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Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. About the Author
  4. Title Page
  5. Intoroduction
  6. ONE
  7. TWO
  8. THREE
  9. FOUR
  10. FIVE
  11. SIX
  12. SEVEN
  13. EITHT
  14. NINE
  15. TEN
  16. ELEVEN
  17. TWELVE
  18. THIRTEEN
  19. FOURTEEN
  20. FIFTEEN
  21. SIXTEEN
  22. SEVENTEEN
  23. EIGHTEEN
  24. NINETEEN
  25. TWENTY
  26. TWENTY-ONE
  27. TWENTY-TWO
  28. TWENTY-THREE
  29. TWENTY-FOUR
  30. TWENTY-FIVE
  31. TWENTY-SIX
  32. TWENTY-SEVEN
  33. TWENTY-EIGHT
  34. TWENTY-NINE
  35. THIRTY
  36. THIRTY-ONE
  37. THIRTY-TWO
  38. THIRTY-THREE
  39. THIRTY-FOUR
  40. THIRTY-FIVE
  41. THIRTY-SIX
  42. THIRTY-SEVEN
  43. THIRTY-EIGHT
  44. THIRTY-NINE
  45. FORTY
  46. FORTY-ONE
  47. FORTY-TWO
  48. FORTY-THREE
  49. FORTY-FOUR
  50. FORTY-FIVE
  51. FORTY-SIX
  52. FORTY-SEVEN
  53. FORTY-EIGHT
  54. FORTY-NINE
  55. FIFTY
  56. FIFTY-ONE
  57. FIFTY-TWO
  58. FIFTY-THREE
  59. FIFTY-FOUR
  60. FIFTY-FIVE
  61. FIFTY-SIX
  62. FIFTY-SEVEN
  63. FIFTY-EIGHT
  64. FIFTY-NINE
  65. SIXTY
  66. SIXTY-ONE
  67. SIXTY-TWO
  68. SIXTY-THREE
  69. SIXTY-FOUR
  70. SIXTY-FIVE
  71. SIXTY-SIX
  72. SIXTY-SEVEN
  73. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  74. CLIMATE EMERGENCY
  75. Copyright

There were a lot of things that were supposed to be.

If you ask me, Dad being killed wasn’t one of them.

There were thirty-nine families in that service. Thirty-nine things that weren’t supposed to be.

Thirty-nine trolleys.

All this was just over two years ago. About the time when I stopped reading books about the end of the world, and all the adults dying.

FOUR

FOUR

I get to school just as the first bell goes. I am neither the first nor the last into my lesson. Things are easier that way, I’ve noticed. You can flow in with the others and don’t have to say anything when the teacher says ‘Good Morning’. They all do this nowadays, stand in the doorway and say ‘good morning’, or ‘how are you?’ or ‘ready to get going?’ one foot inside the door, one inside the classroom. Mostly, after they’ve done this, they go back to the front of the room and talk to us like they always have done; like we’re all the same. This is fine with me. When they do their politeness thing, trying to treat us like people, there are only a few of them that I actually believe. Most of them sound totally fake.

I’m not sure about Mr Walters, whose Biology class is the first lesson today.

After a whole morning, nearly two hours of cellular differences between plants and animals, he calls me over as I’m about to leave.

‘Josh, a quick word, please?’ It sounds like a question, but it isn’t. That’s another thing they all do.

A few other pupils look at me as they walk past. I stand by his desk, watching the side of his face as he scrolls through something on his computer. His rimless glasses reflect a blue-green light from the screen.

‘Ah, here it is. Last week’s test. Josh, I was very impressed with your result.’

He waits for a reaction. I nod.

‘Almost full marks. Almost.’ He winks a bit at this. ‘Now some of that paper I took from the A-Level syllabus. Not much, but enough to push a few of you. Sort the wheat from the chaff as it were. And you, Josh, are definitely wheat.’

I smile a bit.

‘I just wanted to say how well you’re doing, Josh. Are we challenging you enough in these lessons? I know it can seem a bit slow sometimes. I’ve got to make sure everyone’s on board.’

I shake my head. ‘It’s fine.’

‘You’re sure? Good. You will let me know if we’re not pushing you enough though?’

I’m never sure what teachers expect when they ask this. I smile again.

‘Good. It sounds to me like you’re doing brilliantly everywhere, Josh. Hard to imagine it’s been…’ He slows down, looks at me closely.

I feel myself getting hot, a high-pitched ringing starts in my ears.