Chapter 1 Stalkers

Brian's mother worried more about his first week at Castle Hill Academy than he did.   He talked her out of going with him to the school gates on the first day. He called for Toby and together they walked to their new school. They had spent a week there before the summer holidays and knew their way around. They met their new teachers, including Mr Brown, their tutor. Brian and Toby were in the same tutor group. "We are being stalked", said Toby. "Don't look behind you, but that's my mother's car." Brian pretended to tie his shoe laces. A red car indicated it was stopping and it parked a little way further up the road. Toby's mother was driving. Brian's mother was sitting next to her, checking on their prey through Uncle George's binoculars. "What are we going to do?", asked Toby. Looking along the road, Brian could see a double decker bus approaching. "Slow down", he said to Toby. "As soon as that bus passes us, climb through the hedge. There's a shortcut across the park to the school."

Racing across the park, they successfully made it through the school gates, unseen.   The day passed quickly and Brian walked home with Claire and Abigail.  "Toby fell into the school pond and his mother had to come and collect him", Brian explained to them.  "How was your first day?", asked Claire.  "Good", said Brian. "Mr Brown, my tutor, said he knew Miss Smith very well and she had told him to 'keep an eye' on all of us. I'm not sure what he is supposed to do with his other eye. He also gave out letters about the school residential." It was a school tradition at Castle Hill Academy that all new first year pupils took part in a week-long visit with their tutors, during the second week of the new term. "It's a good opportunity", Mr Brown had said, "for you all to get to know each other and your tutors.”

"Mr Brown is quite scary", said Brian. "He said he fought in Afghanistan and knows how to take care of himself, so we had all better behave."   "Our tutor said that she could have been a famous ballerina but had given it up to teach", said Claire. "She did what she called a pirouette while she was taking the register, just to prove it." "Have you seen Paul or Michael or the others?", asked Brian. "They are all in the same tutor group", said Abigail. "Mr Edwards, their tutor, told them that he was on an undercover mission for the government. He said being a teacher was a perfect cover for investigating things. Paul and the boys laughed, so Mr Edwards kept them behind after school for an extra lesson." During the residential visit they would camping in the grounds of a youth centre, that belonged to a local church, in a place called Piddinghoe. Most of the pupils had arranged to bring their own tents and share with a friend. All of their meals would be served up in the youth centre building. "It looks like being an interesting camp, with a soldier, a ballerina and a spy", said Brian.