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1

On the way to school, Jesse is twice tempted to play truant. Once, when he comes out of the block of flats and his gaze is drawn to the fields and hills behind Taylor Drive. The pull is strong; he could turn right, pick up Walkers Road and just keep walking… For the first time, as he stands with his bag on his back and his hands in his pockets, he considers just going. Just walking and not stopping. Not until he is as far away as he can get from all of them. Not until he can breathe again.

He only considers it for a few seconds. Then his feet move to the left and he is walking down Taylor Drive whether he wants to or not. He cuts across a wet field, ignoring the curious gaze of a lone Shetland pony, then cuts down the alley between Milly’s Café and the post office. Here, he turns left onto High Street and joins the herd of children flocking to school.

He keeps his eyes out for Paddy Finnis but knows he is unlikely to see him, as he approaches the school from Black Hare Road. Still, the closer Jesse gets to the building he attempted to blow up, the more he looks around for Paddy. He still needs to talk to him. He couldn’t say any of it in front of those other kids yesterday but he wants to warn Paddy about the camera. He didn’t sleep last night thinking about it.

As he enters the school playground, Jesse stops and turns around. He has another urge to ditch it all and walk away, fast. Run away from the valley and never come back. He sees Mr Bishop drive his navy blue Porsche into the staff car park and his stomach turns to liquid. What if Mayfield told Bishop?

2

Jaime smiles proudly when she steps out of the pub (now open for business) and falls into step with Ralph Maxwell. As promised, he has called for her to walk to school together. Jaime’s natural positivity blossoms inside her as she and Ralph stroll along.

‘Are you nervous?’ Ralph asks her kindly.

She looks him over. He’s short for his age too but not chubby like her. He’s solid and outdoorsy, his skin well-tanned from a summer of outdoor pursuits. His hair is brown and curly; it looks both wild and soft as a gentle breeze tousles it around his ears and neck. He has hazel eyes and long lashes, a wide nose and a wide smile to match.

Jaime looks ahead at the sea of children flooding towards School Lane. She shrugs. ‘Yeah, I am actually. But I’m thinking of it as a fresh start.’

‘You won’t miss your old home then? Your old school?’

She shakes her head quickly. ‘No, definitely not.’ Jaime looks around, brightening. Black Hare Valley awakes early and it’s moving around her. The sun is shining today and the temperature is rising. ‘I think I’m going to really like it here,’ she says.

‘Good.’ Ralph grins back.

Jaime’s own smile fades when she spots the girls from the café standing just outside the school gates. They are smoking cigarettes whilst lounging against the railings, nodding and pointing and laughing at people as they pass by. She lowers her head and tries to hide behind Ralph, but it’s too late, they’ve spotted her.

Alexa flicks her long sleek hair from one shoulder to the other. She is heavily made up and Jaime can see sparkly grips pinning her hair in place just above one ear. ‘Fat little loser,’ she whispers to Bryony, who only pretends to be appalled, before both girls erupt into giggles.

Jaime keeps walking. She tells herself it was not aimed at her. The girls were looking everyone up and down and casting judgement. That could have been aimed at anyone. She feels Ralph eyeing her curiously and forces a smile as she lifts her chin and moves on.

Suddenly, Ralph grabs her arm and points ahead.

‘Look, there he is.’

Jaime looks and sees the mysterious Jesse Archer up ahead. He’s staring at the staff car park, his dark hair blowing in the breeze. She feels her pulse quicken and her cheeks flush. He might be a little rough around the edges, but she can’t help how she feels. There is something about Jesse Archer, she thinks as she fixes her gaze on him. He’s a strange mix of anger and vulnerability and she thinks he is handsome enough to be in a band or on TV. She is just picturing him looking moody on stage with his long hair and high cheekbones, when she hears Ralph exhale beside her.

With a little shake of his head he asks her in a low voice, ‘Shall we follow him then?’

Jaime nods without hesitation. ‘Yep.’

3

Jesse walks reluctantly into the building. He spots Steven and Dominic ahead, stuffing PE kits into their lockers. All at once the anger consumes him and he can’t think, or reason, or even slow himself down. He storms through the crowd, marches up to them and grabs Steven by the lapels of his school blazer.

