7 a.m. Monday, Ash's travel alarm went off to wake him for school. Misty threw a pillow at him when he didn't turn it off. He stumbled out of bed, rubbing his face, and unpinned a corner of the sheet over the window to let in some light.

"Can't you leave it dark?" Misty moaned from under her covers.

"I've got to go to school." Ash started putting on a sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms.

"It's freezing," Ash said.

"It's warm under here," Misty said smugly. "I don't have to get up for three hours."

"I can't believe you got out of school, it's not bloody fair."

Misty giggled under her covers. "It's toasty at Green Brooke. The water in the Jacuzzi is beautiful, and I get a hot shower before and after my shift."

"I'm filthy," Ash said. "I'm gonna get so much stick from the other kids going to school looking like this."

"Put clean clothes on and use some of my deodorant."

"I'm wearing clean stuff. I'll still be covered in mud three steps out the door. Where's your deodorant?"

"Down the end of my bed." Misty's deodorant was in a pink can with pictures of butterflies on it. Ash figured it was better smelling girly than stinking of BO so he gave himself a good blast.

"I'm glad I don't have to get up," Misty giggled. "This bed is really comfortable."

Ash noticed Misty's leg poking out and tickled the sole of her foot. She pulled her leg in and squealed.

"Serves you right for teasing," Ash said. Misty flew out of bed, grabbed Ash around the waist and started tickling under his ribs.

"No, please," Ash giggled.

Ash's legs buckled from laughing. His face was red and spit dribbled down his chin.

"Beg for mercy, undesirable," Misty said. "Or I'll execute order 66!"

"No way," Ash spluttered. Ash couldn't wriggle free. Misty unleashed another wave of tickles.

"Oh no. Please... OK mercy. Stop... Mercy. I SAID MERCY WOMAN."

Misty stopped. Cathy's head poked in from her part of the hut. Her hair was all tangled.

"What's going on?" Cathy asked.

"Tickling," Ash said, gasping for air.

"I thought you were dying or something. I was trying to sleep."

"I've got to go to school," Ash said.

"Do it quietly, Benjamin," Cathy said. "I'm laying in all morning."

"Nice life for some," Ash said. "Is there anything for my breakfast?"

Cathy thought for a second. "There's cold curry, or you could have the last one of your Mars bars."

"Great," Ash said. Misty had snuggled back into bed and was laughing under her sheets.

It was a two-kilometre walk to the school bus stop in Craddogh. A few older Fort Harmony kids showed Ash the way. Joanna was at the stop with some friends. Ash said hello but she ignored him. The village kids wore smart casual clothes. Fort Harmony kids were tramps in comparison.

It was a half-hour ride to school, stopping a few times to pick up more kids. Ash rested his face against the window and watched the sun rise over the passing countryside.

Gwen Morgan school looked better than Ash's old school in London. The modern classrooms were in single storey clusters with covered walkways between them. The areas between buildings had flower beds and neatly trimmed grass with Keep Off signs. When the bell rang kids walked to registration. No shoving or fights breaking out. Even the boys' toilets were clean. Ash washed as much filth as he could off his face and hands before finding his class. He handed a note to his form teacher and found a desk.

"This is Benjamin," the teacher announced. "Please make him feel welcome here at Gwen Morgan and help him find his way around."

The kids all looked polite and well behaved. Nobody spoke to Ash.

First lesson was science. Ash asked a kid if it was OK to sit next to him. The kid shrugged.

The lesson was dull. They were halfway through a topic, but Ash was bright enough to pick up what had gone on before and was soon bored. It felt really different to CHERUB where all the kids were clever and the teachers kept you on your toes. He wrote neatly in his new exercise book and homework diary, but it seemed like a waste of time. He would only be here a few weeks.

Between first and second lesson a couple of kids in Ash's class called Stuart and Gareth gave him a shove.

"Wait till break time, hippy boy," one of them said.

Ash wasn't worried. He'd be able to fight them off if they tried anything.

He got another shove and a punch in the back from Gareth at the start of morning break. Ash knew he'd become a target if he looked soft, but he didn't want to end up rolling around the floor fighting on his first day, so he punched Gareth in the face and ran off. He spent the rest of morning break wandering on his own, paranoid that everyone was staring at him like a freak.

Gareth had a tissue plugged up his nose to stop it bleeding for the whole of third period. After lunch Ash wanted to join the kids playing football on the all weather pitches, but Gareth, Stuart and a couple of their pals were playing. Ash thought it best to steer clear. He found a quiet spot at the back of the school, sat against the outside wall of a classroom and started doing his homework.

