by Sharon Sant
No one spoke to him all morning. He sat in bed watching the comings and goings in silence, waiting for a guard to collect him, or someone medical to inspect him but there was nothing. The boy in the next bed was taken away mid-morning and Elijah didn’t see him again. Lunch arrived. It was some kind of soup. Elijah sniffed it and detected potato, though the watery mess in his bowl certainly didn’t resemble the thick, comforting goodness that Ishmael had served up. That seemed like such a long time ago now.
Thirty: Lives in Buff Folders
‘I’m telling you, it was Elijah!’ Xavier banged his screwdriver on the table. Francois glanced around the workshop in alarm.
‘Watch it, Xav. We’ll be in trouble again.’
Xavier picked up the half assembled circuit board and resumed work on it. ‘He’s bound to be in the hospital wing. We’ll have to get Sadie to take us tonight.’
‘I think your eyes were playing tricks. I think you wanted to see him so you did.’
‘Why would I want to see him so badly that my eyes would play tricks?’ Xavier frowned. ‘He’s a complete pain. I just want to know what’s happened to Rowan and Sky, that’s all.’
‘So, if it does turn out to be him, you’re not going to cook anything up with him to break out?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, you two are as bad as each other. You’re both little idiots.’
‘You’re a fine one to talk.’
‘I’m not the one who keeps getting landed in the cooler.’
‘I’ve only been in once.’ Xavier looked past his brother, scanning the room. ‘Can you see Sadie? I need to get a message to her.’
Francois looked up. ‘No… oh, hang on; she’s there, near the window with that young kid.’
Xavier slid from the bench and crouched behind a wall of workers as he made his way across the room. Francois watched him with an impatient grimace. His eyes flicked towards a group of guards in conversation, prods held menacingly at their sides; though there was nothing he would be able to do to warn Xavier if he saw their gaze turn in his direction. Xavier was on his own.
‘Psssst. Sadie.’ Xavier squatted beside her. Sadie grinned.
‘How nice to see you, Xavier,’ she whispered. ‘Rosa’s not here, she’s cleaning today.’
‘It’s you I need. Is your friend still in the hospital wing?’
‘Not any more. Why?’
Xavier chewed his lip. ‘Doesn’t matter.’
‘If you need me to get in, it’s not a problem. I’m up for a bit of excitement.’
‘I think our friend has been taken there. I saw him get prodded last night trying to escape.’
‘Ooooh,’ Sadie squeaked. ‘Who is he? Do I know him?’
‘No. I don’t think he’s been here long.’
‘Maybe he’s my mystery boy.’
Xavier smiled indulgently. ‘Maybe. Will you go and see?’
‘Of course. Who am I looking for?’ Sadie scratched absently at her head as she glanced up to check on the position of the guards. No one had noticed that she seemed to be talking to the floor.
‘Black curly hair. Skinny boy. His name’s Elijah, Elijah Thackeray.’
Sadie’s expression changed.
‘What’s wrong?’
Sadie turned to the girl next to her. ‘Verity, cover for me. I’ve got something to do.’ Before the girl could answer, or Xavier say anything more, Sadie had slipped away like a spirit and was out of the workshop.
The click of the door closing caused one of the guards to look up from his paperwork. Unfortunately, it was Xavier’s old enemy and he was only too pleased to see Xavier making his way back across the room with bended back, trying to keep as low as possible.
‘Oi, Posh Boy! Get back to your seat unless you want the cooler again.’
Xavier hurried back to Francois without argument, not wanting to push his luck.
‘Well done, gormless,’ Francois hissed. ‘Was it worth it?’
‘I don’t know,’ Xavier answered with a bemused expression. ‘Sadie went really weird when I told her who I was looking for. She’s gone there now; at least I think she has. She’s gone somewhere, anyway.’
Xavier watched the door for Sadie. He worked without really looking at what he was doing.
‘Where is she?’ he asked Francois for the fifth time.
Francois shrugged. ‘She’ll turn up. Probably gone for a wander, you know what she’s like. Gets where water can’t, that one. I don’t know how she doesn’t get caught.’
