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“That Band-Aid’s a bit noticeable.” “They don’t sell pink Band-Aids. Only dark brown ones.” Shania shrugged. My eyes widened at that. I’d never really thought about it before, but she was right. I’d never seen any pink Band-Aids. Band-Aids were the color of us Crosses, not the naughts.
were. The Crosses were meant to be closer to God. The Good Book said so. The son of God was dark-skinned like them, had eyes like them, had hair like them. The Good Book said so. But the Good Book said a lot of things. Like “love thy neighbor,” and “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Okay, we weren’t their slaves anymore, but Dad said the name had changed but nothing else.
“I bet none of you has even spoken to a naught before.” “Of course we have,” Joanne piped up. “I’ve spoken to blankers lots of times—when they serve us in shops and restaurants . . .”
Everyone knows they all belong to the Liberation Militia and all they do is cause trouble and commit crimes and stuff like that . .
Why was it that when naughts committed criminal acts, the fact that they were naughts was always pointed out? The banker was a Cross. The newsreader didn’t even mention it.
I didn’t want to hold her responsible for the way security guards and store detectives followed me around every time I entered a department store. And I’d stopped going into bookshops and toy shops and gift shops when I realized that no matter where I went in them, all eyes were upon me. After all, it was one of those well-known Cross-initiated facts that we naughts didn’t pay for anything when there was the chance of stealing it instead. I didn’t want to resent Sephy for the way my education was automatically assumed to be less important than hers. I didn’t want to hate her because she was a
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naught in any of my mother’s magazines. Not one. No white or pink faces anywhere. In fact, there’d actually been something on the news at the beginning of the year when the first naught model was featured in one of the high fashion magazines. I couldn’t see what all the fuss was about at the time. To be honest, I still couldn’t.
“It’s bad enough when ignorant Crosses call us blankers without us calling ourselves by the same name.”
“Because all the history books are written by Crosses and you never write about anyone else except your own. Naughts have done lots of significant things, but I bet no one in this class knows—”
Mrs. Paxton looked thoughtful for a few moments. “Callum, I’m going to tell you something in the strictest confidence. I’m going to trust you. D’you understand?” I didn’t, but I nodded anyway. “Mr. Jason isn’t against you. And d’you know why?” “No . . .” “Because his mother was a naught.”
“I did my best.” Mother sounded like she was starting to cry. “Your best? Your best isn’t up to much.” “Was I supposed to let you bring your bastard into our house?” Mother shouted. “Oh no! The great Jasmine Adeyebe-Hadley bring up her husband’s child as her own? That would never do. I mean, God forbid that you should chip a nail or dirty one of your designer gowns looking after my son.”
Before we can administer any kind of medical care, I’ll need to see your ID cards.” “Sorry?” Mum frowned. “It’s the new government ruling. All patient IDs have to be checked and registered. I think it’s their way of trying to stop benefit swindles.”
How come Shania gets expelled and Gardner gets away with a telling off? Why isn’t it gross misconduct when a Cross does it?”
Expelled, or what the authorities euphemistically called “excluded,” for those things that would get Crosses detention or a severe telling off. The odd Cross or two may even have got suspended once in a while. But they certainly weren’t being expelled with anything like the frequency we were.
“D’you ever wonder what it would be like if our positions were reversed?” I ask. At Jack’s puzzled look, I continue. “If we whites were in charge instead of you Crosses?” “Can’t say it’s ever crossed my mind.”
“I used to think about it a lot,” I sigh. “Dreams of living in a world with no more discrimination, no more prejudice, a fair police force, an equal justice system, equality of education, equality of life, a level playing field . . .” “Good grief! Is that a thesis or a fairy tale?”
