Fourteen
Toby read the story of his kidnapping and asked Clare when she was planning to take him home. He told her that he and Kieran had only intended to stay away for the weekend.
‘Well, your parents don’t know that do they? So, if you stay away for a bit longer, they’ll be really pleased to see you when you get back, won’t they? They don’t hit you, do they?’
‘No. My Mum’s not into hitting. It’s only big boys at school that hit me,’ said Toby.
‘Why’s that?’
‘Dad says its because I’m smart and some kids don’t like that. He says they have to let me know how tough they are, so I’ll see being smart isn’t the only thing you can be good at.’
‘Is it a big problem for you, these big boys hitting you?’
‘I try to stay away from them, but it might be a problem when I go back to school though