‘Hey!’

‘Where the hell were you?’ Jesse snarls, pushing his face into Steven’s before slamming him back into the lockers.

The school bell rings. Dominic scuttles off. At the other end of the corridor, Jaime and Ralph look on in awe.

‘You didn’t show up, you useless bastard!’

Jesse is about to punch him when he hears a voice that chills him to the bone.

‘Archer! My office, now!’

He lets Steven go. Steven smirks, shakes himself off and slouches away. Jesse turns around to see Mr Bishop leaning out of his office at the far end of the corridor. He is staring at Jesse with malicious intensity.

Jesse moves, his body on auto-pilot once again. He may as well get it over with and then he will find Paddy later and warn him. He goes to Mr Bishop’s office and is swallowed up inside.

4

When Paddy doesn’t meet her on the corner as planned, Willow walks as slowly as possible into the playground, wincing as the school bell screams above her head and looking back over her shoulder almost constantly for Paddy. She has no choice but to allow herself to be bustled inside the hectic building.

She goes solemnly to her locker, feeling lost without him. It’s not like Paddy to take a day off school, especially the first one back after summer. He takes his education far too seriously for that and he was absolutely fine yesterday…

Then she remembers how drenched they all were. Maybe he caught a cold or the weather made his asthma play up. Still, it’s weird. She thinks about what Paddy said yesterday after Jesse Archer had stormed off. ‘I think he was trying to tell me something. Something about Sergeant Mayfield.’

Willow is still not convinced, she has never seen Jesse Archer as anything other than a thug and a bully, skulking around town with his stupid mates, trying to act hard. She finds it impossible to believe he is capable of feeling pity for the humiliation Paddy suffered thanks to Bishop’s assembly that day. He probably just wants revenge. Still, the stuff about Mayfield arresting him then just letting him go doesn’t make sense.

The corridor is empty – Willow sighs and heads to class.

5

Jesse sits slumped in the chair, his legs stuck out in front of him, his fake Nikes pointing to the ceiling. As Mr Bishop shuts the office door with a bang, Jesse stares upwards, locating a huge water stain and following its edges until it starts to resemble a tractor.

He expects Bishop to sit behind his desk to commence the lecture or the expulsion, but he doesn’t. He stands right in front of Jesse and looks down at him. Jesse withdraws his legs and waits. He finds it hard to look back at Mr Bishop. Not just because he is incredibly intimidated by him and can feel the man’s hatred for him rolling off in barely constrained waves. But because the man is just so unattractive. It almost makes Jesse feel sorry for him, and that’s saying something because he hates Bishop almost as much as he hates Mayfield.

He’s one of those tall thin men who eats too much crap and drinks too much booze when he’s home on his own. As a result, he’s made up of thin arms and legs and a big, fat, hard, barrel gut. This makes him look unstable, like he might topple. His shirt is always straining across his middle because if he bought one to fit his belly, it would be far too long in the arm, and he has this awful, and possibly deliberate, habit of leaning in too close when he speaks to people. His breath is atrocious. It smells like dog sick.

His head is rectangular, and his black, somewhat greasy hair, is shot with grey and has a lank, home-cut look about it. His eyes are pale blue and far too staring; they remind Jesse of a the eyes of a dead fish, and his nose is hooked and thin. His lips are strangely plump and his skin riddled with old acne scars. Crater-face, Jesse thinks, squirming under his gaze.

The pale eyes narrow. He looks angry and yet somehow triumphant, as if he woke up this morning hoping and praying that Jesse Archer would do something wrong. Jesse stares back at him and knows that he knows… Of course he knows. Bishop and Mayfield are old friends and they’re both on that stupid Neighbourhood Watch Committee.

‘Trespassing,’ Bishop finally says and the words slip out like a hiss from a snake. ‘Eh?’ He leans closer, sliding his hands down the legs of his dark blue trousers until his terrible face is right next to Jesse’s. ‘Archer. Speak up, cretin.’

‘Yes, sir.’

Bishop nods. ‘Slimebag. Just like your brothers and your old man.’

