Free Burning Bright by Sophie McKenzie Page B

River?’ she said.
    ‘Not much,’ I smiled weakly. I couldn’t stop thinking about Flynn. Where had he gone? What was he doing? How could I make him understand why I’d had to keep my promise
not to tell him about Siobhan and Gary?
    Caitlin skipped past us in her long white dress, a sparkling tiara in her hands.
    ‘She looks like she’s getting married,’ I said.
    ‘Well, in a way she is.’ Flynn’s mum squeezed my arm. ‘This is the moment where she commits herself to being a Catholic. To becoming part of the body of Christ.
It’s like a marriage, but to God.’
    ‘Oh.’ I didn’t understand and I didn’t know what to say.
    ‘Taking Communion.’ Flynn’s mum smiled. ‘Coming together. Sharing in God’s love. Knowing that you’re not on your own.’
    We walked out onto Holloway Road. Flynn was leaning against the nearest lamp post, his arms folded. He stared grimly at us. At me. My eyes filled with tears again. All I wanted was for him to
come over, to put his arms round me.
    ‘Did Flynn do it?’ I asked. ‘Take Communion?’
    ‘Oh yes,’ his mum said softly. ‘And it’s still there, inside him, no matter what he thinks now.’
    She turned away to answer some question of Caitlin’s. I watched as Gary strolled over to Flynn. Siobhan fluttered about behind him, nervously twisting her scarf round her hand. Gary said
something I couldn’t hear. Flynn nodded, sullenly, then went up to Siobhan. They talked briefly. Siobhan pointed to me.
    And then he was striding over. Right next to me. It was like the first time he ever spoke to me. His presence was overpowering. He shoved his hands in his pockets.
    ‘Still here, then?’ His eyes were fierce. Hurt.
    I stared at him, feeling guilty. Should I have told him about Gary before? No. Siobhan had already told him she’d made me swear not to say anything. What did he expect me to do? Break a
promise? My guilt morphed into resentment. It wasn’t fair of him to make such a massive deal out of it.
    Flynn’s eyes softened. ‘I’m sorry I got angry,’ he said quietly. ‘I was just worried about Siobhan.’
    I nodded. Flynn reached for my hand. ‘Like you said,’ he muttered. ‘Today is about Cait. Right?’
    I nodded again and we walked on, to the church. I still felt troubled. Okay, so Flynn had apologised, but his whole body radiated repressed fury. He said very little as we strolled along, though
he didn’t let go of my hand. I couldn’t work out exactly what was wrong. It was obvious he’d said sorry to Gary and to his sister, just as he had to me. But he was still tense,
still angry, still full of his dark mood.
    I walked with him into the church. It was small, with a table set with candles at the far end – that was the altar – and rows of seats on either side of a central aisle. Hardly
anyone was sitting down yet, but the church was full of people milling around and chatting to each other. Flynn’s mum made the sign of the cross over her chest, bowed to the altar, then
disappeared somewhere with Caitlin. The rest of us walked up the side aisle. Siobhan pointed to a pew near the front. I was closest so I walked in, down to the central aisle. Flynn followed me,
with Siobhan and Gary after him.
    I glanced around the church. I’d hardly ever been inside one before. There was a statue of Mary in a blue dress holding baby Jesus at the front of the seats. Mary looked sad, I thought.
Why was that?
    After a few minutes some organ music started and everyone sat down. Flynn’s mum appeared and I shuffled up to let her into the seat closest to the central aisle.
    ‘There’s only a few from the area making their first Holy Communion today,’ she said distractedly. ‘Still at least Caitlin’s got a couple of friends with
her.’
    On my other side, Flynn was staring gloomily down at the floor between his feet. I craned my neck, wondering where Caitlin had gone. The church was almost full now, the last few people scuttling
to their