Chapter 2.

A bell rang, tearing Tommy out of deep sleep. 

Blake's warmth at his back immediately dissapeared. He groaned, turning his hot face into the pillow. Every inch of him felt like it weighed a ton and the bed was so comfortable. 

"Tom!" Blake shook his shoulder. "Put your clothes on and make the bed." 

Tommy felt exhausted tears smart in his eyes, but he forced himself to sit up, hands clenching in the blankets when his head spun. His eyes fell on the rope burns on his wrists and he stared for a long moment. 

"Now." Blake snapped.

Tommy stumbled into his uniform and tugged on the blankets. He had never made his own bed before; that was a scullery maid's job. 

"Not like that!" Blake huffed and tucked in the bedsheet with brisk efficiency, then he straightened the pillow and blankets. "Polish your shoes. They can't be looking like that." 

Blake showed him where to find the shoe kit and Tommy got to work. He had never polished his shoes before either. 

Blake seemed like a different person this morning. Had he lost respect for Tommy, after witnessing his humiliation yesterday? Or did he think of him as a burden now, who needed to learn how to fend for himself? 

Tommy's jaw clenched as he scrubbed at the leather and a tear trickled down his cheek. 

"Here." Blake crouched down in front of him and took the kit. "Like this." The boy opened the tin of polish and dipped in the rag, then rubbed the leather in circular motions, until it shone. "It's easy. See?" 

"Thank you." Tommy mumbled and wiped his eyes self-consciously.

He could feel Blake's eyes rest on him and then a finger tucked under his chin, lifting his head, and lips brushed his cheek. Tommy looked up, startled. 

Blake grinned at him and straightened. "Come on, it's time for breakfast." He placed the kit back in the drawer and walked out. 

Tommy remained on the floor, remembering the arms around him last night. He wondered if it was proper for men to hold each other and to kiss each other's cheeks. He'd only seen mother's kiss their children.
His grandmother certainly hadn't touched him, apart from the occassional tap on his shoulder.

You'd do well to learn from him, the housemaster had said.

Time was ticking and he scurried to his feet, before he lost Blake in the crowd. 

They entered the food hall and found their seats. The boys at the table were all sniggering and watching him with knowing looks. 

Breakfast consisted of boiled eggs, bread and a cup of milk. Tommy kept his head down, wary of his classmates now, and too tired to partake in any chatter.

Mass took place in an adjoining chapel. Tommy knelt and stood when he was expected to, knowing the ritual by heart. The priests voice was clear and melodius, but Tommy didn't hear a word he said. His head drooped once, but a pinch on his leg from Blake straightened his spine. 

In Greek and Latin, his eyes kept blurring and he stumbled through the verses, until a slap upside his head made him gasp. 

"If this is your best effort, I fear for your future, young man!" 

Tommy pushed back his chair and stood, looking fearfully up at the teacher, Mr. Hodges. A podgy man with a bowler hat and a curled moustache. 

"Sorry, sir." Tommy whispered and raised his hands for the strap. The six stinging raps across his knuckles cleared his head some. 

"Thank you, sir." He murmured and sat. 

"See me after class." Mr. Hodges called out the name of another boy, who recited the next paragraph. 

As the pupils were clearing away ink and paper, Blake squeezed Tommy's shoulder on his way out. 

He approached the teacher's desk and linked his hands behind his back, feeling cold fingers of dread on his throat. 

Mr. Hodges took his time wiping the chalkboard clean and then turned to fix Tommy with a wintery stare. 

"I expect clarity and eloquence from all of my students. Your mother might dote on you at home, but here we don't tolerate laziness." He lifted a cane from behind the desk and pulled up a chair with a harsh scrape. "Strip."

"Yes, sir." Tommy unbottened his breeches and pushed them down to his knees. Face burning, he leaned over the chair, gripping the bottom bar with his hands, and presented his naked backside. 

He hadn't been caned in years. The strap he was used to, but he had blissfully forgotten this awful burning pain.

When it was over, the teacher doubled his homework and gave him a note to excuse his tardiness at lunch. 

Tommy made his way gingerly into the food hall, hunching when he was immediately met by laughter and whispers. He felt he wanted to cry, but then he would have died of shame. 

A glowering teacher stalked towards him and Tommy hastily presented the note. The man's eyes flicked over it and he waved Tommy inside. 

"Over here, Tom!" Blake waved and Tommy shuffled towards him, hissing out a breath as he sat. 

The pain helped him stay awake through three more classes and then he had two hours of free time, before supper. Blake went to boxing practice and Tommy retreated to his room to catch up on his homework; in addition to math and english, he had five pages of Greek testament to translate before the next day. 

