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with a sympathetic expression on his face. He was dressed all in brown, comfortable clothing which had never seen an iron. He had brown scruffy hair which looked as if he ran his hands through it constantly. The male did that now as he addressed Jocasta, "I'm Mr Martin, his teacher, don't worry it is always hard for them at first but by Christmas they are all skipping in quite happily."
    "I can't just leave him here when he's being like this, he needs me." Jocasta's attempt to take control of the situation was falling on deaf ears.
    "No it's fine; there are always a couple of kids who can't cope at first." He gestured towards the door where another young boy was holding on to his mother's skirt whilst she was pushing him gently through the door into the arms of the waiting teacher.
    "Honestly, he will be fine. If you want, you can call us in an hour and we will let you know how he's getting on. The number is on his entry letter." Mr Martin took hold of Adrian and gently unclenched Adrian's fists from Jocasta's trousers.
    Jocasta didn't know what she could do to help Adrian. It felt as though she was throwing him to the wolves, not taking him to school. She just wanted to pick him up and run away from this place as fast as she possibly could and it was all she could do not to go with her instincts. Feeling emotion bubbling up inside her Jocasta turned away from Adrian and Mr Martin and walked stiffly to the school gates, Adrian's cries echoing in her ears. She could not look back as she knew to see his anguished face again would make her act on her emotions.
    With a choking cry she set off for home, ignoring the looks she got from other mothers and trying not to listen to the barely concealed whispers.
    "What an ugly child, did you see all that snot; disgusting."
    "His mother's no better, hairy witch"
    "Fucking weirdos if you ask me."
    "There's always one nutter wherever you go."
    "Yeah well I'm telling my Billy to keep away from him."
    Biting down on her urge to shout at the parents to fuck right off, Jocasta turned and left the playground, the insults ringing in her ears.
    The last four years of Jocasta and Adrian's lives had been safe, innocuous, protected and joyful. Just the two of them together, loving each other and enjoying each other's company. Their world was now being torn apart for the sake of education. Jocasta felt as though Adrian had been ripped from her arms and cast into a world which was callous and unforgiving. They wouldn't understand what a wonderful child he was, they wouldn't see him as she did. All they would see was his face, which to them was ugly and didn't conform to their idea of perfect. To her he was beautiful, to them he was ugly. To her he was angelic; to them he was a daemon by virtue of his looks. Never would they look past his face to find the beauty inside, he would be tormented and challenged all his life because his face didn't fit.
    "No." Jocasta shouted into the air, but continued to walk home just the same; there was nothing she could do about the law. She let herself into her flat, ran to the kitchen, grabbed a packet of chocolate biscuits and sat on the once immaculate sofa in her front room, chomping one biscuit after the other, barely tasting them in her haste to shove them down her gullet. She heard the next door neighbour in the corridor once again calling for his kitten which just made her feel even worse, for Adrian, who must surely be suffering from his terrible experience that morning. Looking at the clock she sat quietly eating and she waited until the time her beloved son could be saved from his wretched day.

Chapter 5
    'One good mother is worth a hundred schoolmasters.'
    Ralph Waldo Emerson
     
    15 December 1996
    Jocasta waited in the reception area of Elisworth Town Primary School. She had received a telephone call from the school secretary that morning asking her to come and visit the Head Master of the school, Mr Cross. The secretary would not divulge to Jocasta the