Jesse shrugs. Bishop glowers. Sweat stands out on his forehead. ‘Get up,’ he barks suddenly, spittle spraying Jesse’s face.

He drags the cuff of his blazer across his cheek. ‘Why?’

‘Get up,’ Bishop says again and opens the door. ‘Follow me. I want to show you something.’

The corridors are empty. Classes have commenced without Jesse. He wonders if he is about to be escorted off the school grounds for good and finds himself hoping for that scenario.

Bishop seizes the top of his arm and looks disgusted with him. ‘Come on. This way.’

They head towards the main doors and Jesse braces himself. He’s about to be thrown out, finally, after all these years. He wonders what he will do, where he will go, whether his dad will care at all…

But Bishop steers him left. They pass the assembly hall and Jesse fights the urge to mention it, to bring up that awful talk he gave, that pointless and vicious humiliation. He wants to ask Bishop what the point of it was, and why Paddy? He can understand Bishop wanting to punish him; the antagonism between them goes back years, but Paddy Finnis is a good kid, a good student. He’s smart and well behaved. What did he do to deserve such treatment?

Jesse bites his lower lip with his teeth and attempts to pull his arm free. He cannot bear such a ghastly man touching him.

Bishop feels him start to pull free and tightens his grip. ‘You’re in Year 11 now,’ he tells Jesse as they continue past the hall. He looks at Jesse sharply, as if expecting an answer.

‘Yeah,’ Jesse nods.

‘Yeah,’ Bishop mocks his gruff tones. ‘Final year. What’re you gonna do after that then?’

‘Don’t know, sir.’

‘Poaching and thieving like your brothers, like your old man.’

‘No, sir.’

‘No, that’s right. I’ll show you what you’re gonna do.’

Jesse wonders if Mr Bishop has finally gone mad, ‘full psycho’ as Steven would say. What is he talking about?

‘I’ll be late for class, sir.’

Bishop snorts. ‘Like you care. This way.’

They take a right past the sports hall. To the left is an open door and an overweight, balding man can be seen backing slowly out of it, dragging a bucket and a mop with him. He looks their way and a shadow of fear passes over his face.

‘Oh, Mr Bishop,’ he says, straightening up. ‘I’m on my way. Boys’ toilets near the science block, I know.’

Bishop waves a hand at him. ‘All right, Mr Burns, no hurry. Archer.’ He turns his glare on Jesse. ‘You know Mr Burns, don’t you?’

Jesse is utterly confused. He nods. Burns is the school caretaker. He lives in the caravan park, chain-smokes and is often seen propping up the bar in The Old Fort, the smaller, darker and seedier public house in Black Hare Valley. He has thinning yellow hair, a bristly chin, sweat stains under each arm and his shoelaces always seem to be undone. He’s not exactly friends with Jesse’s father, Nick, but he knows they drink together sometimes.

Burns remains quiet, his head hanging.

‘Mr Burns here used to be just like you, Archer,’ says Bishop, finally letting go of Jesse’s arm. He laces his hands behind his back and rocks back on his heels, his nose wrinkling in distaste. ‘You went to this school, didn’t you, Burns? Back when my father was the headteacher here. Used to be a lazy student and an awful bully, didn’t you, Burns?’

It’s no surprise to Jesse to hear Mr Bishop talk so rudely to Burns – everyone treats old Burns like shit, but there is something very unsettling about what he is saying, and why. The caretaker drops his head even lower. Jesse watches his hands shaking as they grip the mop.

‘Yes, Mr Bishop,’ he mumbles his reply.

Bishop grins maniacally at Jesse. ‘Used to have a pathetic little gang too, just like you, Archer. Your dad was in that gang. Used to bully me actually, didn’t you, Burns? You and Nicky Archer. Remember that?’

The man does not answer but his lips quiver.

Bishop clears his throat. ‘But he’s changed now. He’s a useful member of the community and a valued employee of our school. He does a good job and do you know what he happens to be looking for after the summer, Archer?’

‘No, sir.’

