by Nikki Young
During the First World War, part of the school grounds had been used to grow vegetables, and when they’d travelled back to that time, the boys had helped to dig it over instead of doing lessons.
As they approached the same area, Nadia wasn’t surprised to see that the hockey pitch at the modern Hickley School had been given over to growing food again. This time, only half of the area was being used, the rest was a make-shift sports area.
“It looks so different, yet weirdly the same,” Jess said and Nadia knew what she meant.
So much of the school was recognisable, especially now it had a dining block. But, with large parts still missing, it was so much smaller—it barely passed for a school.
They walked along the muddy track that led to the outdoor sports pitches. The frozen mud was uneven to walk on, causing the girls to struggle to stay upright. Jess clung to Nadia as she almost slipped and fell.
“School shoes aren’t the best idea for this sort of weather, are they?” Nadia said, holding on tight to Jess.
She looked to her right, at the row of terrace houses flanking the sports ground, which were separated by a little cobbled street running its length. Beyond that, there were a few more rows of terrace houses built in neatly lined streets. The rest was farmland, most of it bare and brown, but tinged with a heavy frost. She felt Jess’s elbow nudge her ribs and turned around. Jess was pointing towards the allotment where there was a shed with a wooden bench outside.
“Look, that’s him, isn’t it?” Jess said, keeping her voice low.
No one else had seemed crazy enough to brave the weather. As he sat, huddled over on the bench, Kam was well covered in a thick duffle coat, his scarf wrapped almost fully around his face, but there was no mistaking the bruised swollen eye from his run-in with the bullies earlier. Nadia noticed it had turned a shade of blue-black and the eye was barely open. She winced and began to walk over with Jess walking beside her.
Kam looked up as he realised he had company. The sudden movement seemed to hurt him, but his back straightened in a defiance Nadia recognised.
“Hi Kam,” she said. “How are you feeling?”
Kam inspected his gloved fingers and stared down at the floor, anything to avoid looking at them it seemed. He shrugged and Jess turned to Nadia, biting her lip, her face filled with worry. Nadia knelt in front of Kam, forcing him to look at her.
“We’re sorry about what those boys did to you and we’re sorry no one seems to do anything about it,” she said.
He stared back at her, a mix of disbelief and shame. “Why should you care?”
“Because we’re normal human beings. Why wouldn’t we care?” Jess said, kneeling down to join Nadia.
“You should stay away from me. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of them just by association.”
“We’re not bothered about that,” Nadia said. “But if there is anything we can do to help, then tell us. They don’t scare us—honestly.”
“Why do they treat you like that, Kam?” Jess asked.
Kam looked at her. “Are you joking?”
Jess went bright red and turned to Nadia, her eyes pleading for support.
“Why would we be joking?” Nadia asked uncertainly.
“Then you must have had your head buried in the sand for the entire War,” Kam said. “How can you not know what the Polish people in this country are going through?”
This time it was Nadia’s turn to look embarrassed. Awkward wasn’t even the word. She wracked her brains for anything she’d learned about the Second World War and could only think of Hitler and the persecution of the Jewish people, children being evacuated from the cities in the UK and food rationing. She was mortified to admit she didn’t know about her own people.
“Well, it’s because we. . . we came from. . .”
“Overseas,” Jess said, nodding vigorously. “Yes, we’ve been living in America all this time, since well before the War. Just came back, actually.” Jess looked pleased with herself.
“Didn’t you read the news or listen to the radio when you were over there?” Kam asked.
“Not really, we lived in a remote village and didn’t have much contact with anyone outside of it to be honest,” Jess said.
Kam blew out a large breath and rubbed his gloved hand across his forehead. “I’ve never met anyone like you two. I can’t believe you’ve lived through the War with your eyes virtually closed shut.”
“Yes, I know, crazy right? But enough about us, what about you and all this. . .” Nadia said, gesturing towards Kam and his injuries.
With a pause that had Nadia holding her breath, willing him not to back out of telling them all about his situation, Kam eventually began to speak looking beyond them as though remembering a distant time.
“We came here after escaping from our village when the Russians invaded and after a long journey across Europe. My dad and older brothers fought with the Polish regiment of the British army and my mum works at the base camp. Dad found us a family to live with—some relative of one of the English corporals. We’ve been here three years or so now.”
“Who’s ‘we’?” Nadia asked.
“Me and my younger brother. He’s almost five.”
“So, why do those boys call you names and tell you to go home?” Jess said. “If your dad fought in the War, don’t they recognise that?”
“They did, until the British and the Russians agreed to split Poland in half. Since then, there have been rumours spreading that the Polish over here are sympathetic to the Russians’ cause. They think we’re spies planted by them. Everyone is worried there will be another war and they want to know who is on which side. There has been a lot of tension. The trouble is, we can’t go home because the Russians will kill my father because he fought for the British.”
“Weren’t we on the same side in the end?” Jess asked.
“Only to defeat Hitler. The Russians had their own agenda and that was to take over as much of Europe as they could. They did a deal with Churchill.”
“What will you do?” Nadia asked.
