Free The Escapist by Madoc Fox Page A

children rapidly drew back to provide more room for the entertainment.  It was messy; the type of fight that came from high tempers and dirty tactics, though fortunately it was short lived.  The crowd dispersed in an instant when a matron named McKay came storming down the corridor.  She was a large woman in her late fifties, with arms as thick and hard as tree trunks and she had no compunction about manhandling unruly children.  Oscar, Piggy, Edmund and Gregg found themselves semi-entangled but otherwise deserted.  Their audience had fled.  Matron McKay stepped forward and wrenched the boys apart, grumbling in her thick accent as she dragged the boys back by their collars. 
    “Ye silly boys, weel ye n’ver learn?”  With one swift yank she pulled Piggy up and plonked him aside.  Piggy looked surprised to find himself in one piece, the worst of the damage being a few small bruises and shallow scratches. 
    “Right, well, what am I goona do wit yers?”  With his growing pessimism Oscar was expecting the full front of the matron’s anger to be directed solely towards himself – perhaps a bit spilling onto Piggy – and was lost for words when all of them received a telling off.  However his initial suspicions were soon justified when only he and Piggy were sent to bed without dinner.
    “Thanks, George” Oscar told Piggy as they made their way slowly back to the dorm. “You really came through for me”.
    Piggy beamed.  No one called him by his first name anymore and whilst he didn’t mind Piggy so much, the gesture was clearly appreciated. 
    “That’s alright mate, can’t let you fight this one alone.  Though I’m glad you jumped in when you did.” The chubby boy reflected. “I think he would have beaten me to a pulp!”
    “We just need to get you in shape for the next fight…Piggy!” Oscar joked.  Hungry and tired he couldn’t help but smile as he spoke, and though it hurt the cut on his cheek to do so, he didn’t mind at all.
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    Over the coming days both Oscar and Piggy found themselves becoming more alienated.  In the dining hall they were often sidelined, forced to the edges of any table that would take them.  Communication was limited, even with those who had formerly been allies.  The protest outside the workshop had acted as a useful demonstration against Edmund and indeed both Oscar and Piggy suspected that many of the children perhaps were not as united with Edmund as they had first thought.  Yet few were inclined to show any outward signs of dissent and many wanted nothing to do with Oscar or Piggy thanks to the trouble they now equally associated with them – not just with Edmund and his gang.
    Unease hung everywhere like a thick blanket of fog and many of the children who had become accustomed to the former monotony of their days now had to contend with the fiercely aggressive backlash from Edmund and his gang.   The humiliation he had suffered in front of the majority of children had only fuelled his desire for dominance.  Clearly Edmund had seen how slight his hold over the other children really was and was seeking to reinforce his authority.  Since the fight and the consolidation of Edmund’s gang it was almost seemed as though the act of tormenting other children was a badge to wear, a membership of an invulnerable group that existed outside the matrons’ radar.
    Within days Edmund had recruited a gang of around ten older boys who seemed to actively enjoy their new posts, harassing any children bold enough to stare them in the eye.  Seeing the ease with which the children accepted this new authority Oscar began to understand why he was not believed in the first place.  The defences of the children were weak. Well used to being trod on, they accepted every new blow with resignation, working to adapt and tolerate the new conditions as quickly as possible.  Without any strong belief in themselves to anchor their views and believe in their own