Noughts And Crosses

Jude, Callum, and Morgan watch Kamal Hadley give a statement to reporters that Sephy has been found in “critical but stable” condition and that one of Sephy’s kidnappers has been killed (432). Callum tells Jude and Morgan about Sephy’s revelation regarding Andrew Dorn and about his suspicions that Andrew leaked their plan to the police. Callum denies raping Sephy but regrets having sex with her. The three plan to separate for six months, meet again on Callum’s birthday, and stay quiet about Andrew Dorn. Jude sends Morgan off to get food. He warns Callum that Andrew Dorn and the police will be looking to hunt them down. He also tells Callum that their mother revealed to Jude that their great-grandfather “was a Cross” (439) when she spoke to him privately in the hospital. Jude then advises Callum to stay away from Sephy.

Sephy vomits for “the fifth morning in a row” (440). It has been five weeks since her escape, but Sephy refuses to talk about what happened to her when she was kidnapped. After Minnie asks Sephy if she is pregnant, she decides to take a test, which confirms her pregnancy.

Without the militia, Callum is lost. He contemplates going to see his mother, but he decides against it. He wonders why Sephy cried after they had sex but decides there is no use in wondering because he will never know.

Minnie checks on Sephy out of concern because Sephy has not returned to boarding school. As Minnie questions her, Sephy breaks down into tears and admits that she is pregnant. Minnie comforts her and promises not to say anything, but she suspects the father is one of the kidnappers.

It has now been four months since Sephy’s kidnapping. Callum works as a car mechanic in another town, but he feels he is just biding his time until he dies. He doesn’t hate the job or the people he works with, but he doesn’t feel like he really belongs there. He listens to the radio as he works and hears the report that Sephy is pregnant. He smashes the radio against a wall and quits.

Minnie has broken her promise and told their parents that Sephy is pregnant. Her parents are consoling because they believe the pregnancy is the result of one of the kidnappers raping her. They tell Sephy they will take care of everything, and Sephy is surprised at how her parents were finally working together again in support of her. They’ve already booked an appointment at an abortion clinic to terminate the pregnancy, but Sephy refuses and declares that she will keep the baby.

Callum calls Sephy’s house using their “signal from years ago” (255), but she does not answer. He travels back to their hometown to see her.

Sephy senses Callum has returned home and is waiting outside her window, but she worries he is there to tell her to end the pregnancy just like her parents. She decides to go and see him.

Callum waits in the rose garden. When Sephy appears, they embrace and kiss. Sephy tells Callum she will name the baby Ryan if it’s a boy or Callie Rose if it’s a girl, and he protests the girl’s name, but then they laugh and agree. Callum asks Sephy why she cried the night they made love. Sephy shares that she knew in that moment that she loved Callum, but she also realized they would never find peace together. Callum asks Sephy to run away together, but before she can answer lights turn on all around them. Sephy yells at Callum to run, but he is knocked to the ground.

The police arrest Callum despite Sephy’s pleas to let him go. Her father reveals that he knows Callum was one of her kidnappers. Sephy pleads that Callum helped her escape, denying being raped by him and telling her parents she wishes they could make love again. Her father strikes and disowns her, calling her a derogatory name. He commands Sephy to get an abortion, and both he and her mother leave her alone on the beach.