Half Bad Read Free

tall, strong
.”
    “Does Mother smile?”
    “No. After you are born Mother never smiles again.
When Mother doesn’t reply, the woman from the Council looks concerned. She says, ‘You
have
received the notification, haven’t you? It’s very important.’
    “The woman flicks through the papers on her clipboard and pulls out a letter.
”
    Jessica opens out the parchment she is holding. It is a thick piece, large, and the folds make a deep cross shape. She holds it delicately, as if it is precious. She reads:
     
    “‘Notification of the Resolution of the Council of White Witches in England, Scotland, and Wales.
    “‘It was agreed that to facilitate increased protection of all White Witches, a record of all witches in Britain should be made and maintained.
    “‘A simple coding system will be used for any witches and whets (witches under age seventeen) who are not of pure White witch parentage, using the references: White (W), Black (B), Fain/Non-Witch (F). Thus Half Codes will be recorded as (W 0.5/B 0.5) and Half Bloods recorded as (W 0.5/F 0.5) or (B 0.5/F 0.5). The mother’s code will be the first code, the father the second. The 0.5 codes will be maintained for as little time as possible (and not past age 17) until an absolute code (W, B, or F) can be designated to the person.’
     
    “Do you know what it means?” Jessica asks.
    I shake my head.
    “It means that you are a Half Code. A Black Code. Non-White.”
    “Gran says I’m a White Witch.”
    “No, she doesn’t.”
    “She says I’m half White.”
    “You’re half Black.
    “
After the woman has finished reading out the notification, Mother still doesn’t say anything but goes back inside the house, leaving the front door open. The woman and the Hunter follow her in.
    “
We’re all in the lounge. Mother is sitting on the chair by the fire. But the fire isn’t lit. Deborah and Arran have been playing on the floor but now they sit on either side of her on the arms of the chair.
”
    “Where are you?”
    “Standing right by her.”
    I imagine Jessica standing there with her arms folded, knees locked back.
    “
The Hunter positions himself in the doorway.
    “
The woman with the clipboard perches on the edge of the other chair, her clipboard on her tightly clenched knees, pen in her hand. She says to Mother, ‘It’ll probably be quicker and easier if I fill the form in and you just sign.’
    “
The woman asks, ‘Who is the head of the household?’
    “Mother manages to say, ‘I am.’
    “
The woman asks Mother her name.
    “
Mother says she is Cora Byrn. A White Witch. Daughter of Elsie Ashworth and David Ashworth. White Witches.
    “The woman asks who her children are.
    “Mother says, ‘Jessica, age eight. Deborah, five. Arran, two.’
    “The woman asks, ‘Who is their father?’
    “Mother says, ‘Dean Byrn. White Witch. Member of the Council.’
    “
The woman asks, ‘Where is he?’
    “Mother says, ‘He is dead. Murdered.’
    “
The woman says, ‘I’m sorry.’
    “Then the woman asks, ‘And the baby? Where is the baby?’
    “
Mother says, ‘It’s there, in that drawer.’”
    Jessica turns to me and explains. “After Arran was born, Mother and Father didn’t want any more children. They gave away the cot, the pram, and all the baby things. This baby isn’t wanted and has to sleep on a pillow in a drawer, in an old, dirty onesie that Arran used to have. No one buys this baby toys or presents, because everyone knows it isn’t wanted. No one gives Mother presents or flowers or chocolates, because they all know she didn’t want this baby. Nobody wants a baby like this. Mother only gets one card but it doesn’t say
‘
Congratulations.’”
    Silence.
    “Do you want to know what it says?”
    I shake my head.
    “It says,
‘
Kill It.’”
    I chew my knuckles, but I don’t cry.
    “The woman approaches the baby in the drawer, and the Hunter joins her because he wants to see this strange, unwanted thing.
    “Even