Sephy anxiously prepares for school and overhears her father talking about the rise of the nought Liberation Militia with a mysterious nought man.Ĭallum’s older sister Lynette has an episode. His brother Jude resents Callum’s freedom to continue his education because he lost his opportunity to go to school when Meggie was fired. He dreams of ascending the ranks of society and becoming successful. Callum’s mother disapproves of his desire to attend a Cross school, but Callum is proud to be one of four nought students who have gained admission into Heathcroft. He and Sephy prepare for school and share an innocent first kiss. Callum has gained admission into Sephy’s elite Cross school. They have maintained their connection over the years by meeting privately. In Chapter 1, Sephy and Callum gather at their secret meeting place, a private beach on Sephy’s property.

This break in the friendship between the two women separates their children, who are lifelong best friends. Their joy watching their children play soon fades as Meggie fails to serve as an alibi for Mrs. McGregor and Callum are noughts, the descendants of European slaves who once worked under the African colonizers. Hadley and Sephy are Crosses, the descendants of native Africans who hold all the power in their society.

Three years before Chapter 1 begins, Jasmine Hadley and her servant Meggie McGregor watch their children Sephy Hadley and Callum McGregor play. The reader should be aware that the text deals with sensitive topics like suicide, rape, bombings, and racial injustices.

Naughts and crosses malorie blackman