by Sophia Stone
‘Miss Castle is just in here.’
My door opened allowing Elenore to step into my room. She gave me a meek smile.
‘Remember, the patient should be resting. Please try to avoid any unnecessary activity.’
The nurse turned around and walked out leaving Elenore standing in the doorway.
‘You can sit, you know,’ I said.
‘I don’t know, Miss Castle. I’d hate to interrupt your “resting”,’ she smirked.
‘You’re so weird,’ I try to laugh, but even a small chuckle causes me to wince.
‘I got you some grapes,’ she pulls a punnet of green grapes and places them on the side table by my bed. ‘James said that’s what sick people eat, apparently. Matt said you’d prefer a milkshake, but it’s not really the sort of thing I can carry around.’
Hearing their names stung. Their fake concern was insulting.
‘You don’t look as bad as I thought. A few bruises and a cut to the face. I think you’re faking it. Typical,’ she grinned.
I know I shouldn’t be emotional and that I should be relived that I know the Knight brothers are spies. Those small elements of me that made me like them now don’t matter. I can feel tears forming in the corners of my eyes and I turn to look away from Elenore, so she doesn’t see me. I can’t, however, control my urge to sob.
‘Lizzie? I was only joking! I’m sorry, it was tasteless,’ she reaches over and hugs me and although gentle, any pressure on my bruised ribs causes me to twitch. ‘Oh shit. Sorry!’ she pulls away and for a moment looks completely bewildered to what she should do.
I wipe my eyes with the corner of my bed sheet and sniffle.
‘No, it’s not you. It’s… I don’t know what to say or do. Elenore…’ I burst into tears and feel my whole-body ache as I cry.
‘Should I get the nurse? Are you in pain?’ Elenore jumps from her seat and waits for my response, one eye on the door ready to bolt at a moment’s notice.
‘No. No, it’s not that. It’s the Knight brothers,’ I said between sniffles.
She lowers herself down into her seat and looks at me completely confused.
‘What have they done?’ she asks.
I take a deep breath in and feel my shoulder suddenly become very heavy knowing this will change everything. I wipe my face with my hands to remove the tears before starting. I try to think of the best way to say it but I don’t think there is a good way to say what I am about to reveal.
‘They’ve been spying on me.’
Elenore’s eyes become wide and she blinks several times in quick succession.
‘What?’
‘Spying. They’ve been telling Merlyn and the Assembly my movements. I know they asked you but-.’
‘Lizzie. I swear I didn’t. Professor Merlyn asked when the rooms were assigned, and I said no. He said the Assembly could promise that I would automatically pass all of my exams and the guarantee of a job in the Senedd and I still said no. I thought the idea was then dropped.’
‘I know you said no. Merlyn didn’t tell me about the exam thing though. You gave that up? You didn’t even know me very well.’
‘I wasn’t giving anything up. I don’t want to spy on people, and I don’t want a job that has been bought for me,’ then a corner of her lip curled up. ‘Anyway, if you are as powerful as everyone thinks you are, I don’t want to piss you off. That would just be plain stupid,’ she smirked.
Trust Elenore to lighten the mood.
‘So, they betrayed me for a good job?’ My eyes watered once again. ‘Like I was nothing.’
I could almost understand if they did it because my family had hurt theirs or they disliked me. But as a job? It hurt.
‘I know. I know. “No disturbing resting patients”. We’ll be quiet,’ Zach’s voice echoed down the corridor causing Elenore to pull out her wand.
‘Want me to turn them into toads?’ she didn’t smile like she did when she was joking. I think it was a genuine question.
When the brothers stood in the doorway, the look Elenore face made the room feel several degrees cooler.
‘Are you two okay?’ Matt said with some hesitation.
‘You absolute pigs!’ Elenore pulled her wand out, ‘Aquateaus,’ she shouted.
Water gushed from her wand and soaked the brothers. With a bewildered look on their faces, they turned to me.
‘What the hell was that for?’ Seb shouted back as he squeezed the excess water from his top on to the floor. ‘Did you have to make it ice cold too?’
