Sister Heart (8 page)

Sleeves short

Neck tight

Janey whispers

No wool

No wool this year

to make him a bigger one

After school

Janey grabs Tim

Hey, you coughin'

or laughin' in class?

Laughin'!

Those boys are mean

Teacher got them bad, huh?

I was laughin' at them, Janey

Your breath sounds wheezy, Tim

Tim rubs his chest

Gets tight in the cold

Janey tugs his jumper lower

He pushes her away

Don't fuss, sis!

Tim ducks under her arm

and runs

Janey shrugs

Tim's got a weak chest

but wildflowers are bloomin'

Won't need a jumper soon

You watch, Annie

Sun'll get hotter and hotter

be better for Tim

be better for you too

She dashes to the edge of the bush

squats down

See, Annie

wildflowers!

We call these ones bacon and eggs

'cause of their colour

You ever eat bacon and eggs?

The food

not the flowers!

I shake my head

Janey licks her lips

I did

once

Ooh, yummier than stinky soup

My plaits are gone

My hair is gone

I am so shame!

Janey says

Aw, don't cry, Annie!

Everyone gets their head shaved

Little kids run past

Baldy! Baldy!

Janey kicks sand at them

Forget about 'em, Annie

Might be baldy themselves soon!

Some girls

in the sleeping room

tease me

till Nancy thumps them

I hide under my blanket

Janey sits on my bed

Come out, Annie

Not coming out!

Listen, I got shaved

when it was freezin' cold

Head was a block of ice

No hat to wear

Cruel, that's what it was!

But sun'll get hot real soon

Baldy's good in hot sun

Hair gets sticky in the heat

You won't have sweat

runnin' down your neck

from sticky hair

And guess what?

Me skull's got freckles!

Come out, Annie

I'll check your skull

for freckles

Who cares about freckles?

Nancy says

Leave her alone, Janey

You know what it's like!

I hear Janey's bed squeak

as she lies down

You be okay, Annie

Promise!

Each day

I rub my cold ears

rub my cold neck

I need thick blood

like Janey said

but it hasn't happened yet

Janey says

Hair grows quick

if ya leave it alone

and don't think about it!

Like

if you pretend

your guts are full

they don't hurt so much

Or if you pretend

you feel warm

ya get a bit warmer

I'm tellin' you true, Annie

Janey frowns

Don't believe me?

Tell you what

I'll count off fourteen days

that's two whole weeks

Then you can check, okay?

Your hair will be longer

Promise!

I stop patting my head

Janey smiles at me

I'm not lyin', honest!

Janey is worrying for Tim

She's been looking for him

but she can't find him

Tim's a boy

says Dot

you a girl

He can't be with you

all the time

Boys'll tease him

says Emmy

Call him sissy!

You forget he's not a baby

says Nancy

Anyway, you can stop worryin'

I saw him with his mates

Janey narrows her eyes

True, Nancy?

Nancy glares

You callin' me a liar?

Janey won't back down

True, Nancy?

Spit on your finger

cross your heart

true?

Nancy belly-laughs

True!

Prickly little sou'wester

Janey moans

Why does he hide from me?

Nancy rolls her eyes

That's what boys do

Forget boys!

Let's be girls

make ourselves pretty

Nancy finds

a patch of bright flowers

Janey shows me

how to join them together

I've got flowers round my neck

round my head

round my arms

Nancy's got more

Nancy stands

walks up and down

nose in the air

I'm Nancy

queen of the world!

The other girls laugh

I don't know what a queen is

Janey elbows me

Queen's a boss

Rich one

says Emmy

No one bosses a queen

says Dot

We bosses ourselves

says Nancy

we all queens today!

We follow Nancy round

pretty in our flowers

noses in the air

Queens of the world

says Janey

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Nancy chucks her flowers on the ground

This queen's hungry

Race you fellas!

Inside the eating place

Janey spots Tim

He gives her a guilty wave

I was stupid to worry, Annie

Look at him

sittin' proud with his mates!

When we get our soup

Janey whispers

Nancy, what do queens eat?

Nancy whispers back

Not this muck!

If queens are bosses

maybe they eat bacon and eggs!

Got my head down

Got my eyes closed

Got my lips pressed tight

Don't pick me

Don't pick me

Don't pick me

Tap – tap – tap

goes Teacher's stick

Every day

Teacher makes someone read out loud

Every day

I hope it won't be me

Tap – tap – tap

Don't worry

whispers Janey

you ain't been here long enough

to learn readin'

Stick stops tapping

Annie
,
stand up

Janey gasps

Nancy's mouth drops open

Teacher gives me an angry look

like I am in big trouble

like I have done something

really bad

I push back my chair

Guts cramp with fear

I stand up

Teacher moves closer

You are not deaf, Annie

You are not dumb

She waves her stick

in front of my face

like a snake

ready to strike

You can speak English

It's in your paperwork

I wasn't told

but now I know

You have been lying to me, Annie

Have you been laughing

behind my back with the other girls?

I shake my head

How long did you think

you could trick me?

Not tricking her

Not tricking anyone

If you can speak

you will speak!

Teacher takes a deep breath

Mary had a little lamb