‘I have a feeling she knows something about Elijah.’
‘Never mind that. Get your head down. Trouble coming this way.’
When Xavier looked up again from his work, Sadie was back in her seat. She was clearly out of breath. Xavier watched her closely in order to catch her attention as soon as she looked his way. She was making no attempt to even pretend she was working; instead, she sat at the workbench staring into space, fiddling with her hair.
‘I’m going to go over,’ Xavier whispered to Francois as he moved from his seat.
‘Don’t be stupid.’ Francois put a hand on his arm to stop him. ‘You can see her later.’
‘Look at her face. I don’t think later will do. Something has happened.’
‘Xavier!’
Francois’ warning was wasted. Xavier was already making his way across the room, in the same way as before, until he was crouched down beside her.
‘Did you go? What did you find out?’
Sadie turned to him. ‘He’s been moved.’
‘There’s no need to get upset.’
‘I’m not upset.’
‘You look it.’
‘What if he’s gone to that shed?’
‘Of course he hasn’t.’
‘Where is he then?’
‘He’ll be somewhere; probably moved into a van or something.’
Sadie suddenly grabbed Xavier by the arm. ‘You have to find out where he is, Xavier, you just have to. Please, go to the office and find out for me.’
‘What can I do? It’s not like I can go in and ask.’
‘Like you did before, sneak in and check the files.’
‘I promised Rosa I wouldn’t go back.’
‘She’s not here. We can go now and she won’t know.’
‘Don’t be silly.’
‘Please, Xavier.’
‘Why are you so bothered?’
‘I’m not. I just want to know where he is.’
Xavier looked around helplessly. ‘I can’t Sadie –’
‘Where’s Jimmy, then?’ Sadie interrupted.
‘He’s cleaning today with Rosa.’
‘Fine, I’ll go myself.’
Before Xavier could stop her, like a panther she skulked along behind the rows of bodies towards the door. In a second, Xavier had decided to follow her and found himself out in the open air. Keeping low, he made his way swiftly to a place out of sight and looked up to see Sadie tearing across the grass, honeyed hair streaming behind her, towards the administration block. Xavier sprinted after her.
‘Wait,’ he panted as he caught up. ‘This is too obvious. Get out of sight… this way.’ Xavier tugged at her sleeve and led her off the main path behind a row of vans. ‘For God’s sake,’ he said through gritted teeth, ‘if we’re going to do it we may as well do it right.’
Sadie gave a tight smile. They weaved in and out of the caravans until they had a good view of the old reception building.
‘He’s done it again. He’s not even here and he’s getting me into trouble,’ Xavier hissed as he tried to get a good look in the window. ‘I’m going to kill Elijah when I see him.’
‘Not if I beat you to it.’
‘How are we going to get in? I can see the secretary is in there.’
‘I could distract her.’
‘How are you going to do that?’
‘Just leave it to me. When you see us come out, you get in. I’ll try to be as long as I can. Listen
for me whistling, and then you’ll know I’m coming back.’
‘How will I know it’s you? What will you whistle?’
Sadie grinned properly now, almost her old self. ‘You won’t recognise the tune because I’m such a bad whistler. That’s how you’ll know it’s me.’ She darted off, leaving Xavier to shake his head and sigh.
Moments later Sadie emerged with the bouffant-haired woman that had taken Xavier’s details on his arrival. His expression hardened. Whatever Sadie had told her, it must have been convincing, the woman seemed to be eager to follow her young companion. Xavier let them get to a safe distance, and then slipped into the building.
He could barely hear anything above the rushing of blood in his ears. He drew a deep breath and steadied himself as he headed for the most obvious place to start: the grey filing cabinets. He yanked each drawer out in turn. They were arranged alphabetically, lives in buff folders. Straight away he came across the ‘A’ and ‘B’ sections. It was tempting to sneak a quick look at the Bettencourt files, he felt sure they had swelled somewhat in his brief time at the camp, but he resisted the urge. He counted a few more drawers down and opened. The files inside stopped at ‘F’.