Elenore stepped towards Seb and pointed her wand to his face.
‘You are lucky I didn’t turn you into toads. You complete traitors.’
‘Hold on. Hold on,’ James put his hands up and walked between Elenore and Seb who were now staring each other out waiting to see who would cast a spell first. ‘Traitors? Why are we traitors?’
‘You’ve been spying on me,’ I said coolly.
‘Spying? Why do you say that?’ Zach asks running his hands through his hair.
He’s nervous.
‘Maybe because Professor Merlyn told me you are.’
‘Ah. Well we can explain,’ Zach said.
‘What’s to explain? You were spying on your friend and got paid for it. What jobs were you offered? Hmm? Nice office overlooking the bay, perhaps?’ Elenore said sarcastically. ‘You passed your exams last year, so you didn’t need that bribe. Or is that how you passed last year? Spying on some other unsuspecting friend?’
‘You don’t know what you are talking about, Elenore,’ James said.
‘Don’t I? I was offered the same deal and you know what I did? I said no. because I am a good friend.’
‘It isn’t as simple as that,’ James replied.
‘What is simple about saying no?’
‘It’s more complicated. You wouldn’t understand it,’ James clenched his fists. I’d never seen him so tense.
‘Oh, don’t give me that!’ Elenore shot back.
‘They would have locked her away if we hadn’t agreed,’ Matt mumbled, barely raising his head to look at me.
‘Locked me away? Why?’
Why would someone want to lock up a teenage girl?
‘Because they didn’t know what you might become,’ James said.
‘So, The Assembly now locks kids away if they are unsure of them? Sounds plausible,’ Elenore rolls her eyes.
‘You weren’t old enough to remember when it was bad, Elenore,’ James said.
‘And neither were you!’ She retorted.
‘No, but I know the stories. If you knew how bad it could be, you’d understand why locking someone up is a solution,’ he replied.
‘Locking an innocent person away for something they might do isn’t a solution,’ Elenore said.
‘People fear what they don’t know,’ Seb said. ‘We didn’t agree to it for any personal gain. We originally said no to Professor Merlyn.’
‘Then why did you agree after saying no?’ I ask
‘Because we got to know you. They moved you onto our floor, got us to attend your classes. Another Assembly member then approached again us and told that if we didn’t agree, they’d remove you from the school and..,’ Zach trailed off.
‘Essentially keep you locked in a room, drugged up to your eyeballs until they knew what you could do,’ Matt said.
James sat on my bed and placed his hand over mine.
‘Once we got to know you, as bad as informing on you was, the idea of having someone like you waste your life away in a cell wasn’t something we could live with.’
‘Why didn’t you tell her?’ Elenore asked.
‘If we did, the deal was off. Straight to the cell,’ Seb said.
‘We didn’t tell them everything. Only enough to keep you safe,’ James stoked my fingers with his. An overly intimate moment under the current circumstances. I removed my hand, still unsure of what I was hearing.
‘So why tell me now?’ I ask.
‘Because so
meone tried to kill you and we don’t know who. To keep you safe, we’d have to be around you more and it’s hard to cover that up,’ Matt said.
‘Professor Merlyn also thought it was a good idea for you to know what is at stake.’
‘Being locked up or killed apparently,’ Elenore said.
‘Elenore, let’s hear them out,’ I said.
‘If you want to believe this rubbish, then that’s on you,’ she folded her arms and sunk herself into her seat.
‘It isn’t rubbish. We said we would tell you. Professor Merlyn wanted to smooth things over with the Assembly first. We were going to tell you once you were rested. We didn’t want to upset you,’ Zach said.
‘I feel like our whole friendship has been a lie,’ I said.
‘Lizzie, if we weren’t your friends, we wouldn’t have done it,’ James said.
‘We are sorry you found out this way, but we wanted to protect you. I know we haven’t done a good job and we, all of us, hope you can forgive us,’ Seb said.
I look to Elenore to see what she thinks. As if she reads my mind, she answers me.
