by Vance Huxley
“Not recently, I don’t think. It lives on the windowsill in the snug. Mum used to go there, you know, for some peace, but she spends most of her time in the lounge now.” Kelis tried to lift the plant. “Come on you two, help me. We can’t use wind glyphs to move it, not in front of mum.”
Fifteen minutes later the suspicious look had gone from Mrs. Ventner’s eyes. Abel thought she’d come to the conclusion Kelis had bought her a new plant, but was passing it off as the rejuvenated old one. He decided to ask Kelis for a cutting to grow in the old pot, so he could produce the alleged original at some time. Meanwhile he left the pair of them admiring the flowers while he walked home with Rob.
He half expected more earache about his shortcomings, but Rob concentrated on a bigger problem. “What happens tomorrow? I doubt Henry will be at school, and G… who knows what Jenny-come-Ferryl will say.” Rob and Abel avoided saying God, ever since Ferryl pointed out there were several who might be listening. “She’ll be sat at the seraphim’s table and she’s a year ahead of us, so we’ll only get the story third hand at best.” The two of them chewed it over, deciding to avoid the canteen when they arrived and hope to get some hint from Ferryl-Jenny at break.
Welcome Back
Kelis also wanted to talk about Ferryl/Jenny when she came down her driveway to meet Rob and Abel the following morning. After inspecting Abel she pointed out they could sit in the warm canteen, because answering questions about the bruises and scrapes should divert everyone for a while. The students would be wondering what Henry looked like, because he wouldn’t be at school until he could write again.
As usual they sat together on the bus, with Kelis glaring at anyone who scowled at Abel. Some of Seraph’s rumours must still be circulating, and the students on the bus had seen Abel coming home covered in blood. A few others glared or muttered when he got off the bus, so Abel chickened out of going to the canteen. It was a bit chilly to walk around the playground, but better than a room full of students and Seraph’s remarks when he didn’t know the answers. Rob went inside but came back with a glum face. Jenny wasn’t there to explain anything.
“What the…!” Kelis brought her hand up and Abel saw a shimmer as the glyph began to form, then it stopped as she looked around. “Around the corner, out of sight. Quick!” Rob and Abel followed, puzzled but not for long. This time Kelis let the wind glyph go and it arrowed across to the box hedge between the path and playing field. The Skurrit, a scruffy, furry magical creature well over a metre from bald tail to pointed nose, hissed and rolled out of cover. As it bared rows of tiny sharp teeth Abel automatically hit it with a fire glyph, tight and very hot. Even alight it began to run but Rob’s wind glyph, though not as tight, rolled it over in a tangle of short legs and sharp claws. The fire quickly finished the job.
The three of them stared at the bubbling mess as the dead creature evaporated into raw magic and disappeared, then glanced around but everyone else was inside. “Why is that here on its own?” Abel looked around again, carefully, but there were no others. “Ferryl said they were dangerous but only as pack hunters. One on its own wouldn’t dare tackle even an eleven-year-old.”
“Why is it here at all? The hexes among the trees along the school fence should deter them. That’s why we spent hours of break time putting them there.” Even as Rob spoke he tensed and pointed. “What’s that?” The fuzzy ball about fifty centimetres across hurtled over the playing field towards them before bursting apart into a swarm of somethings. Moments later the three of them were surrounded. The creatures were some sort of predatory fae, the magical fliers that preyed on insects and small birds and animals, and should have been repelled by the hexes. This time, as the flower tattoo on Abel’s arm turned icy cold, some were getting close enough to sting.
A gust of wind wrapped round them all, flicking the swarm away. “I’ll fend them off. Use fire.” Kelis cast another wind glyph, curving her hand to swirl it across the swarm as it tried to attack again. Abel tried a burst of flame but only hit a few because they were spread out now and moving too fast. Intent mattered, he remembered—a glyph couldn’t miss if the caster watched the target.
“Back up to the wall so they can’t get behind us. Small hot glyphs, one at a time Rob. Watch the target.” Abel began to throw glyphs with alternate hands, but watching until each one struck slowed him up. Ferryl would have been handy for this. She would have produced a score at a time, every single one on target.
“This will take forever.” Though even as he grumbled, Rob roasted fae one after the other. For a few moments it hung in the balance, fae darting around the edge of Kelis’ defence while the other two tried to pick them off yet keep killing the rest. Suddenly the survivors turned and headed back across the playing field, towards the trees.
Abel wasn’t having that. “I’ve got it.” The fae were leaving, but they’d evaded the hexes so they might be back when non-magical students were out here. His hands moved, shaping the glyph by intent before releasing a disc of fire. Abel’s right hand curved, a weak reverse wind glyph to pull the fire back in the middle as it spread out. He watched carefully until halfway across the field the outer edge of the bowl shape overtook the swarm, then he closed his left hand a little. The bowl tightened as the front edge moved past them, all the fae neatly cupped inside. “Now,” he breathed, clenching his hand into a fist. The lip of the bowl-shape tightened to seal any escape before the whole thing compressed into in a bright flash of flame. Half a dozen stray fae made it, escaping to disappear between the trees.
