'Lesbian fox dreams you naughty vixen! I wonder what Freud would say about that,' Rachel said.

'I wish it had been a sex dream,' Allie grumbled at her plate then she glanced up at Rachel. 'Hey, speaking of sex ... You and Lucas. What's up with that? Is something up with that? Because I think something's up with that.'

Rachel blushed. She actually blushed.

Allie's eyes widened. 'Something's up with that I can see it in your face! You tell me everything right now.'

Rachel looked over at her shyly. 'Well, Lucas and I ... are together. It's official.'

'Oh. My. God.' The words rose to a small scream as Allie jumped out of her chair and hugged her.

Breathless with laughter, Rachel pushed her away. 'Get off. You're squishing my toast.'

'Oh, Rach, I'm so psyched for you! When did this happen?'

'Last weekend. Didn't you notice I disappeared after dinner?' Rachel asked. 'And then on Sunday I was all giddy and stupid. It was disgusting. I hope you didn't see.'

A rush of heat coloured Allie's cheeks. She hadn't noticed. Not at all.

She'd been busy last weekend, training with Night School, hanging out with Carter and Zoe. She hadn't noticed Rachel acting giddy because she'd hardly seen Rachel in days.

Last weekend? That was ages ago. And she didn't tell me?

It seemed inconceivable that Rachel wouldn't have rushed to her room and jumped on her bed, eager to tell her everything.

As Rachel chattered happily about moonlight and kissing by the stream, Allie nodded and smiled in all the right places, but in her head she was thinking that Night School was driving them apart.

Even after lingering with Rachel over breakfast, Allie arrived early for history class, but Jo was already there, waving at her across the otherwise empty room.

Her gamine short fair hair made her look pale and thinner. Or maybe she just was pale and thinner. Allie studied her critically as she sat down.

'Hey! Quick, before everyone gets here,' Jo whispered. 'Who did you get?'

'Who'd I get? Who'd I get for what?'

Jo seemed jittery, overexcited. Her eyes were too bright. 'You know what.'

'I don't ...' Her voice trailing off, Allie felt anxiety twist her stomach as she realised what Jo meant.

She stared. 'How do you know about ...?'

'Oh, Allie,' Jo giggled. 'My contacts are everywhere. I know all. So tell me. Who are you assigned to interview?'

Her laugh seemed too high-pitched, her reply too glib, and Allie tried to hide the suspicion that had nestled in her chest like a shard of ice.

This was Zelazny's class room. Zelazny hated her. Jo knew that. Why would she ask something so forbidden somewhere so dangerous?

'I can't ...' Allie was horrified. 'I just ...

I can't tell you, Jo. You know that.'

'What? Seriously?' Jo seemed affronted. 'I won't tell anyone.'

Thinking about the word 'expulsion', Allie shook her head emphatically. 'Jo, I can't,' she said.

But even as she said that, she knew that somewhere deep inside, she just didn't want to tell Jo. She didn't trust her. If she told her and word got back to Zelazny ...

'How nice to see students so eager to learn that they come to class early.' Zelazny's icy voice cut through Allie's thoughts.

Both girls spun around to face the front. The teacher stood by his desk in a military stance, feet shoulder-width apart, hands loose at his side, eyes alert.

How long has he been standing there? Allie wondered.

Luckily, Jo was never at a loss for words for long. 'We just wanted to get a little studying done before class, Mr Zelazny.' She dimpled cutely. 'We didn't think you'd mind.'

As angry as she was at Jo right now, Allie had to admire her smoothness.

'Far be it from me to deny students a place to study.' His voice dripping sarcasm, he pulled his books out of a briefcase and began arranging his desk. 'Please continue your work. Don't let me interrupt.'

He said the last word of each sentence as if it tasted bad.

Jo and Allie exchanged another loaded glance before looking down at their books. After just a minute, though, Jo sprang to her feet.

'I'm just going to dash downstairs before class to get something to eat,' she announced as she hurried to the door. 'I'll be right back.'

'If you are late you will be given detention,' Zelazny called after her. He added in an almost panicked tone, 'And don't bring food into my classroom!'

After Jo abandoned her, Allie busied herself reading over the short history essay due that day but she was acutely aware of Zelazny's presence a few feet away. She could hear him breathing and it made her muscles tense. She found she was reading the same lines over and over. Still she didn't look up.

When he spoke she nearly jumped.

'Is there anything you'd like to ask me?'

Slowly, Allie raised her eyes from her paper to find him watching her fixedly.

'Ex ... Excuse me?'

'I said. Is there anything you'd like to ask me?'

Something about the way he said it was menacing. Allie's skin crawled.

What had he heard?

She shook her head vigorously. 'No ... Sir?'

'Are you certain?' He leaned forward, his fingertips resting on the desktop.

The colour drained from Allie's cheeks but she held herself steady. She was starting to get angry, but she knew that was probably just what he wanted.

What is he so pissed off about? All he could have heard was me refusing to talk about Night School. So why is he being such a wanker?

She spoke coolly, her voice more confident than she felt. 'There is nothing I want to ask you right now, Mr Zelazny. Thank you.'

Lowering her eyes to her book, she pretended not to notice the sharp intake of breath and the sound of a drawer slamming shut.

Just as she thought she might have to flee the classroom, Sylvain walked in. 'August,' he said to Zelazny without waiting for a hello, 'I have a quick question about the assignment ...' He seemed to notice Allie and the tension in the room at the same moment; his voice trailed off.

Desperate, Allie caught his gaze, and tried to plead for help with her eyes. Her heart rate accelerated as their eyes locked.

He did have the most ludicrously watercolour-blue eyes.

'What's your question, Sylvain?' Zelazny snapped impatiently. 'I'm busy.'

