Chapters (30)

‘Goodbye, Anna,’ said Mr Sopweed, offering her his hand. ‘I wish you all the very best. Sincerely, you are a very special girl.’

She was unsure quite what overtook her in that moment. But Virgo found herself throwing her arms around Mr Sopweed.

‘Well, that’s lovely,’ said the headmaster, patting her warmly on the back. ‘You are such a star. Whoever gets you next is very lucky to have you.’

Virgo thought about the pencil sharpener catalogues that awaited her in Elysium and tried not to cry.

‘Where is he?’ Virgo asked Dave impatiently outside Brysmore. ‘I need to get everything packed before the Council collect me tomorrow . . .’

‘Said he needed to get something from his locker,’ said Dave, smiling at her. ‘He’ll be here in a minute. It’s probably a code for the call of nature.’

‘If you are referring to matters concerning the lavatory, you have no idea,’ said Virgo. ‘I’ve met injured snails that are faster than Elliot Hooper on the toilet.’

Dave laughed.

‘You just wait until we have curry night next Wednesday, you won’t see him for—’

The twisting feeling stopped Virgo’s sentence in its tracks. There wouldn’t be any more Wednesday curry nights. Or Thursday mornings waiting with crossed legs outside the lavatory. What a relief, she thought, wiping a tear of gratitude from her cheek.

Dave Hooper smiled a mysterious smile.

‘He’s going to miss you terribly, you know.’

‘Really?’ said Virgo. It hadn’t occurred to her that Elliot had any more regard for her than the socks he regularly discarded around the house. In all the many hours and adventures they had shared, she couldn’t remember a single nice thing he had said. They were little more than casual acquaintances, who’d just happened to share a series of life-altering events near one another.

‘Really,’ said Dave, putting his hand lightly on her shoulder.

‘Let’s go,’ said Elliot, running out of Brysmore with an enormous smirk.

‘What’s the hurry?’ laughed Dave, grabbing Virgo’s hand and starting after his son.

‘You’ll see,’ cried Elliot with a grin, taking off down the driveway. ‘Now, RUN!’

Virgo and Dave did as they were told. But no sooner were they outside the gates when a furious roar arose from the school behind them.

‘HOOOOOOOO-PER!’

Virgo turned to find the source of the commotion.

But all she could see was a large pair of grey underpants flapping gloriously at the top of the school flagpole.

She joined in with Elliot and Dave’s peals of happy laughter and felt the breeze blow through her silver hair as she ran across the field with her friends.

26. Dave and Elliot Hooper