Chapter 9

Wednesday

Marissa

I woke up on Wednesday just not wanting to get up, for so many reasons, so many things I didn't want to have to deal with. My mother was one of them, school, nudity, secrets... General Studies.

OK, so maybe the last one isn't as bad as the others, but... this week, we'll be discussing the globalisation of liberalism, focussing on its impact in our everyday lives.

Or, 'let's point at the Naked in School people'. I know the effects it's having, thank you very much. Imminent chill-blains, permanently erect nipples, and severe frustration of the worst kind.

I didn't sleep well, dreams of Alban going round and round and round in my head, dancing along the Champs d'Elysees, looking out from the Eiffel Tower, walking past the Arc de Triomphe... it was a long, long night.

I dragged myself out of bed in the end, helped Morgan get dressed, and had breakfast ready by the time mum got up, just like usual.

"You feeling any better today?" she asked, as we all packed up and got ready to leave. Why was I bothering with a coat? I found myself thinking, anything to avoid answering that question. "Marissa... ?"

"I'm... It's just a long week, Mum." I finally managed, and she dropped it, driving us both to school. The school gates were crowded, as I'd expected, but a space opened up around me as I arrived, a big pool of space in the middle of which waited, rather predictably, Andrew McBride.

"No Alban today?" He asked, with the sort of smirk that tells you he already knows the answer.

"Apparently not." I knew I was clutching at my bag-strap, clinging on for dear life, but my voice was level at the very least.

"So, no-one to interfere with any reasonable req..." he cut off as a line of year tens paraded across in front of him.

"Miss Wright?"

"Declan, isn't it?" I recognised him from the library yesterday, a shock of tight blonde curls and very pale blue eyes; very pale and bright, he was one of those boys you can call beautiful. He looked like an angel in the library, and even more so now.

"Yes, Miss. Alban sends his apologies, he's been called in early. He asked if I could arrange a suitable escort for you to the Jellicho Hall." He stood aside, waving like a mediaeval herald, and the line of year tens formed up in a circle around me.

"What the fuck is this?" Andrew asked but I just shrugged, and started to undress. It was still horrible, having to do it in front of all those people — having to do it in front of him — but there was a clearly defined space, now. A mass of people outside it, but that thin line of Declan and his friends keeping them back. They shouldn't have been able to do it, I don't know how they did, but they managed to just stand there and keep everyone back.

Once I was stripped down, back in my shoes and flushing crimson, one of them produced the box for my clothes, and then we were off through the gates, me and my little escort.

"How did you manage to keep them all back?" I asked Declan, who, I noted, was blushing almost as hard as I was — at least, the bits I could see of him were.

"Sometimes, it's enough to just be there. If you have the confidence, if you believe in what you're doing, people will get out the way. Most of the time people are uncertain of just about everything, they yield in the face of certainty."

"That's kind of deep for a fourteen year old."

"I'm not just any fourteen year old." He offered, with a slightly sad smile.

"Another of Alban's groups?"

"Another orphan... Alban helped me find a foster home, taught me a lot."

"Is that why you're doing this?"

"Partly." He admitted. "Mainly because he asked, but a big part of that is knowing that he wouldn't ask just for the sake of it, he asked because someone had to do it."

"I would have expected him to pick Connor, or Kevin."

"Connor doesn't handle crowds well, apparently." He shrugged. "As for Kevin — that would be a challenge for someone like McBride. Me — us — " he gestured to the little escorting pack, "we're just year tens. He'd lose more prestige by taking us on than he'd gain... assuming he won."

"Well, thank you anyway."

"Thank you, Miss Wright."

"It's Marissa. Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you're pleasant company, because you've given me an opportunity to do a little something to pay Alban back some of what I owe him, and because it's good to finally see him get happy about something."

"Excuse me?"

"I saw the way you were looking at each other yesterday. I was talking to Pete Connors about it, he saw it too."

"There's nothing going on."

