offered Jake a glimmer of a smile, but she looked sad, and Jake realized that he had let her down, along with everyone else at Point Zero.
He approached his parents, his head bowed, barely able to look them in the eye. ‘I’m glad I managed to see you before you left,’ he offered in a quiet voice.
Miriam shook her head and asked, ‘What is it that we did wrong?’
‘Nothing.’ Jake shrugged.
‘Are you proud of your behaviour?’
‘No.’
‘Do you have any idea what the commander had to do to get you out of jail?’
‘Mrs Djones, may I just say—’ Nathan began.
‘You may not! I’m not impressed with you, either. You should be setting an example,’ Miriam snapped without taking her eyes off Jake. ‘I asked if you had any idea what the commander had to do to get you out of jail?’ Jake shook his head. ‘She had to bribe the police with cognac left to her by her dead husband! It was two hundred years old. It was priceless.’
‘No, I didn’t . . . I mean, I didn’t ask her to . . . I mean, I’m sorry.’
‘So what did we do wrong?’ Miriam asked again.
‘You didn’t do anything wrong!’ Jake shouted, suddenly losing his temper.
‘That’s how you speak to me? Do you hear how he speaks to his mother?’ Miriam asked her husband. Alan shook his head; Jake had never seen him look so disappointed. Suddenly Miriam broke off. She leaned forward and sniffed Jake’s shirt. ‘You’ve been drinking . . .’
‘No.’
‘You stink of alcohol, Jake! Don’t lie to me.’
‘I’m not lying.’
‘Actually, Mrs Djones—’ Yoyo interrupted from the back; but her mother silenced her with a glare.
For a moment Miriam closed her eyes and shook her head. ‘This is your two-week warning, Jake,’ she said in a baleful tone that Jake had only heard once in his life; it sent shivers down his spine. ‘Do you hear me? We shall return from London, collect you and go straight back again. You will be going back to school, so you can start saying your goodbyes.’
Jake could feel his face heating with anger. ‘Really?’ he hissed. ‘Every time the same threat—’
‘This time we mean it!
We mean it!
’ Miriam swore. ‘You’ve become impossible.’
‘Well, maybe you
did
do something wrong. For a start, you lied to me my whole life.’
‘What?’ Miriam gasped.
‘Now, Jake, let’s not get carried away . . .’ Alan began.
Rose tried to intervene. ‘Come on, now – everyone’s a bit tired and emotional.’ She took Jake’s hand, but he shook her off.
‘Well, you
did
. You lied about everything,’ Jake continued, gathering momentum. ‘You lied about working here – the bathroom shop – everything in London . . . all lies!’
‘We did that to protect you,’ Miriam said. ‘You
know
why we did that.’
‘And you lied about Philip. My own brother!’ Jake stared at her, eyes flashing with fury. ‘I hate you.’ The phrase hung in the air for a moment; then he turned, pushed his way through the crowd and ran up into the castle.
Miriam sobbed as Alan pulled her into his arms.
A few minutes later, leaving the murmuring crowd on the pier, Alan and Rose went looking for Jake.
He had gone to Dora’s stable and slammed the door behind him. He often took refuge with the elephant when he felt low: just being close to her calmed him down. Of course, she was only an animal, but she seemed wise all the same. He fed her some carrots, stroked her ears and searched her ancient eyes for the answers to his problems.
When he heard his father and aunt calling his name, he hid in a little compartment where the straw was kept, covering himself completely.
After a while the shouts stopped. Jake lay there a little longer. He was exhausted, his eyelids feeling heavier and heavier.
Suddenly a vision came to him – he wasn’t sure if it was a dream or a hallucination – of his mother crying out. The
Escape
had been holed in a storm and was being dragged down under the foaming waves. His eyes
He approached his parents, his head bowed, barely able to look them in the eye. ‘I’m glad I managed to see you before you left,’ he offered in a quiet voice.
Miriam shook her head and asked, ‘What is it that we did wrong?’
‘Nothing.’ Jake shrugged.
‘Are you proud of your behaviour?’
‘No.’
‘Do you have any idea what the commander had to do to get you out of jail?’
‘Mrs Djones, may I just say—’ Nathan began.
‘You may not! I’m not impressed with you, either. You should be setting an example,’ Miriam snapped without taking her eyes off Jake. ‘I asked if you had any idea what the commander had to do to get you out of jail?’ Jake shook his head. ‘She had to bribe the police with cognac left to her by her dead husband! It was two hundred years old. It was priceless.’
‘No, I didn’t . . . I mean, I didn’t ask her to . . . I mean, I’m sorry.’
‘So what did we do wrong?’ Miriam asked again.
‘You didn’t do anything wrong!’ Jake shouted, suddenly losing his temper.
‘That’s how you speak to me? Do you hear how he speaks to his mother?’ Miriam asked her husband. Alan shook his head; Jake had never seen him look so disappointed. Suddenly Miriam broke off. She leaned forward and sniffed Jake’s shirt. ‘You’ve been drinking . . .’
‘No.’
‘You stink of alcohol, Jake! Don’t lie to me.’
‘I’m not lying.’
‘Actually, Mrs Djones—’ Yoyo interrupted from the back; but her mother silenced her with a glare.
For a moment Miriam closed her eyes and shook her head. ‘This is your two-week warning, Jake,’ she said in a baleful tone that Jake had only heard once in his life; it sent shivers down his spine. ‘Do you hear me? We shall return from London, collect you and go straight back again. You will be going back to school, so you can start saying your goodbyes.’
Jake could feel his face heating with anger. ‘Really?’ he hissed. ‘Every time the same threat—’
‘This time we mean it!
We mean it!
’ Miriam swore. ‘You’ve become impossible.’
‘Well, maybe you
did
do something wrong. For a start, you lied to me my whole life.’
‘What?’ Miriam gasped.
‘Now, Jake, let’s not get carried away . . .’ Alan began.
Rose tried to intervene. ‘Come on, now – everyone’s a bit tired and emotional.’ She took Jake’s hand, but he shook her off.
‘Well, you
did
. You lied about everything,’ Jake continued, gathering momentum. ‘You lied about working here – the bathroom shop – everything in London . . . all lies!’
‘We did that to protect you,’ Miriam said. ‘You
know
why we did that.’
‘And you lied about Philip. My own brother!’ Jake stared at her, eyes flashing with fury. ‘I hate you.’ The phrase hung in the air for a moment; then he turned, pushed his way through the crowd and ran up into the castle.
Miriam sobbed as Alan pulled her into his arms.
A few minutes later, leaving the murmuring crowd on the pier, Alan and Rose went looking for Jake.
He had gone to Dora’s stable and slammed the door behind him. He often took refuge with the elephant when he felt low: just being close to her calmed him down. Of course, she was only an animal, but she seemed wise all the same. He fed her some carrots, stroked her ears and searched her ancient eyes for the answers to his problems.
When he heard his father and aunt calling his name, he hid in a little compartment where the straw was kept, covering himself completely.
After a while the shouts stopped. Jake lay there a little longer. He was exhausted, his eyelids feeling heavier and heavier.
Suddenly a vision came to him – he wasn’t sure if it was a dream or a hallucination – of his mother crying out. The
Escape
had been holed in a storm and was being dragged down under the foaming waves. His eyes
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