Kitty wakes me up at about six in the morning by turning the lights on and playing Happy Birthday very loudly. I groan and pull my quilt over my head.
"Shove off."
"Come on Aca! You're seventeen!"
"I was born in the evening. Go away."
"No. Come on. Wake up."
"Go boil your head."
"I know you don't mean that."
"Stick your head down the toilet."
Kitty seems unimpressed and tugs my quilt off, despite my protests.
"It's six Kitty. I can't photosynthesise."
"Hah. Plants can't tell the difference between sunlight and artificial light. So get out of bed right now. I want to give you your presents."
Groaning, I sit up and find a beautifully wrapped present, with flowers dancing all over it shoved under my nose.
"Thanks Kitty. I'll open it when I'm awake."
"If you don't open that present right now, I'll open the door and let everyone else in."
I panic. I'm wearing a baggy Tom and Jerry T-shirt as my last set of pyjamas were wrecked when I ended up going bramble during a nightmare involving an incident when I was six. It was the first time I encountered racism. To the boys, it didn't matter that Mum's family had lived in Glasgow for the last fifty plus years. All that mattered was I looked Chinese, despite my protests that Dad came from Cumbria. I don't think my Mushu plushie helped me at all. But I had a nightmare about that for some strange reason and my pyjamas were wrecked.
I carefully peel back the sticky tape and unwrap the present. Kitty is bouncing impatiently on her bed. Finally, I peel off the last layer and smile. It's the photo of me, her, Bets, Rogue, Kurt, Bobby, St John and Jubes, taken on one of our outings, framed in twining vines and with the word 'Friends' spelled out.
"Thanks Kitty."
She smiles then points to our shared bathroom.
"Get ready. Everyone else is coming at seven."
Sighing, I allow her to hustle me into the bathroom. Kitty is excitable and very like an old friend of mine from Britain. I haven't rung her since I ran away. It's been over a year since I last saw a member of my family. I wonder how they are?
When I exit, Sam is already sitting there. It's been a week and while he's still painfully thin, Dr McCoy's allowed him out of the Infirmary on the grounds he's getting better.
The dog has helped as well. Sam will never get his sight back, so Mrs Grey-Summers did her mental trick and got him a guide-dog. Guide-puppy would be a better name for it! He's a chocolate Lab and when off lead behaves just like a puppy. I can't blame him. He's only a year old and the other students all love him. He's almost the school mascot already. When he sees me, Cocoa (yes, very unimaginative name. His trainers thought he was a girl) leaps up and starts barking.
"Down boy."
He flops down at Sam's feet. It's hard to think of him as Sam, not Strobe.
"Happy Birthday Aca."
"Yeah. Thanks Sam."
"Thank you for bringing me here Aca."
I lean over and give him a hug. The poor guy deserves it. He pulls out something small.
"Dr McCoy helped me wrap it. I thought you'd like it."
"Sam, you shouldn't haveā¦"
"Yeah. Well, it's yours anyway."
Frowning, I open the present to find a photo album, stained with rain and water. My photo album. Taken with me when I ran. I left it back in my cave and I never went back there. I assumed Ring would have wrecked the place. Sam appears shocked when I throw my arms around him.
"Thanks you so, so much!"
"I never looked. Neither did Dr McCoy. Or anyone else. He was responsible for the padlock though."
And sure enough, a padlock has been attached, with the key on a chain. I fit the chain over my neck and smile at Sam, even if he can't see. Then I bring his hand up to my face so he can feel the single trickle of tears. He grins at me.
"Right present then?"
"The best."
Kitty sighs impatiently.
"We have to go. The others are waiting."
I nod, but carefully put the photo album in my clothes drawer and wrap it up. Later, I'll go through it again.
