Alfie nodded gratefully. He supposed it didn’t really matter that much. Hopefully he’d never have to be in goal again…
They went into class to be greeted by Mrs Cartwright announcing a Project. They’d only had Mrs Cartwright for about three weeks, but she was known for her Projects. Year Three were learning about the Romans, and Mrs Cartwright was so excited she was practically frothing at the mouth. Gladiators! Feasts! Dormice! Big forks! Alfie blinked wearily as it all rolled over his head. He liked the sound of Romans – although he didn’t quite get where the dormice fitted in – but he hadn’t slept very well the previous night. He kept reliving the disastrous football match, and then worrying about Penguin.
He zoned in again when he heard his name mentioned. It was a survival tactic that he’d learned in Year Two. He looked up, wide-eyed, trying to seem innocent. What? Was he being told off?
“…and Grace … Lily and Maddie-Mae. Robin and Elsie…”
Oh. Only a list of people to work with then. Alfie stopped worrying, and then realized what Mrs Cartwright had said. He had to work with Grace.
He glanced over at her. She looked blank, and ducked her eyes when she saw him looking at her. Probably she felt guilty about Penguin being at her house right now, Alfie thought, folding his arms and glaring.
Mrs Cartwright put a film about Romans on the whiteboard after that, so there was no working with Grace to be done before lunch time. But when they came back in from the playground, she told them to sit with their new partners.
Alfie scowled stubbornly at Grace. He wasn’t moving from his place. She’d just have to come and sit next to him. He saw her wrinkle her nose thoughtfully, and perhaps decide it wasn’t worth a fight in front of Mrs Cartwright. She grabbed her pencil case and sat down next to him – but she moved the chair further away first, as though he smelled.
Mrs Cartwright handed out a worksheet about Roman gladiators and beast fights, and Alfie enjoyed himself filling in the answers from that bit of the film, imagining Grace as a criminal thrown to the wild beasts. Penguin would enjoy being a ferocious panther, he thought.
The second side of the sheet had to be done with a partner. Alfie sighed and glanced up to see if Grace was ready, and found she was staring at him, looking equally unkeen.
“We have to write a play,” he muttered.
“Mmm.”
“You any good at writing?”
She shrugged.“We can have two characters. Then I’ll write one and you do one.”
Alfie nodded. It seemed the easiest way.“I’m going to be one of those ones with a net and the thing like a garden fork,” he added quickly.
Grace shrugged.“OK, but you’ll lose. I’ll be the one with the helmet and all the armour.”
Alfie nibbled his pencil, wondering if she was right.“All that armour’s heavy,” he pointed out. “You won’t be able to catch me. It’s weird that they knew each other, isn’t it? They probably had breakfast and talked about who was going to win.”
Grace nodded, looking interested.“Maybe that’s what we should do – our gladiators could be friends having breakfast at the gladiator training camp, and then they find out they have to fight each other.”
“What did Romans eat for breakfast?” Alfie asked.
“Just bread, Alfie,” Mrs Cartwright said over his shoulder. “Sounds like you two are doing really well. Keep going!”
Alfie blinked, surprised to find that he was actually enjoying himself.“We could finish it off after school if you want,” he suggested hesitantly to Grace, when Mrs Cartwright told them it was time to stop.
Grace smiled, a real smile, not the sort of horrible smirk he thought of her making.“Can I come to yours? Penguin would come and sit with us, wouldn’t he?”
Alfie stared at her.“Isn’t he at your house?”
Grace shook her head.“Not for ages. Days and days.”
Alfie frowned. He didn’t understand. Penguin was at Grace’s house, Alfie knew he was. Because he certainly wasn’t at Alfie’s. “I haven’t seen him since Saturday afternoon.” He dropped his voice to a whisper – it felt like some terrible secret. “I thought he’d gone back to yours! He has to be there…”
Grace looked worried.“He only ever stayed that one night. Then he popped in every so often. And then he had the last of the bag of cat treats, and I don’t think toast crusts were good enough. He gave me a sort of look when I offered him one.”
“He only likes them with Marmite on,” Alfie murmured. “But if he’s not at yours, where’s he gone?”
Grace was frowning.“He couldn’t haveanother house, could he?”
“I don’t think so.” Alfie looked doubtful. “Not unless he was only there when I was at school. He never went anywhere else until you turned up,” he added. All those thoughts about run-over cats he’d had when Penguin disappeared the previous weekend were flooding back. “What if he’s been hit by a car?” he muttered shakily, quite forgetting to blame Grace.
“Someone would have told you. He’s got a tag on his collar, hasn’t he?” Grace pointed out.
“I suppose.” Alfie nodded, suddenly grateful for the collar. “But – where is he then?”
“Maybe he’s got shut in somewhere. Look, I’ll ask my mum, she’s picking me up. We can go and look for him together.”
But when they dashed across the playground together, leaving Oliver standing gaping at the classroom door, only Alfie’s mum was there waving at them.
Grace slowed up, frowning and peering through the fence for her mum.
“Grace, your mum asked me to fetch you,” Alfie’s mum called quietly, and Grace slouched over to her, looking reluctant.
“Is something wrong?” she asked. She looked grumpy, but Alfie realized it was because she was frightened.
Alfie’s mum nibbled her bottom lip and nodded. “She was really sorry, Grace. She didn’t want you to be upset, but it was all a bit of a rush. Your gran’s not very well, you see.”
Grace glared at her.“I know that! She hasn’t been well for ages. That’s why we came.”
“Ye-es, but she’s had to go into hospital. It happened at lunch time,” Mum explained. “Your mum’s with her; that’s why she asked me to pick you up.”
“When will they be back?” Grace asked. Her water bottle rolled out of her fingers, and Alfie picked it up for her.
Alfie’s mum shook her head. “Your mum really wasn’t sure. She didn’t know exactly what was wrong with your gran, and she wants to stay at the hospital while they find out, you see.” She smiled at Grace. “We arranged that you can stay with us if she’s got to be there overnight.”
Grace took her water bottle back from Alfie. Her fingers felt cold when he touched them, by accident.“All right,” she whispered, even though Alfie didn’t think she had much choice.
[Ęŕđňčíęŕ: _16.jpg]
Grace trailed along behind Alfie and his mum. Alfie kept glancing back at her, not sure what to say. He’d have been upset if it was either of his grandmas in hospital. Grace actually lived with her gran, so it must be even worse.
He hung back to walk next to her, and she slowed down to pigeon steps, and then reluctantly caught up with him.“What?” she muttered ungraciously.
“Um. You still want to go and look for Penguin?” he asked. He felt bad saying it, but Penguin was still missing, even if Grace’s gran was in hospital.
Grace sighed, a very tiny sigh, and nodded.
“OK. Um, don’t tell my mum? She’ll want to come with us, and I bet we can look better if we just sneak around – most of the gardens have got holes in the fences, like ours does. I’ve watched Penguin going off exploring.”
“From inmy tree, I bet!” Grace’s eyes sparkled, but she seemed glad to be almost-cross. Alfie just shrugged and grinned at her. She elbowed him, and he elbowed her back, in a friendly sort of way.