“I don’t know,” he said, looking down at the floor again. “All I know is I need to protect my brother and at the moment all I can think of is to try to get us both far, far away from here.”
Chapter 10
Look Out, Polski!
After he refused to come back with them, the girls left Kam and walked towards the school. By this time they were both shaking rather than shivering. Nadia felt the cold air weighing so heavily on her chest it felt like it was restricting her breathing. It was a relief to get back inside.
As they walked down the corridor towards the main hall Jess stopped and Nadia walked straight into her.
“What the?” Nadia said, only noticing the gang of bullies, plus more, waiting by the cloakrooms. There was no way round them.
Nadia could feel Jess still shaking, so she straightened up and puffed out her chest, determined not to let them see her own fear. Linking arms with Jess, Nadia took positive strides forwards, hoping they could walk straight through the group without any trouble.
The ringleader of the group—the one she had already insulted by poking him in the chest—held the flat of his hand up and pushed it against Nadia’s shoulder.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he said, his narrowed eyes looked menacingly at her.
Nadia equalled his stare as best she could. “Back to class of course. Where do you think?” She hoped her slightly higher-pitched voice didn’t give her away.
The boy smirked, the edges of his mouth curving into a sly smile. Nadia wanted to punch him right at that moment. She felt her heart speed as anger swirled around her insides. Jess looked around for an escape route. There was no way through, they were surrounded.
“What do you want?” Jess asked in a wobbly voice, as she jutted out her chin.
“No one interferes in our business,” the boy said. “And if they do, they pay for it.” He paused as if for dramatic effect. “Do yo
u know what we did? We did a bit of digging around about you and guess what we found?” He looked at his friends and they nodded, as if congratulating each other on a job well done.
Nadia scowled at all of them, determined not to be intimidated.
“We found out you’re a Polski too, aren’t you—Kaminski.” He poked Nadia in the chest as he said this, pushing her back a step. “Common name as it turns out.”
“I was born in this country and I’m as English as you are,” Nadia said.
The boy laughed and the others joined in. Nadia looked at Jess who now looked more angry than scared. Pushing past the boy, Nadia tried to make her way through the throng, holding Jess by the hand and dragging her along behind her.
“Oh no, you’re not going anywhere,” the boy said, as he got hold of Jess’s hair and pulled her back, which caused her to scream.
“Get off me!” she cried, struggling to free herself.
The force of it pulled Nadia back too and suddenly the two of them were stuck in the middle of a group of angry teenage boys. Nadia didn’t feel quite so brave anymore but if she was going to have to fight her way out of this, she would.
“Let go of her, you pig!” Nadia said, pushing at the boy.
He was bigger than her but adrenaline took over, making Nadia stronger. He stumbled back, letting go of Jess’s hair, just as another boy pushed Nadia out of the way, knocking her to the ground. She got up as quickly as she could, worried she might be trampled on or kicked. One of the boys held Jess with her arms behind her back. She was struggling to break free but couldn’t move from his tight grip. The others surrounded Nadia and she began to feel sick with fear. She backed away but bumped into a radiator and was about to scream when one of the boys flew up in the air and landed with a thud on the floor.
Kam had rammed himself into the boy and was now engaged in a fist fight as they rolled around on the floor. Jess screamed and the boy released her to join in with his other friends as they all set upon Kam.
“Stop it! Leave him!” Nadia screamed, jumping on top of one of them, trying to pull him back. She used all her strength and her sharp nails to claw away at him.
Jess joined in too. Nadia heard another set of voices and turned briefly to see Tomma and Ash, who had returned from the dining hall and walked straight into the commotion. Others had also arrived and were on the side lines, egging on the fighters, cheering the display, whilst Nadia and her friends did their best to fend off Kam’s attackers.
Nadia became lost in the shouting and confusion of bodies, all trying to defend themselves, but soon found herself being yanked away by her coat collar by a teacher whose red face suggested he was about to blow a fuse. He, along with a couple of other teachers, set about trying to break up the fight. Soon it was over, and in its wake stood a large open circle of heaving bodies, bruised and exhausted.
“To my office! All of you!” one of the teachers shouted, his booming voice echoing across the corridor.
Nadia recognised him. It was the Headmaster, Mr Fitzpatrick, and judging by his expression, they were not going to come out of this lightly.
She waited for the bullies to go first, hanging back to re-group with her own friends and Kam. Already bruised from his earlier beating, Kam looked as though he could barely see.
“Kam, I’m so sorry,” Nadia whispered.
“Don’t apologise,” he said. “It wasn’t your fault they were starting on you. Why were they starting on you anyway? Was it because you helped me?”
Nadia didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to make Kam feel bad, but also, she didn’t feel ready to admit to him that the boys had attacked her because she was Polish too.
“Oh, you know, they’re just not very nice people, are they? Come on, let’s get this over with. What are we in for with this guy? Is he fair?” She linked her arm into Kam’s to help him move along.
“You really don’t want to hear the answer to that one,” he said. “But at least he’s retiring at the end of this year so we won’t have to put up with him for much longer.”