Closing that one, he moved to the next cabinet. A few more drawers and he opened the one containing the ‘T’ files. He flicked through and reached one labelled Thackeray which he pulled out. He sucked in his breath as he saw that the first name wasn’t Elijah, as he had expected, but someone else, though the girl had been sponsored and released from the camp years before. Still, he couldn’t help remarking on what a coincidence it was. Thackeray was an unusual name, just like his own. He checked behind. The next file was labelled Thatcher. There was a moment of doubt. Perhaps it hadn’t been Elijah after all. What if he had been wrong and all this had been for nothing? He pushed the file back in its place and looked around for somewhere else to resume his search. As his eyes raked the room he saw it: the open file, still being updated. He made his way over to the desk and noted, with a sense of satisfaction, the name. So Elijah was on the camp, but where?
‘It’s Posh Boy! Oh, this is too good.’
Xavier looked up sharply. The elation at finding what he had come for drained immediately to be replaced by fear. His favourite guard was covering the doorway. With him, the secretary was wearing a red-lipped grin. Another guard held Sadie by the wrist; she made a pointless attempt to shake herself free and looked at Xavier mournfully. His expression betrayed no emotion, though inwardly he cursed himself for not taking more care.
‘I think we’ve gone beyond the cooler with these two, don’t you?’
‘I think so. You know what to do with their files, Cynthia.’ The guard looked at Xavier. ‘Now then, Posh Boy - is it to be the prod or are you coming quietly?’
Without a word, Xavier offered himself. He and Sadie were led away.
Thirty-One: Reunion
Xavier’s biggest regret was that the others, especially Francois, would never know what had happened to him. He felt sure of that much, but not much else. Not once did he feel the urge to blame Sadie, who had abandoned her usual cockiness for a wide eyed look of fear. Had he looked down, he would have seen her legs trembling. Neither spoke as they were led away from the office block, not even when they were walked straight past the cooler, which could only mean that there was something far worse in store. And something far worse that the cooler was something to be afraid of.
‘Hospital wing. In you go.’ The guard gave him a shove towards the door of the battered hut. Xavier threw him a questioning look.
‘Behavioural Therapy. Both of you. It’s the only way to cure serial offenders.’
‘In whose opinion?’ Xavier asked coldly, knowing that he couldn’t make things worse than they were.
‘Mr Braithwaite’s.’
‘Who?’
‘The boss of this whole stinking world.’ The guard laughed throatily at his own joke.
‘And what does Behavioural Therapy mean?’
Without reply, the guard shoved Xavier harder. Xavier entered, followed by a silent Sadie. They listened at the door of the tiny office as their details were given.
Suddenly, Sadie let out a whimper. Xavier gripped her wrist in warning as he saw what had caused her surprise. Propped on a pillow at the far end of the dormitory, watching them intently, was a face that Xavier recognised only too well.
Elijah didn’t know how to feel. His elation at the appearance of Xavier was tempered by the shock of seeing Sadie with him. How had she got here? How had she ended up with Xavier? Seeing two empty beds at the opposite end of the dormitory, he guessed that they would end up at a distance that would prevent him from speaking to them. His mind worked to find a solution so that he could make contact.
His hunch was right. Xavier sat scowling on the side of one bed; Sadie perched on the next one. Elijah caught Xavier’s eye, who gave a stiff nod of recognition, the most he dared do. They both understood that the minute any of the staff suspected an alliance, they would be separated again. Elijah could hardly suppress a small smile as he watched Xavier gaze around, checking out the exits and windows methodically, making mental notes of any weaknesses. It was a routine he had seen before. Though Elijah was astounded and confused by Sadie’s presence, it was Xavier he really needed to talk to. There was a side-table with water bottles lined up on it against a wall, reasonably near to where Xavier was sitting. Elijah didn’t have to wait long for his chance.
A boy a few beds down tried to get up and collapsed. The ensuing activity was enough of a screen for Elijah to slip out of bed and across the room, pretending to want a drink.
‘Xav. How’s it going?’ How are the others?’ he asked in a low voice, standing as close as he dared.
‘Fine… Elijah, don’t take anything they give you.’
