ELLIOT ASHA

But that’s what would happen if you didn’t think Ben was good at being a dad.

AMANDA BOOKER

Did he say that?

ELLIOT ASHA

No. I’m ten. I’m not stupid. I’ve had to grow up. I’m not really a kid any more, I suppose.

AMANDA BOOKER

You stopped going to school, Elliot. Why?

ELLIOT ASHA

I tried. After my dad . . . I tried, but my friends kept asking me about Mum and Dad. It made me cry, so Ben thought it would be better if he taught me.

NESSA DOOLEY

What has he been teaching you?

ELLIOT ASHA

Everything. Maths, English, science.

AMANDA BOOKER

He used to be a scientist, didn’t he?

ELLIOT ASHA

Yes.

AMANDA BOOKER

He worked with your mum and dad, didn’t he? Do you think they liked him?

ELLIOT ASHA

They loved him. He was their friend and my uncle. I’ve known him since I was a baby. They wouldn’t have left me with anyone else.

NESSA DOOLEY

How often do you eat, Elliot?

ELLIOT ASHA

Three times a day. When he first took me from the home, he was a terrible cook, but he’s studied Mum and Dad’s recipes and learned how to make nearly all of them. He just can’t get Mum’s bolognaise. There was a secret ingredient she used and she never wrote it down. It’s gone, I suppose. No one will ever know how it tasted. I miss them, you know?

AMANDA BOOKER

We know. That’s natural.

ELLIOT ASHA

I see them everywhere. Look at that photo above the fireplace. They look like they’re still alive. I just want them to come home. I want to go to the beach to look for them. It was my favourite place and theirs too. If they’re anywhere, they will be there. Lying on the sand, watching the waves and the dolphins. But Ben says he won’t take me. He says it’s too painful. I loved playing in the sand, and they’d always be there, watching me. Making sure I was safe.

AMANDA BOOKER

Nessa, are you OK?

NESSA DOOLEY

I’ll be all right.

ELLIOT ASHA

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.

NESSA DOOLEY

You didn’t. Don’t apologize, Elliot. You’re a brave boy. You have nothing to be sorry for.

AMANDA BOOKER

Would you say you’re happy with Mr Elmys?

ELLIOT ASHA

I don’t know. We talk about Mum and Dad a lot, which makes me sad and happy at the same time, because I never want to forget them, but it also hurts to think about them. I love him though – Mr Elmys. Not like Mum and Dad, but in a different way, and he’s kind to me and looks after me. I’m not sure I’m happy. I don’t think either of us are, but we have each other. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Ben is the closest thing I have to a dad, and this is our home. Please don’t make me go away.