going to?
‘Do you know, when my dad joined the Australian army, they gave him an IQ test and he scored one hundred and ninety-six. That basically means he’s a certified genius. They tested me and guess what I got?’
‘Low thirties?’ James grinned.
‘One-nine-seven,’ Rat said. ‘I’m the smartest kid you’re ever likely to meet, so don’t even try pulling the wool over my eyes.’
James couldn’t help smiling at the irony of this situation. ‘If you’re so clever, how come your butt looks like a rugby team used it for kicking practice?’
Rat shrugged. ‘People are always telling me I’m too smart for my own good.’
26. OUCH
Except when non-members were present, Survivors’ services were always single-sex affairs. James and Rat were taken into a large hall and made to lie face down on the wooden floor at the centre of the two circles, which contained all the girls in the boarding school. James didn’t know what to expect, but it was reassuring having Rat alongside him, because the smaller boy had been through this before and didn’t look too scared.
The service was taken by Georgie, whose instruments of choice were a harmonica and a twangy steel guitar. After the standard fifteen minutes of clapping, singing and chanting, Georgie’s voice took on a sombre tone:
‘The Ark is a place of godly purity. But to sin within the Ark is to invite devils into the holiest place on earth. Before we can forgive, such sin must be severely punished. The Devil must be beaten from the souls of the miscreants.’
Georgie gleefully slipped a wooden paddle out of her shorts and snapped her fingers. Two girls carried a school desk into the centre of the circles. James caught an awkward glance at Lauren as he was made to stand up.
A padded belt that fastened with Velcro was wrapped around James’ waist, to protect the base of his spine from injury, then the back of his shorts were tugged down, exposing his bum. A plastic bit was placed in the boys’ mouths to stop them biting their tongues and they were made to lean over the table.
‘It is the duty of those whose dignity was undermined by these perverted and lustful boys to step forward and offer punishment,’ Georgie said, bouncing on the balls of her bare feet.
James was alarmed as a dozen blue-socked girls stood up and formed a queue. There had only been seven or eight in the shower, but James was in no position to complain with a chunk of rubber jammed in his mouth.
‘The older boy is new to this Ark, one stroke each,’ Georgie said. ‘Rathbone is a persistent menace, give him three. Commence.’
James had his head dangling over the edge of the table, so he could only see an upside-down view of the girls’ trainers through the underside of the table. The first one stepped up and took the small paddle from Georgie. There was a sharp crack and the table rocked forwards on to its front legs as Rat took his first lick.
By the time he’d taken three, James could see tears in the corner of Rat’s eyes.
‘I forgive you, Rathbone,’ the blue-socked girl said as she stepped across to James.
James quaked with fear as he braced for the first lick. The force of the paddle made him jolt violently, but it hurt less than he’d feared.
‘I forgive you, James,’ the girl said tautly, as she stepped back and handed the paddle down the line.
James’ relief didn’t last long. The second hit hurt more than the first and each one after that grew more painful.
After the thirteenth girl took the final swing at James’ bare buttocks, Georgie hauled him off the table and snatched the bit from his mouth. As the girls filed out of the room to start morning lessons, James ripped off the padded belt and hitched up his shorts. He noticed that the wooden paddle on the ground beside him was spattered with blood, but James felt his bum and found nothing but one slightly bloody graze.
Then he stepped back and looked at Rat. The eleven-year-old had taken thirty-nine paddle strokes. He was struggling to find the strength to pull himself off the table and had streaks of blood trickling down his legs.
‘Stand up then, lad,’ Georgie said, sounding extremely pleased with herself. ‘We’ll beat the devils out of you yet, young Rathbone.’
Rat used the table to push himself up and James grabbed his arm to steady him. He wiped tears off his face and scowled defiantly