‘Pass it around,’ he said. ‘I know it looks gross, but you could eat it if you want …’ There was another groan. ‘Smell it. Go on, it won’t smell of anything. But it contains everything I need to survive. All the minerals, the calories, the vitamins necessary for survival, but in a form I can digest. Yes?’

A boy towards the back – I hadn’t learned his name yet – had his hand in the air. I almost laughed. They were treating Aiden like he was a teacher. I suppose in some ways he was.

‘Is that goo all you can eat? I mean, ever?’

‘That’s it,’ said Aiden. ‘And for the rest of my life. So next time you have a pizza or scrambled eggs or even just a plain round of toast, think of me. I can never eat any of that. That goo is, for me, breakfast, lunch and dinner. And afternoon snack.’

Mr Meredith had his hand in the air and the whole class laughed.

‘Yes, Mr Meredith?’ said Aiden when the laughter had died down.

‘So why do you have to go to hospital for operations if that stuff provides all your dietary needs?’

‘Because the human intestine wasn’t designed for this. After a while there’s a build-up of … residue, I guess you’d call it. And if left alone it would clog my gut and stop the digestive process, even for the “goo”.’

‘Fascinating,’ said Mr Meredith. ‘An exceptionally good and interesting presentation, Aiden.’

I was disappointed. I wanted Aiden’s presentation to go on forever, so I didn’t have to get up there. Surely the teacher should’ve allowed a few more questions? But he didn’t. The class gave a round of applause as Aiden walked back to his seat.

My turn.

I stood in front of everyone, but I tried to keep my eyes focused on the top of the window frame at the back of the class. Two minutes had never seemed such a long time. The silence was absolute and that just made me more nervous. I swayed a bit, putting my weight on one leg and then shifting it to the other.

‘Ermm,’ I said. ‘My name is Ashleigh, Ash for short, and what makes me stand out from the crowd is the home I live in. It’s more beautiful and more expensive than most people can imagine and I’m going to describe it to you …’

No one applauded when I finished, but at least I got to nearly two minutes. I was so grateful to finally sit down.

Mum’s first flight was cancelled because of severe weather in Melbourne, but she was able to get a later one. She had a car waiting for her at the airport in Sydney and Aiden and I were allowed to stay up late for her return, though after the lecture we’d had I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to.

As it turned out, most of her anger had evaporated over time. She made it plain that she was still upset with us, but it was more disappointment now.