his real name. ‘I’m Dante,’ he said. ‘So is your room like this?’
Lauren held the adjoining door open so that Dante could see inside. ‘Everything’s identical, except I didn’t have a big nappy on.’
Dante looked embarrassed. ‘I don’t know why they put this on me,’ he lied. ‘So what do you reckon we should do? Maybe try to find someone?’
‘Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll look around together? There’s got to be an adult somewhere.’
After putting on the uniform Dante met Lauren out in the hallway. They were at the end of a long carpeted corridor, with doors off either side. Some doors were open and as the pair walked they saw rooms in various states of disarray.
‘Looks like teenagers judging by the size of the clothes,’ Lauren said. She noticed a bedside clock. ‘Quarter to ten, so I guess they’re all in lessons.’
‘What happened to your eyes?’ Dante asked, as they started walking again.
‘My idiot dad,’ Lauren said reluctantly. ‘He came home in a mood. I said I needed some money for shopping and he went crazy and punched me in the face.’
‘Jesus,’ Dante said.
‘It’s nothing compared to how it looked at first,’ Lauren said. ‘I could barely see on the way to school the next day. My teacher reported it and that’s how I ended up in Nebraska House. My half brother James was supposed to be there, but nobody could find him …’
‘Maybe he’s here,’ Dante suggested.
Lauren felt dumb because she hadn’t thought of this herself. ‘Maybe he is,’ she smiled. ‘He’s an idiot, but we kind of look after each other.’
As they reached the lift and stairs in the centre of the building a teenager burst out of her bedroom. She held a giant art folio and a pile of books on Picasso. She wore the same uniform as Dante and Lauren, but looked about fifteen and her navy T-shirt was spattered with paint.
‘Hello,’ Lauren said politely. ‘Can you help us please, we’re a bit lost?’
The girl held out her palm. ‘Can’t talk to orange,’ she said firmly.
Lauren and Dante were baffled by the response. They followed the girl as she approached the lift. She was carrying too much stuff to press the button.
‘Up or down?’ Dante asked.
‘Down,’ the girl said reluctantly.
Dante pressed the button. ‘So why can’t you talk to us? All we want is directions.’
‘Sorry,’ the teenager said. ‘But you’ve no idea how much trouble I could get into for talking to someone in an orange T-shirt. They’ll be watching you on CCTV. Mac will find you when he needs you.’
‘Who’s Mac?’ Lauren asked.
‘Will you speak to me if I pull my T-shirt off ?’ Dante asked.
The girl laughed, then looked anxiously at the LED display and groaned with frustration because the lift hadn’t budged from the ground floor.
‘I’ll walk then, shall I?’ the teenager said to herself angrily. ‘I hate these lifts! They always make me late.’
Before racing off down the stairs, the girl saw the worried expressions on the two nine-year-old faces. ‘This is a nice place, you’ve got nothing to be scared of.’
Dante and Lauren looked at one another and shrugged.
‘Well,’ Dante said, ‘one thing’s for sure, today can’t get any weirder.’
Lauren managed a half smile. ‘Don’t bet on it.’
Sod’s law dictated that the lift started moving as soon as the overladen teenager set off down the stairs. Lauren and Dante watched the display as the lift rumbled inside its shaft. When the doors opened they revealed a lady with long dark hair and a lacy top stretched over a heavily pregnant belly.
‘Hop in,’ the woman said. ‘I’ll start your tour from the ground floor.’
‘Are you Mac?’ Dante asked, as the doors closed.
The woman shook her head. ‘No, Mac is our chairman. He usually takes prospective recruits on a tour of campus, but he’s in bed with a chest infection. He’s in a real state and his wife’s refused to let him come into work.
Lauren held the adjoining door open so that Dante could see inside. ‘Everything’s identical, except I didn’t have a big nappy on.’
Dante looked embarrassed. ‘I don’t know why they put this on me,’ he lied. ‘So what do you reckon we should do? Maybe try to find someone?’
‘Why don’t you get dressed and we’ll look around together? There’s got to be an adult somewhere.’
After putting on the uniform Dante met Lauren out in the hallway. They were at the end of a long carpeted corridor, with doors off either side. Some doors were open and as the pair walked they saw rooms in various states of disarray.
‘Looks like teenagers judging by the size of the clothes,’ Lauren said. She noticed a bedside clock. ‘Quarter to ten, so I guess they’re all in lessons.’
‘What happened to your eyes?’ Dante asked, as they started walking again.
‘My idiot dad,’ Lauren said reluctantly. ‘He came home in a mood. I said I needed some money for shopping and he went crazy and punched me in the face.’
‘Jesus,’ Dante said.
‘It’s nothing compared to how it looked at first,’ Lauren said. ‘I could barely see on the way to school the next day. My teacher reported it and that’s how I ended up in Nebraska House. My half brother James was supposed to be there, but nobody could find him …’
‘Maybe he’s here,’ Dante suggested.
Lauren felt dumb because she hadn’t thought of this herself. ‘Maybe he is,’ she smiled. ‘He’s an idiot, but we kind of look after each other.’
As they reached the lift and stairs in the centre of the building a teenager burst out of her bedroom. She held a giant art folio and a pile of books on Picasso. She wore the same uniform as Dante and Lauren, but looked about fifteen and her navy T-shirt was spattered with paint.
‘Hello,’ Lauren said politely. ‘Can you help us please, we’re a bit lost?’
The girl held out her palm. ‘Can’t talk to orange,’ she said firmly.
Lauren and Dante were baffled by the response. They followed the girl as she approached the lift. She was carrying too much stuff to press the button.
‘Up or down?’ Dante asked.
‘Down,’ the girl said reluctantly.
Dante pressed the button. ‘So why can’t you talk to us? All we want is directions.’
‘Sorry,’ the teenager said. ‘But you’ve no idea how much trouble I could get into for talking to someone in an orange T-shirt. They’ll be watching you on CCTV. Mac will find you when he needs you.’
‘Who’s Mac?’ Lauren asked.
‘Will you speak to me if I pull my T-shirt off ?’ Dante asked.
The girl laughed, then looked anxiously at the LED display and groaned with frustration because the lift hadn’t budged from the ground floor.
‘I’ll walk then, shall I?’ the teenager said to herself angrily. ‘I hate these lifts! They always make me late.’
Before racing off down the stairs, the girl saw the worried expressions on the two nine-year-old faces. ‘This is a nice place, you’ve got nothing to be scared of.’
Dante and Lauren looked at one another and shrugged.
‘Well,’ Dante said, ‘one thing’s for sure, today can’t get any weirder.’
Lauren managed a half smile. ‘Don’t bet on it.’
Sod’s law dictated that the lift started moving as soon as the overladen teenager set off down the stairs. Lauren and Dante watched the display as the lift rumbled inside its shaft. When the doors opened they revealed a lady with long dark hair and a lacy top stretched over a heavily pregnant belly.
‘Hop in,’ the woman said. ‘I’ll start your tour from the ground floor.’
‘Are you Mac?’ Dante asked, as the doors closed.
The woman shook her head. ‘No, Mac is our chairman. He usually takes prospective recruits on a tour of campus, but he’s in bed with a chest infection. He’s in a real state and his wife’s refused to let him come into work.
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