Page 19 (2/2)

‘No I don’t knohat youabout Phoebe, and wants me to tell her about it

But no matter what Phoebe said, I’ainst her when if it wasn’t for her, ouldn’t have Sebastian back? We wouldn’t even know if he was alive or dead

Mrs Ali stares back atI’ her She shakes her head ‘I’ht not know that you need my help, but you do I’m all that is between you, and…o to class’

And she turns, opens the door and marches out

My knees turn to jelly That was a threat, wasn’t it? What unpleasant possibilities?

And I stay in the office, pull the door to and try to drawon the clouds But , that I’ve done soet told off for being late to class I shake ether I take a deep breath and reach for the doorknob, but hear footsteps Clipped, precise footsteps I hesitate; ht is off, the hall is lit and there is ain the door I step back into the shadows and watch The footsteps get closer: two rey suits Lorders

They open the door to ht now

Is this an unpleasant possibility? Have they come to take me?

They disappear inside, and return moments later And between theet on the bus, there are whispers; whispers and pale faces Eyes walk up o down the aisle and sit with Ben, but when I turn to look around no oneThey know she was nasty toher out of class is my fault

Phoebe’s usual seat stays empty; she doesn’t come late The bus pulls away So they didn’t just talk to her, then let her go, did they?

I shiver

Ben takes ht?’ he says, and watchesaround the bus, fro on?’

I shakein?

I want to run tonight, I want to run now but am hemmed in on the bus, bodies all around I concentrate on Ben’s warm hand, close my eyes, wish ,’ he says ‘Maybe I can help’

I openbefore Group tonight?’ I ask He nods ‘Can I corins ‘Of course’

‘We can talk then’

And his hand tightens onserious, if I have to run to be able to talk about it

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

It takes soo, but Dad is still ho in hand, for a work trip

‘Please I need to run,’ I say, and he seeone by the time Ben knocks at the door

‘Are you sure about this, Kyla? It feels like rain,’ Mu the dark sky

‘I’ll be fine,’ I say ‘This is waterproof, isn’t it?’ And I tug at er fro me in this fluorescent vest she made me wear over the jacket

‘You will stick to main roads?’

Ben promises to look after me, and stares levelly back at Muo

We start out slow and speed up We’ve got an hour until Group, five o: easy

Ben looks atfor me to talk, but suddenly, I am unsure what to say

Fact: Phoebe was mean to me; fact: she was taken from school by Lorders, and wasn’t on the bus home But that is all I know, isn’t it?

I run flat out Ben keeps up, s don’t have to work as hard

‘We’ll be there early at this rate,’ he says ‘Slon?’

So we do; first to a light jog, then a walk

‘Is this about Phoebe?’ he asks

‘What do you know?’

‘I heard about it when I got off the bus this afternoon So pushed into a Lorder van thisBut it was all "he said – she said", none of theh she wasn’t on the bus home’

‘It’s true: I saw them Two Lorders went into the class, and aher ar’

‘Does anyone knohy?’

‘I was going to ask you that’

He hesitates ‘So Got her into trouble’

‘I didn’t! I wouldn’t’

‘I know that Especially after she got your cat back,’ he says, and I can see heto do with it, whether I‘Just stuff Phoebe said: that we are spies for the government, because of the chips in our brains’

‘That’s not true’

‘But what if it is, and we don’t know? Maybe I gave her aithout even knowing that I did Maybe soone Because she said stuff the government didn’t like’

Ben shakes his head ‘That can’t be true’

‘Why? How do you know?’