Chapter 11
An Unjust Punishment
As they waited outside to take their turn in the Headmaster’s office, the children slumped against the walls with their heads down. Nadia watched as occasionally someone would put their head up and look around to see what the others were doing. For some, this was a nonchalant look that said, ‘can’t wait to get this over and done with.’ For others it was a look of fear, pale-faced, with sweat beading on their forehead, dreading what was to come.
Nadia and her three friends had no clue what to expect, and that in itself was nerve-wracking, but by the time it came to their turn, they had a much better idea. Being last didn’t always have its advantages.
The squeals and screams of pain coming from the Head’s office varied in volume and tone. Some cried, others merely made a small sound, one that they mustn’t have quite been able to hold in. All came out looking dejected, pupils wide, faces red, eyes puffy.
Nadia felt sick. Her palms were sweating and she could feel her pulse pounding in her ears.
“I’ll go first,” Tomma said. “This is so unfair. I don’t see why we should have to get the cane too. We never started it.” He lowered his voice and leaned in close to the others. “This is illegal where we come from.”
“I know,” Jess said. “But it’s not as if we can tell him that, is it? I can’t believe someone is actually going to hit me on the hand with a stick. Is it going to hurt? It’s going to be awful, isn’t it? Oh, I can’t stand all this waiting—and look at them.” She pointed to a boy just emerging from the office, trying desperately to wipe away his tears before anyone noticed. “Not so brave now, are they?”
“Try to stay calm, Jessy,” Tomma said, putting his arm around her shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “I know it sucks, but it doesn’t look like we’re going to get out of this.”
Jess looked as though she might cry. Her eyes glassy with unshed tears and her bottom lip quivering ever so slightly.
“Next!”
They all jumped at the sound of the Headmaster’s booming voice echoing around the corridor. Tomma swallowed, blew out a deep breath and nodded at them, before pushing away from the wall and standing fully upright.
“See you on the other side,” he said. “Jessy, I’ll be here waiting for you, I promise.”
Jess could only nod and Nadia put a hand on her arm in an attempt to comfort her best friend. Ash shook his head in disbelief as he watched Tomma walk away from them and into the office.
Within a few minutes he was back out again, shaking his hand and rubbing at the palm. With the Headmaster glaring at him, he had no choice but to walk away. Nadia went next and as she walked into the office, she wasn’t sure if there was something wrong with her legs. They felt wobbly, as though they’d forgotten how to work.
“Do you know how much of my time this has wasted today?” the Headmaster said.
“No sir,” Nadia said, keeping her head down.
“Too much time, that’s how much,” he said. “Would you care to explain your involvement now you’re here?”
Nadia told him how the boys had discovered her Polish name and had attacked her because of it. “We were just defending ourselves, sir, with the help of Kam and my three friends.”
“Either way, you will all suffer the same punishment for the sheer lack of respect you’ve shown for this school. Do you understand?” he said.
“Yes sir.”
“Hold out your hand.”
Nadia raised her arm, the flat of her hand facing upwards. She was aware how much it was shaking. The Head grabbed at it, pulling her arm towards him and straighter still. She closed her eyes and waited, trying not to wince.
The pain was like the sting of the cold on a freezing winter’s day, followed by the sear of a white-hot burn. By the time Nadia had suffered five of these stings, she could no longer feel her fingers. She pulled her hand towards her chest, cradling it as if it was the
most precious thing in the world. Still keeping her head down, she left the room.
It was the most humiliating thing Nadia had ever had to suffer, far worse than her disastrous presentation at junior school—and the aftermath that followed. No, this was much, much worse.
Nadia couldn’t wait to get out of the school and back home to the present time, where she could guarantee no adult would hit her and make her feel that way. She knew it would be a long afternoon.
Chapter 12
Back To The Warmth
As the school bell chimed, signalling home time, Nadia stood and shrugged on her coat, struggling to pull up the zip. During the course of the afternoon, the pain in her hand had worsened, making it difficult to concentrate.
The Headmaster was clever. He’d asked which hand she wrote with and then proceeded to demonstrate his cane-wielding abilities on the other. It meant she hadn’t had the excuse of not being able to write because of it. Instead, she’d had to try to ignore the pain whilst still focusing on her lessons. No one wanted another telling off that day so they’d all kept their heads down and got on with it.
She followed Jess and Tomma out of the classroom, walking beside Ash.
“You okay, Nad?” Ash asked. Nadia nodded at him, but knew it wasn’t convincing. “Come on, let’s go home. Hopefully, we’ll get on the 4 o’clock to Kirkshaw and by the time we leave Hickley, we’ll be back to the present day.”
That was the hope anyway. It’s what had happened to them before when they’d travelled back in time and Nadia hoped it would happen the same way again. She didn’t want to be stuck in a time or place where it was acceptable to hit children in school.
It was a relief to be outside. Nadia needed something else to focus on other than the pain in her hand. The wind whipping at her cheeks and stinging her eyes seemed welcoming in comparison and she put her head up to catch as much of the feeling as she could. The others kept their heads down, shielding themselves from the elements, their bodies hunched over like little old people.
