Kent, grew up in Kent, I even went to university in Kent. Moving to this school was like taking a rocket to the moon.’
‘You see, I’m intrigued by that. You must love Kent.’
‘Why do you say that?’
‘Because you know it’s yours.’
AJ laughed. ‘So, Zara Khoury, are you telling me you’re homeless?’
‘Privilege and material things aside, then yes. I’m a homeless bum.’
‘And what about this school? Don’t you see this as home, for now?’
‘AJ. You just answered your own question.’
‘I did?’
‘You said, “home … for now”. Surely home is … what’s that word that means forever?’
‘Permanent?’
‘Yes. Home is permanent.’
‘You’ve never had that, have you, Zara?’
I shook my head. I’d also never completely realised any of this until I’d said it out loud. Mr Blackmore had helped to discover my talent, but AJ was helping me to discover who I was.
‘We can display these prints for parents’ evening,’ AJ told me as we both admired the finished pieces hanging to dry on clothes pegs across the art room. ‘Like a mini exhibition.’
‘With my name above them all?’
‘Of course!’
I thought nothing of throwing myself at AJ, my arms wrapping around his middle.
‘Oh, thank you,’ I cried. ‘That’s the best news ever.’
He hugged me back, no hint of stepping away. His hand fell upon my head and he tossed my hair, roughly yet meaning well.
‘You deserve it,’ he said. ‘Your parents will be proud as punch.’
‘My parents won’t see it. Unless we take a photo.’
‘They aren’t coming?’
‘Nope. My mom’s heavily pregnant, so she can’t fly. And my papa is too busy, but I don’t blame him, he’s got to work. It’s cool.’
What wasn’t cool was Octavia Langford witnessing that hug. And informing Mrs Llewellyn. I was no longer allowed to engage in extra art sessions unless it was during scheduled art club. AJ was issued with a warning, something he told me when we met in town every other Sunday afternoon to sketch in the park. Sometimes I played around with the landscape, but when I felt particularly inspired, I created cartoon strips, breathing a fantasy into the world I knew. The forbidden friendship lit a fire within me, gave me a deeper understanding of what made me tick, and nothing became more important than finding ways to keep AJ in my life.
Until AJ fell in love.
He met the owner of an independent bookstore in the village close to the school’s grounds. How painfully romantic. He introduced her to me once, and never arranged another Sunday afternoon session again.
And, it embarrasses me to admit, something deep within me cracked.
I persisted in trying to get one of our meetings arranged, or perhaps to start lunch sessions again because, ‘Octavia’s stupid snitch was months ago – surely no one cares anymore!’ and when AJ said no, I cried, broken hearted at the loss of my first true friend. Well, at least that’s who I thought he’d been.
Mrs Llewellyn found me in tears outside the art block.
The stout woman, who did indeed reek of cigar smoke, became a mother figure to me for this long, strong moment, just as she vowed she would be to all her girls when they enrolled at the academy. I relaxed into tears as Mrs Lewellyn held me tight, walking me slowly to her office where she allowed me to pour my heart out over a cup of English tea and a digestive biscuit.
‘He was so much more than a teacher, Mrs Llewellyn. And I was so much more than a student. To him. I felt it. And I’ve never felt anything like that before.’
I wasn’t allowed to discuss it any more. Mrs Lewellyn instructed me to go to class and ‘perk up’ because I’d gotten everything off my chest. She said it wasn’t an admirable quality to wallow.
A week later, I found my dorm cubicle raided and a series of sketches resembling a cartoon strip – complete with my initials on every loose page – scattered all over my bed. The strip featured the intimate adventures of a small white cat with the letter ‘Z’ hanging from her pink collar, and her affair with a big black dog carrying a teacher’s cane, his fur splashed with spilt paint. Not one student took the blame for invading my personal space, nor did any of them pin blame on another.
Adam Jeffrey Blackmore resigned from his position with immediate effect.
And I was put on the first flight to Boston.
24
Jim
So, Zara got to go to Hogwarts but didn’t learn to fly.