Page 64 of The Dead Ex

Scratch. That’s what Mum had told her to do if she really wanted to hurt someone. And put your fingers in their eyes. It gave you time to run away because they wouldn’t be able to see.

‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?’

This was the teacher, trying to pull Scarlet away.

‘DON’T KICK ME LIKE THAT!’

Then another teacher came in and held her good arm behind her back.The first one was standing in front of her. ‘Why did you do that, Scarlet?’

‘He messed up Mum.’

The words came out of her mouth without her realizing.

‘So you can talk, after all. What do you mean?’

Tears were pouring down Scarlet’s cheeks now. The words stopped again.

‘Kevin drew a moustache on this photograph.’ The girl was pointing to it. ‘That’s when she got upset.’

‘It was only a bitof fun. And that picture can’t be her mum, cos she’s blonde and not a darkie.’

Darkie? She’d been called that before by someone in the street, and Mum had gone mad. Spat at the man and told him to mind his own fucking business.

‘Kevin! You know it’s wrong to make racist remarks or mess with someone else’s belongings. It’s also wrong, Scarlet, to be violent towards anyone. I am going to haveto call your foster parents.’

‘BUT I WANT MY MUM.’ Scarlet lunged at her photograph. ‘GIVE HER BACK.’

‘When you’ve apologized,’ said the teacher. ‘Say sorry to Kevin.’

To the boy who had hurt Mum? No way.

‘Then you can’t have your picture. No good crying like that. We operate a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying here. Into my office. Now.’

Robert seemed almost as sympathetic as Dee.

Of course, Scarlet told herself, that was a trick to make her like him.

‘I can Photoshop that,’ he said when the head teacher gave her back the photograph after he’d had a ‘little word’ with her.

‘What does that mean?’

‘I’ll use some special photographic techniques to wipe out the moustache. Nice to hear you talking. Maybe it was because you got upset, and the words fought their way out.’ Hepatted her shoulder as he spoke. Scarlet jumped backwards.

Dee noticed. She took Scarlet’s hand. Her skin felt soft, but it was a nice soft. Not like Mr W’s. ‘There’s no need to be scared of Robert – or me,’ she said gently. ‘We’re here to help you. That boy is going to get told off too. But you need to write a letter of apology to him. It’s all right. I’ll help you.’

‘Would you like me to showyou how I can take awaythe moustache?’ asked Robert. ‘We can go into my dark room in the basement.’

Scarlet began to shake. What if he touched her?

‘I’ll come too,’ said Dee. ‘It’s all right, love. In fact, it’s like magic.’

It was, too! Scarlet watched with amazement as Robert put Mum into a special machine which made her come out as good as new. ‘Are these all your cameras?’ she asked, withoutmeaning to.

‘They certainly are,’ said Dee, rolling her eyes. But she said it in a nice voice as though she was pretending to be fed up.

‘Tell you what.’ Robert took one down from a high shelf. ‘Would you like one? I can teach you how to take pictures.’

Dee was nodding. ‘A hobby’s always a good thing.’