by Nikki Young
“But they’re not likely to tell you that are they?” Tomma said.
“How do you know?” Nadia said, aware she was raising her voice and causing others around them to stare. “They might be happy to show off about it. They’re that type.”
She folded her arms across her chest. Jess, Tomma and Ash looked at each other, seemingly lost for words. Then Nadia felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around.
“What?” she shouted.
A small, skinny boy, much shorter than herself stood looking up at her with expectant eyes. Nadia closed her own eyes and gave herself a telling off.
“Sorry,” she said. “Didn’t mean to snap.”
“That’s okay,” the boy said, in a small, squeaky voice. “Only I couldn’t help but overhear just now. You were shouting, I mean, talking, about Marcel Kaminski?” The boy was beetroot red, as if this was the first time he had ever spoken aloud.
Nadia wondered if she was that intimidating or if this was just a painfully shy person standing before her. She hoped the latter.
“Yes,” she said, trying to soften her voice. “We’ve been looking for him because we’re worried. I don’t know how much you know about him, but he’s been having some trouble lately.”
The boy shook his head, seemingly annoyed and leaned forward lowering his voice.
“I know exactly the sort of trouble you mean because I’ve experienced it myself. I also know Kam hasn’t been at school since Friday. It’s not like him. He tends to face up to whatever they throw at him. Not like the rest of us. If I’m honest, I like it better when he’s around as he takes a lot of the beatings on our behalf. I know that’s not right of me to say, but once they’ve had a go at Marcel, they tend to leave the rest of us alone. . .”
Nadia felt weak. She thought her legs were going to buckle beneath her.
“Do you know where he lives?” Tomma asked, stepping forward.
The boy nodded. “I do. It’s just across the street in one of the mill cottages. Number 65.”
“Thank you so much,” Jess said, reaching out and putting a hand on the boy’s arm. Her warm smile making him blush again. Jess turned to Nadia. “We should go and see if he’s okay.”
The bell rang for the end of break time.
“It will have to wait until lunch break now,” Ash said.
Nadia felt her insides knot. She wasn’t sure she could wait that long. “Who cares about lessons?” she said. “This is far more important. We have to go now!”
Chapter 18
Where Is Kam?
“It’s only over the road, so not far,” Nadia said. “I just hope he’s okay. What if he took such a beating he couldn’t even come to school?”
“I know. I can’t believe how much those boys have it in for him. They won’t stop until he leaves the school,” Jess said.
“Looks like they might have got their wish,” Tomma said.
“Don’t say that, Tomma,” Jess snapped. “Just because he isn’t here today, doesn’t mean he won’t ever come back, does it?”
“Let’s hope not,” Nadia said. “Come on.”
She led them out of the hall, in the direction of the girls-only playground—the quickest way to exit the school and reach the rows of terrace Victorian cottages that lined the cobbled streets opposite. The corridors were full of students making their way to lessons and they had to fight their way through, against the throng.
Unfortunately, they didn’t even make it out of the foyer before Nadia walked straight into the gang of bullies, who were slowly making their way to their next lesson, almost knocking one of them over. He grabbed her by the upper arms and held her with his own arms outstretched, looking her up and down.
It was Billy Jenkins. Nadia remembered hearing his name when they were queuing outside the Headmaster’s office waiting for that horrible punishment of the caning. Billy was tall and broad, with hair shaved so short he had almost nothing left. His clothes were covered in holes and patches. He hadn’t looked so tough when they were waiting outside Mr Fitzpatrick’s office, but right now he was glaring at Nadia with such hatred. She did an involuntary gulp and tried to pull back. He was strong and held on tight.
“Where do you think you’re rushing off to, Polski?” he said, spitting the words into Nadia’s face.
She grimaced. “Get off me and move out of my way.” She tried to wriggle free.
“Look, lads, we don’t want any trouble and I’m sure none of us wants a repeat of what happened last week, so let’s just move along, shall we?” Tomma said, stepping forward and using the advantage of his height and width to intimidate the much older boy.
He turned to glare at Tomma before letting go of Nadia. She rubbed at her sleeves where his tight grip had pinched her skin.
“If you’re after your Polski friend, you won’t find him here,” the boy said, looking so pleased with himself, Nadia had to fight the urge not to punch him.
“What did you do to him?” she said, stepping so close to the boy’s face, she could smell his sour breath.
As his mouth widened in a smile, she pulled away, resorting to glaring at him instead. This was a boy who wasn’t easily intimidated. He held up his hands, his face a picture of innocent protest.
“Nothing to report here,” he said. “Perhaps he finally took notice of us and decided to get back to where he belongs. Think you ought to do the same, don’t you?” He scowled into Nadia’s face, causing Tomma to intervene, pushing the boy in the chest.
Nadia could tell Tomma was fighting the urge to do more than that. She could feel the waves of anger pouring off him.
It seemed Jess could sense it too. “Come on,” she said, grabbing Tomma by the arm and moving him towards the door.
Ash walked by Nadia’s side as they skirted around the group and went out of the building, checking over their shoulders to see if there were any teachers on the prowl who might notice them leave. Nadia was acutely aware of the bullies staring at them, which made the skin on the back of her neck prickle. She hoped they wouldn’t try to get them into trouble for skipping lessons.
