CHERUB: Knight

1: Rain

"Make sure you put your waterproof coats on before you leave. Anyone who does out in just their jumper will be in trouble, and probably catch a cold too," the severe voice of Mrs. Young said from the front of the classroom. "It's very wet so no jumping in puddles either."

George Anderson rolled his eyes. He was nine years old, way too old to go round jumping in puddles. That was for the little kids, but he was in Year Five now. He was even allowed to walk home by himself, unlike many of the kids at his primary school in London whose parents were getting soaked as they waited in the playground.

School was hardly his favourite place, so George grabbed his coat as soon as he was allowed to leave and pulled on his rucksack. He didn't fancy getting his trousers wet because his mum would yell at him, so he tucked the bottom into his uncomfortable black school shoes and set off.

"Hey, George!" a familiar voice said from behind him, a hand tapping his shoulder. George spun around and smiled at his best friend Jake.

"Listen, if you wanna come over this afternoon then my mum will probably say yes. Saves you a soaking," Jake said, scratching the back of his hand as he said it. "You can just text your mum, right?"

"Yeah, okay," George said, grinning. Not only was it the perfect excuse for an afternoon of endless PlayStation and no homework, but if it stopped raining before he got home his trousers would be dry and he wouldn't have to hang them on the radiator like his mum would demand.

The two boys filtered into the stream of kids making their way into the playground, either heading happily for parents and the shelter of their cars or dashing for the pavement, darting through traffic to get to the other side of the road.

"Can we put on Grand Theft Auto?" George asked enthusiastically. It was his favourite game but if his mum found out he played it, there'd be hell to pay.

Jake shrugged. "Maybe if my mum goes out. Otherwise we can't." He pulled his hood up further to shelter his face. "It's still a month until my birthday so I can't get busted doing anything dodgy."

"Hi mum!" Jake yelled as he unlocked the front door of the flat and kicked off his sodden shoes. "George is here."

Jake's mum was always friendly and she stayed at home to look after his little sisters, so there was always lemonade and sandwiches waiting when they got in. She put her head round the door of the kitchen as they clattered in and sat down.
"Hi George, how's your mum?" she asked, hands full of nappies.

"She's fine," George replied, smiling and doing his best to be polite.

"There's lemonade in the fridge, Jake, so you can pour two glasses. I'll make a couple of sandwiches and bring them to your room as soon as I've finished changing the babies. Get some newspaper to put in your shoes before you go upstairs." Her expression was stern, but Jake was usually well-behaved and looked after his baby sisters, so he rarely got anything more than a raised voice.

"Okay mum," Jake said, pouring lemonade and handing one to George before dashing off to stuff paper into his school shoes. This left George standing awkwardly in the kitchen until he got back and they could go upstairs.

"Do you need to phone your mum?" Jake's mum asked, pointing to the cordless phone on the counter and breaking the silence. "Saves you the cost on your mobile."

"If that's okay?" George asked, moving over to the handset and typing their landline number. If his mum was out he could dial her mobile, but he couldn't remember her number and it was a good excuse for not being hassled about his homework so he didn't want to look it up. The phone rang a few times before it was picked up and George heard his mum's voice.