The Apartment - K. L. Slater Page 0,23

chest. I hope she’s in a good mood when I pick her up and open to the news I have to give her.

I’m a few minutes early getting to school and one of the first parents to reach the gates. I cross the playground and enter reception to pick up the transfer forms I’ll need to complete.

Mrs Desai, the office manager, looks up as I enter the reception area. She picks up the phone, says a few words, and replaces the receiver before sliding open the glass hatch. I smile and ask her for the necessary forms.

‘It’s very short notice, so please bring them back tomorrow fully completed,’ she says curtly and hands them over to me without smiling back.

She’s always seemed very friendly up to now, so I figure she must be just snowed under with end-of-term work, judging by the unwieldy pile of papers on her desk.

As I turn to leave, the secure inner door that leads into the school opens and Miss Smith peers apologetically around it.

‘Is there any chance I can have a quick word, Mrs Miller?’ She pushes her wispy, light-brown hair out of her eyes and exchanges a glance with Mrs Desai.

How did the teacher know I was here, in reception? The classroom window overlooks the inner courtyard so she can’t have seen me coming into school. Then I remember the office manager’s discreet little phone call as I arrived . . . she must have tipped her off that I had arrived. But why?

‘Yes, of course.’ My heart thumps a little faster as I walk towards her. ‘Is everything alright?’

‘You can come through now, if that’s OK.’

Miss Smith holds the door open and I slip through, following her down the corridor that’s just starting to fill with children searching for their lunchboxes and coats. Her small heels sound officious as they clip the scuffed wooden floor as we walk, adding to the unsettled feeling that’s growing rapidly in my stomach.

‘My teaching assistant has kindly agreed to dismiss the class, so we can speak privately in here. She’s going to hold on to Skye for a few minutes when the end-of-school bell sounds, so no need to worry where she is.’ She opens the door of a room barely bigger than a large cupboard, which contains only a single desk and a couple of pupil-sized chairs.

‘Is there something wrong?’ I ask when she indicates for me to sit down. I remain standing, waiting with bated breath for an explanation.

Miss Smith presses her lips together regretfully. ‘Mrs Miller, I thought it was important to let you know that Skye has been rather upset in class this afternoon.’ She pre-empts my next comment. ‘The office did try unsuccessfully to call and text you several times to come in, but in the end, I’m afraid they had to leave a voicemail.’

One hand fruitlessly scrabbles around in my bag and I inwardly curse when I realise I must have left my phone at home in my rush to leave the apartment.

‘Is Skye OK? Is she ill or—’

‘Skye is fine physically,’ she interrupts. ‘But it was the sweets, Mrs Miller . . . and your note. I think if you had let me know what to expect today, I could have handled it better and avoided—’

‘Sorry,’ I interrupt, placing the tips of my fingers lightly on the desk. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. Sweets . . . and a note, you say?’

‘Yes, they arrived in reception at two o’clock with instructions for them to be brought directly to class. The gift basket was wrapped so beautifully in cellophane and ribbons and addressed to Rowan Class. As you can imagine, the children were excited when Mrs Desai brought them through.’ She hesitates. ‘But I’m afraid it all turned rather sour when I read out your note.’

I feel like I’m inhaling fog.

‘Sorry, I need to stop you right there. I haven’t sent a package to school today,’ I say a little breathlessly.

‘Oh, I see.’ Her hand drifts up to her mouth as she considers the implications of this. ‘Let’s sit down a moment.’

The child-size chair feels insubstantial beneath me. ‘What . . . did the note say?’ I manage.

She opens the exercise book she’s carrying and hands me a small lined piece of paper. I read it aloud, in disbelief.

To all my friends in Rowan Class,

Me and Mummy have just moved into our new house, and I will be leaving Grove Primary to start a brand new school a