“I know it’s hard, but you can’t rise to it,” Ash said.
Nadia blew out a frustrated breath. “They disgust me.”
“And me! I was this close to blowing my top back there,” Tomma said, holding his thumb and fore finger just millimetres apart.
“I know you were, but what good would it do? They’re the scum, not us,” Ash said.
“You’re right,” Tomma said. “I wish I had your self-control, Ash.”
“Well, it’s not worth the aggro is it?” Ash said. “My grandparents taught me that. They had an awful time when they first came to this country and it led to so much trouble. I think they just learnt that sometimes you need to put your head down and almost become invisible to fit in.”
“That doesn’t make it right though, does it?” Jess argued.
“You should be able to stand up for what you believe in.”
“Yeah, I get that,” Ash said. “But it helps.”
“Sometimes people do things because they feel they don’t have a choice. Hurry the coast is clear,” Nadia said, as they ran out of the yard, grateful the teachers were all too busy starting their lessons to notice them leave the school grounds.
Pushing through the side gate, they walked across the road towards the rows of terrace houses that stood straight and regimented like soldiers in an inspection line. Flanked by a road down either side, there were four rows in total, one behind the other, each one separated by a street that connected the two end roads.
“I think it’s this one,” Nadia said, as they walked along the lower road, looking up at each row. Number 65 was the end terrace of the third row along. It had a small front garden, surrounded by a rusty, wrought-iron fence, the gate of which creaked in protest when it was opened.
Nadia hurried up to the front door, rapping on it with impatience and intent. After a few painful minutes, during which time she shuffled between each fo
ot and fiddled with the zip on her coat, an elderly lady answered. She looked at each of them, as if trying to decide if she knew them and if not, why they could be knocking at her door.
“Can I help you?” she said, in a gentle voice.
“We hope so,” Nadia said. “We were looking for Kam—I mean, Marcel—is he here?’
The woman’s face fell and she suddenly looked much smaller and frail.
“I’m so sorry,” she said, looking down at the floor. “Marcel left two days ago and I haven’t seen him since. He took Jozef as well. I’m so worried about them.”
Feeling suddenly dizzy, Nadia put one hand on the door frame to steady herself.
“Do you have any idea where they could have gone?” Nadia asked in a weak, quivering voice.
The lady shook her head slowly. “I thought maybe they had gone camping for the weekend but when they didn’t come back last night I began to worry. I’ve sent a message to his parents at their base camp and their father is on his way.”
“So they didn’t go to find their mum and dad then?” Jess asked.
“That’s what I thought, but they’re not there either,” the lady said. “If you know anything or have any idea where they might have gone, please tell me. Or, if you like, you can wait for Mr Kaminski to arrive and tell him yourself. I’m sure he’ll appreciate your help. Do you want to come in?”
Nadia nodded, not trusting herself to speak. If only she had been able to get back to the school the previous day. She could have stopped all of this from happening.
Chapter 19
Off To The Docks
Nadia stood in the small kitchen, nervously biting her nails and not knowing what to do with herself. She could tell the others felt awkward too. The lady had introduced herself as Shirley and they were all crammed in to her tiny kitchen, with nothing to do but wait for the arrival of Kam’s dad.
A loud roar outside caused everyone to jump.
“That will be Mr Kaminski,” Shirley said, shuffling towards the door.
Nadia followed and as Shirley flung open the door, she saw two men jumping out of an army vehicle and rushing up the garden path towards them. Wringing her hands in her apron, Shirley followed them back to the kitchen.
Nadia and Shirley both began talking at the same time, trying to explain to Kam’s father when they had last seen him. Mr Kaminski nodded in thanks and Nadia noted how calm and authoritative he seemed to be. She sensed he was the type of person whom you could rely on in a crisis and just having him there made her feel as though everything would be okay.
“It isn’t your fault, Shirley,” he said, hugging the lady. “I know you do your best to look after the boys, but Marcel has a strong will and if he sets his mind to something there is no stopping him.”
“I agree, but I just can’t understand why he would have left and taken Jozef,” Shirley said.
“I can,” Nadia said, as everyone turned to look at her. She took a deep breath. “He was getting regularly beaten up at school by a group of boys who wanted to not only run him out of the town, but out of the country too.”
Shirley inhaled and shook her head. “Why didn’t he tell me?” she said. “I asked him about the bruises but he just dismissed them as sports injuries and clumsiness. I wish I’d pushed him more on it.”
“He didn’t feel safe here anymore,” Nadia said, looking at Kam’s dad, who nodded slowly before turning to his colleague and saying something in Polish. She wished she could understand them.
“I have a sister in Belgium,” Mr Kaminski said. “It’s possible he will try to get to her. I can send word and also speak to the Port Authorities at Hull. If we go to the port right now, we might still catch them. It won’t take too long to get there if we drive. Marcel and Jozef will have been hiding out until they can get a ferry across to Zeebrugge.”
“Can we come?” Nadia asked, looking at Mr Kaminski.
