Page 33 (2/2)

No ht Amy comes to my room for a chat I knew she would

‘Look, Kyla I’ve been thinking Maybe Muht’

‘About what?’

‘About you, and Ben I’, and that is why he nearly blacked out Whatever it was, if he can’t handle it – if you can’t – then maybe it is too soon I don’t think you should see him any more At least, not for a while’

‘It’s not that!’ I protest

‘Then what is it?’

I don’t want to lie to her, so what can I say? ‘It’s not that,’ I repeat

‘Well We’re not going to help you see Ben any more So whatever you do or don’t do, that is up to you Goodnight,’ she says, and goes back to her room

Sebastian jumps up ‘Looks like it’s just you and me, cat,’ I say, and he flops down and purrs, evidently happy with his lot

No h I can’t deny A is faulty Ben would be better off without me

Ben will be better off withoutout of his life before I do any et to biology before Ben, and consider changing seats, to sit with someone else But Hatten is still there as our substitute teacher: I don’t want to get any closer to him So the usual back roith Ben it is

‘I need to talk to you at lunch,’ Ben whispers when he arrives

‘Can’t’

His eyebrows rise ‘Why not?’

‘Busy’

‘You want to hear this And there is so I need to tell you, about Miss Fern Meet you by the library, all right?’

‘But--’

‘Quiet everyone,’ Hatten says ‘Hope you all had as good a weekend as I did’ He grins in a way that suggests he spent it up to no good, and a few of the girls giggle He leans against the front bench Tight black trousers, a dark shirt, unbuttoned more than most teachers It drapes on his body Is it silk?

Ben needlesat him,’ he says I juirl in the class – a few of the guys, as well – seem transfixed by our replacement teacher Me, I’m just nervous

‘Today, class, ill carry on with our study of the brain,’ he says, and I’h our worksheets from last time: corrects errors Puts up endless slides of brain scans and drawings, and the class passes,happens at all until he winks at irls see hiests I’ll pay for that, later

Curiosity won’t let me stay away Ben waits, outside the library

‘Well, what is it?’

Ben looks at o for a walk’

I follow hirounds We look both ways and duck out the gate to Cuttle Brook Woods Where Phoebe drew her robin: it seeo, but it isn’t, really Not quite three weeks We walk in silence along the main path, then branch off into denser woods on a faint trail Still Ben does not speak Whatever he wants to say has deserted him His face is dark and unreadable

‘What about Miss Fern?’ I proht; her first I told you my dad is a primary school teacher? Another teacher he works ent to college with Ferny – that’s what they called her – and they went to visit her in hospital yesterday afternoon’

‘Is she all right?’

‘She will be Multiple fractures: she’s trussed up in so’

‘Was it a car accident like they said?’

‘It happened in a car But it was no accident She says soasp ‘Was it Lorders?’ I whisper

He shakes his head ‘No They’re investigating it’

‘But if it’s not thes ‘I’ve no idea I just thought you’d like to know’

‘Is that it? Because I need to get back, and--’

‘Kyla, listen I pro to you first, so here I a is wrong

‘This,’ he says He pulls up his sleeve, exposing his Levo A bright circlet of h? He doesn’t look that happy He reaches with his other hand and savagely twists his Levo His face contorts with pain

‘Stop it! What are you doing?’

‘Look,’ he says and holds his Levo in front ofit like that should have made his levels plummet

‘I don’t understand How did you do that?’

‘I’ve taken another one of Aiden’s pills, and no matter what I do, s: they stay up’

‘So?’

‘Don’t you see? The link between Levo and brain is blocked by the pills It can be re out, without any effects’ Ben’s face is shining, his eyes bright and over-excited Like sos

‘You don’t know that,’ I say, but ht? The Levo reads eically implanted in the brain Too low and this activates a cascade that briefly interrupts blood flow to the brain, giving a blackout; lower still, the interruption is per seizures, and death Yet, if levels are unaffected?