and true believers are happy to pay, but it is a price nonetheless. This year, brothers and sisters, there will be five Lottery winners, and three will be chosen from this school – the jewel of the enclave.’
This time the gasp was much louder. Everyone began to turn around in their seats to whisper to each other. Most looked excited, some even overjoyed. I wished I could have turned around to check out Thabo’s expression, but that would have been way too obvious. Next to me, Zit Face was looking down at his desk, and his hands were shaking slightly. I tried to catch his eye, but he didn’t look up.
Acid Face Pelosi clapped her hands for silence, but she was still wearing a wide grin.
‘I wish you all the best of luck,’ Comrade Nkosi said as the noise died away. ‘And may I say, on behalf of the city and all its people, thank you.’
The room erupted into applause. I shoved my fists under the desk and squeezed them tightly as Comrade Nkosi strode towards the door on a tide of cheers and applause. I wanted to stand up and scream. I wanted to yell that what he’d just said was madness, insanity. But of course I didn’t.
Acid Face Pelosi waited for the applause to die down before she clapped her own hands for attention.
‘Isn’t that just wonderful news?’ she said. ‘What an honour for the school!’ She beamed at the students in the front row. ‘And I have some more wonderful news for you.’ She handed the book she was hefting to Comrade Xhati. ‘We received this from the embassy’s education department this morning. It’s your new history syllabus!’
The reaction to this piece of news wasn’t so jubilant. In fact, there were quite a few groans to be heard.
‘Thank you, Comrade,’ Comrade Xhati said. ‘I’ll take it from here.’
Acid Face Pelosi’s nauseating grin faded, and sour-faced once again, she also made her exit.
The minute she was gone, the room erupted into a cacophony of giggling, but Comrade Xhati wasn’t having any of that. ‘Silence!’ he barked. ‘You can discuss this wonderful news at break. Now, much as I’m sure you’re all eager to explore the new history syllabus, we must complete yesterday’s maths lesson.’
While he rambled on, I pulled out my sketchbook and started drawing. I was feeling antsy – my stomach a tight knot. I knew I wasn’t eligible for the Lottery, but it was sickening to think that most of the students thought this was a cause for celebration. I concentrated on breathing steadily and let my pencil find its own way across the page. This time the drawing didn’t morph into the face of the Rotter outside the fence, but slowly showed itself to be the Guardian’s horse that had almost trampled me after the funeral.
‘Hey!’ Thabo whispered behind me. I jumped. I’d been lost in the drawing and my thoughts. ‘Can I see?’ he asked.
‘See what?’
‘Duh,’ he said, grinning. ‘What you’re drawing.’
Reluctantly I passed the book back to him. He studied the sketch for what felt like way too long. I began to squirm, worried that he thought it was crap.
He finally looked up at me. ‘It’s amazing.’ He sounded like he meant it.
‘Thanks,’ I said.
‘You’re really talented.’
I shrugged. ‘Not really. I just enjoy it.’
‘Wish I could do something like that.’
‘Thabo!’ Comrade Xhati’s voice blasted our way. ‘Do you have a problem with Lele?’
‘No problem,’ Thabo said. ‘No problem at all, actually.’
Giggles erupted around us again and I felt my face growing hot.
‘So you won’t mind sharing what you were saying to her with the rest of the class, then, will you?’
‘I do mind,’ Thabo said. ‘It was a private conversation.’
There was a gasp of shock and I had to bite down on my bottom lip to stop myself from grinning.
Comrade Xhati flinched, and a flinty edge entered his voice. ‘I see. I wasn’t aware that private conversations were part of the school curriculum. I was under the
This time the gasp was much louder. Everyone began to turn around in their seats to whisper to each other. Most looked excited, some even overjoyed. I wished I could have turned around to check out Thabo’s expression, but that would have been way too obvious. Next to me, Zit Face was looking down at his desk, and his hands were shaking slightly. I tried to catch his eye, but he didn’t look up.
Acid Face Pelosi clapped her hands for silence, but she was still wearing a wide grin.
‘I wish you all the best of luck,’ Comrade Nkosi said as the noise died away. ‘And may I say, on behalf of the city and all its people, thank you.’
The room erupted into applause. I shoved my fists under the desk and squeezed them tightly as Comrade Nkosi strode towards the door on a tide of cheers and applause. I wanted to stand up and scream. I wanted to yell that what he’d just said was madness, insanity. But of course I didn’t.
Acid Face Pelosi waited for the applause to die down before she clapped her own hands for attention.
‘Isn’t that just wonderful news?’ she said. ‘What an honour for the school!’ She beamed at the students in the front row. ‘And I have some more wonderful news for you.’ She handed the book she was hefting to Comrade Xhati. ‘We received this from the embassy’s education department this morning. It’s your new history syllabus!’
The reaction to this piece of news wasn’t so jubilant. In fact, there were quite a few groans to be heard.
‘Thank you, Comrade,’ Comrade Xhati said. ‘I’ll take it from here.’
Acid Face Pelosi’s nauseating grin faded, and sour-faced once again, she also made her exit.
The minute she was gone, the room erupted into a cacophony of giggling, but Comrade Xhati wasn’t having any of that. ‘Silence!’ he barked. ‘You can discuss this wonderful news at break. Now, much as I’m sure you’re all eager to explore the new history syllabus, we must complete yesterday’s maths lesson.’
While he rambled on, I pulled out my sketchbook and started drawing. I was feeling antsy – my stomach a tight knot. I knew I wasn’t eligible for the Lottery, but it was sickening to think that most of the students thought this was a cause for celebration. I concentrated on breathing steadily and let my pencil find its own way across the page. This time the drawing didn’t morph into the face of the Rotter outside the fence, but slowly showed itself to be the Guardian’s horse that had almost trampled me after the funeral.
‘Hey!’ Thabo whispered behind me. I jumped. I’d been lost in the drawing and my thoughts. ‘Can I see?’ he asked.
‘See what?’
‘Duh,’ he said, grinning. ‘What you’re drawing.’
Reluctantly I passed the book back to him. He studied the sketch for what felt like way too long. I began to squirm, worried that he thought it was crap.
He finally looked up at me. ‘It’s amazing.’ He sounded like he meant it.
‘Thanks,’ I said.
‘You’re really talented.’
I shrugged. ‘Not really. I just enjoy it.’
‘Wish I could do something like that.’
‘Thabo!’ Comrade Xhati’s voice blasted our way. ‘Do you have a problem with Lele?’
‘No problem,’ Thabo said. ‘No problem at all, actually.’
Giggles erupted around us again and I felt my face growing hot.
‘So you won’t mind sharing what you were saying to her with the rest of the class, then, will you?’
‘I do mind,’ Thabo said. ‘It was a private conversation.’
There was a gasp of shock and I had to bite down on my bottom lip to stop myself from grinning.
Comrade Xhati flinched, and a flinty edge entered his voice. ‘I see. I wasn’t aware that private conversations were part of the school curriculum. I was under the
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