by Pete Johnson
So this left Zac. Now he was a freaky dude all right, scampering about all the time like an eager puppy about to be taken out for its first-ever walk. But I didn’t feel he was putting on an act the way Harriet was. He just was spectacularly weird. Also, it would break his heart to leave. So could I be mean enough to vote for him?
Oh, why couldn’t I just nominate Harriet twice?
Anyway, we were all filing out of the classroom to make our nominations when a very grim-looking Miss Weed rushed in. She whispered something to Wally, and then sped off again. He said, ‘Class will sit down again. Something has happened. I will return shortly. Wait here in complete silence.’ Then he exited.
‘What on earth can have happened?’ asked Harriet, looking all concerned in a headgirlish sort of way.
‘Perhaps he’s just found out the war’s over,’ said Barney.
‘No, he’s been called back to Transylvania,’ quipped Leo.
‘Be careful what you say,’ I hissed. ‘There are cameras in here. He could be watching us at this very moment.’
Then Barney, who’d been acting as lookout, said, ‘He’s coming back and he doesn’t look at all happy.’
Wally came in, looking so grave I actually felt frightened. What was going on?
‘I am afraid I have something extremely serious to tell you,’ he said. ‘Someone here in this room has behaved very badly indeed.’
Right away my cheeks flushed bright red. I just automatically feel guilty when teachers say stuff like that.
Mr Wally went on, ‘It has been brought to our attention that an evacuee here has been smuggling in illegal goods, including chocolate and a mobile phone. We have just conducted a raid on all your rooms and the tip-off was correct. These goods have now been located.’
His eyes started roving around the classroom. Again I dipped my face guiltily, even though I really didn’t know what he was talking about.
‘Would this person at least have the courage to stand up now?’
Another pause and then, ever so casually, Leo slouched to his feet. He didn’t actually yawn, but sounded as if he was about to. ‘Oh, yeah, I’d forgotten all about the mobile, but it’s a very old one and doesn’t even work that well. More like a kind of pet really and we’ve never been parted. But sorry if it caused you any hassle.’
I watched Leo, amazed and impressed that he could be totally cool at a moment like this. How clever of him, hiding a mobile all this time.
Leo made as if to sit down until Wally barked, ‘Remain standing.’ He sounded like a sergeant major in an old film about the army. He went on, ‘You have broken the rules of my television show! And you’re not even sorry. In fact, you display insolence in my classroom.’
My television show, my classroom! Did Wally think he owned the world? Yes, he probably did.
‘I am talking to you, boy!’ Wally yelled this so loudly he made everyone jump.
‘And I heard you,’ said Leo.
‘Do not look anywhere else, boy.’
‘I wasn’t,’ said Leo.
‘You are too full of yourself. You have done a terrible thing, something you were expressly told not to do. And still you’re not even ashamed. And now you are infecting the whole class with your poisonous attitude. You are a very stupid boy indeed, aren’t you?’
‘If you say so,’ muttered Leo.
Wally reached for the cane. ‘You will say, “I have been a very stupid boy” – now.’ He advanced on Leo, with the huge cane in his hand. Wally couldn’t really use it. And yet he had such a mad gleam in his big starey eyes, I was afraid. Suddenly you felt anything could happen. ‘Say it,’ he demanded again.
Leo watched him with a faint smile on his face. He still looked cool, but his right hand was trembling ever so slightly. He really didn’t want to say he was stupid, but he was nowhere near as confident as he seemed.
And I just wanted this to stop now. I hate seeing anyone being picked on and I so wished I had the courage to say something to Wally. If he hadn’t had the cane, I really think I would have done (I hope I would, anyway).
But someone else was braver than me. Quite suddenly this very loud, very rude burp erupted around the classroom. Immediately Barney jumped up, with Solly bobbing about in his hand. ‘I wish to apologize for my seal making such a disgusting sound.’
‘I got frightened,’ piped up Solly.
‘I know you did,’ said Barney. ‘You always do when people shout at someone for a very long time.’
