Oaken table (Symbol)
The only thing of value in Callum's home is a beautiful oaken table carved with a dragon's leaf pattern that his father, Ryan, made himself. Callum explains that when the McGregors and Hadleys were friends, Jasmine Hadley tried to buy that table, but Ryan and Meggie said no. This gorgeous homemade table, in contrast to the luxurious but purchased furniture at the Hadleys', can be read as a symbol of noughts' labor: though the McGregors' furniture is handmade, it's beautiful and—now that noughts are free—not for sale, though Crosses may try.
Orange juice (Symbol)
Through his friendship with Sephy, Callum learns that his favorite drink in the world is orange juice. He also learns that orange juice, a rare luxury for him that he can only have when Sephy sneaks him some, is something Sephy drinks with every meal (and she doesn't even appreciate it). Orange juice symbolizes the disparity between Cross and nought lives, as well as Sephy's initial ignorance of that disparity.
Beach (Symbol)
The Hadley private beach symbolizes Callum and Sephy's relationship. Not only do they meet there almost every day, the beach offers complete sanctuary from the chaos around them, allowing them to forget their troubles. As those troubles become more serious—Callum feels the strain of racial hatred, and Sephy begins to see the flaws in Cross society and her family—they meet at the beach less frequently, but when they do, they're able to talk honestly and reconcile. When they meet on the beach years later, it becomes a place of danger (Callum and his L.M. cell kidnap Sephy), just as their relationship is now dangerous.
Lynette and Jed (Allegory)
In Noughts & Crosses, the story of Lynette and Jed provides an allegorical warning to Callum and Sephy about the fate of their relationship. Callum's sister was secretly dating a Cross boy named Jed, and because of that, she and Jed were beaten nearly to death by a group of nought men who thought their relationship was wrong. When Callum's dad tells Callum the story of Lynette and Jed, Callum doesn't connect it to his own interracial relationship—an interracial relationship that will end with his own death.
"wild horses couldn't keep me away" (Motif)
When he's talking to Sephy, Callum frequently uses the phrase "wild horses couldn't keep me away," expressing that even a powerful natural force can't stop him from going to her. This phrase, and the idea itself, is a motif in Noughts & Crosses: despite everything, Callum and Sephy return to each other.
