A Question of Child Politics

“Morning, Dad” Ellie chimed, going around the long way around the table
“Looking beautiful, honey,” he said, accepting the kiss on the cheek and stroking her hair
“Hi Daddy!” cried Fiona, running into the kitchen and giving him a hug and receiving a stroke on the hair as well
“There now...” he muttered, meaning for her to be quieter, he was reading the newspaper
Jack toddled in, rugby t-shirt already getting small for him and ignored everyone
“Oh, here’s the next England Captain, morning!”
“Hi” Jack answered, reaching for his juice
Both girls didn’t look up from their cereal. Fiona was going to kick Jack under the table but Ellie carefully put her foot in front of her legs under the table. As Mum walked past, she noticed and gave Ellie a little knowing nod.
Ellie smiled a little back and took the kick in the heel as her dues. Fiona was going to be a pain in the car.
“Can I sit in front today?” she asked
“No, Mummy, I want to sit in front!” shouted Fiona
“I asked first!” snapped Ellie
“You always go in front!” whined Fiona, which made Ellie want to hit her
“Only twice this week, you were four times last week!”
“Only because you were all week the week before!”
“No I wasn’t!”
“Girls!” snapped Dad, and they both looked at him pleadingly
“I’ll decide when we get to the car” said Mum peaceably, placing toast in front of Jack and Dad
Ellie fumed inside. Fiona was going to be as cute as she could and Jack would always sit in his giant baby-seat Dad bought specially for him.
Ellie got to sit in front. She watched Dad get in his car beside them and tried to catch his eye to wave at him, but it was only a glance and not much of a wave or a smile, and he mostly looked at Jack, and Fiona because she was making such a monkey of herself.
Ellie was sad all the way to school and only kissed her Mum quickly on the cheek before running out to school. She remembered she could – wham!
Fiona had hit her so hard with her little schoolbag filled with books and lunch and pencil case that Ellie staggered .
Keep still and look shocked, she thought, Miss Grey is looking.
“Fiona! Come back here!”
Fiona had hit her with her pack as she’d run past to find her friends, and came reluctantly.
“Why did you hit your sister with your bag?” Miss Grey demanded
Fiona shrugged
“I’d like you to look Eleanor in the eye and say you’re sorry!”
“Sorry, Ellie” The eyes threatened revenge
The teacher let them both go and they ran to their groups.
“Your sister’s so horrible!” cried Jane, Ellie’s best friend
“I wish she could be adopted and be taken away” Ellie said, and was surprised when Fiona turned and gave her a hurt look – she’d been standing quite far away, but she’d heard, and she was upset by it...
“Hang on,” she said to the girls and ran over to her, “Fi, I didn’t mean it!”
“Yes you did” said Fiona so coldly Ellie hesitated
“You just hit me,” she spluttered
“I’d never say that I wanted you to be adopted, though” said Fiona, shooing her group away with a glare
“Well, sorry, then” said Ellie, knowing this would be a bad move but she didn’t care
“Yeah, you’re really sorry!” spat Fiona, “I hope you die in your sleep or fall down the stairs and break your back!”
“Fiona, stop it! I didn’t mean it!” shouted Ellie
“Yes, you did!” screamed Fiona, and they both paused; her voice had cracked from tears. Fiona looked shocked at herself.
“Fi, I’ll do your hair when we get home, with braids and extensions!” Ellie offered but Fiona looked at her and Ellie already knew this was it – the one thing they both liked was gone
“I don’t like that anymore, it’s boring” Fiona said
Ellie just stared at her for a moment and then walked away. She felt Fiona was going to do something really bad, she had wreaked awful revenge before that her parents hadn’t been able to prove it was her and so went unpunished.
“Oh my God!” said Anna, as Ellie came back
“What?” snapped Ellie
“Your sister, I think she’s crazy!” Anna replied
“Shut up, Anna, I think you’re crazy!” Ellie snarled, fearing Anna was about to make it worse and was feeling awful anyway
“Oh my God, Ellie!” said Anna crossly, linking arms with Beryl and walking away
“Let’s clap ‘My Mother’” said Jane quickly, and the rest of the girls paired up and began a rolling clap-chant that had Ellie’s mum had taught Ellie and Fiona.
When the bell rang, Ellie was feeling better, but when she picked up her bag from the wall where everyone put their bags before school, it was covered in dirt.
In class, Ellie was quiet. She didn’t really talk to anyone, which she knew was making the girls nervous because normally they talked about whatever Ellie was talking about
“Come on, girls, stop looking at Ellie – Ellie, stop distracting them!” said Mrs Everton
“Yes, Miss” said Ellie dully at her Maths exercise
“What did you say, Ellie?” Mrs Everton snapped
“I said ‘Yes, Miss’!” Ellie replied looking up, she had just been about to write down her answer and now she’d have to start again
“I don’t think so, didn’t look that way to me!” Mrs Everton accused
“I did, Miss!” cried Ellie, which was a mistake – you don’t directly argue with Mrs Everton, she gets what Mr Chilton, who taught the Year 4’s, called ‘waspish’
“Eleanor, I would like you to stand up and apologise for back-chatting!” she ordered
Ellie immediately stood up, nearly saying ‘I’m very sorry even if I didn’t back-chat!’
“Sorry, Mrs Everton, I won’t back-chat again!” she said in a clear, loud voice that she didn’t restrain enough to be neutral. It sounded sharp, but Mrs Everton seemed to catch on this was the place to leave it
“I don’t like this kind of behaviour, Eleanor, and you will learn to be respectful, I promise you that,” she growled as Ellie sat down
If you want a war, Everest, I’ll give you one, snarled Ellie in her mind. There were many rude poems about Everest in faint, much-scrubbed ink on Ellie’s desk, and she wished she could make up a really bad one but one that didn’t get her in trouble.