Wally was watching all this goggle-eyed. Solly hadn’t even dared speak in a lesson before – let alone burp. No wonder Wally was looking a bit confused. Then he snapped, ‘How dare you make that sound. Go and stand in the corner.’
‘What, me, sir?’ cried Barney. ‘Or Solly, or both of us?’
And that was when I totally lost it and had a laughing fit. You know when you just can’t stop laughing. That’s what happened to me then. Tears of laughter just danced down my face, and my whole body shook and still I couldn’t stop.
It was only when Miss Weed came in with a suitcase that my laughing started to subside. She placed the case very significantly beside Wally.
‘He’s leaving,’ whispered Leo to me. ‘Give eighty-nine cheers.’
But of course it wasn’t Wally’s case. It belonged to Leo. And the thought that he was being chucked out finally stopped all my laughing.
‘Miss Weed,’ said Wally, ‘would you please remain here. I have just reached a decision about my television show I would like you to know about.’
Miss Weed, looking a bit surprised, sat down at the front beside him.
‘We had planned,’ he said, ‘to cancel the first public vote and evict Leo for his bad behaviour. But the conduct of two other people in this room has been so appalling I have changed my mind. I think you can guess which two, Miss Weed.’
She nodded vigorously.
‘So,’ continued Wally, ‘there will still be a public vote. Only there will be no need for the pupils to nominate – I shall do that for them. I have the power to do that,’ he added with a gloating little smile. ‘I nominate Leo, Barney and Isobel. It is now up to the audience to decide who leaves. But one of you will certainly go in two days’ time.’ While the shock of this was still sinking in, he continued, ‘As a punishment for their behaviour today, Isobel, Leo and Barney will stay here for an extra hour’s work now. Zac and Harriet, you may leave.’
They sidled out, shocked into submission. We remained.
At the end of our detention, Wally faced us again. ‘You think you can get away with bad behaviour – well, you can’t, not here. I’m setting the rules and I shall break you all in the end. Have no doubt about that.’
I thought that was a terrible thing to say. I went out shaking. And just before we reached the farmhouse I hurled off my microphone. Barney and Leo gaped at me. But it was Solly who spoke. ‘Why on earth did you do that?’
‘Because, Solly,’ I said, ‘I don’t like this game any more, so I’m off.’
‘Well, if you go,’ said Solly, ‘I leave too.’ His head darted towards Barney. ‘And they won’t want you without me.’
‘That’s true,’ said Barney. And the next thing I knew he’d ripped off his mike too.
‘Oh, no,’ I gasped.
And then a grinning Leo said, ‘You’re not leaving me out,’ and removed his mike as well.
‘I can’t let you do this,’ I whispered.
‘You can’t stop us,’ said Barney. ‘We’re in this together – Rebels United.’
‘And here’s Miss Weed to have a cheery word with us,’ said Leo.
Miss Weed stormed over to us, her face bright red with rage. ‘What on earth are you doing standing here gossiping? You haven’t got time for that.’ Then she noticed all the mikes on the ground. ‘What is the meaning of this? Aren’t you in enough trouble? Explain yourselves.’
Neither of the boys spoke; they both just looked at me. And I knew if I said I was walking out, they’ve have come
with me. Now I’ve got pretty good friends in my normal life, but none of them would have done that for me. Yet people I’d only known for a couple of days would have given up everything – just to back me up.
I suppose it was living night and day in this strange historical bubble. Everything happens faster and deeper, including friendship. And knowing I had such good friends made me feel as if I could do anything – including putting up with living here.
So I said, ‘I’m very sorry, Miss Weed, we forgot we must never take off our mikes.’ I reached forward and picked up my mike. Barney and Leo immediately followed.
I hardly got a chance to speak to them for the rest of the day – we were just rushed from one thing to another. And it wasn’t so much the work I hated, it was the constant supervision. The feeling you were being watched and bossed about every second. Not one moment belonged just to you.
But every so often Leo would give me one of his cheeky grins or Solly would whisper ‘Rebels United’ as he rushed past, and that would cheer me up so much. Now I felt as if we were part of some secret underground organization.
