Tani saw that her hands were shaking. He said, “Sophie. ’S’okay. ’S’not that bad.”
“It was my idea.” She dashed tears from her face. “You said no but I insisted and I made it worse because I wanted the order to be urgent so we wouldn’t have to wait till we were called to court and I said your mum was the one who could do that by filling out her part and saying what happened and if I hadn’t done, you wouldn’t have needed to go there and this wouldn’t have happened and you can’t go back. Tani, you can never go back.”
Tani didn’t want to tell her that he had to go back. He couldn’t leave his mother in his father’s hands. She wasn’t safe there any more than Simisola was. But he said none of this and instead let Sophie minister to him as Simi held the frozen peas to his head and put her own head on his shoulder. She whispered, “Where’s Mummy? Tani, has something happened to Mummy?” to which he murmured, “？’S’okay, Squeak. She’s okay,” although that was something he didn’t actually know.
“Pictures!” Sophie ran off again but was back within seconds, her smartphone in her hand. She helped Tani sit up and she snapped him from every angle, taking close-ups of individual wounds, of the fingerprint bruises round his neck, of his swollen-shut eye, of his bleeding forehead, chin, temple, and cheek. These, she told him, would help underscore the need for an urgent protection order. Then she urged him down again and did her best to clean and to bandage him.
After that, they’d set off for Stoke Newington station, which, mercifully, was less than a twenty-minute walk from where Sophie lived. He’d had to take several rests along the way, but with Sophie offering her shoulder to lean on and putting her arm round his waist for additional support, he managed the distance. After that, it was just a wait for the train.
When they finally went through the pedestrian wrought-iron gate giving entrance to Trinity Green, he saw that both of the doors to the chapel stood open, and when they got close, he could hear the sound of voices and laughter coming from within.
“Thank God,” Sophie said fervently, although Tani didn’t think God had much to do with it. Nonetheless, he followed with Simisola as Sophie hurried across the green to the chapel at its far end. She waited for him at the bottom of the steps and then helped him climb them. Once inside, the first people they saw were two girls standing with a ginger-haired white lady at a long, school dining hall–type table, all of them looking at a mass of photographs spread out on its surface. The white lady was saying, “I like this one, but then I’m not the person who’s meant to choose,” while one of the girls said, “But I look mad, innit,” to which the white lady said, “You look serious. There’s a difference,” to which the girl replied, “Yeah. I look seriously mad,” and all three of them laughed.
The white lady was the first to see Tani and his companions. She clocked Tani’s appearance, and she quickly said, “D’you need help?” but she didn’t wait for an answer. “Follow me,” she told them. She came towards them then, descended the stairs, and took them round to the office door that had been locked on their earlier visit.
TRINITY GREEN
WHITECHAPEL
EAST LONDON
Deborah St. James could see how frightened they were, particularly the little girl. She was clinging to the boy’s hand with both of hers. Both she and the older girl had clearly been crying. It was the boy’s condition, however, that set off the alarum. Someone had beaten him badly.
She swung open the office door and stepped aside to let them enter. There were folding chairs along the corridor, so she unfolded three of them, said, “Let me get you some water,” and went to one of the supply rooms across from Zawadi’s office. Zawadi herself was inside, she saw, having a conversation with Narissa Cameron. Deborah hadn’t realised Narissa had returned to Orchid House.
She popped her head into the doorway. Zawadi greeted this action by saying wearily, “Why are you still here? It’s bad enough with her.” She lifted her chin at Narissa.
Deborah said, “There’s a little girl just come in with two teenagers.”
“Who brought them?” Zawadi asked.
“I don’t think anyone brought them.”
“What do they want, then? Who are the teenagers? What did they say?”
“Nothing yet. The boy is badly—”
“We do not allow males inside Orchid House. Do you see what’s happening? Orchid House is being set up. I’m being set up.”