‘It’s up to you, Lizzie. I’ll support you either way,’ she gave a sincere smile.
‘Are you still going to spy on me?’ I ask.
‘No. But, if you’d allow us too, we’d still like to watch out for you. Even if you don’t want to have anything to do with us once you get better,’ James said.
‘I’ll think about,’ James removes his hand from mine.
‘I hope you bother with us, but we’ll understand,’ Matt said.
‘So, do you think someone from the council might have sent the box?’ Elenore asks.
‘No, I don’t think so. It’s not really their style. Far too open,’ Seb said.
‘What about Olivia?’ I ask.
Zach scoffs.
‘You embarrassed her in a duel. I think murder might be a bit overboard, don’t you?’ Zach said.
‘Harry?’ Elenore asked.
‘You stopped being his friend. Again, murder is a bit overkill,’ Zach said.
‘Anyway, the magic used is too advanced for a first year,’ Matt said.
‘So, who do you think it is?’ I ask.
‘Honestly? No idea. It had to be someone who could get into the accommodation without causing suspicion,’ James said. ‘It could be anyone,’
‘I know you’re annoyed with us, but we’ve had a talk and think it would be best to have one of us with you at all times,’ Seb said.
‘Like guard duty?’ Elenore scoffed.
‘Sort of. One of us will wait in your room or the hallway, if you’d prefer, to make sure whoever tried to kill you can’t do it again.’
Once more I look to Elenore.
‘As much as I think they are arseholes, I don’t want you dead,’ she scowled at Seb. ‘I think it would be a good idea.’
‘That’s settled. I’ll do today. Seb, are you okay to do it this evening?’ James asks.
‘Yes. No more meetings to rush to anymore,’ Seb said.
‘Right, the patient needs her rest. So, everyone out. Zach, will you and Matt ask around floors one and two to see if anyone saw anything unusual?’ James said.
‘Sure. See you this evening,’ Zach said.
‘See you later, Lizzie. I’ll bring some magazines down in the morning,’ she leans in to hug me and whispers: ‘And chocolate. No more grapes.’
Once Elenore, and the rest of the brothers have left, James gets up from the bed and goes to leave too.
‘Where are you going?’ I sound more desperate than I want to.
‘I was going to wait in the hall,’ he said.
‘Do you want a chair?’ I ask.
‘No, it’s fine. If I sit in front of the door, at least I will know if someone is coming in or not,’ he smiles.
I know I should hate him, but his dedication is admirable.
‘I don’t mind you waiting in here. I don’t hate you enough to let you sit on a cold floor all day.’
‘You sure?’ he asks.
‘Yes. I also need someone to help me finish these grapes. After seeing Elenore’s temper, I think it’s best not to annoy her. I don’t even like grapes,’ I chuckle trying to contain my wincing.
‘Thank you, Lizzie. Kind to a fault,’ he smiles back at me and then grabs the grapes from my side and starts to eat them.
23
The nurses allowed me to leave the schools internal hospital after two weeks which left only a few days until the end of term. I was disappointed to have missed the parties and Christmas fanfare that took place on the last few weeks of term. But true to their word, the brothers didn’t leave my side. A few of my classmates came in with Get Well Soon cards, but with one of the Knight brothers on duty at all times, it made conversations awkward. Eventually, people stopped coming to see me. Although Elenore came daily and bought sweets and magazines and her humour, I kept hoping I would see Harry. He never came.
‘So, what’s everyone doing for Christmas then?’ Zach asked over dinner.
It was my first time eating back in the main hall. Even magical hospital food left a lot to be desired.
‘My grandparents are coming over. They love the ungifted holidays,’ Elenore rolled her eyes. ‘How about you Lizzie?’
‘I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it much,’ I said truthfully.
‘Are you not going home?’ Elenore asked.
‘I haven’t spoken to my foster parents since the day I left. They haven’t called so I assume they aren’t devastated I’m not around anymore.’
Knowing Amanda, she would have only waited a few days with no contact from me before getting another child in. She was dedicated to her job or maybe it was the money that came with it.