And I was absolutely certain that Wally would never break us.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Suspect Number One
Zac
THAT NIGHT LEO started prowling around our bedroom like a restless panther. Then he burst out, ‘All right, why did you do it?’
‘Do what?’
‘Oh, don’t bother denying it because that would just be too boring. You snitched on me. You – how did they put it? – brought my wrong-doing to their attention.’
I was shocked and very hurt now.
‘Honestly, it wasn’t me,’ I said quietly.
Leo started walking even more quickly around our tiny room. ‘Of course it was you. No one else knew about the contraband – unless you told them.’
‘I didn’t tell anyone,’ I said.
‘Well then, sorry, but this is a mystery with only one suspect. So, case solved.’
‘But I didn’t do it. And that is the complete truth.’
And it was.
Leo frowned. ‘I was crushed when they said someone had sneaked on me, because although you’re a right little weirdo, I didn’t think you’d do that.’
‘And I didn’t. Can’t you believe that?’
Leo stopped pacing about. ‘No,’ he said quietly.
‘Then there’s nothing more to be said,’ I replied, even more quietly.
And we didn’t say another word to each other. But I lay there for ages, thinking about who could have betrayed Leo.
I fell asleep still trying to work this one out. I was woken by someone moving about in our bedroom. He seemed to be searching for something. I sat up in bed and saw that it was Leo.
‘What have you lost?’ I asked.
Leo whirled round and put a finger to his mouth. ‘I’m leaving,’ he whispered.
I was stunned.
‘Yeah, I’m finished. I nearly left earlier,’ he said. ‘I’m now just off to tell that SAS man – or whatever he is – at the door that I’m clearing out. And no one can stop me.’ He gave a grim kind of chuckle. ‘See you sometime and enjoy the rest of the war. Bye.’
‘No, stop,’ I cried, scrambling out of bed. ‘Why are you going right now?’
‘I’m going to be kicked out on Monday anyway.’
‘You don’t know that,’ I said.
‘Well, they’re not going to vote out a baby seal or a girl with a nice set of eyes. No, it’s me. So I might as well disappear now.’
‘But I don’t want you to go,’ I cried.
‘Feeling guilty now?’ he said.
‘Not at all. But you . . . well, you passed all the auditions to get here.’
Leo sat down suddenly. ‘And that’s something I never figured out. I went with this boy from my class – bit of a swot, like you actually, only not quite so mad.’
‘Thanks.’
‘And I tagged along with him, just for a day off really: didn’t take it seriously at all. And when they asked me about school I told them the truth: that I’m always in trouble, although not for anything majorly bad or sinister. I just like messing about. In fact, I’ve got a natural talent for it, that and annoying people.’ He grinned. ‘Oh, yeah, when they asked me what my ambition was, do you know what I said?’
‘No.’
‘I said it was to be the supreme ruler of the universe and live all on my own at the top of a big castle with only two falcons for company.’ We both laughed. ‘I was just freestyling it,’ he said. ‘Hadn’t a clue what I was going on about really.’
‘And only you could think of that.’ I smiled. ‘But still they asked you back.’
Leo grinned. ‘Yeah, and when they rang to say I’d been chosen for the show, it was just unbelievable, as I’d never been picked for anything in my life before. A total shock. You should have seen my parents’ faces. I thought my mum was going to pass out. And for days I was certain they’d ring up and say they’d made a mistake and wanted quite a different boy to me.’
‘But they didn’t, and here you are on the adventure of a lifetime,’ I said enthusiastically. ‘And you can’t miss what’s going to happen tomorrow.’
‘Is that when Wally turns into a bat?’
‘No, that’s when we meet the other evacuees for the reunion party,’ I said impatiently, ‘including Dennis and Victor. Think what they can tell us new evacuees.’
‘We’re not new evacuees,’ he said.
‘Yes, we are.’
‘No, we’re just playing at it for a few hours for the TV cameras.’
