‘You’re finished,’ agreed Edie when Gilly had shown her the block. ‘Time to do a test print.’

Gilly had watched the artist mixing and rolling ink, but that was the first time she’d done it herself.

‘Very good,’ Edie had said once she’d rolled the ink onto the block, before showing her how to position it in the press and layer on the paper and protective felt blanket.

Winding down the top of the press, Gilly had found herself holding her breath. When she lifted the plate and peeled back the paper, there was her picture, the ink now imprinted onto the paper. Gilly stared at it for a moment, entirely transfixed.

‘You’ve done a good job there,’ Edie said. ‘A really good job. Gilly—’

And that’s when the strings appeared, the ones that Gilly really should have known would be attached there somewhere.

‘Gilly, have you ever thought about applying for college?’

Gilly actually laughed at that.

‘College? Me? No way.’

‘Why “No way”?’ Edie asked.

Gilly had just looked at her. ‘Me at college? Not really very likely, is it?’

In answer, Edie had picked up the print Gilly had just made and held it up. ‘You could go to art college, Gilly. In fact, I really think you should go to art college.’

‘Nope,’ said Gilly. ‘No point even trying.’

‘Why not?’

Gilly ignored the question. If Edie couldn’t see why the suggestion was absurd, there was no point even talking about it. She took her brand-new print from Edie. ‘Can you show me how to do a multicoloured one now?’

‘If I do, will you promise me you’ll think about the idea of college?’

‘Sure,’ Gilly lied, having absolutely no intention of ever thinking about it.

Edie, of course, being the annoying cow she was, would not let the thing go. She mentioned it at every lesson. She even roped everyone at the bookshop into the Campaign to Get Gilly to Go to College too.

‘It’d open a lot of doors for you,’ Ezra told Gilly, as she rang in the latest books he wanted to read. ‘And if Edie’s the one telling you you’re good enough, then believe me – you’re good enough.’

‘I don’t need doors,’ Gilly told him. ‘I just need to earn a living.’

‘Right – and college will help you do that.’

‘No,’ Gilly said. ‘A job will help me do that.’ Rachel appeared and Gilly appealed to her. ‘Rachel will get it,’ she said. ‘What do you think is more important – college or a job?’

Rachel looked at her from over the pile of books in her arms. ‘Is this about Edie’s suggestion that you apply to art school?’

‘Yeah,’ Gilly said. ‘She won’t leave it alone, but you get why it’s a ridiculous idea, right? Please tell everyone to get off my back about it.’

‘I don’t think it’s a ridiculous idea at all, actually,’ Rachel said mildly.

‘What?’

‘You’ve clearly got a talent, Gilly. Who knows where that’s going to take you?’