“Emma doesn’t want to take the shortcut,” Tori announces out of nowhere. I jump.
“I think I’d better start going the long way round too from now on,” Henry says.
Tori and Sinclair stare at him, wide-eyed.
“Hey?” asks Sinclair, turning to me. “Who are you, and what did you do to Henry?” Then he rolls his eyes, although he can’t hold back a smile. “No, seriously,” he says to Henry. “What’s brought this on?”
“There’s rugby training coming up,” he says.
“You can’t be serious?” Tori exclaims.
Henry shrugs. Before he can say any more, there’s a whistle.
“Oh, well, you can run with Emma then,” Tori says.
I hesitate as Henry looks at me. “Aren’t you going to run with Grace?” I ask.
He shakes his head. “Day pupils don’t have to get here until registration at eight thirty.”
“Oh, I see.” I turn around as I hear shouting. Standing in the center of the courtyard, there’s a brawny man wearing shorts and a T-shirt, even in this weather.
“That’s Mr.Cormack, the rugby coach,” Henry says as we start running.
“He’s straight out of hell,” Tori adds as Sinclair pulls her aside by the arm. “See you later, you crazy fools!”
They leave the schoolyard with us through a high gateway, but soon afterward, they vanish through an inconspicuous door into one of the buildings, while Henry and I follow everybody else. Very soon, the huge grounds of Dunbridge Academy spread out ahead of us. Olive’s no longer with us—she’s joined a small group of others with “Dunbridge Swimming” emblazoned across their sweatshirts. The path runs along the school walls, the dewdrops are glistening in the sunlight, and threads of mist hang over thefields. The air is clear and cold. I breathe deeply. It’s so peaceful, and calm, and very beautiful.
“How was your second night here?” Henry asks, and I have to grin, because he’s already breathing hard. I slacken my speed a little. I’m not sure exactly how long the route is, and I don’t want to outpace him. That would be rude.
“Quiet. It really is superquiet here,” I say.
Henry laughs. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”
“I’m not sure. It’s weird. I kind of miss the noise of the city.”
“Do you live right in the middle of Frankfurt?”
“No, on the outskirts, but there’s always a background noise. And the planes...”
“You’ll soon get used to the quiet here.”
I nod, overtaking a little group ahead of us.
“Sorry, I’m so out of shape,” he says, once he’s caught up again.
“Just say if I’m going too fast.”
“No... it’s OK.”
Uh-huh. Down to three-word sentences. I slow even more.
“How long does the official route take?” I ask.
“Depends. If you’re sporty, fifteen minutes. Otherwise more like twenty.”
“And the shortcut?”
Henry hesitates. “Um, well, it’s a lot shorter.”