“A Skurrit might force its way past, but the hexes should stop fae.” Kelis glared after the escapees, then switched to scowling at the trees. “If the dryads would let us use all that lovely magic in their trees, we could make it much stronger. A few wooden posts with a Tavern hex and a bit of magic obviously isn’t enough.”
“Why would a dryad care? They’ve got their tree, and its magic, and don’t care about anyone else.” Rob kicked moodily at the kerb along the edge of the path. “Several of the Tavern members have spoken to them, but there’s only a couple will even bother to reply. Even so you’re right, our barrier should stop fae.” The school bell interrupted their discussion about if coming through in a tight ball had protected the magical version of hornets.
∼∼
Getting to class turned into a bit of a rush because they had to put their coats in their lockers and collect folders, but the three of them made it to Graphic Art before Mr. Sanders started on the register. Abel sat at the front, simply so he didn’t have to see anyone who’d heard Seraph’s rumours frowning or glaring at him. A few whispered, but Mr. Sanders soon shut them up. Halfway through the list of names the classroom door opened bringing a collective gasp from the students. Jenny stood there with a bandage around one arm, a dressing over one ear, and leaning on a walking stick. As she limped in everyone stared at the amount of bandage swathing her leg from someplace under her skirt right down and round her foot.
The seventeen-year-old star of the Acro dancers looked at Abel with a bright smile and headed straight towards him. He hesitated, wondering what he should say or do. Nothing, because Ferryl/Jenny turned and half-sat on Abel’s desk, leant down and kissed him! Not a peck either, though it wasn’t a Kelis kiss. While the muttering rose behind him, Ferryl’s ‘voice’ in his head explained. “I can’t use spooky-phone while I’m possessing a body, but I can contact you if we touch. I told my new dad that you are my secret boyfriend, and that you pulled off the planks and gave me the kiss of life. I’ve been more or less locked up since. Tell you more at break. Now smile.” A low whistle came from someone behind as Ferryl/Jenny broke the lip contact and straightened up.
Abel did his best to smile as instructed, thankful that the rest of the class couldn’t see his expression. At least Mr. Sanders didn’t notice, too busy frowning at Ferryl/Jenny. “Jennifer Forester, that is not acceptable behaviour on the school grounds!”
Ferryl/Jenny turned with a shy smile, and a little blush on
her cheeks. It seemed natural, as if it really was Jenny even if Ferryl had contacted him through her lips. Abel felt his cheeks heat up and concentrated on what Ferryl/Jenny was saying. “Sorry Mr. Sanders. I had an accident on the last day of school, but my boyfriend, Abel, pulled off the planks and gave me the kiss of life.” She sounded a little more embarrassed as she continued. “My phone broke and I’ve been grounded ever since, doctor’s orders, so I haven’t been in touch. I just had to say thank you.” The blush spread slowly over Ferryl/Jenny’s cheeks while Abel felt sure his face must be scarlet.
At least the frown had gone as Mr. Sanders looked from one to the other, then back at her injuries. “That’s all well and good, but you know the rules.” His voice softened a little. “I’m pleased to see you have recovered enough for school. There have been some very graphic stories going about.”
“I bled a lot but luckily most of it was skin deep, though I’m off the Acro team until my arm and leg heal up. I really am sorry, sir, I was only going to say thank you, but, well…” Ferryl/Jenny gave Abel a shy smile. He pulled his lips up to smile back, wondering if some of that blushing and voice was Jenny because it seemed totally natural. Except the bit about him being a boyfriend, that wasn’t even remotely believable.
“Next time try to catch him before he gets here.” A tiny smile touched the teacher’s face. “He seems suitably thanked so you’d better get off or you’ll be late to your own class.”
“Thank you, sir.” After another smile aimed at Abel, Ferryl/Jenny limped out and off down the corridor.
Mr. Sanders stopped smiling and banged his desk. “Enough! Quiet please.” As the murmuring quietened he looked down at the register. “Sarah Russel?”
“Here sir.” Abel could hear the laughter in Sarah’s voice, and some of the following ones. He daren’t turn around and not just because he was embarrassed, but then he risked a quick glance. Kelis looked as if someone had hit her with a bat, mouth still open in shock. Abel turned away again, realising he’d have to sort out the girlfriend thing within three weeks for the Kelis kiss test. Worse, Ferryl/Jenny would be acting as his girlfriend at the birthday party in a week, the combined one for him and Kelis. Curses, he could hardly pretend it was just a joke if Ferryl/Jenny stood holding his hand right through that.
“Sorry sir.” Mr. Sanders had that look that meant he’d spoken to Abel and hadn’t got an answer.
“I asked if you were ready to rejoin the rest of us, and perhaps get some work done. Unless you want to nip off down the corridor and interrupt another class, to thank her for the thank you?” Mr. Sanders liked sarcasm and practiced as often as possible.
“Yes sir. I mean no sir, ready for work.” Abel gratefully opened his folder, turned on the computer and tried to lose himself in the lesson. The occasional muttering and giggle from behind and the little paper dart with hearts drawn all over it didn’t help.
∼∼
The lesson seemed to last forever, but finally ended and everyone stampeded for the canteen. “It was a complete surprise.” Abel kept his voice down as well as he could.
