The sequel to All Things Bright and Broken continues where the first book ends …

 

I am crying softly into my pillow so I don’t wake Desiree. She says she’s excited, but I’m sure she also has an awful feeling in her stomach just like me. What will happen to Mommy when we’re gone? Who will protect her when Daddy finds her hiding in the wardrobe or under the bed? That’s our job. I’m not strong, but I hold onto him when he pulls at my mommy’s clothes. I can shout if the Black Maria is about and if I shout extra loud Aunty Dolly hears us from across the road.

Somehow, Mommy has scraped the money together for our new school uniforms. What will it be like to be away from home for a whole term at a time?

“The van is out of commission. We’ll have to phone for a taxi.”

We clamber in with all our luggage and our fluttering hearts. My tummy is churning, but I’m smiling and I’ve almost forgotten my worries about Mommy. Daddy has told everyone he is sending us to boarding school so we can learn Afrikaans. It sounds reasonable to the rest of the world, but we know we’re going away so I can stop wetting the bed and we can all stop shivering and shaking on brandy nights.

Suddenly the warning bell rings. The guard waves his green flag and blows his whistle. Now we know this is real. We’re off to boarding school, whether we like it or not, and there’s no turning back now.