Charlie Bone and the Wilderness Wolf. Jenny Nimmo

I couldn’t tell you. Something to do with the boy he’s brought, I imagine.’ Cook blew her nose and tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve. ‘Grimwald’s his name. It was forty years ago, and I don’t know if he recognised me. But if he did . . .’ She closed her eyes against unimaginable horrors. ‘If he did, I’ll have to leave.’

      ‘Leave? You can’t leave, Cook!’ Billy leapt to his feet and flung his arms round Cook’s neck. ‘What will I do without you? You can’t leave. Please say you won’t. Please, please.’

      Cook twisted her head from side to side. ‘I just don’t know, Billy. There’ve been some pretty awful people in this place, but he’s the worst. And if the boy is anything like him, we’re in for a rough ride, believe me.’

      Blessed suddenly put his paws on Cook’s lap and, throwing back his head, let out such a mournful howl that Billy had to cover his ears.

      ‘He knows,’ Billy whispered. ‘He wants to tell me something, but I’m not sure that I want to hear it.’

      Dagbert Endless

      On Monday morning a new boy appeared in Bloor’s Academy. He wore the compulsory blue cape of a music student. Charlie met him for the first time in Assembly. The music students had their own orchestra and today Charlie’s friend, Fidelio, was lead violin. He waved his bow at Charlie just as the Head of Music, Dr Saltweather, came on to the stage.

      ‘Who’s that, then?’ said a voice in Charlie’s ear.

      Charlie looked round to see a boy a few inches taller than himself, with long, wet-looking hair and aquamarine eyes.

      ‘Who’s who?’ asked Charlie.

      ‘The boy with the violin.’

      ‘He’s called Fidelio Gunn,’ said Charlie. ‘He’s a friend of mine.’

      ‘Is he? And is he a good violinist?’

      ‘Brilliant,’ said Charlie. ‘I’m Charlie, by the way.’

      Dr Saltweather raised his hand for silence, and the orchestra struck up.

      Thirty minutes later the new boy caught up with Charlie as he left Assembly. He handed Charlie a letter. Charlie didn’t like the look of it. He recognised the Bloors’ headed writing paper. Printed in large, ornate script were these words:

      Charlie Bone has been designated official monitor to Dagbert Endless. He will show him all locations relevant to a music student in the second year. He will also acquaint Dagbert with the rules and regulations of this academy, and impart to him any information regarding compulsory attire and equipment. If Dagbert Endless infringes any academy rule, Charlie Bone will be held responsible.

      Charlie swallowed hard.

      ‘That’s me,’ said the boy, pointing to his name on the letter. ‘Dagbert Endless.’

      Charlie was baffled. ‘I wonder why they’ve chosen me.’

      ‘Because you’re endowed,’ Dagbert told him. ‘So am I. Don’t know a thing about music. Wouldn’t mind having a go at the drums, though. What about you?’

      ‘Me? Oh, I play the trumpet,’ Charlie replied. He wondered why the boy had arrived so late in the school year. They were almost halfway through the second term.

      ‘I come from the North,’ Dagbert informed him. ‘The far, far North. I was in Loth’s Academy but they expelled me.’

      Charlie was instantly intrigued. ‘What for?’

      ‘There was a drowning,’ the boy said airily. ‘Not my fault, of course, but you know what parents are. They wanted retribution and someone gave them my name.’ Dagbert lowered his voice. ‘He didn’t last long, I can assure you.’

      ‘Who?’

      ‘The snitcher.’

      They had reached the hall and Charlie was so keen to hear the gruesome details of the drowning, he quite forgot the rules. ‘So what happened then?’

      ‘Silence in the hall, Charlie Bone,’ called one of the prefects, a cheerful girl who rarely gave detention.

      ‘This way,’ Charlie whispered, nudging Dagbert’s arm.

      They walked to a door beneath a carving of crossed trumpets. Once through the door Charlie said, ‘I’m glad Fiona’s on duty and not Manfred Bloor.’

      ‘What’s wrong with Manfred?’ asked Dagbert.

      Charlie didn’t like the look that Dagbert shot at him. ‘Never mind.’ Quickly changing the subject, Charlie explained that they were in the blue cloakroom. ‘Drama students wear purple capes, their cloakroom door is under two masks; crossed paintbrushes show where the Art students go. They wear green. We have our own canteens, too. But we all work together, except when we do music, art or drama.’

      Children began to crowd round Dagbert. Where did he come from? Why was he here? Did he live in the city?

      Charlie noticed Billy Raven sitting in a corner. As soon as he saw Dagbert he gave Charlie one of his worried looks and ran out. Dagbert glanced at the small albino before talking to the others. He told none of them what he had told Charlie. He would only say that he lived above a fish shop.

      ‘I like fish, you see.’ He gave Charlie a private smile.

      ‘He’s an odd fish,’ Fidelio whispered in Charlie’s ear.

      Charlie grinned. Dagbert saw Fidelio’s head close to Charlie’s and the smile left his face. His eyes suddenly became so icy they sent a shiver down Charlie’s spine.

      ‘It’s English next,’ Charlie said. ‘We’d better get to Mr Carp’s room.’

      ‘You should enjoy that, eh, Dagbert?’ said Fidelio. ‘A carp is a very fine fish.’

      Dagbert was not amused. ‘Show me the way,’ he commanded.

      They left the blue cloakroom and made their way through groups of children in blue, green or purple capes, all heading in different directions.

      Mr Carp was stout and red-faced. He was always dressed very neatly in a striped waistcoat and smart grey suit. He found Charlie Bone irritating, partly because of his messy hair, and partly because his mind always seemed to be elsewhere. He didn’t pay attention and sometimes gave silly answers that made the class laugh.

      ‘You boy, sit there,’ he told Dagbert. ‘That’s right, next to Charlie Bone. He is to be your monitor, I’m told. Though he needs one himself, if you ask me.’ Mr Carp laughed at his own joke while the rest of the class remained silent.

      Dagbert took the desk next to Charlie. On the other side of Charlie, Fidelio raised an eyebrow. With a scraping of chairs the class sat down and a lesson on punctuation began.

      For the rest of the day Dagbert stuck to Charlie like a limpet. It wasn’t Dagbert’s fault, Charlie reasoned, but he was beginning to affect Charlie’s social life badly. His friends Emma and Olivia approached during break but things took a bad turn when Olivia suggested that Dagbert smelt fishy. Charlie had assumed that the smell was wafting up from the kitchens but now he realised that Olivia was right.

      Dagbert’s response caught Charlie off guard. ‘We think you stink of cheap perfume, don’t we, Charlie?’ He winked at Charlie, who opened his mouth to protest, when Dagbert continued, ‘and we think you both look a mess. Those ridiculous hairdos for one thing.’

      ‘I . . . didn’t . . .’ Charlie stuttered.

      Emma stared at him in dismay, while Olivia said, ‘I see.