Big Brother's Little Sister

by Mike Bursell

  She went on to talk about what National Service schemes she'd been involved with. It sounded quite interesting, and I had to keep reminding myself that although she might have some experience of them, most of what she was saying had to be a lie, created and constructed as a cover by her Enforcer colleagues. These are the people we need to watch out for, I reminded myself. They're not all obvious and stupid like the Enforcers you mainly come across.

  She finished up after a few minutes, and he headed out for classes. I listened in to see what people were saying about her and about what she'd said. As I'd expected, the comments were pretty favourable, but I was interested to hear a few that were rather sceptical about what she had said, and what she was doing at our school.

  As we all settled down to first lesson, Mr Rudge came into our class and spoke to Mrs Gadiyar. She looked up and called Jenny Taylor up to the front. There was a quick discussion, and then Jenny went back to her desk and picked up her stuff. She had a quick whispered word with Danni and one of the other girls and then followed Mr Rudge out. The girls started chatting to each other and Mrs Gadiyar had to shush them in order to start the lesson off. One of the other girls in the class was called out towards the end of the lesson, and by the time Erin was called out a little before break, we all knew that these were the people that Fliss was requesting to see.

  As we walked out of the final lesson before break, Jenny came up to me. Uh-oh, I thought. What's this about? She looked around her in a rather obvious fashion. I hoped there wasn't anybody watching, because if there were, then they would immediately be suspicious. “Follow me,” she said, heading in the direction of the girls' toilet.

  I was expecting a replay of the morning after the attack on Ryan, with the same group of the girls clustered around, but it wasn't. It was just Danni and Jenny this time, but Danni stood in front of the door to make sure that nobody else could come in.

  I stood, leaning against one of the sinks.

  Jenny looked at Danni, and then at the toilet doors. “Empty?”

  “Just us,” confirmed Danni.

  Jenny turned to me. “That girl – Fliss, yeah?”

  I nodded, to show that I knew who she meant.

  “We think she's an Enforcer.”

  My first instinct was to laugh. How can they have worked that out? And then I worried that laughing would be inappropriate, because they wouldn't know that I already knew, but then I realised that because they didn't know that, the most appropriate thing to do was probably to laugh.

  By this point, however, it was too late, and I settled with my second instinct, which was to stare stupidly at Jenny with my mouth hanging open.

  Jenny glanced worriedly at Danni. “Seriously,” she repeated, “we think she might be an Enforcer.”

  I closed my mouth. “Fliss Williams? An Enforcer? You've got to be joking.” I shook my head emphatically. “She's Mo's sister. Mo's sister: an Enforcer?”

  “Look, I know it sounds unlikely, and I know that Mo doesn't seem the type, but we've both seen her today, and we both agree,” insisted Jenny.

  I looked over at Danni. She nodded her head in strong agreement. Somebody tried the door, but Danni held it closed.

  “Why?”

  “Floyd,” Jenny blurted. “She mentioned Floyd.”

  I looked blank.

  “You know, Floyd – the anti-Government group. F L O Y D?” she spelled it out.

  “Yes, I know who they are.” I replied with a hint of sarcasm in my voice.

  “Well, she mentioned Floyd to both of us. And to a couple of the others.”

  “So?” I asked, thinking quickly.

  “Don't you think that's odd?” Danni asked.

  “Well, a bit,” I admitted, “but hardly conclusive.” I paused. “Why are you telling me, though?”

  “Well, if she is and Enforcer, then she's likely to talk to you soon, right?” Jenny again.

  “Why?”

  “Well, if she's an Enforcer, then she's here for a reason, and given that she's talked to most of us who were ...” Jenny trailed off.

  “Involved in the thing the other week?” I prompted.

  “Um, yes. Well, she's going to want to talk to you as well.”

  “Has she talked to everyone who was involved? And only to them?” I asked. “Because if not, then you're probably plain wrong.”

  Danni piped up again. “Except that they don't know who everybody is, and even if they did, just picking us would be a bit obvious, wouldn't it?”

  “So, why do you think she's here, then?” I said, trying to buy some time, and thinking furiously. I may not like this crowd very much, but they're not stupid. They could well be right.

  “To find out who was involved in the thing!” Jenny exclaimed.

  I had them. “Then why would she ask about Floyd? Unless ...” I stopped for a moment, “... unless she thinks it's something to do with Floyd, and that the whole 'thing' was planned by Floyd. And that you're part of Floyd.” I looked carefully from one to the other. “You're not, are you?”

