Free Dangerous Reality by Malorie Blackman Page B

her arm and linked up to all the monitors in her room, and somehow my conviction that Mum didn’t have an enemy in the world rang false and hollow. So what now? How did I go about finding out who had done this to Mum? By the time I’d cleaned my teeth and left the house, I still didn’t have the answer.
    I didn’t meet up with Liam on the way – which was kind of a surprise. I usually walked to school with him. I glanced down at my watch, then realized why I hadn’t seen him. I was late. Not a little late but
really
late. Liam had probably set off for school, thinking I’d already left. As I approached the school gates, I must admit I was relieved to see that Matt Vinyl wasn’t waiting for me. I’d missed everyone this morning. It was weird.
    I set off around the grounds, looking for Liam. Unfortunately, I found what, or should I say who, I wasn’t looking for. Matt and his cronies were deep in conversation against the far wall. Well, they could stay there as far as I was concerned. I immediately set off in the opposite direction. I decided to go to the library and wait for the bell to sound for registration and the first lesson . I’m not a coward, but I’m not stupid either. There was no point in hanging around just waiting for them to pick on me.
    But I’d left it too late.
    I heard my name and, turning round, I saw Matt and the others looking directly at me. I went hot all over and suddenly it was quite hard to breathe. I looked away and forced myself to walk at a slowish pace. I didn’t want them to think that I was hurrying to get away from them, like I was scared of them or something.
    ‘Dominic, stop!’
    I turned to see them all come charging in my direction. It was like watching a herd of rhinos or elephants stampeding towards you, or a tsunami rushing up to sweep you away. I ran. I couldn’t help it. Matt had a look of pure and utter hatred on his face and I knew I was in for a pounding. I had no idea why – and I didn’t want to wait and find out either. But my leg started hurting and I was only three quarters of the way to the school entrance before I was surrounded. The next moment I was practically swept off my feet and pushed against the nearest wall. And there they all stood – Matt, Robert, Terry, Alan and Lawrence (‘Don’t call me Larry!’).
    ‘I know it was you,’ Matt hissed at me.
    I frowned at him but didn’t speak.
    ‘It
was
you, wasn’t it?’
    ‘What’re you talking about?’
    My shoulder got thumped. ‘You threw that plant pot through my window, didn’t you?’ Spit flew out of Matt’s mouth and splashed my cheek. But I didn’t wipe it away. I was too busy staring at Matt, trying to figure out what he was saying.
What plant pot through his window?
    ‘That plant pot almost hit my sister. And you emptied our bin, didn’t you? I know it was you.’
    And all at once, it was crystal clear what he was talking about. I stared at him, astounded. For a brief second I wondered if I was dreaming, or maybe I was still running the VIMS simulation and all this was part of it. I wondered if I’d been swept somehow into a world of virtual reality (or was it virtual insanity!) – like Dorothy landing in Oz.
    ‘Come on. Admit it.’ Matt thumped me again.
    ‘Leave him alone. I was in Dominic’s house all evening. He didn’t go anywhere.’
    The mob parted slightly so that Matt could see who was speaking. Liam stood there. I tried to move away from the wall, but Robert pushed me back.
    ‘You can’t prove that,’ Matt retorted.
    ‘I don’t have to,’ Liam told him scornfully. ‘Who do you think you are? Scotland Yard? Dominic and I were playing with his computer all evening until his granddad came to pick him up and take him to the hospital. His mum had an accident.’
    ‘Don’t tell him that.’ I rounded on my friend. ‘It’s none of his business.’ I turned to Matt. ‘If someone chucked a plant pot through your window, then don’t look at me. I didn’t do