‘An apprentice,’ Bishop laughs, his eyes twinkling. ‘It’s getting a bit much for him, you see. He’s not in the best of health these days but he’s far too young to retire, so we thought an apprentice would be a good idea. You know, someone he can train up for a few years. Someone who can take over when he’s gone. And that’s where you come in.’

Jesse opens his mouth to argue. He wants to laugh out loud. He wants to turn around and run. He wants to say no, no fucking way, are you fucking insane? What the hell is mad Bishop talking about? For a moment, the words spin around in his head but they don’t make their way to his lips and instead, he swallows thickly and closes his mouth.

He knows exactly what this is and why.

He is ice cold and rigid with fear. He can only stare while Bishop laughs, enjoying the joke that isn’t a joke.

‘There you are, Archer. There’s your future. Don’t worry about bad grades and poor attendance. We’ll forgive all that and you’ll be him, okay? Just like he used to be you.’

There is no point in arguing. There is no point Jesse shaking his head and saying no thank you, I don’t want to be a caretaker because he understands better than anyone how this town works.

‘As you were, Burns.’ Bishop takes Jesse by the arm again and leads him back the way they came. ‘That’s your future, Archer and don’t you forget it. You’ll be right where I can always keep an eye on you. You’re be out of Sergeant Mayfield’s way. Do you understand?’

He stops walking and stares into Jesse’s eyes.

‘Yeah,’ Jesse says because he knows Bishop has him where he wants him, just like that bastard Mayfield does. Bishop knows what he tried to do yesterday.

‘Good.’ Bishop lets go of his arm. ‘Off you go then, Archer. Get to class. And no more trespassing, you hear?’

Jesse walks away as fast as he can.

6

At 9.20am Willow is called to the school office. There is a bad feeling sloshing around in her belly as she leaves her class and tries to figure out what she might have done wrong. She is met in the office by one of the admin staff and Mr Hewlett, the school pastoral worker.

He is a chubby man with pale hair, unblemished skin and a nervous disposition. Dressed in his trademark ironed blue jeans and v-neck jumper, his hands remain clasped together and his fingers writhe like small snakes as he smiles warmly at Willow.

‘Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble,’ he reassures her, pausing to run one of his childlike hands through his thinning hair. His huge forehead gleams down at her. ‘We just need to ask you a few questions.’

No one tells her she can sit down so she remains standing. ‘About what?’

‘About Paddy Finnis.’

Her stomach turns over. ‘What about him? Is he okay?’

‘Now, there’s no need to panic but his father is getting a tad worried. It seems, Willow, that Paddy went to bed last night but when Mr Finnis looked in on him this morning he was gone.’

Willow has to sit down. Her knees are trembling as she reaches for a chair. ‘What?’

‘Yes, it is all a bit strange but I’m sure he’s just fine. His father is talking to the police at the moment and I was asked to talk to his friends and anyone he might have seen yesterday. Have you seen him today, Willow? Or heard from him?’

‘No.’ She shakes her head in dismay. ‘No, nothing.’

‘He didn’t call your house, or the shop? Anything like that? Last night or even this morning?’

‘No, not as far as I know, but I’d have to check with my parents.’

‘Yes, please do. Check he didn’t leave any messages about where he was going, because the thing is it seems that wherever he chose to go, he didn’t take anything with him.’

She hunches forward on the chair. ‘What?’

‘Yes, it does seem odd.’ Mr Hewlett winces slightly as he continues to twist his hands together. ‘At first, his father thought he’d just left for school early but then he realised he hadn’t taken his school bag or lunch. Or his shoes. Or coat…’ He winces again. ‘But I am sure he’ll turn up. Now, you’ve no idea where he might have gone? Anyone he might have arranged to meet, for example? Or perhaps, anything he might have said to you? Anything strange or out of character? Anything would be useful, Willow. Anything.’

‘You should talk to Jesse Archer,’ she says through clenched teeth.

Mr Hewlett looks concerned. ‘Oh? What makes you say that?’

‘He’s been hanging around Paddy a lot lately. He was there yesterday in the treehouse too. They’re not friends. If something has happened to Paddy, I bet it has something to do with him.’

