Chapter 4
Ben trudged through the school gate in a black mood. He didn’t feel like going home, as the headmaster had recommended. It didn’t even feel like home anyway, and his room was still full of packing boxes.
He took out his phone as he walked and inserted a pair of earbuds. Within a few seconds he resumed a half-watched film and began to forget everything else: the sprawling suburban homes, the fancy cars, the crummy school, his stepfather Greg – nothing more than a bad and bygone dream. Ben was quickly engrossed in the images playing across the tiny screen of his phone. A metalsmith was forging a new sword. The burly man repeatedly submerged the red-hot steel in water, sending up a cloud of steam. He then took the cooling shaft over to an anvil to hammer it into shape.
Seemingly
