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wasn’t the best but it was better than James got at home. Afterwards they set up the Playstation. While they played they told stories about stuff, like fights at school and how they ended up here. James was surprised that Kyle was thirteen and already in Year Nine. Kyle said he was good at everything except sports. He had a hard time because the rest of his class were bigger than him. James said the only things he was any good at were sport and maths.
    Before they went to bed, Kyle took James to the laundry and found a box of school uniforms. James already had school shirts and trousers, but he needed a blazer with the West Road badge and a school tie. There wasn’t much choice and everything was trashed. They found a blazer that fitted James OK and a school tie that was in threads.
    *
     
    Kyle fell asleep. James’ head was too busy. Tomorrow was going to be the first day of a new routine: eating meals with all the other kids, going to a new school, coming home and spending time with Kyle. It wasn’t the end of the world, but he wished Lauren was here.
    James remembered the little brown envelope in the safe.
    He’d forgotten until now. He scrambled out of bed and slipped his tracksuit bottoms on. He rummaged in the pockets. His heart skipped when he didn’t find it straight away. He had to go somewhere light where he could look without anyone seeing. The toilet was the obvious place.
    James locked himself in a cubicle and opened the envelope gently so he’d be able to reseal it. There was a key and a business card:

REX DEPOSITARY
Deposit Your Valuables with Total Discretion and Security Individual Boxes in Eight Different Sizes
     

    James flicked the card over. The address was on the back. It looked like his mum had another hidden stash. He put the key on the cord around his neck.

7. SHRINK
     
    James had always been in mixed schools, but West Road was all boys. The lack of girls gave the place an air of menace. It was noisier and everybody in the corridor pushed harder than at his old school. It felt like something could go off any second.
    A Year Seven got a hard shove from a Year Ten and knocked into James. The kid went down and yelped as the Year Ten stamped his hand. The kids were all heading somewhere. James had a map that made no sense whichever way he turned it.
    ‘Nice tie, girlie,’ somebody said.
    James thought it was aimed at him. The tie was a wreck. He decided to steal one from some weed the first chance he got. The bodies were all disappearing into classrooms and within a couple of minutes James only had a few late arrivals for company.
    A couple of nasty looking Year Ten kids blocked James’ way. One of them had spiked hair and a Metallica T-shirt under his blazer. Both were wearing menacing-looking steeltoe-capped boots with fat laces dragging behind.
    ‘Where you going, squirt?’
    James looked up at them, thinking he was going to die before he even made it to his first class.
    ‘Registration,’ he said.
    The Metallica kid snatched the map out of James’ hand.
    ‘Well, you’re not going to make it,’ Metallica said.
    James braced himself for a boot or fist.
    ‘Try using the side of the map that says main building, not annexe. It’s over there.’
    Metallica turned the map over and handed it back to James. He pointed at a yellow door up a corridor on the left.
    ‘Thanks,’ James said.
    He hurried off. Metallica shouted after him: ‘Take that tie off.’
    James looked down at the tie. He could see it was tatty but why all the fuss?
    *
     
    James handed his form teacher a note. All the kids in his new class were staring at him as he looked for a seat. He sat at the end of a row, next to a black kid called Lloyd.
    ‘You one of the little orphans from the council home?’ Lloyd asked.
    The kids sitting around James laughed. James knew first impressions counted. If he said nothing he’d look soft. His reply had to be sharp, but not so nasty it started a fight.
    ‘How’d you know?’