"Of course not..." he smirked. He actually smirked at me! Where had that little perfect angel boy gone? Angels don't smirk, and certainly not that suggestively... being naked doesn't help, but still.

"I can see I'm going to have to make some things clear to a few people."

Alban

"Dr Adams?" His office is actually bigger than the headmaster's, if you can believe that. This huge great wasteland of wooden flooring that used to be a classroom, with a tiny little chair and desk perched beneath the window.

"Ah, Alban, come in."

"Is this important? I have things I need to do."

"Nonsense, it's just the start of school. Your first lesson is with me anyway, so if we're late it doesn't really matter — I already know where you are." I looked up at the clock on the wall, hoping it wasn't the right time. I'd managed to get hold of Declan, I trusted him to try and do what needed to be done... but there was still the doubt of not being there myself.

"Well, I actually have a life, and seeing as how lessons don't start until nine..."

"If we're going to get into discussions about rules, how about we discuss why you're still dressed?" That was the discussion I wanted right now, of course. Idiot.

"Look, this whole naked in school thing's a bad idea, OK. It's not fair on people that don't want to take part — whether they're the ones going nude or not, they're taking part.

I don't have parents that can force me to do it, I didn't volunteer, so you've got nothing on me."

"Actually, Alban, I do." He lifted a piece of paper from his desk, looking all stern and solemn. "I have a copy of your case file, with my name on it. Do you recall which section my name is in?"

"Case Doctor, Reviewing Psychologist, and witness to initial medical exam." I had a copy of it somewhere in the files at home.

"That's right... that means, for purposes where it's required, I'm your legal guardian."

"Why are you trying to do this to me?"

"I'm not trying, Alban, I'm doing this."

"That's avoiding the question."

"You're avoiding the issue, why shouldn't I?"

"I'm not doing it." I didn't have time for this sort of a discussion, and I certainly didn't have the inclination to tell him any more than I had to. It's invasive, having someone looking into all the aspects of your life. I run my life, and I do a pretty good job of it, on the whole. I don't need someone second guessing me like this.

"I've signed the form, here it is." He held out a sheet, waving it like a flag. I walked over, read it as quickly as I could, searching for something. I found it.

"Authority of Guardianship issued by the Department of Social Services..." I quoted, with a slight grin.

"That's correct, you fall under their care, you know that."

"Well, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your help, and to refer you back to my file. My father was an American citizen, I have dual-citizenship, and I'm removing myself from your limey influence. I don't recognise your authority, as a foreign national." I tore the Programme Application slowly in half, turned, and walked away. He called something, but I had other — better — things to do. OK, I admit it: that felt good.

Outside the room, though, I had to drop the façade. They weren't letting this go like I thought they would, it didn't make sense. Why were they so desperate to see me strutting around nude? The scars weren't a problem, I knew they were there, so did a few others. I couldn't imagine it would make much of a difference to anyone else, either.

That wasn't the most immediate problem, though. I was half-way to the gates when I saw them coming the other way, the little cordon of slightly bemused GCSE students orbiting her as she walked.

"I trust you didn't have too many troubles?" I asked, as they drew level. They just... disappeared, all except Declan who gave me a nod and went on his way.

"No... looks like your deputy had things well in hand." She admitted, turning that smile on me. That was the most immediate problem.

Kelly

Another empty schoolyard, another silent gate. I turned up late, knowing it would be easier that way. I mean, I knew no-one would want to watch, right, so I went no-one would be there. That way, it wasn't there fault no-one was watching, I didn't have to feel bad... that didn't work either. I wasn't in the mood for school, I'd been clumsy all morning at home. It's strange the way things hit your confidence — suddenly I didn't feel like I knew the way from the table to the fridge to get the milk, so I ended up with dry cereal. Tea sans milk would have been worse, if I'd dared try the kettle, but I didn't want to risk it. I'd been rudely brought to my senses when I turned the shower up, got the wrong tap and damned near froze myself.