Free Secret Gardens by David Belbin Page A

is made of brick. It’s called a bothy . The roof is rusty metal. When it rains hard, the sound is like a hundred hammers.
    Dad looks at me like he knows what I’m thinking. But he doesn’t say anything. When it stops raining, we walk home. After he’s locked the gate, Dad gives me the allotment keys.
    “You look after these,” he says. “I have a hole in my pocket.”
    I can’t look at Dad, so I look across the road. I see the girl I saw yesterday. Today I watch her pick up a mop. She is younger than I thought. Too young to mop floors.

Chapter 3 - On the Run
    They come at five on Monday morning. I hear them hammer on the door. I knew it would be fast, but not this fast. No chance to say good-bye to people at school. I pull on jeans and shirt, trainers. Malik rubs his eyes. I kiss him on the top of his head.
    “I have to go, little brother. I will see you in the next life.”
    He gives me a blank look. I hope he remembers. Then I’m out of the window. I jump onto next door’s garage roof. I hear a shout. There’s a man at the back door. He sees me but can’t get to me. I climb down into next door’s back yard. There is an alleyway. I run along it. I cross the road. No one comes after me. I hid my bag in the bothy yesterday but I dare not go there yet. They’ll expect me to hide there. I need to be sure the place is safe.
    The streets are empty. I take back roads. I walk on the dark side of the footpath. There is no one about. If they’re looking for me, I’ll be easy to spot. A police car comes and I duck into a driveway, feeling like a thief. The car goes by.
    I get near the allotments but don’t dare cross the main road. It takes time to open the big gates. Someone might see me. I must wait until the road is busy.
    The big houses on this side have alleys that run along the side. I’ll try to hide in one. The first alley I try is blocked by wheelie bins. The second has a locked gate. But the third is OK.
    The gates to the allotments are across the road. I’ll be able to tell when it’s a good time. I go down the alley. I duck under the wall. The people in the house will not see me. Their bins are at the back of the alley. That’s OK. Monday is not a bin day. I should be safe. I look at my watch. Six. In two hours it will be safe to cross the road. I stay by the bins.
    I wait. It’s light but it’s still not warm. Time passes slowly. Rain begins to fall. Near me, I hear a door open. Should I run? Why would anyone come out so early in the morning? I stay where I am.
    Mistake. The side gate opens. A tall, slim, black girl stands by me. She has a bag of rubbish. Our eyes meet. It’s the girl I saw last week. With all the trouble, I forgot about her.
    “Why you here?” she says.

Chapter 4 - Hiding Place
    “You hide?”
    “Yes. From Immigration. You work here?”
    She gives me a sad nod. “I was sent.”
    “I ran away,” I say, and hold out my hand.
    “My name is Aazim.”
    She waits. Then she shakes my hand.
    “I’m Nadimah,” she says. “I must go back inside. Don’t let them see you.”
    “OK.” I watch her go. A minute later, she’s back. She hands me a big, black bin bag. To hide under. To keep off the rain.
    Slowly, the big road comes to life. More cars go by. People walk to work or wait for buses. I see the first person unlock the gates and go into the allotments. Soon I will risk it.
    The back door opens. It’s Nadimah.
    “They go out soon,” she tells me. “You must leave now.”
    “OK,” I say. She smiles at me and I smile back. For the first time, I see a burn mark on her arm. Then she’s gone. I walk out of the alley as if I am leaving my house. I walk down to the zebra crossing. I cross the busy road. No one looks at me. I go back up the hill. I feel like I have a target on my back. Any moment, someone will spot me. I get to the gates. There are two locks. Both are always stiff.
    I don’t look behind me. I open one lock. The second lock sticks. I try again. It works. I