Ash noticed a shadow over his science book and looked up. Gareth and Stuart were standing over him with six friends for back-up. Ash was furious with himself for letting them get so close without noticing.

"You killed my nose, Harmony boy," Gareth said.

"I didn't ask for trouble," Ash said. "Leave me alone."

Gareth laughed. "In your dreams."

"We hate all you Fort Harmony filth," Stuart said. "They should send the police up there and set dogs on you."

Ash reckoned he could have beaten any two of them, managed to get a few hits in and escape against three or four, but eight against one... No chance.

"Stand up, hippy," Gareth said. If he stayed on the ground he could roll in a ball to protect himself. Standing would only mean getting knocked back down.

"Get your ass up," Gareth repeated.

"Piss off," Ash said. "Haven't got the guts to fight me on your own, have you?"

Gareth kicked Ash in the knee. A few of the others moved closer so there were ten legs circling. Ash braced himself for pain. Kicks came fast, luckily there were so many legs flying they used a lot of energy hitting each other. Ash tried to tuck his knees into his chest, but a trainer clamped his stomach to the floor. He kept his legs together to protect his balls and wrapped his arms over his face.

The main beating lasted about a minute. A couple of the kids who weren't in the surrounding group gave some brutal kicks in the side to finish off.

"Better learn some respect, hippy," Gareth said.

The gang walked off, mocking the way Ash was groaning in pain on the floor. Ash couldn't stop the tears forming, but he was determined not to cry out. His arms and legs were dead from the beating.

Ash got his books into his backpack and stumbled a couple of metres holding on to the wall before his knee gave out. He sat there until a teacher came to unlock his classroom. He tried to pretend he'd slipped and twisted his ankle, but the teacher could see Ash was hurting all over. The teacher put his arm around Ash and helped him hobble to the first-aid room.

Mr Crow, the Deputy Headmaster, came into the first-aid room. Ash was sitting on the edge of a bed in his boxers, holding a cup of orange squash. He had plasters on his legs and arms.

"Who did this to you, Benjamin?" Crow asked. He was a small, friendly-sounding man with a Welsh accent.

"I don't know," Ash lied.

"Were any of them in your class?"

"No," Ash said. Ash thought it was best not to grass. The school wouldn't expel eight kids. They would only get suspended for a few days. Then all their mates and older brothers would be after Ash for grassing. His life would be hell. If he didn't grass and managed to make a few friends to back him up, things might be OK.

"Benjamin, I understand it's your instinct not to tell on your classmates. But this is your first day here and you've been seriously assaulted. That is not acceptable. We want to help you."

"I'll be OK," Ash said. "It's no big deal."

By home time, Ash could walk again, sort of. He was let out of the first-aid room before the bell, giving him a chance to get on the bus without being caught up with everyone else. Joanna climbed on and sat next to him. It was the first good thing that had happened to him all day.

"What happened to you?" Joanna asked.

"What does it look like?" Ash said angrily. "I got the crap beaten out of me."

'"Gareth Granger and Stuart Parkwood," Joanna said.

"How did you know?" James asked.

"It's always them. They're not even tough; it's just they hang out in a big group and stick up for each other."

"I just hope they don't make it a regular thing," Ash said.

"You need a bath," Joanna said. "No chance of that at Fort Harmony."

"Have one at my house if you want."

"What about your dad?"

"Working till six. Then he usually goes for a drink."

"Your mum?"

"Lives in Cardiff with my big brothers."

"Are they divorced?" Ash asked.

"A few months ago."

"What happened after your dad caught you on Friday?"

"Lost my pocket money, grounded for a fortnight."

"Rough," Ash said.

Joanna smiled. "It's so stupid. My dad grounds me, but he's never home to stop me going out."

Joanna's house was a little cottage on the edge of Craddogh with frilly net curtains and ornaments everywhere. Joanna flicked on MTV. They ate cheese on toast and drank tea while Ash's bath ran.

The soap made his cuts sting, but the hot water soothed his pains and it was nice feeling clean again. Joanna opened the bathroom door and tossed in a clean T-shirt and an old set of her brother's boxers. She cracked up when she saw Ash in the huge pair of shorts and a Puma T-shirt almost down to his knees.

Joanna took him into her room. "Lie on my bed." She peeled off all Ash's soggy plasters, wiped his cuts with disinfectant and stuck on new ones. Ash stared at Joanna's long hair and the curve of her back as she leant over him. She looked beautiful.

Ash wanted to kiss her again, but Joanna was a year older and she'd mentioned a couple of previous boyfriends. He felt like he was in way over his head.