  They looked at each other. “No.” It's almost as if they want me to think they are.

  “Well, if you're not, then it's irrelevant, isn't it? To me, at least?” I said.

  “Probably,” agreed Jenny hesitantly. “But look, be careful. Don't ... just don't give anything away. About us. Please.” She looked really worried.

  “OK. I won't.” I stood up straight, away from the sink, and Danni moved to get out of the way of the door, which people kept trying to push open. “But one thing: don't go spreading around that you think she's an Enforcer, right? Because if she is, and she finds out – or someone else does – then there could be trouble. Yeah? And if she isn't, then it's pretty harsh on her. And on Mo.” I didn't specify what trouble there might be, and I honestly wasn't sure why there would be, but I was desperate not to let Mo's family's secret out, as things could get difficult for him if people thought that he might be an Enforcer. And difficult for me. And difficult for Floyd.

  “OK,” said Danni, stepping away from the door, and as it opened and let in a couple of rather desperate looking girls, I heard Jenny echo her. I walked out into the corridor, wondering what extra trouble was coming our way at this rate.

  I didn't get to do PE, which really annoyed me, because it was badminton. You might not think that I'd be particularly good at badminton, or that it might not be my thing: I'm not necessarily the obvious height and shape, but actually I rock at it. There's a lot more technique and tactics in badminton than you expect, and although I was never going to be county standard, I knew that I could hold my own against pretty much anyone at school. I know this isn't particularly relevant, but I was looking forward to showing up a couple of new boys in the year who I'd been watching play against some of the others in the class and who I'd finally agreed to play. They both assumed that because they're tall and strong that they were going to beat me easily. Today was about proving them very, very wrong, and I was considering whether I'd play them single against double when I got called to go and see Fliss. Oh, and, in case you're wondering, Mo is rubbish at badminton. Really, really bad. So bad it’s not even fun beating him.

  Despite being more than a little peeved, I made an effort, as I got changed back into my uniform, to calm down. I wanted to be at my best and most alert, and having my judgement muddied by being upset that I couldn't mess up the day of a couple of guys in my year wasn't a good plan, as well as a bit petty.

  She was in the library sat at a desk, with a small system in front of her. The library was otherwise empty, I noticed, and she beckoned me to come over. She gave me a smile as I sat down next to her, and I returned it as genuinely as I could.

  “Lena, right?” she said.

  “And you're Fliss, Mo's sister?”

  I almost didn't spot it, because she was looking down at something on her system at the time, but there was a minute reaction.

  “Do you know him?” she asked, neutrally.

  “A little.
He's in my year, of course. We're in some classes together.” She was nodding along. “He's OK. Bit of a geek,” I said, as if confiding girl-to-girl.

  She smiled at that, but it looked a little forced. “That he is,” she agreed. She waited a beat, as if to see if was going to say anything more, but I kept silent. “So, were you in the assembly this morning?”

  “Yes. Saw you there.”

  “So you know why I've asked you here?”

  “Not really. I mean: I know that you're talking to a number of girls about National Service … Volunteering.” This was complicated. I didn't want to sound too negative about National Service Volunteering, given that I knew that she was with the Enforcers, but on the other hand, pretty much everybody of our ages was, at best, cynical about the joys of “volunteering”, and, at worst, openly hostile. And anybody who knew me at all would be able to tell her – or any of her colleagues – that I wasn't one of the few positive voices out there. So, be honest, but maybe not too honest.

  She half-smiled. “Oh, I understand. I wasn't that keen until I actually got to doing it,” she said.

  I could almost believe her. “But why me? I would have thought you would be talking to people closer to leaving school.”

  “Fair question. Well, your teachers have identified you as someone who might benefit from an early look into possibilities for volunteering projects. They think that with the right attention, there could be some really interesting opportunities for you.”

  It was a classic play to flattery: the 'you're special' approach, aimed at winning me over and convincing me to drop my guard. I decided to play along. “Wow. I mean... well... I didn't realise they thought I was … worth extra attention. Well, my Mum will be pleased!”

  She smiled, and I could see her thinking that I had taken the bait. “So, tell me a bit about yourself: what you think you're good at, what you enjoy doing: that sort of thing. I'm targeting a number of high achievers like you, but I'd like to hear your point of view.”