‘No, listen, we’re—’
‘Shut up a minute,’ Leo interrupted. He shot to the bedroom door, just as the handle was turning. Miss Weed jumped back in surprise at seeing him. He was standing right in front of the door so she couldn’t see his packed bag.
‘I heard voices,’ she said.
‘Yes, I’m sorry, Miss Weed, I’m very much afraid that I need to perform Number Two again. As you can see, I’m all dressed and ready for action.’
‘Oh well, all right,’ she said ungraciously, ‘if it’s an emergency. But in future, just tap lightly on my door; don’t make a hullabaloo in here. And does Zac need to avail himself of the facilities too?’
‘Yes, please,’ I called.
Miss Weed went off to see if Farmer Benson was available to accompany us, while Leo said to me, ‘You rebel, pretending you want to perform Number Two in the middle of the night again.’
‘I guess I’m getting used to law-breaking,’ I said. ‘It must be your bad influence. I’ll help you unpack when we get back.’
Leo nodded, and then said slowly, ‘You really didn’t dob me in, did you?’ Before I could reply he went on, ‘There’s no way it’s Barney or Izzy either, as they’re my mates.’
‘As I hope I am,’ I said quickly.
‘Yeah, I suppose you are. So then, it’s got to be Harriet. She must have been creeping about in the night and overheard us arguing.’
‘No,’ I said.
‘It’s got to be her.’
‘But I like her,’ I said.
‘I don’t. She’s too cheerful all the time. It isn’t natural. No, she’s definitely suspect number one.’
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Letters from Home
Izzy
NEXT DAY WAS Sunday and a huge improvement. No school for a start.
We still had all our jobs to do, though. And then we had some early morning PE, with Miss Weed making us do all these daft fitness exercises. Harriet, of course, was all red and keen.
Breakfast was so flavourless though. I was eating as little as I could get away with now. Then Mrs Benson summoned me to the kitchen. She said I hadn’t cleaned something properly. I was a bit surprised, as she wasn’t usually as picky as Miss Weed, but then she hissed, ‘Stand right in the corner of the kitchen as the TV cameras can’t see you there,’ then flung these cakes at me.
‘Now eat them as quickly
as you can,’ she whispered. ‘I can’t have you wasting away to nothing.’ Then she said aloud, ‘I want them much cleaner than you managed before. Get to work, Izzy.’
I did. I polished off every one of those cakes and had just wiped the crumbs from my mouth when Miss Weed appeared. ‘How is Isobel getting on?’ she asked.
‘Just finished this second,’ said Mrs Benson.
Next we marched into church. It was packed and every single person there was dressed up in wartime clothes. It felt as if I was in some mad play, especially when the vicar – one of those jolly, smiley ones – said how pleased he was to welcome us evacuees to the village. And he hoped our stay here would be a long and happy one.
The most embarrassing moment was when we sang the hymns and old Wally’s singing – a kind of high-pitched snarling – totally drowned out everyone else.
On the way back Leo murmured in my ear, ‘On a scale of one to ten, how much do you like Harriet – ten being top?’
‘Well, I’ve just been to church,’ I hissed back, ‘and am feeling rather kind, so I’ll say . . . minus eleven.’
Then he whispered his suspicions about Harriet.
Immediately I said, ‘Yeah, it’s her all right . . . she’s the spy, no question.’
‘Well, don’t let on we suspect her,’ said Leo, ‘but keep her under observation.’
‘I certainly will,’ I said.
When we got back there was a surprise for us: letters from home.
Mum sent me three pages. She said it didn’t matter how well I did as an evacuee as she was already the proudest mum in the world. Total rubbish, of course, but I had to keep saying to myself: ‘I’m not going to cry, I’m not.’
In the end I got up and walked into the kitchen. It was deserted, so I took a couple of deep breaths. Then I realized I wasn’t on my own after all. A small figure was crouched in the corner. At first I thought Zac was crying and wondered whether just to creep away. But then I saw he was tearing something up.
I went over. ‘What’s that?’ I smiled. ‘A love letter from Miss Weed?’
He didn’t smile back. Then I guessed what it was.
‘That’s not your letter from home?’