"Tell me one thing" he said. "What?" "What are you mostly? A boy or a girl?" he asked me very quietly. "I'm a lot more a girl I think" I answered truthfully.   Rainbow Girl - Part 10 - A Spark by Alys

The quarter past four afternoon train from Caerdydd to Abertawe was halfway through its forty minute journey, just pulling into Pen-y-bont. In comparison to two days ago, when we had sat next to each other in a cuddle chatting away, we were now sitting on opposite sides in silence.

The previous evening Illtud had explained to me how the authorities had manipulated images of my parents' faces on top of either actors, or more likely other prisoners, to create the impression that it really was my parents facing execution. He had showed my how,at high magnification, the faces were much more pixellated than the rest of the body, a sure sign of a modified image.

Reassured by one thing I had gone to bed but sleep had only been in brief snatches as I lay awake thinking about Hywel's reaction. Most of Sunday morning we had spent doing our school work in separate rooms. Lunch had been very strained, although Mr Thomas had obviously been given a severe talking to by his wife and was much more civil. Hywel just refused to talk to me apart from monosyllabic answers to any direct questions.

"Hywel we will have to have something to say to everyone" I said, trying to engage his attention.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Please Hywel, we must think of an explanation," I pleaded, " All the people in school will still think we're a couple"

"That's what I thought until Saturday night." Hywel said bitterly.

The carriage TV suddenly blurted out its newsflash music.

"This is New Hope one and this is senior broadcaster Euan Bliar," announced the pompous rather overweight member of the Bliar family.

"Today some terrorists in Caerdydd infiltrated the football match between the Caerdydd and Chelsea, the police and militia immediately dealt with the situation"

The red faced nepotistic announcer was replaced by a completely unexpected scene. Hundreds of mitiliamen and police in retreat from a barrage of bottles and other missiles from a large crowd made up off supporters of both Caerdydd and Chelsea, the chants of 'New Crap for Britain, New Crap for You' and 'RG....RG....RG' accompanied by rapid clapping was clearly heard for the few seconds until the clip dissolved into the nervous face of the Bliar son.

"We apologise for showing that video clip," he stated slowly, then paused, as no doubt the writer of the content displayed on the autocue struggled to come up with any explanation for the film showing an obvious anti regime riot.

I moved over to sit next to Hywel, as close as I dared and put my mouth close to his left ear.

"Did you see what they were chanting?" I whispered.

"Yes," he replied quietly a half smile coming to his mouth, "it looks like you've started something"

Euan Bliar rediscovered his voice

"We have been informed that the previous video clip showed a very realistic training exercise undertaken by your brave security services last week. I'm sure you will join with me in congratulating them on carrying out such sessions in order to ensure they protect us against the terrorist enemy"

I looked around the carriage at the reactions and there were many definite shakes of the head and people silently mouthing 'no' to the screen. I was astounded, I had never seen so much dissent in a one place.

The portly mouthpiece continued.

"And now other news, the parents of the terrorist renegade, Llyr Rowlands, made their last appeal for him to give himself up. Our leader has now signed the execution warrants"

Pictures from yesterday of my 'parents' talking were faded into a clip of Cherie Bliar sitting at a table and flourishing her pen over some pieces of paper.

"We now return you to celebrity mud wrestling..."

"Hywel, we will be in Abertawe soon, please can we think of something to say?" I implored for the last time.

"OK Enfys, if that's what you want to be called, it's easy" he replied with the trace of a smile on his face.

"What is easy?"

"We tell people almost the truth" he continued.

"The truth?"

"Yes, we tell people that you have been spending time with another boy!" with this he laughed.

I joined in with his merriment and that seemed to break some of the tension between us.

We chatted about neutral subjects like school work and friends for the remaining twenty minutes. The train was pulling into Abertawe and we were about to collect our things when Hywel turned to look at me directly.

"Tell me one thing" he said.

"What?"

"What are you mostly? A boy or a girl?" he asked me very quietly.

"I'm a lot more a girl I think" I answered truthfully.

He half smiled at me and then we departed the train. The short bus journey to our respective lodgings took another twenty minutes. Hywel seemed a lot more relaxed being with me but at the same time there was a reserve that had not been there before. We reached the stop for hisaccommodation. As he stood to leave he gave me the lightest squeeze to my shoulder.

"See you tomorrow and again well done about you know what" he said before stepping down. With a wave he was walking briskly in the cool November evening in the direction of some warmth and relative comfort.

A while later I opened the door to Mrs Parry's lodging house. I greeted her briefly in the kitchen where she was preparing the evening meal. I promised to be down shortly to help her with the food. Then I made it to the refuge of my room. I lay on my bed for a while contemplating all the events of the past forty eight hours. I was thinking of the poor people made to look like my parents when I suddenly realised that I needed to check if they were safe.

Ten minutes later I had found the briefest of coded messages on the seventh encrypted site I had checked. Just one word 'SAFE'. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I was aimlessly browsing news channels in the few minuted before I needed to help downstairs when huge banner 'Newsflash' spread across the US news network site that I was looking at. I perked up and took more of an interest in the content. I read as the headline scrolled.

"..Bliar government exposed as liars about the murders of opposition leaders, photographs just released show..."

I clicked on another news site, a similar message had appeared there. By the fifth site I came across there were even some of the less gruesome pictures I had taken.

My phone rang. It was Hywel.

"Have you seen it? The story is all over the Internet!" he blurted out over the phone.