Call You Mine

Letter's From No One

The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Belle her longest-ever punishment. By the time she was allowed out of her cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches. 

Belle was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Belle Hunting. 

This was why Belle spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where she could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came she would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in her life, she wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Belle, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny. 

"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Belle. "Want to come upstairs and practice?" 

"No, thanks," said Belle. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." Then she ran, before Dudley could work out what she'd said. 

One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Belle at Mrs. Figg's. Mrs. Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats, and she didn't seem quite as fond of them as before. She let Belle watch television and gave her a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years. 

That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life. Belle couldn't see how. 

As she looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Belle didn't trust herself to speak. She thought two of her ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh. 

~~~~ 

There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Belle went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. She went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water. 

"What's this?" she asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if she dared to ask a question. 

"Your new school uniform," she said. 

Belle looked in the bowl again. 

"Oh," She said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet." 

"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of Dudley's old things gray for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished." 

Belle seriously doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. She sat down at the table and tried not to think about how she was going to look on her first day at Stonewall High — like she was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably. 

Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Belle's new uniform. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.