CHERUB: Class A - Robert Muchamore Page 0,64

at the top of his voice: You’re too weak, little girl. You’ll never make it. Why don’t you quit? It made me so angry. I was so sick of his stupid voice. I just got this urge to make him shut up. Then I realised I still had my spade on the ground, right in front of me.’
‘You didn’t,’ James gasped.
‘When Mr Large turned around, I took this massive swing with it and whacked him behind the knees to knock him over. The first time only made him go wobbly. He started turning towards me and I was so scared. I thought he was gonna kill me, so I whacked him again. As he went down, he caught his head on a rock and got knocked out.’
James couldn’t help smiling. ‘You knocked out Mr Large! That’s pure class.’
‘It’s not funny, James,’ Lauren moped. ‘I’m probably gonna get expelled. I thought I’d killed him for a minute. There was all blood coming out of his head. I was so afraid, I ran out of the training compound and didn’t stop. I wanted to speak to you before anyone else, so I went to my room and phoned you. Zara said you were on campus, but I’m not allowed upstairs to mission preparation, so I waited for you in here.’
James pondered for a few moments.
‘First things first,’ he said. ‘You better wash up, then we’ll have to find Mac and sort this whole mess out.’
‘Do you think they’ll boot me out?’ Lauren asked.
‘I hope not,’ James shrugged. ‘But laying out a teacher … Let’s just say it’s not gonna go down too well.’
*
James found some of his smaller clothes for Lauren to wear after she got out of the shower. When they got down to the ground floor, Mac’s office was locked. They asked the receptionist on the front desk.
‘Mac usually heads home at about eight,’ he explained. ‘But one of the training instructors got injured and I think he’s still over at the medical unit. I can ring his mobile if it’s urgent.’
‘I think you’d better,’ James said.
The receptionist had a short conversation before putting down the receiver.
‘Mac’s coming over ASAP,’ the receptionist said. ‘I don’t know what you two have done, but judging by the tone of his voice, I wouldn’t want to switch shoes with you at the moment.’
A few minutes later, Mac rolled up the gravel driveway outside in one of the golf buggies the staff used to move around campus.
‘This way,’ he said stiffly, striding through reception.
He pulled a great bunch of keys out of his jacket and unlocked his door.
‘Sit at the desk.’
James nervously sank into one of the leather chairs at the big oak desk. Lauren looked ready to start crying again.
‘So, young lady,’ Mac snapped. ‘Would you be so kind as to tell me why my senior training instructor is lying in the medical unit with a serious concussion and eight stitches in the side of his head?’
‘I’m really, really sorry,’ Lauren grovelled. ‘He made me so mad. Poor Bethany could hardly stand up and Mr Large wouldn’t leave her alone.’
‘If Bethany was injured, she should have quit,’ Mac said. ‘It wasn’t your business to interfere.’
‘So what are you gonna do to her?’ James asked.
‘I don’t like expelling people,’ Mac said. ‘But if I don’t expel a cherub for a serious assault on a member of staff, then what exactly do you get expelled for?’
‘I know what Lauren did is wrong,’ James said. ‘But it’s not like she walked into a classroom and belted a teacher for no reason. She was knackered and she was watching one of her friends get tortured by a raving lunatic. Everyone wants to take a swing at Mr Large at some point during basic training. It’s just unlucky Lauren happened to have a spade nearby when the thought crossed her mind.’
‘Hmm,’ Mac said, covering a tiny smile with his fingers. ‘I suppose there’s an element of truth in that. If I did expel Lauren, though, we’d send her to a good school and set her up with a foster family near campus so that you could visit her at weekends.’
‘I don’t care if she only lives across the street,’ James said. ‘If she goes, I’m going with her. We were separated after our mum died and I don’t ever want that again.’
‘Recruiting cherubs is tricky,’ Mac said, ‘and I don’t want to lose either of you two. But if I allow Lauren to stay, she’ll have to accept