Chapters (88)
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dear Reader …
- Also by Robert Muchamore
- PART ONE
- Walter J Freeman Adolescent Mental Health Unit – East Grinstead, UK
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- PART TWO
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- PART THREE
- Walter J. Freeman Adolescent Mental Health Unit – East Grinstead, UK
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- PART FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- EPILOGUE
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- Have you read KILLER T?
- 1 SLASHED RUBBER
- 2 NOT HARRY POTTER
‘Dad’s busy,’ Georgia said firmly. ‘I’m not a kid any more.’
There was a pause. Georgia felt tears in her eyes, knowing it was terrible. John came over and asked what was happening, but Georgia shushed him.
‘Mum, are you there?’
‘Georgia …’ she finally croaked. ‘Zac came home from his shift early this morning. He found Sophie under the stairs in their flat … Your sister … She … I didn’t want to do this on the phone … She hanged herself. Zac cut her down, but it was already too late.’
FIVE
Duke saw something comical in his friend Julius. Overfed, way too tall and tortured by shyness, he had a way of glancing about when he walked St Gilda’s hallways, as if he was scared he’d step on someone smaller.
Duke had never seen Julius ride. Nerves at the school gate and the clumsy scramble up the rocks made Duke wonder if his friend’s enthusiasm for skateboarding would be undermined by his basic lack of coordination.
But Julius had worked hard, wearing the soles of his Vans flat. He could handle drops, grind the sides of the penguin pool’s hexagonal plinths, ollie kerbs and land a 360 flip. For Duke, seeing Julius skate was like going to a family party and seeing your grandma start breakdancing.
Duke gave up after half an hour, stripping off his shirt and lying against a gently angled section of the concrete bowl. Julius kept going, gaining confidence until he was dropping off the sloped wall at the deepest part of the pool.
Duke made some video clips and was recording when Julius drew blood. He’d swerved between two hexagonal penguin platforms, then veered to avoid a plastic bag floating on the hilltop breeze. The correction sent him towards a rusted pool filter and a front wheel wedged in its rusted grate.
Julius stumbled over the nose of his board, making three desperate steps before scraping down on his right knee and elbow.
‘Shit!’ Duke gulped, ditching his phone as he ran to help. ‘You OK?’
‘I’ve survived worse.’
The cut knee wasn’t much, but the blood looked dramatic, streaking down to stain the top of Julius’s sock. He managed a wry smile as he kicked up his board and limped towards Duke. ‘Knee’s wrecked, so I guess that’s enough for today …’
Duke handed over his water bottle. After a drink, Julius peeled his sweaty T-shirt over his head and settled next to his friend on the smooth concrete
‘See why I always wear long sleeves for skating?’ Julius said, holding out the arm to show a rip in the elbow, then using the shirt to mop the worst of the blood off his lower leg
As he caught his breath, Julius held the balled shirt over his knee and leaned across Duke, who’d turned his phone sideways and set the crash to replay in super-slow-motion.