But Sylvain seemed suddenly uninterested in being rushed. 'The essay you assigned for tomorrow ... Can you explain exactly what you're seeking from it? I found the assignment a little vague.'

'I think I was quite clear,' Zelazny said. 'I've got it right here.'

As he flipped through the papers piled on his desk, Sylvain caught Allie's eye again. And winked.

All day Allie expected to hear from whoever was going to interview her. Each time someone called her name or tapped her on the shoulder, she expected to hear a voice asking her questions she didn't know how to answer. Everybody else was preparing for their interview, but she had still not been contacted.

She'd come up with a variety of conspiracy theories to explain the silence. Maybe, knowing what she knew about her family, Isabelle had kept her out of it altogether. Or maybe she was going to conduct the interview herself.

Either way, she wasn't going to talk about it to anyone except Isabelle. And she wasn't in a huge hurry to do that.

After the incident in the classroom she'd avoided Jo. That whole conversation had been strange. She hadn't told anybody about it because she didn't want to seem paranoid. But she still didn't understand why Jo would have put her in that position.

At dinner, she made sure she sat between Lucas and Carter. Both in Night School. Both safe.

When Lucas suggested a game of night tennis, she looked at him doubtfully. 'I am so behind on my work-'

'Let's do it.' From across the table, Jo cut her off. 'Defo. It's been ages. Who's in?'

Everybody raised their hands except Allie and Carter.

'I can't.' Carter shrugged. 'I've got a meeting with Zelazny to talk about an assignment. There's no escape.' He glanced at Allie. 'You should do it, though. You'll like it.'

'Yeah, come on, Allie,' Rachel said. 'You really should. It'll be fun.'

The others' enthusiasm was hard to resist so, later that evening, she walked out into the cold with Rachel. But she still wasn't convinced.

As they pulled equipment out of a utility closet, Allie shivered. 'It's freezing. Why are we doing this?'

'Don't be so wet.' Jo handed Lucas a racquet and a box of balls. 'We're doing it because it's awesome.'

Guiltily, Allie wondered if Jo had noticed she'd been trying to avoid her. Even now she stood three people away from her.

'Yeah, Allie.' Lucas threw her a tennis ball, but her reflexes were too slow and it bounced off her shoulder and rolled back across the ground to him. 'Aren't you supposed to be some kind of hardened athlete? I can't believe you think this is cold.'

When she sighed, her breath puffed out in a visible irritated cloud. But she didn't want to be a wimp.

'I'm not saying we shouldn't do it at all.' She swung her racquet awkwardly.

As they hooted at her change of tone, Rachel put a loyal arm across her shoulders.

'It is cold. But that makes it even better,' she said. 'Wait and see.' As she turned to grab some netting though, she seemed to remember something. 'Oh, one thing. I forgot to tell you that-'

'Well, are we playing or just standing around?' Katie Gilmore's crystalline voice preceded her across the frozen grass. Her long red hair was pulled up in a smooth ponytail, and she wore a ski-style headband that covered her ears.

With betrayal in her eyes, Allie turned to Rachel. 'You must be joking.'

'She invited herself.' Wincing apologetically, Rachel hurried off with her equipment as Allie stared after her.

'Oh, Allie. You're not playing too, are you?' Katie eyed her with mild disdain. 'Where did you learn to play tennis? Do they even play tennis in Brixton?'

'Oh piss off, Katie.' Allie turned to follow Rachel across the lawn, but Katie stuck right on her heels.

'No need to be vile, although vile does seem to be your speciality.'

Allie glanced at her. Her ponytail was bouncing, the cold had brought colour to her cheeks and she looked quite cheerful.

She loves this.

'Why are you following me, Katie? Why aren't you off eating brains with your friends?'

Katie's perfect lips curved up. 'Oh, Allie. You're so adorable. You know, I heard a rumour probably a lie that you're in Night School now. It isn't true, is it?'

'I admire your optimism.' Allie's reply was as icy as the weather. 'But if you think for one second I'm going to discuss this with you-'

'It's just,' Katie cut her off, 'I'm surprised you'd do it. I thought you hated it after what happened last year.'

She sounded almost reasonable maybe even genuinely curious and Allie turned to look at her in surprise. 'I have my reasons,' she said slowly. 'Whatever I've done, whether I'm in or I'm not in, I did it because I thought it was the right thing to do.'

She could tell from Katie's face that she knew perfectly well she was in Night School. The redhead arched one eyebrow as if to say she didn't think it was the right thing to do, but she said nothing more. Allie glanced around nobody was paying any attention to them and now she was curious.

'Why didn't you ever join ... you know what? Surely you'd qualify.'

'Because I'm already rich enough and I don't like getting dirty.' Katie started walking again, her expression enigmatic. 'Let's go and play some tennis.'

It was a clear, starry night, and even colder than the night before. The wind had stilled, and the air felt frosty. Allie shivered her thin jacket couldn't handle these temperatures. The others were much more bundled up. Her parents hadn't packed a scarf or gloves in her suitcase maybe they thought the school would provide them.

As they gathered on a flat section of lawn at the edge of the trees, Sylvain walked up, a striped scarf tied jauntily around his throat. 'Room for one more?'

'Absolutely not,' Lucas joked, tossing him a racquet. The French student caught it easily. It looked comfortable in his hand Allie got the feeling he'd handled a lot of tennis racquets.

In fact, she was certain they all had. They seemed so completely at ease with the rules and equipment. She'd never have admitted it, but Katie was right about Allie's lack of tennis background she could only remember playing it as a child in the school gym on a rainy afternoon in PE class.

Others began to join them now that the net was being set up. Zoe showed up at Allie's side, wearing fluffy white earmuffs and matching gloves. 'Frozen night tennis. I am so in,' she said without being invited.