stood over her, his eyes like flint.
‘ Usotsuki! [Liar!] You contacted so many people.’
‘So what?’
‘You offended so many people.’
‘That’s silly.’
‘ Shizukani! [Be quiet!]’
‘But…’
‘ Jama shinaide . [Don’t interrupt me.] I want you to go to school tomorrow and say sorry to each and every student.’
‘ Sumimasen ? [Sorry?]’ Mio stared at her hands, thinking they looked just as lifeless as she felt.
Her father now towered above her as she sank into the cushions in the lounge. ‘You will apologise both in person and by letter.’
In a flare of anger Mio forgot herself. ‘What for? For asking them to sign a petition? For wanting the skate park to be open to bikes? What exactly am I to apologise for?’
A flash of confusion crossed Mr Shinozaki’s face but he composed himself before Mio had a chance to see it. ‘I do not understand what you are talking about.’
‘That makes two of us. I didn’t know it was wrong to ask the kids to sign the petition without asking Mrs Burridge’s permission. None of us did—Clem, Darcy, Bryce or Tong. We would have asked if we’d known.’
‘Petition?’ Mio’s father kneaded his temple with his knuckle. ‘I’m not talking about a petition. I’m talking about the emails you sent.’
‘Emails?’
‘Hate emails.’
Mio stood in front of her father. All colour had drained from her face so that the veins showed under the translucence of her skin. ‘Papa, I have no idea what you’re talking about. You must believe me.’
For the first time that evening, Mio’s mother came forward. She gestured for everyone to be seated. ‘My daughter, these are the facts… Ichi [One]. Many students at The Met have received emails from your email address.’
‘ Muri desu ! [Impossible!]’
‘ Ni [Two]. The emails were abusive. San [Three]. Some emails were threatening.’
‘ Maa nante koto nanda! [Oh, my God!]’ By now Mio’s head was about to explode. It wasn’t her. She hadn’t done this.
‘ Shi [Four]. Mrs Burridge intends to notify the police. Did you send the emails, Mio?’ probed Mrs Shinozaki.
‘ Zettaini chigaimasu! [Absolutely not!]’
Mio’s father leant towards her as he asked, ‘ Dare ? [Who?]’
Mio sat on the lounge shaking her head as if to clear away everything she’d just heard. But the words reverberated around her skull as if Oni [Japanese demon] himself was chasing her soul.‘ Shirimasen [I don’t know].’ She looked from her father to her mother, then back to her father. ‘But I intend to find out.’
Before she was sent to her room Mio made a hasty phone call to Clem to arrange for everyone to meet early the next morning, then wrestled with more demons all night.
Chapter Eleven
That morning on her way to the Van Mio was so distracted she pulled out in front of a car and was startled to hear the screech of brakes, then a horn. A hand gesticulated wildly. She’d shrugged an apology and waved to say thanks before noticing the number plates. Green! Mio knew it was a silly superstition but just as powerfully she knew she was going to have yet another, very bad day. With infinitely more care she negotiated her way along the city streets.
Clem rushed from the Van as soon as she heard Mio pull up, asking, ‘What’s happened?’
Darcy’s matching reddish-blonde head poked from the door as he added, ‘Yeah. What’s going on?’
After one look at Mio’s face they pulled her inside the Van. As quickly as they could Tong and Bryce chained up their bikes and went in also.
‘The whole world’s ganging up against me.’ Mio looked drawn and pinched as she told the Freewheelers about the emails.
‘Someone’s hacked into your account,’ said Darcy.
‘But why?’ asked Clem.
Mio shook her head, saying, ‘I’ve absolutely no idea.’
Tong asked, his voice more a whisper, ‘What in email, Mio? What email say?’
Mio twisted her sleeve around and around a finger. ‘I don’t know! According to Mum
‘ Usotsuki! [Liar!] You contacted so many people.’
‘So what?’
‘You offended so many people.’
‘That’s silly.’
‘ Shizukani! [Be quiet!]’
‘But…’
‘ Jama shinaide . [Don’t interrupt me.] I want you to go to school tomorrow and say sorry to each and every student.’
‘ Sumimasen ? [Sorry?]’ Mio stared at her hands, thinking they looked just as lifeless as she felt.
Her father now towered above her as she sank into the cushions in the lounge. ‘You will apologise both in person and by letter.’
In a flare of anger Mio forgot herself. ‘What for? For asking them to sign a petition? For wanting the skate park to be open to bikes? What exactly am I to apologise for?’
A flash of confusion crossed Mr Shinozaki’s face but he composed himself before Mio had a chance to see it. ‘I do not understand what you are talking about.’
‘That makes two of us. I didn’t know it was wrong to ask the kids to sign the petition without asking Mrs Burridge’s permission. None of us did—Clem, Darcy, Bryce or Tong. We would have asked if we’d known.’
‘Petition?’ Mio’s father kneaded his temple with his knuckle. ‘I’m not talking about a petition. I’m talking about the emails you sent.’
‘Emails?’
‘Hate emails.’
Mio stood in front of her father. All colour had drained from her face so that the veins showed under the translucence of her skin. ‘Papa, I have no idea what you’re talking about. You must believe me.’
For the first time that evening, Mio’s mother came forward. She gestured for everyone to be seated. ‘My daughter, these are the facts… Ichi [One]. Many students at The Met have received emails from your email address.’
‘ Muri desu ! [Impossible!]’
‘ Ni [Two]. The emails were abusive. San [Three]. Some emails were threatening.’
‘ Maa nante koto nanda! [Oh, my God!]’ By now Mio’s head was about to explode. It wasn’t her. She hadn’t done this.
‘ Shi [Four]. Mrs Burridge intends to notify the police. Did you send the emails, Mio?’ probed Mrs Shinozaki.
‘ Zettaini chigaimasu! [Absolutely not!]’
Mio’s father leant towards her as he asked, ‘ Dare ? [Who?]’
Mio sat on the lounge shaking her head as if to clear away everything she’d just heard. But the words reverberated around her skull as if Oni [Japanese demon] himself was chasing her soul.‘ Shirimasen [I don’t know].’ She looked from her father to her mother, then back to her father. ‘But I intend to find out.’
Before she was sent to her room Mio made a hasty phone call to Clem to arrange for everyone to meet early the next morning, then wrestled with more demons all night.
Chapter Eleven
That morning on her way to the Van Mio was so distracted she pulled out in front of a car and was startled to hear the screech of brakes, then a horn. A hand gesticulated wildly. She’d shrugged an apology and waved to say thanks before noticing the number plates. Green! Mio knew it was a silly superstition but just as powerfully she knew she was going to have yet another, very bad day. With infinitely more care she negotiated her way along the city streets.
Clem rushed from the Van as soon as she heard Mio pull up, asking, ‘What’s happened?’
Darcy’s matching reddish-blonde head poked from the door as he added, ‘Yeah. What’s going on?’
After one look at Mio’s face they pulled her inside the Van. As quickly as they could Tong and Bryce chained up their bikes and went in also.
‘The whole world’s ganging up against me.’ Mio looked drawn and pinched as she told the Freewheelers about the emails.
‘Someone’s hacked into your account,’ said Darcy.
‘But why?’ asked Clem.
Mio shook her head, saying, ‘I’ve absolutely no idea.’
Tong asked, his voice more a whisper, ‘What in email, Mio? What email say?’
Mio twisted her sleeve around and around a finger. ‘I don’t know! According to Mum
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