7

The day is going well for Jaime until she bumps into Alexa and Bryony again. She keeps her head down, her eyes averted, determined not to let them bother her, but as they tug their PE kits out in the girls changing room, she feels their sharp eyes upon her.

They’re giggling and whispering and when she dares to look, they are staring right at her. She wishes she knew more people other than Ralph, who is in the year below her. She could do with some of his friendly cheer right now.

It’s okay, she tells herself, just get through this.

Jaime keeps her back turned and unbuttons her shirt. She tugs the polo shirt over her head and wriggles into it, trying to be as discreet as possible. The whole time she can feel them watching her. Her cheeks are so hot she feels like she could burst into flames.

‘Settling in well?’ one of them asks her, but the question is not friendly.

She pulls her PE shorts up under her school skirt and then lets the skirt drop to the floor. Job done, with her dignity intact, just about.

‘Yes, thanks,’ she mumbles over one shoulder.

‘Absolutely disgusting,’ she hears one of them hiss but when she turns to see if its directed at her, they are both walking away.

Jaime sags, sitting on the hard wooden bench and dropping her head into her hands. Why do girls have to be so mean to other girls? She will never understand it.

‘Fuck them,’ a voice says from behind her.

Jaime turns and peers through the mass of hanging uniforms and PE bags to see Willow’s pale face staring back at her. Her cat-like eyes are a deep green framed by thick black lashes accentuated by expertly applied eyeliner, and she narrows them at Jaime while her shiny black hair hangs heavily on either side of her face. A slightly too long fringe covers her eyebrows.

‘Hi, Willow.’ Jaime feels a stirring of hope. ‘Thanks. I don’t know what their problem is.’

‘Small-minded bitches.’ Willow shrugs. ‘Hey, did you know that Paddy is missing?’

‘What?’

Willow comes around the bench and sits next to her. Her hands rest on her bare knees. Her fingers are long, pale and delicate.

‘He vanished in the night,’ she says, her eyes fixed ahead as if in a dream. ‘I mean, what the fuck is that about? Who does that?’

Jaime is transfixed. ‘What do you mean he’s vanished?’

‘Went to bed,’ Willow says calmly. ‘Then gone in the morning.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Mr Hewlett, he’s the pastoral care guy, he literally just told me. They wanted to know if I’d heard from him, if I knew anything…’

‘Oh my god!’ Jaime exclaims before clapping both hands over her mouth. ‘Are the police involved?’

Willow nods grimly. ‘Yes. This isn’t like Paddy, you know.’

‘What did you tell them?’

‘I told them we were all at the treehouse yesterday and I told them to ask Jesse Archer.’

‘Why? You don’t really think he’s done something?’

Willow shrugs. Jaime stares at her carefully composed face but she can sense the confusion and the panic drumming inside of her. She puts her hand over Willow’s and Willow stares down at it.

‘You don’t know Jesse like we do,’ says Willow. ‘He’s a bully.’

‘Paddy seemed okay with him. Like maybe they’d been making friends.’

Suddenly, Willow leans forward, dropping her head into her hands. ‘That’s the really weird thing. They had been making friends recently but I didn’t trust Jesse and I still don’t.’

‘Ralph and I are gonna follow him. See what’s going on.’

Finally, Willow looks at her. Really looks at her. ‘Are you? When?’

‘Whenever. At school. After. That whole thing was the policeman was really weird in my opinion.’

‘Yeah, it was.’

‘We need to talk to him. Do you think he knows about Paddy yet?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Okay.’ Jaime pats her shoulder. ‘Meet me and Ralph after school by the gates. We won’t let Jesse Archer out of our sight.’

Willow gives a cautious nod. She looks dazed as she stands up. ‘Okay then. So, you and Ralph?’

‘Friends,’ Jaime nods happily. She gets up and shakes back her hair. ‘We’ll help you figure this out, Willow.’

Thanks for reading!

Please feel free to leave a comment letting me know what you thought of this latest chapter.

NOTE: Please remember this is NOT the finished version of Black Hare Valley Book 1. This book has not been to my editor yet or even my beta readers. There will be typos, grammatical mistakes, and sentences that need rewriting.

COMING NEXT THURSDAY: Chapter Seven “The Neighbourhood”