The new garden had become the main hangout for year six.

At the start of recess one day, Harper and Cleo found themselves on the edges of it listening to a big gang arguing about the virus. Some kids were saying the virus was deadly, others that it was just a cold.

It blew Harper’s mind, the difference between what people thought; friends who said it was nothing standing next to friends who were worried because they had family overseas, where the virus was spreading, and killing, faster than anything. In that moment, the ones who said it was nothing were loudest.

Harper didn’t think it was nothing. She whispered her opinion to Cleo.

‘That’s good, say that to everyone!’ Cleo whispered back, but Harper didn’t have the nerve. Finally, Cleo yelled, ‘Shut up and listen to Harper—she knows what she’s talking about, okay?’

Everyone turned because it was Cleo. So Harper didn’t have a choice.

‘Well, we should have a lockdown. Like, now. Spanish flu was really bad because everyone kept ignoring it.’

‘What’s Spanish flu? I think I’ve heard of it,’ said Cleo.

‘It started at the end of the First World War and lasted for two years,’ Harper explained.

Corey laughed. ‘That is so long ago. They probably all died of boredom because there was nothing to do in the old days.’

Half of the group laughed along with him. Harper felt like giving up if her classmates thought someone like Corey was funny. He looked smug and added, ‘I had a bunch of symptoms last week and I’m fine.’

‘So did I,’ said his friend Marco. ‘And so did my dad.’

Then Corey added, ‘The virus is a hoax. Don’t get sucked in, people.’

Harper’s blood was thumping. ‘That makes zero sense. Do you really think that prime ministers, doctors and nurses and scientists are all making up deaths?’

‘Kind of a good point,’ said Marco.

Corey thumped Marco on the arm.

‘My great-grandfather was born a few years after the Spanish flu,’ said Ro, ‘but they called it Bombay Fever in India. It killed a lot of people.’

‘But we’ll be okay because Australia’s an island. That’s what my dad says,’ said Cleo. ‘We’ve got to make sure no one leaves and no one comes in. Just wait for it to be over.’

‘But loads of us have got family in other countries,’ said Tahira. ‘What about your mum and dad, Harper? Are they coming home?’

Harper’s face flushed; this was the first time anyone had mentioned her parents since they’d left.

‘They can’t. They’re not allowed to leave,’ she said, spinning a white lie.

‘That’s not fair. They live here and they’ve got you,’ said Tahira.

‘Yeah, but they’re helping people, and I’m fine.’

Harper hoped no one else would say anything sympathetic. More than anything she didn’t want anyone to know that her parents didn’t think a pandemic was a good-enough reason to come home. She had flashes of thinking that one or both of them would die. But if she let anyone know that’s what she was thinking, she’d somehow make the worst happen.

‘How did they cure Spanish flu?’ asked Misha, in her sweet voice.

Harper was grateful; it was a relief to be back on history facts, things Harper could be sure of since she’d read that book.

‘They didn’t cure it,’ Harper replied. ‘It turned into regular flu eventually.’

‘How many people died?’ said Tahira.

‘They don’t know exactly, but millions and millions.’

That stirred up the group again. And then Corey snapped, ‘This is all bull. It’s just a sniffle.’

‘Yeah, stop scaring people, Harper,’ said Briar. ‘Dree’s getting upset, aren’t you?’

Dree shrugged as if this was news to her.

‘These are facts,’ said Harper. ‘Sorry if you don’t like them.’

‘Whatever. This is getting boring,’ said Corey. ‘Hey, Ro, Cleo, let’s go and check the stuff for assembly. Can you give us a hand?’ He held up his crutches.

‘S’pose so,’ said Cleo.

So Harper was losing her friends for yet another recess.

Some of the other captains invited themselves along to help out. Harper wanted to take every leadership badge and flush them all down the loo. Ro was even carrying Corey’s drink bottle for him. It made no sense.

Cleo looked back and gave Harper a smile and a shrug, as if she knew something wasn’t quite right about how things were but had to go along with it. Maybe Corey had lost the debate about the Spanish flu, but he’d ended up winning in a different way.