He fell asleep on the second page, head resting on his arm, when he heard a shout. He jerked upright, wondering if he had been dreaming, but then he heard it again. 

He pushed back his chair and stepped into the corridor, following the sounds of a scuffle. He passed a junior whose eyes were fixed resolutely on the floor, and found three boys in a study. Two of them had trapped Dom in front of the fireplace. 

"Say it!" One of the boy's spat, pushing Dom's head close to the flames. The smell of singed hair filled the room. 

"I'm a...a thieving dago!" Dom screeched, thin body shaking, straining away from the fire. 

"Let him go!" Tommy shouted, heart pounding.

The boys startled and their grips loosened. Dom fell back against the floor, face crimson and sweaty. In a flash he was on his feet and sprinting out the door.

The boys stared at Tommy a moment and then their faces morphed into something ugly. The smaller of the two had freckled cheeks and sand colored hair. The other was tall and wiry with auburn hair.

"You like dagos? You a Jenny?" The tall one demanded. 

"A fairy?" The blond chimed in with a harsh laugh. They were advancing on Tommy slowly, circling like a pair of wolves. 

"I don't want any trouble." Tommy inched back, anxiety curling in the pit of his stomach. He didn't know what a fairy or a Jenny was, but he wasn't about to ask. He remembered the hands on him last night, the gag in his mouth and dark water. 

"Then don't stick your nose where it don't belong!" The blond lunged at him and Tommy stumbled back against the doorframe.

He turned to run, but a hand grabbed his waistcoat and another twisted in his hair. He struggled frantically and cried out, but they were dragging him towards the hearth. 

Steps pounded in the hall and then Blake was striding into the room. He seized the tall boy's shoulder and delivered a swift punch beneath his chin. The boy dropped like a stone and Blake turned towards the blond, who was scrambling back, lifting his hands in a gesture of peace. 

"I didn't know he was your friend!" The blond exclaimed.

"What did I say would happen if you touched Dom again, Siegfried?" Blake said softly. He wore white boxing tights, fitting his long limbs like a second skin, and his arms were defined with lean muscle. 

"He deserved it! He stole from me!" Siegfried was growing pale and his freckles stood out like paint. 

"Tom, out." Blake ordered, not taking his eyes off the blond. 

Tommy half wanted to stay and watch out of horrified curiosity, but he didn't dare argue with Blake just then. He hurried back to his room and returned to the desk. His hands trembled with adrenaline and he felt an odd dizziness.

He thought of Dom's face, so close to the fire. He could have been burnt.
That hadn't just been a harmless prank and neither was Tommy's abduction last night. 
He wondered if all schools were like this. If this is what his grandmother had tried to protect him from. 

Blake returned a small half hour later. He had changed into his uniform and his dark hair was damp, curling wildly at his brow. 

"Thank you." Tommy turned in his chair, ignoring the sharp pain in his backside. "Are you alright?" 

Blake flashed him a grin and sat on the edge of his bed, bending to tie his shoes. "You should thank Dom. He fetched me." 

Tommy started to smile, but it faded quickly. "They held him in front of the fire. It was dangerous." 

"They're bloody bastards." Blake shook his head in disgust and straightened, pushing his hair out of his face. 

"They called him a thief and a dago." Tommy frowned. "What does that mean?" 

"It's a mean way of saying he's dark-skinned. Italian." Blake took out a gold pocket-watch and checked the time. His knuckles were bruised. Half of Tommy's attention noticed, but he put that question aside for later.

"We need to tell someone." He said passionately, leaning forward. 

One side of Blake's mouth curled in a bitter half-smile. "The masters won't care and if you say anything you'll be labelled a snitch. You don't want that." 

"But...this is a Christian school." Tommy protested weakly. "We're supposed to help each other." 

Blake's smile softened and became genuine. He reached out and squeezed Tommy's hand. "We will. I'll look out for you, Tom." 

Tommy's breath caught and he stared into grey-blue eyes fringed by long dark lashes. 

"Thank you." He managed.

Blake winked at him and pushed off the bed. "It's nearly six, let's go." 

Flushing, Tommy capped his ink and followed.

He tried to catch Dom's eye at the table, but the dark boy seemed to be looking everywhere but at him. He was smiling and chatting easily, as if he was completely untouched by what had happened. 

That night, Tommy managed to finish his homework by the light of a single candle, long after Blake was asleep. He snuffed out the flame with cramped fingers and slept as soon as his head touched the pillow.