not interested
‘Tell you what: how about I put a note on your file’ She sain, and taps at the screen ‘There: "Kyla expresses an interest in art" All right? Now scoot off to lunch downstairs, there’s a good girl’
I stand, and head for the door
‘Wait’
I pause in the doorway
‘You have to scan out, of course! Or the computer will think you are still here’
Oh I hold the card in the slot; it beeps
Downstairs I find the room I had lunch in yesterday, and this time notice the card scanner by the door I scan in; it beeps
As promised, the afternoon is filled with hours of tests All on a computer, multiple choice Mrs Ali stays, and watches as I endlessly press A, B, C or D The questions are lish, basic history, geography, biology
When I’m finally done my eyes are tired and shoulders stiff, but I think I did all right They’ll tell me tomorrow, Mrs Ali says, and then sees et on the bus with Ben, having persuaded A down the aisle after him, now that my mind is free from all those tests, it is back to thea whole bus load of students A bus like this
I catch the movement too late
My foot catches on the other that flicks out in front and I trip, and sprawl forwards I try to reach my hands out to stopmy arms backwards My face sround
Laughter rings out
I get to ers coirl who blocked the empty seat yesterday, so I couldn’t sit next to her
‘Enjoy your trip?’ She smiles
My muscles tense, and I step towards her The smile falls off her face Her eyes widen
‘Kyla? Kyla!’ Ben takes my arm, yanks me around Pushes me in front of hiets out of his seat, and starts down the aisle
‘Everything all right?’ he says
No one answers He doesn’t see oes back to his seat, and soon the bus pulls away frouides me into a seat
‘You have to watch your step, Kyla,’ he says, but his face is unreadable His eyes show concern, not outrage, yet he must know she tripped me That this was no accident
He finds a tissue in his pocket and holds it out I press it against h not much of it
I’ve had worse
Have I?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
‘I’ht’ Mum dabs at my lip with antiseptic ‘What happened?’
‘I tripped over, on the bus And banged my face on a seat’
I don’t hter that follohen I hauled irl in the face And she knew it, too: a look of uncertain fear crossed her eyes before Ben pulled ?’
And I don’t knohat to say I know Jazz being her boyfriend is a secret; is A in his car also a secret? And Mum isn’t even meant to be hoon radar