...

Luke stopped going to Becca's locker at the end of the school day. Never really involved in classroom activities, he stopped trying at all. His teachers noticed, but they had other students who were more of a priority. Luke no longer had a father with influence in the government. Hannah was sufficiently lowly that she couldn't even manage to get Luke a job; there was no reason for them to waste their energy in finding out what was going wrong in Luke's life when his classmates had more power behind them. With no classroom contact and little sight of Becca outside school, Luke barely spoke to anyone for days on end. He found that he almost preferred it that way. What he did hear from people wasn't to his liking.

'Luke, you have to come in here for a minute.' It was Hannah, calling from the front room that had been their parents. She'd moved into that room soon after the funeral. Before that, she'd been sharing with Becca. It was one of the few positive changes in the house, that they all had their own rooms now.

'What's up?' he asked her from the door. He didn't like to go in anymore. It still had his parents' dark, timber bed, their worn, old fashioned clothes in the closets, their pictures on the faded blue walls. Hannah had barely made an impression on their years of occupying the room. It was like she was only squatting. But she wasn't alone.

'Luke, this is David,' she told him, gesturing to the pale faced man perched on the edge of the bed. Luke nodded at him, wondering who he was. 'He thinks he can get you a job, Lukie.'

Hannah was excited. She'd been trying her best for him, he knew. Her influence didn't stretch very far; not as much as their father's had when he'd found employment for Hannah and Andy within the government. Luke looked once again at the man, not impressed with what he saw.

'Luke,' he nodded, standing up and extending a smooth white hand to shake. His dark hair fell to his shoulders, carefully maintained. Luke noted with surprise that he was taller than him; David had seemed smaller when he was on the bed. In fact, Luke decided, he was difficult to read. He was tall, but seemed small. He had smooth hands but dirt-blackened nails. He was, in short, a bundle of contradictions that Luke could find no solution for.

'Hannah tells me that you're almost finished school. It would be a shame to miss out on the certificate now, don't you think?' Luke flicked a glance at Hannah, wondering what she had told him. When Luke didn't respond, David continued. 'But if you're set on it, then I could find you something in my department. We're always looking for bright youngsters, especially with a good background.'

Luke suddenly understood why Hannah had brought him into their parents room; it was the least threadbare of the rooms. She was trying to impress him. She was nodding enthusiastically at him, trying to get him to move. Her springy curls bounced around her face as she urged him to say something, anything, to acknowledge his acceptance of the half hearted offer.

'That would be good,' Luke finally muttered. 'When would I start?' Hannah looked relieved.

'Is tomorrow too soon?' laughed David, heartily. The volume seemed inappropriate for the room. Luke was taken aback.

'Tomorrow? But I -' he stopped when he saw Hannah's face. 'Tomorrow would be fine.'

'Great! Excellent! Well, Hannah can show you where to come. I'll see you then.'

The dismissal was clear. There was nothing else for Luke to say. He fled the room, outraged that this man, this stranger, had taken charge of his parents' bedroom, had engineered his departure from school, had done everything that his father ought to have been doing for him. His father. Luke pulled up short at his bedroom door. Why, he asked himself, was this man prepared to help him get a job? Why was he still here, after Luke had accepted the offer? With quiet steps, Luke went back to the bedroom door and listened to the muffled voices within.

'David, you know I can't say anything about that. Becca will still be at school. She can pick up Luke's things for him. He will be in the office tomorrow. That's all we can manage for now. It's only been a couple of weeks. I don't want to rush things and find later that I did it for the wrong reasons.'

'But surely -' came the pleading voice of David. Luke liked him less and less.

'No, David.' Hannah was firm. 'Not yet.'

Hearing David's steps approaching the door, Luke quickly and quietly dashed back to his own room, shutting the door just in time.

'Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then,' he said.

'Yes, tomorrow,' came Hannah's reply. There was the sound of a kiss, then he was gone.