Divided.

Divided. (Part 7)

Jack's mum was stood at the conservatory door waiting for him when he got home at school. "Well?" She asked eagerly opening the front door for him to walk in. He nodded, "Yeah," and she followed him through the inside conservatory door to the kitchen. He hadn't been filled in on why he had to do what his mother was asking of him, only that he needed to befriend an un-advanced.

"It's not allowed!" Jack questioned his mother when she'd first told him what he had to do.

"There are special circumstances," she'd explained, "It's allowed if you're given permission."

"Permission by who?" he'd asked, his mother had always been so against him asking questions about the 'others' but he was sceptical to ask too much, he didn't want to push the boundaries or push his luck.

"Never you mind." She'd shushed him by pressing her finger up against her perfectly painted lips.

Now sitting at the kitchen table Jack looked up as his mother who was standing to the side of him. He had all of his homework books strewn out in front of him on the table; the homework was due to be finished by the time he got back to school at 22:00.

"Did they speak to you?"

"She mum."

"You chose a girl, we'd specifically told you to aim for a boy."

"Yeah well the boys are more obedient and difficult mum, this girl was on her own and lurking around at the back of the playground. She looked ... nice."

"At play time?" His mother sounded shocked because advanced children weren't allowed outside when the 'others' were out there, "How did you manage that?"

"I told Mr Leach mum, I said that I needed to go and change in to my trainers because my school shoes were muddy. I'd already seen her outside mum, through the window ... so I sneaked up past the trees and then hid in the shed."

"And?" she made a gesture with her hands for him to continue. She'd been waiting most the day for him to come home. She'd been worried sick.

"She ran away."

"Oh" his mothers shoulders deflated and her smile brightened, "Oh well dear, you tried didn't you? Perhaps next time there will be a little boy playing alone that you could talk too. Maybe try and work out which child doesn't seem to have any friends ... that way they'll be much more likely to talk back."

"Buy why mum? Why?"