  And there's the lie, I realised. There's the inconsistency. Erin may be a high achiever, but whatever else they are, Jenny and Danni aren't top of the class in any of their subjects. That doesn't mean they're stupid, I reminded myself, thinking of the conversation we'd had during break time, but they don't meet the criteria that she's just described. Got you. This felt quite easy, now: I could see where she was coming from, and was certain that I knew where she was lying. “Well,” I started, “I really enjoy English...”

  She was good – she really was. She clearly had access to my school records and she was able to talk about a variety of different schemes. This interested me: had she got them from the school, and if so, under what pretext? Presumably they didn't know she was with the Enforcers, but I would have hoped that the school office wouldn't have given that level of information to some random person. Or had she got the information via the Enforcers who presumably had access to our all of our school records if they wanted it – in which case how was she planning to explain to the school if one of the people she was talking to mentioned it? Whichever it was, she'd been well-briefed, both on me and on the various schemes, and was clearly talented at what she did. It was truly interesting to find out how the Government thought they could interest people in the various volunteering options, and the session was so engrossing that I found myself thinking what a useful ally she would be if she were on our side.

  After about half an hour, Fliss glanced at her watch and mimed surprise. “I hadn't realised the time. We've been at this for a while: do you fancy a break? I could really use a cup of coffee.”

  This is when she'll bring it up, I thought to myself. “Sounds good,” I said out loud. “But I wouldn't suggest the vending machine drinks.”

  “Oh, I remember those!” she responded, “We can pop into the staff room instead: I'm sure they won't mind.”

  Again, making me feel special and important, bringing me into her circle, breaking down the social barriers: clever. I tried to look suitably impressed. “If you're sure.”

  She made a big deal of stretching as she got up, then picked up her system as we headed out of the library and into the corridor. I decided to make some small talk, to make it seem like I was coming under her spell. “Do you get home much?” I asked.

  “Oh, not that often,” she said. “The National Service Coordination team have asked me to do a few of these visits, and they thought that it might be easiest to start in an environment that I knew well, so this if my first one.”

  I almost felt guilty for doubting the truth of her story: she was that convincing. But all the time I was trying to work out why she said everything she said, and why she did everything she did. She had just given me a perfect excuse, for instance, as to why she couldn't answer any questions about other schools she'd visited. And the reason was perfectly plausible.

  We arrived at the staff room, and she walked in without knocking. Four or five teachers were there, chatting or looking at screens in front of them. A couple of them looked up, and then back down, unconcerned when they saw Fliss, even though I was accompanying her. We wandered over to the kettle, where Fliss made herself a coffee, and I found a mug – “You don't have to be mad to work here, but it helps” emblazoned on its side. I took a teabag from a box, and poured the boiling water of it.

  I was wondering whether Fliss was going to raise the subject here, but realised that she probably didn't want anybody overhearing, so wasn't surprised when she waited for me to finish making my tea, and then nodded towards the door.

  “Shall we head back to library?”

  “Not sure we're supposed to have drinks in there,” I pointed out.

  “Oh, I'm sure they'll make an exception this time,” she assured me, and led the way out of the staff room. As we entered the corridor, she spoke again. “I hear you had some trouble here a couple of weeks back.”

  I hadn't been expecting her to be quite so open, given what Danni and Jenny had told me, and I spluttered in surprise before answering her. “Er, yes. How did you hear about that?”

  “Ran into one of my old friends from school. She's got a brother still here. He mentioned it to her,” she explained.

  Yeah, right. Of course you did. I must keep calm, though, pretend I believe her. “Oh, OK. Yeah. Wasn't much fun.”

  “I heard you were the hero of the day.”

  Flattery, flattery. “Oh, I don't think so. Just did what anybody would have done: called for help.”

  “Except that nobody else did. Good on you.”

  I shrugged. Just then, we rounded the corner leading to the library, and came face to face with someone coming out of the library. It was, of all people, Mo.

  Chapter 18 – Have you considered...?

  He immediately froze, blood rushing to his face, making him guilty as anything. I looked over at Fliss, and was surprised to see a look of absolute fury crossing her face.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded.

  He looked confused, as if caught doing something which he shouldn't have been. Then he seemed to remember something, and raised his left hand. It held a book. “Getting a book.”

  Fliss had been advancing towards him, and only looked slightly mollified by his answer. “Really?”