A frown crossed his face and he shook his head. “I cannot fit you all in and I shouldn’t be carrying civilians anyway, especially children.”
“Just take Nadia,” Jess insisted, pushing her friend forward. “She can help you find Marcel and convince him to come home. He will listen to her.”
Mr Kaminski seemed to consider this before speaking again to his colleague. He turned back to them and nodded. Nadia looked at Jess with relief and thanks.
“Perhaps you can explain more about what is going on with my son on the way,” he said. “We haven’t got time right now, but you seem to know more about what he’s thinking than anyone else right now. We need to get going.”
“We’ll be waiting at school for you when you get back,” Jess said with a reassuring smile, though Nadia could sense she was worried.
Having been caught out before, spending the night in a place and time they didn’t belong wasn’t something any of them relished the thought of repeating. At least last time they were meant to be staying over at Hickley School at a Year Seven Sleepover. This time they didn’t have such an excuse and if they didn’t turn up home on time, their parents would be frantic with worry.
“We’ll make up some excuse for why you’re not at school,” Ash said.
Nadia didn’t care about school but felt grateful to her friends for being there. She followed the two soldiers out of Shirley’s house and the non-English speaking man helped her up into the truck. It roared off at speed and towards the main road leading out of town.
The roads were bumpy and the suspension on the truck non-existent. Nadia sat in the front between the two men, as it was the only part of the vehicle that had a cover. The rest was an open truck, which would have been fine if it hadn’t been freezing cold and the tail-end of the worst winter she had ever known.
Nadia clutched the edge of the seat. Her hands gripping so tight it made her fingers ache. As they hit the main road to Hull, the vehicle picked up speed and Nadia felt her body leave the seat a number of times. Her head kept banging on the inside of the roof and it made her feel sick, along with the thick, choking smell coming from the engine. She put her head down and prayed the van wouldn’t skid on the ice.
Marcel’s father was obviously an experienced driver and used to the conditions. He kept the truck steady as they rattled along the road towards Hull, throwing questions her way as they bumped along. She told him all she could (keeping out the bit about being a distant relative from the future, of course).
The journey took about an hour, but to Nadia it felt like a lifetime. As they reached the port, the pungent smell of fish, mixed with a bitter smell of fumes from the boats, didn’t help with her nausea.
The seagulls overhead sounded as though they were having a blazing row as they fought for who would get the best pickings. It was a noisy place, bustling with activity and shouting, with men going backwards and forwards carrying heavy loads or directing the movement of bigger shipments. She looked around, wondering how on earth they were ever going to find Marcel and Jozef.
“We’ll have to split up,” Marcel’s father said. “I’ll go and have a word with some of the men and find out if anyone has seen the boys.”
Nadia nodded and went in the opposite direction to the other officer, not really sure where she was heading or where she should look. She walked along the dock, away from the initial frenzy, before realising the place wasn’t as busy as she’d first thought. There were a couple of fishing trawlers docked and unloading their catch, but that was all.
The buildings around her were half standing, the effects of the War still evident. Nadia realised this area must have been bombed heavily judging by the state of the place. Things hadn’t yet been rebuilt and it looked tired and sorry for itself, kind of worn out and broken.
Then she spotted a larger ship in the distance. Nadia didn’t know much about boats, but she knew enough to realise it wasn’t a fishing trawler. It was bigger and looked more like a ferry. Big enough to carry passengers anyway, and if Marcel was going to take his brother over to Belgium that’s the sort of boat he would
probably be looking to get them on.
She ran back to Marcel’s father who was nodding as he spoke to one of the workers. Mr Kaminski looked towards where the man was pointing. He was telling him about the passenger boat too. Together, Nadia and Mr Kaminski ran to the other side of the docks.
Chapter 20
Stowaways
“If they’ve been waiting here for a couple of days, they must be freezing,” Nadia said through short breaths as she ran to keep up with Mr Kaminski.
“Yes, I know,” he said. “Though Marcel is a resourceful boy. He will have found shelter and warmth, I’m sure.”
Nadia admired how much faith Mr Kaminski had in his son, even after he’d run off with his younger brother. Perhaps living through a war and having to leave your children in someone else’s care meant you had to trust them to look after themselves. She couldn’t imagine needing to be that independent at such a young age and thought how pathetic and needy that must make her by comparison.
The passenger ship had just begun to load up. Chatter replaced the noise of seagulls at this end of the port as people gathered to board. A man selling tickets shouted his prices above the noise as a crowd formed around him. It seemed there were many people desperate to leave the country no matter the price and a haggling exchange began. Two men got into a physical fight.
Nadia strained to see Marcel amongst the crowd, but then the thought occurred to her that he probably wouldn’t be able to afford to buy tickets. He would need to find another way onto the ship.
She looked over to the vessel. A flurry of activity was taking place as men began to load supplies, lifting and throwing bags and boxes across, or carrying or wheeling things between the dock and the ship via a wooden gangplank.
Nadia left Mr Kaminski and went over towards them, pulling her hood up and keeping her head low. She walked straight across the gangplank, hiding behind an enormous wooden box one man was carrying, and onto the ship. Moving quickly, she went around to the far side, furthest away from the dock, where it was quieter.
