The Panopticon by Fagan Jenni

Author:Fagan, Jenni [Fagan, Jenni]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

16

IT’S LIKE THE fortieth time he’s shouted. I wish he’d shut the fuck up.

‘Anais, you have court in forty minutes. Can you get ready, please?’ Angus calls.

He’s on the landing and has been trying to get me up for half an hour. I turn over. My duvet is warm. I snuggle back down inside it – I just want to sleep all day.

‘Why’s Mullet taking me tae see my ma?’ John asks Angus. I can hear them, they’re outside my door now. I wish they’d fuck off.

‘I’m really sorry, John, but I cannae take you. I have tae get Miss Sleeps-a-lot tae court on time. Hurry up, Anais!’

‘Is she in court for the policewoman, like?’

‘I cannae discuss that with you, John.’

‘How – is the policewoman dead, like?’

‘No, she’s not.’

‘She’s gonnae go down.’

I hear John saying the last bit to someone else, and I haul the duvet right off me. I’m fucking pissed off now.

‘Is she getting done for it?’ Isla asks Angus.

Jesus, there’s a whole fucking powwow going on, on the landing. Rub my face. I feel like I slept in a grave.

‘No,’ he hisses at them, ‘she is getting done for half a dozen other bloody things, if that is okay with you lot? Can you hurry up, John, and dinnae wind Ed up again, and dinnae steal his car!’

Isla pokes her head around my door.

‘Good luck later,’ she says.

‘Ta, Isla.’

‘John?’ I shout.

He sticks his head around.

‘I hope it’s alright seeing your mum.’

‘Fucking whatever,’ he says and disappears.

Get up. Drag on a pair of jeans, T-shirt, sneakers. Head to the bathroom and brush my teeth. Isla walks past with her school bag slung over her shoulder, Tash behind her.

‘Alright?’

‘Morning.’

‘Have you got court the day?’ Tash asks me.

‘Uh-huh.’

I drink some water out of the tap. It’s cold and tastes like metal, but clean.

‘D’ye think they’ll do you?’

‘No doubt.’

‘Well, I hope they dinnae,’ Tash says and they disappear down the corridor.

Joan appears in the bathroom doorway. ‘Have you seen Brian?’

I shake my head.

‘Okay, you’ll be having a review when you get back today, Anais. Last night was unacceptable. You cannot still just disappear when you want and think there will be no consequences. Helen’s coming in to discuss this.’

‘I thought Helen’d left.’

‘She has, but you still have your end-of-care review, and she’s taking you tae Warrender Institute, remember?’

‘Joan, see how Helen left? Like she just quit – it was after she’d spoken tae the police about me?’

‘Helen had plans to take some time out from the social-work department for a while, I’m sure. It won’t have been anything tae do with you, okay?’

Joan catches sight of someone at the end of the corridor and marches off.

‘I’ll discuss this with you later, Anais.’

Trudge downstairs feeling rough as shit. Before I was a teenager I didnae get come-downs, not really, I could get as mashed as I wanted then. I’ve even started tae get hangovers recently – getting old is pish fun. Brian’s sat in the living area reading a book. Angus is waiting for me with the front door open.

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