Dedication

For Lily (and Lily-Bot)

Chapter 1

Chapter One

It was pouring with rain on the day Ellie joined our class. On our drive to school, Mum had to put the windscreen wipers on to their fastest setting. They whizzed back and forth, but the windscreen was still blurry as we looked out into the heavy shower.

Mum pulled into a parking space close to the school gates and kept the engine running.

I didn’t move.

“Come on, love, off you go,” Mum said. “I’ve got to get to work.”

I watched the streaks of rain run down my window.

“Can’t we wait a little longer?” I said. “There’s still ten minutes until the bell goes.”

Mum sighed. “I can’t, Anna,” she told me. “The traffic is always bad on Mondays. I need to get Henry to nursery and I can’t be late for work.”

I sighed. There were three reasons why I didn’t want to get out of the car.

Nia Gibson, Shavina Bates and Erin Smith.

They were all standing in the playground huddled under an umbrella.

Nia, Shavina and Erin were lovely. They weren’t nasty to me in any way and I guess I’d call them my friends – even if I was on the edge of the group.

Shavina and Erin were never far from Nia and hung on to her every word. Sometimes I thought Nia was like the sun and the rest of us were planets, orbiting around her. There was nothing wrong with Nia, Shavina or Erin at all. They just made me feel so small.

“Come on, Anna,” said Mum. “I’m going to be late.”

My little brother kicked the back of my seat as if I needed reminding that he was there. I picked up my school bag, which was down by my feet.

“There’s an umbrella in the boot,” said Mum. “Take it with you or you’ll get soaked. And remember we’re going to the supermarket after school.”

I groaned. My parents liked to go shopping later in the day when things were reduced and there were more bargains to be had. We went at least twice a week.

“Bye,” I said.

I got out of the car and shut the door as the rain hit me in the face. I put my head down and trudged towards the gates. Behind me, I heard Mum shout out of the car window.

“Anna! The umbrella!” she said. I ignored her and kept walking.

I got to the playground and headed over to where Nia, Shavina and Erin sheltered under their umbrella. I stood behind them.

“It was incredible!” said Nia. “The slope was so high and it was real snow!”

Shavina and Erin gasped.

“Real snow?” said Shavina. “How can they use real snow?”

I remembered then that Nia had gone to an indoor ski slope at the weekend.