Free Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman Page B

out with my elbows and my fists and my feet all at the same time, trying to make as many of my blows count before they could react. I had the element of surprise on my side, but not for long. Joanne and Lola each grabbed a flailing arm whilst Dionne straightened up to glare down at me. Dionne was the best fighter in her year and everyone knew it. But if she was expecting me to beg or cry, she’d have a long wait. She gave me a slow smile of satisfaction.
    ‘Blanker-lover . . . You’ve had this coming for a long time,’ she said softly.
    And then she let me have it.

THE TURNING

sixteen. Callum

    ‘Callum, wait.’
    It was the end of another lousy school day where the most obvious lesson I’d learnt was how much the Crosses despised and resented us. I tried to tell myself that only a few Crosses had bashed into me; it wasn’t all of them by any means, but that didn’t help much. I mean, it wasn’t exactly as if any of the other Crosses had tried to stop it either.
    ‘Callum, hold on. WAIT! ’
    I turned and watched Shania race towards me, her school bag slapping up and down against her side.
    ‘What’s the matter?’
    ‘Have you heard?’ Shania puffed.
    ‘Heard what?’
    ‘About Sephy?’
    ‘What about Sephy?’
    ‘She’s been beaten up,’ Shania said with relish. ‘She was found crying in the girls’ toilets, the ones next to the library.’
    My heart stopped. I swear it did. Just for a second, but it did stop. I stared at Shania. I couldn’t have said a word then if my life had depended on it.
    ‘Serve her right!’ Shania said with glee. ‘Coming overto our table and acting like the big “I am”.’
    ‘She didn’t. It wasn’t like that.’ Was that really my voice, so hollow and cold?
    ‘Of course it was. She wanted to lord it over us, a little kid like that sitting at our table. Well, we didn’t have to teach her a thing or two; her own kind did it for us.’
    I shook my head. ‘What’re you talking about?’
    ‘Just ’cause her dad’s in the government, that Sephy Hadley thought she’d play Lady Magnanimous and sit with us. I bet she went and scrubbed her hand after I shook it.’ Shania sniffed.
    ‘W-where is she now?’
    ‘They sent for her mum but no-one knew where she was so the chauffeur came to pick her up instead. Her mum was probably having her nails . . .’
    I didn’t bother to listen to any more. I walked away whilst Shania was in mid-sentence.
    ‘Hey, Callum. Wait for me. D’you fancy an ice-cream at the . .?’
    I started to run until my legs were moving so quickly, my feet scarcely touched the ground. I ran and ran and I didn’t stop until I was at the Hadley’s. I pressed on the bell and kept my finger on it for the fifteen or twenty seconds it took for someone to open the front door.
    ‘Yes?’ Sarah Pike, Mrs Hadley’s secretary, opened the door and glared at me with angry suspicion.
    ‘I want to see Sephy – please.’
    ‘I’m afraid the doctor said she’s not to be disturbed.’ Sarah tried to shut the door in my face. I stuck my foot in the door.
    ‘I want to see Sephy. Is she all right?’
    ‘She’s badly bruised and very upset. The doctor has advised that she be kept at home for the rest of the week.’
    ‘What happened? Why . .?’ I didn’t get any further.
    ‘Who is it, Sarah?’ At the sound of Mrs Hadley’s voice, Sarah almost broke my foot in her haste to shut the door. I pushed back and Sarah had to spring back to stop the door from walloping the side of her head. Mrs Hadley stopped on the stairs when she saw me. She recognized me at once.
    ‘You’re the McGregor boy, aren’t you?’
    ‘That’s right, Mrs Hadley.’ She didn’t have to say that. She knew who I was all right.
    ‘What can I do for you?’ Her voice dripped with frost.
    ‘I just heard what happened. I’d like to see Sephy, please.’
    ‘Don’t you think you’ve done enough.’ At my blank expression, Mrs Hadley went on, ‘I believe my daughter was beaten up