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On my way home, I choose to tell Dad about what happened with Tyler, Nancy and Mrs Reed, figuring it’s better that he hear about it from me rather than someone else

To my surprise, Dad is already there when I arrive Hewith son of Mum

Dad often has people over to the flat As Mrs Reed noted, he’s heavily involved with local ration and keep Britain white He does a lot of canvassing for politicians, works hard behind the scenes, helps stir things up

I’ve always tried to stay out of that area of his life, but it’s getting harder Now that I’s I’ve been to a few rallies with him too, and once he took me to a house packed with Musli conversation with the , Dad shouting even louder I felt s on or ould happen next, standing in thewhat I should do if Dad never reappeared

But he did e behind hiht for -ever happens to any of them, I’ll coround"

Then Dad hugged er Dad laughed, clapped er I’d ever seen I felt bad about it afterwards but at the time I was on cloud nine

Part of rowing less sure of where the actor ends and the real runted at Nancy, that wasn’t part of an act That came from the soul

I should tell Dad I don’t share his views, that I’ up to hi to your father? He loves ry It would break his heart if I told hiht of him

Dad doesn’t like to be disturbed when he’s discussing the state of affairs with his friends and associates, so even though I’ht to my room But Dad must hear me because he calls out, "B? Is that you?"

"Yeah"

"Come here a minute"

He sounds more subdued than usual That tips ht be somebody important with him Dad’s loud and bullish most of the time, but quiet and submissive around people he respects

I head into the kitchen, expecting soer to a halt halfway through the door and stare uncertainly The guy with Dad is like nobody I’ve ever seen before

Thefrom a cup of coffee He sets it dohen he spots me and arches an eyebrow, amused by my reaction

He’s very tall, e potbelly It looks weird on such a slender fra beneath his striped jacket strain to hold it in He has a mop of white hair and pale skin Not albino pale, but daers

But it’s his eyes that prove so startling They’re by far the biggest I’ve ever seen, at least twice the size of mine Almost totally white, except for a dark, tiny pupil at the center of each As soon as I see him, I immediately think, Owl Man I almost say it out loud, but catch myself in tiuests

"So this is the infamous B Smith," the man chuckles He has a smooth, cultured voice He sounds like a radio presenter, but one of the old guys you hear on a Sunday afternoon on the station your gran listens to

"Yeah," Dad says He runs a hand overto hide it "Hoas school?"

"Fine," I aze away from Owl Man’s enormous, cartoonish eyes

"Some people think it’s rude to stare," Owl Man says n of honest curiosity"

"Sorry," I say, blushing at the polite rebuke

"No need to be," Owl Man laughs "The young should be curious, and open too You should have nothing to hide or apologize for at your tender age Leave that to decrepit old warhorses like your father and ly at Owl Man "Anything you’d like to ask?" he says meekly

"Not just nol Man purrs and waves a long, bony hand at ain"