‘So where are you going?’ Matt asked.
‘I don’t know. Can I not stay here?’ I ask.
‘They rarely let students stay. Everyone goes home to their fam-,’ Zach stops himself mid-sentence. ‘Everyone just goes home.’
‘Or the Assembly will find you a place,’ James said.
Seb looked at James and crossed his brows.
‘She’s not going with them. She’ll come home with us.’
The three other brothers looked at Seb in amazement.
‘You should be honoured. Seb hates most people,’ Zach said.
‘Well, mum and dad aren’t around much during the holidays, anyway. They’ll barely notice,’ Seb replied.
‘If Lizzie is allowed to come back with us, can we decorate?’ Matt directs his question to James.
James pauses to think of his response. Matt nods excitedly at him while Seb and Zach give one firm nod each.
‘Fine. Lizzie, would you like to come back with us over Christmas?’
‘Are you sure? I don’t mind finding somewhere else. I’d hate to put you all out,’ I said.
‘Put us out? Pfft! Please say yes. I really want to decorate!’ Matt said. Seb nudges him in the elbow. ‘Oh, and it would be nice for you have somewhere to go too.’
‘Okay then. That would be great. Thank you.’
‘I’m going to make it look like Lapland. We can get lights on the roof and models of Santa for the drive,’ Matt said as he pulls his phone out and searches for outdoor Christmas lights.
‘You can organise it all then,’ James said to Matt. ‘That means decorations but also food and entertainment.’
‘I’ve never really celebrated Christmas before. I’m looking forward to it.’
‘Never celebrated Christmas? Did you used to live in a workhouse or something?’ Matt asked.
‘Matt!’ Zach said.
‘What?’ Matt shrugged his shoulders.
‘They call them Children’s Homes now. And Amanda wasn’t into the Christmas thing anyway.’
‘Then we will make sure Matt really makes an effort. We will too, of course,’ James smiles.
‘I haven’t finished my Christmas shopping yet. Want to come into town with me later?’ Elenore asks me.
‘Okay, let me just grab my purse and I’ll be ready.’
On my way up to my room, I make a slight detour. I know Harry hadn’t come to see me while I was awake, but he came when I first got injured.
He must still care deep down.
I knocked on his door and waited. Someone jumped off their bed, and the floorboards creaked as they approached the door.
‘Yes?’ Harry opened the door and seemed surprised to see me. ‘Oh, it’s you. Out of the hospital then?’ he said.
‘Finally. Only two weeks,’ I said.
‘Yeah, I heard that some of our class had been down. They said you looked a lot better.’
‘Only a few cuts and scrapes. Do you mind if I come in?’
Harry hesitates and then looks behind his shoulder at his bed.
‘I’m kind of busy at the moment. Maybe some other time?’
‘I just wanted to say I hope have a nice Christmas. I wasn’t sure if I would see you before the end of the term, so I thought I’d seek you out.’
‘Oh right. Yeah. Hope you have a nice Christmas too,’ he glanced back at his bed.
‘Any plans?’ I ask.
‘No, just a quiet Christmas for me. You?’
‘I’ve been invited to spend Christmas with the Knight Brothers. I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never had a proper Christmas,’ a flutter of excitement sits in my stomach.
Harry’s face changes with my news. He pulls me into his room and closes the door behind him and then grabs my hands, leading me to the bed. He’s laid out books and several notebooks are covered in scribbles.
‘I would have let you stay with me had I known you had nowhere to go,’ he said hastily.
‘Well they’ve offered now. It would be rude to say no,’ Harry shuffles his weight from one foot into the next and lets out a deep sigh.
‘I’ve been looking at that box Lizzie.’
‘The one that hurt me?’
‘Yes.’
‘And?’
‘From what I’ve found... I don’t know how to explain this.’
‘Spit it out!’ I push.
‘That type of magic can only be used by people who are close to you; Who you care about. It wouldn’t work otherwise,’ he said. ‘Putting an image of me on fire? I only know four people who hate me like that…’
