The Treatment by C.L. Taylor

Author:C.L. Taylor
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2017-12-27T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Eight

I don’t know how Mouse was feeling during maths but I wrote the same word three times in English before I realized what I’d done. Concentration isn’t one of my strongpoints in lessons anyway, but it completely vanished today. I was told off twice for staring into space and only paid attention when the teacher told me she’d give me a verbal warning if I didn’t start listening. I did as I was told but my subconscious was still whirring away, trying to work how to keep Jude quiet, get in touch with Mason, and hatch an escape plan before Mouse is transferred to pre-treatment tomorrow. We were lucky things kicked off in the dorms last night, but there’s no way we’ll be that lucky again. We’ll have to try to sneak out during rec. But how?

*

Mouse sidles up to me as I walk through the rec room, towards the door that leads to the café.

‘We haven’t got long to chat,’ she says, her voice tight and small. ‘I managed to get out of maths before Jude but she’ll catch up with me soon. What are we going to do?’

My heart twists at the sight of her desperate, hopeful face. She’s relying on me to come up with a plan and I haven’t got one.

‘I don’t know,’ I say, then lower my voice as Josh and Callum push past us in their hurry to get to the pool table first. ‘But we need to leave tonight.’

‘How?’

‘I don’t know.’

The light fades from Mouse’s eyes. Jude is pushing her way through the crowd at the door. She raises a hand and waves.

‘Meg, could you keep Jude distracted, just for half an hour or so so I’ve got some time to think.’

‘Sure.’ She nods. ‘I’ll ask her if she wants to go to the cinema.’

‘Cool.’

‘Have you got any ideas at all?’ she asks desperately.

I shake my head. ‘Mouse, I’m sorry I –’

‘Hello, hello!’ Jude skips up to us and grabs us both by the elbows. ‘So? Any news on the …’ she looks around furtively – she couldn’t look dodgier if she tried ‘…the you – know – what?’

‘Not yet,’ I say.

‘Oh.’ Her face falls.

‘Look, Jude, what you said during breakfast about telling Jez. Were you serious?’

‘I haven’t decided yet.’

I try very hard not to roll my eyes. Asking Mouse to tell her about the treatment was such a bad idea. We stood on either side of her during assembly to make sure she didn’t talk to anyone but Mouse took a risk leaving her behind in maths. She could easily have blurted something out to another student, or worse, a teacher. But by keeping her close we’re never going to get the chance to escape. It’s catch-22. The only solution is to take her with us and I really, really don’t want to do that.

‘I’m going to the cinema,’ Mouse says brightly. ‘Apparently they’re showing a short film about a woman on a series of disastrous blind dates. Want to see it with me, Jude?’

Jude looks at me.

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