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make her cry, but most of all he needed her to suffer.
    They were almost at the end of the walkway when his hand brushed the back of her coat. She ran faster out into the road and then—as though in slow motion—a car hit her.
* * * *
    If it hadn't been for her belt, Mary would've been catapulted out of her seat when her father swore, and stamped on the brakes. She saw a dark shape flying over the roof of the car in front of them. It took her a second to realise that the thing now lying in a crumpled heap on the opposite side of the road, was a body. There was a shriek of brakes and the squeal of rubber and as if in slow motion, a bus seemed to slide over the crumpled form
    "Oh no!” Mary cried out in horror, but her dad was already half-out of the car.
    Mary was quick though, flinging open the car door, she ran over to where her dad and some other people were crouching around the victim. It was a girl and her legs were pinned beneath the front wheels of the bus.
    "Someone phone for an ambulance,” Mary's dad snapped. “She's alive."
    Someone bundled up a coat was about to slide it under the girl's head but her dad stopped him.
    "Better not to move her,” he said. “She may have a broken neck."
    "She just ran out in front of me!” A woman appeared from behind the first car, tears were streaming down her face. “There was nothing I could do."
    "There's an ambulance on its way,” a young man said and turned to the weeping woman. “I saw her run out of that alley way. There was no way you or the bus driver, could have missed her."
    The bus driver staggered out of his cab took one look at the girl trapped under his vehicle, and fainted.
    Mary, who was edging closer and hoping there wouldn't be too much blood, froze when she saw it was Sophie who lay on the ground. It looked as though she'd landed on her face, which was covered with cuts and abrasions. Blood trickled from her nose and there was a huge bruise just above her right eye.
    "Sophie!” She rushed forward and knelt beside the unconscious girl and took one of her hands between her own. “You'll be all right, Sophie,” she said. “You'll be all right."
    "Let me through, I'm a doctor.” The man was elderly but efficient and within seconds he was examining Sophie. He listened to her heartbeat and when he removed his stethoscope, he examined her eyes. “She's bleeding internally and I suspect she's suffered some damage to her brain. Her vital signs are very weak.” He turned to her dad. “It might be best if your daughter waits in the car,"
    Her dad nodded, and Mary reluctantly let go of Sophie's hand.
    Her dad led her firmly back to their car. “Wait here, until the ambulance comes,” he said, “I'll need to talk to the police."
    "Is Sophie going to die, dad?” Mary asked, fearing the worst.
    "I don't know, love,” he said. “You could try praying for her.” He rejoined the doctor and in the distance Mary heard the wail of a siren. She sat shivering in the car, not from cold, she realised, but from shock. Mary took out her mobile and with a trembling hand pressed a pre-dial button.
    "Hi Mary,” Jay said. “Are you ringing to gloat?"
    "No, Jay. It's Sophie. She's just been hit by a car. It's awful and she's trapped underneath a bus.” Mary said, and started to cry. “There's a doctor here,” she sobbed, “and I think Sophie's going to die. He says she's got brain damage and internal bleeding. The ambulance hasn't arrived yet. She looks so pale though, Jay. It's awful. She was hit by the car in front of us and the bus..."
    "Whereabouts are you?"
    "On Lexington Street, you know by the post-box."
    "I'm on my way,” Jay said and hung up.
    Mary jumped when Jay tapped on her window a few minutes later. Climbing out of the car again, Mary wondered how on earth she had got there so fast, they were at least a twenty minute walk away from where Jay lived with her grandparents. Before she could ask a strange look came over her best friend's face and Jay