‘What –’
‘If they try to give you tablets, medicine, anything, do not take it. Try not to eat if you can.’
‘Why?’
‘I’ll tell you later.’
‘What about getting out?’
‘I’m working on it. Doors have numbered locks. Windows are sealed, by the looks of it. Judging by the state of most of these kids, a riot is out of the question.’
‘Shame. Rioting would be fun.’ Elijah glanced over and saw Sadie staring. He managed a self-conscious smile, but her expression remained unchanged. ‘How did you meet her?’ Elijah asked Xavier, tilting his head in her direction.
‘Sadie? It’s funny, because I was going to ask you the same thing.’
Elijah opened his mouth to begin a reply.
‘Watch out,’ Xavier hissed a warning.
‘There you are.’ One of the medics was walking towards them. ‘Time for your medication.’
Elijah backed away towards his bed, thinking fast. How was he going to avoid taking anything he was given? But the medic stopped at Sadie.
‘It would be better for you if you got yourself nice and comfortable in bed.’ The man showed no kindness in his eyes, despite the advice. The woman that Elijah had seen during the night was back on duty and appeared at his side. Her nervous eyes darted around, never settling on Sadie or meeting her gaze. She handed the man a file. He flicked, briefly, through the paperwork. ‘Lovely. Nice and simple. Lie back then, this won’t take long.’
‘What are you going to do?’ Sadie, now remembering Xavier’s warnings and acutely aware of the danger, looked across at Elijah, a silent call for help. He stood, fixed to the spot. There was nothing he could do to save her.
‘Medication, like I told you. Nothing to worry about.’
‘But I don’t need any medication.’
‘You do as you’re told.’ The man’s expression hardened. ‘I heard you were trouble. That’s why I took the precaution of fetching this.’ He held a hypodermic syringe in front of Sadie’s face and squirted a tiny jet of liquid from the point. Sadie began to scramble up the bed, away from him. She kicked out wildly as he approached. The man turned to his assistan
t. ‘Fetch help,’ he grunted.
The woman scurried from the room. The medic stepped back from Sadie and stood watching her with amused interest. Elijah scanned the room, desperately trying to formulate a plan. It seemed futile. Xavier made a move to get up from his bed but was stopped by the appearance of two more male guards. They glared at Xavier and Elijah who stood, irresolute, both waiting for the right moment to intervene and wondering what they would do if it did.
‘Back to your beds, you two,’ they ordered, before taking hold of Sadie. Neither boy moved, but the men were preoccupied with Sadie and did not repeat the order.
‘Get off me, please… I’m not ill!’ Sadie’s voice cracked as she thrashed and pulled to get free.
The white coated man leered as he approached. ‘You will be in a minute.’
Almost as soon as he had spoken, the man fell forwards onto her bed and the two guards let go of Sadie in dumb surprise. Elijah now stood where the man had been, nostrils flared, with a glass pitcher in his hand. The next moments were a blur. Xavier flew across with a chair held above his head. Elijah kicked the prod from the first guard’s hand whilst Xavier brought the chair down upon the man’s skull. He was knocked out. The other guard was disarmed by Sadie, who had collected herself enough to jump onto the man’s back while Elijah dealt another blow with the pitcher. This time it smashed and glass rained down in thick chunks as the guard crashed to the ground. Contact with the floor did the rest and he was unconscious too.
Elijah, Sadie and Xavier were all panting and trembling. Kids in the other beds watched, open-mouthed, but made no move to help. Most looked too weak; the stronger ones gave support in silent thumbs up or incredulous smiles.
‘Get some shoes on, Elijah.’ Xavier saw that the nervy-looking woman was at the door. He expected her to press the alarm bell but, to his amazement, she stood by the keypad and waited.
Elijah’s hands trembled as he slipped on his boots. As he stood up his face was drained of colour. ‘Xavier, what have they done to her?’
‘They didn’t get me. It’s ok, Eli,’ Sadie answered quickly.
‘No need to worry then,’ Xavier lied. There was plenty of need for worry, things were about as bad as they could get; but now was not the time to have Sadie, or Elijah, for that matter, falling apart on him.