The Blue Horse by Marita Conlon-Mckenna

the kids to sit down. ‘Any trouble on the bus and that’ll be the end of it,’ he kept threatening. ‘I’m watching you all.’
    Katie hoped she would remember the way back to the main road. As they turned around the corner she caught a first glimpse of the neat, whitewashed building with the brightly coloured yellow windows.
    ‘It looks lovely, Hannah, doesn’t it?’ Her sister looked a bit doubtful.
    Paddy was standing up ready to get out quickly. Katie went up to the school door with them, where a teacher welcomed all the pupils into a large open hall and began to tell them some of the things they would be doing during the year.
    Katie had to stay outside but through the long window she could still make Hannah out, her white-blond hair making her stand out from the rest of them. They were singing, the sweet clearvoices swelling together. Hannah loved singing.
    Katie walked around the place. Through every window she could see bright classrooms, with coloured posters, painting sets, games and books. It was just the sort of school that her little brother and sister would love. She could go home now, they would be fine.
    That night there was nearly a fight, with the three of them trying to tell their news and about their new friends all at the same time. Katie was proud of them, but in a way felt a bit deflated. Besides going with Hannah, she hadn’t done much all day. She had brought Davey for a walk up to the shops and back. To be honest, it wasn’t much fun just hanging around.
    Tom didn’t know what to do with himself either. He took Duffy for a short walk, and then he was up and down the stairs and seemed very restless.
    Katie knew how he felt.

Chapter 15
THE UNIFORM
    ‘Hi!’
    Katie swung around. A plumpish girl in a denim jacket was walking towards her, pushing a battered-looking navy pram.
    ‘You’re a traveller too, aren’t you?’ she asked breathlessly. Katie nodded.
    ‘My name’s Sally, Sally Ward. My Mam told me she met your Mam down at the welfare office. We live at the back of Ashfield, our road is the Grove.’
    The two of them fell into step. Sally wheeled her little sister Bonnie. Katie wheeled Davey in the buggy. Davey loved being on the move and chatted to every bird or animal they met along the way. Duffy ran on ahead, sniffing every gateway or tree they passed.
    ‘How long have you lived here?’
    Sally thought for a second.
    ‘About three years, I suppose. Yeah, because Martin and Bonnie have been born since then.’
    Sally was a nice girl, two years older than Katie and she seemed to have a great sense of humour. They walked around for about an hour, killing time. The baby had woken up and was looking for a feed.
    ‘I’d better get home and give her a bottle or she’ll scream her head off.’
    Katie hoped they’d bump into each other again. As it turned out, most mornings they did meet and fell into step. One day it lashed rain as they crossed the open green.
    ‘Hey, Katie, do you want to come up to my house? My mother’s gone off for the morning with my Dad.’ They ran until they came to a house with a small caravan parked on the grass outside the door. Inside it was nice like their own house, but full to bursting with furniture and heaps of clutter all over the place.
    Katie moved a pile of clothes for washing to get a space to sit down.
    ‘Throw them over here, Katie. I’ll do them later and put them out on the line before the others get in.’
    ‘Sally, did you go to school?’
    The other girl threw her chestnut-coloured hair back over her shoulder. Her green eyes sparkled and she opened her mouth wide to laugh, a strange mocking laugh.
    ‘School! Yeah, I went to school – reading, writing, years of primary, I was the brains of the family and then we settled here and I got a place in the convent. Oh there was great excitement. My Mam and Dad were right proud. They got me a uniform and then the big day came.
    ‘I went into that beautiful red-brick building