When my dad died, my mum and sister were stuck in the hospital without any way of understanding what was happening. The staff tried to get an interpreter, but the earliest they could get someone was in four days’ time. Until I arrived at the hospital, they weren’t even sure what was happening. A nurse called me and told me my dad had died from a massive heart attack, but when I got there I was the one who had to tell my mum and sister. Nobody had wanted to try and communicate it to them, even by writing it down. Then I had to speak to the doctor and find out what had happened, and interpret it for Mum, while I was coping with the shock and grief myself. A relative shouldn’t have to be the one to do that.

Then my mum got cancer, I continued. I went to all her appointments with her, and I was happy to do it, but that meant I was the one who had to tell her the treatments weren’t working. I had to tell my own mum she was dying. It hurt so much to have to be the one who did that, while still trying to process the idea myself. Does that make sense?

Sasha nodded. It does.

How often are you here? I asked, moving the focus of the conversation away from myself. Sasha was a relative stranger and I didn’t know why I’d felt the need to share that much personal information.

Normally once a week, she replied, but while Leon is missing I’m going to try and prioritise the school. The full-time residential kids have all had a rough start in life, for one reason or another, and now they’re faced with a missing friend and a murdered teacher. That’s a lot to deal with.

Do you have any theories about Leon?

Sasha’s mouth twisted into a grimace and she shook her head. I’m really worried about him. Things have changed, recently. He’s never been the sort of kid who bottles things up, you know? He’s always been open with me, happy to discuss how he’s feeling, things that are bothering him. I’ve never known him be afraid of going to an adult for help. But lately he’s been quite secretive, and I can’t help but wonder if that’s related to what happened at the weekend. I’d put it down to normal teenage behaviour, but now I’m really worried that something might have happened to him. Do we even know for certain that he ran away? I know his stuff was missing, but what if there’s something more sinister going on?