“Except you never did say why you met up with Jenny outside the school, round the back out of sight. When you saw her accident?” Kelis didn’t sound at all happy.
“Pure coincidence, I swear. Later, all right?” Because too many people were interested, or wanted to ask Abel how long he’d been going out with Jenny. A few who were a bit behind the times gave Kelis some odd looks. She’d been Abel’s real girlfriend until two weeks ago.
“It had better be good.” Kelis straightened and smiled at two students leaning in to try and hear. “That explains why he kept disappearing and coming back with a smile. I wonder what Seraph will make of it?” Deliberate or not, Kelis neatly diverted a good few people as they began to wonder the same thing. With everyone heading to the canteen for morning break, they’d soon find out.
Abel walked in between Kelis and Rob and sat in his usual spot at the geek table, trying to avoid meeting anyone’s eyes. Some of the geeks didn’t take Graphic Art, but the likes of Sarah were soon filling them in about his visitor. At least the quiet voice behind him stopped anyone asking Abel questions. “Kelis, would you mind moving up one so I can sit next to Abel? I’d sit the opposite side of the table but I can’t stretch to hold hands, not until I’m all healed up.” Kelis and Abel, and anyone not facing that way, looked round to meet a bright, slightly embarrassed smile.
“Of course Jenny. Are you sure you don’t want to drag him off to sit with the seraphims?” A ripple of laughter went around the table, in contrast to the silence spreading across the rest of the canteen.
“I’d prefer it here. I should have come across the last time, when Rob offered, though I’m still not signing up for IT.” Kelis stood up but instead of sitting straight away Ferryl/Jenny aimed her smile at Justin, in the next seat. “Would you mind if Kelis sat there, Justin? It’s just that she’s Abel’s best friend so she’ll have a million questions. I want us to be friends as well.”
“I suppose it was just a matter of time before you lost all sense of shame.” It hadn’t taken long for Seraph, the self-appointed mistress of her chosen elite, to react. She ruled the older students, and through them most of the rest, and it wasn’t a benevolent rule. According to Ferryl, Seraph had enough magic that when she used a certain strident tone it acted as a command. Not true compelling, but enough to make most students feel they should obey her. Only the magically aware students were immune, protected by their wards. Seraph didn’t know or she would use real compulsion to help with her bullying and general harassment of anyone she considered inferior.
Seraph didn’t wait for Jenny to answer. “Now I’m wondering what you two got up to behind the school that had to be kept secret.” There were a few titters, but more of the faces now turned towards Seraph looked disgusted or angry. As a popular member of the school Acro dancers, Jenny had a lot of fans. Some faces showed anticipation. The last time Seraph clashed with the geeks and Jenny had been a laugh.
“I came to sit with my boyfriend, Abel. It’s not hard to choose because he already gave me the kiss of life. Sitting at your table again would be more like the kiss of death.” Ferryl/Jenny sat down and reached out to take hold of Abel’s hand. “I missed you.”
Before a startled Abel could answer Seraph spoke again, raising her voice to be heard over the wave of laughter. “You are out of the Acro team as of now, permanently!” The canteen quietened again as they realised what she’d said.
Ferryl/Jenny laughed at her. “Look at me, I’m out anyway. I can’t even walk properly let alone perform backflips. In any case you don’t decide who’s in the team, unless you give Claris and Laurence their instructions?” That set a good few muttering, because Seraph wasn’t even in the team but the two captains were both part of her inner circle. Laurence certainly didn’t look happy at the idea.
Rob joined in. He had his own score to settle with Seraph. “You could order Jenny to sit with Henry again? That worked out so well last time.” Rob made a big show of looking round. “Oh dear, where is he? How will you order people about without your pet, what was it Jenny called him last time, pet bull?”
“Ogre, definitely more ogre than bull.” The rest of the geeks had decided to join in, especially since Henry wasn’t here.
“Watch out, Seraph’s lost an ogre.”
“Maybe a minotaur, and he’s lost in a labyrinth.”
“Henry would get lost on the way to the toilets.”
As various people chipped in with increasingly unlikely places Henry could be lost another voice cut through the chatter, silencing them all. “I’d be very interested in an explanation of your last statement, Seraphim Bellamy-Courts.” Seraph looked stricken, because she’d made a real mistake. The teacher supervising the canteen this morning was Mr. Beresford, the Sports Master and the teacher in charge of the Acros Dancers. “As Jenny pointed out, Claris and Laurence are the joint captains of the Acro Dancing team. I’m absolutely
certain you are in no position to decide who is in the team, or out of it. You can tell me which of us is mistaken in my office at lunchtime.”
Seraph sat down looking completely deflated because she absolutely couldn’t argue with a teacher. Not only that but Jenny had deserted her clique, publicly, going to the despised geeks and joining them in making fun of the seraphims. Worse still the rest of the students were laughing at Henry while he wasn’t here had put the fear of God into them again. To top it all Claris, another of her heavies, had gone missing.
Meanwhile a familiar voice filled Abel’s head. “One moment please, while I make skin contact with Kelis.” Abel glanced over to see sudden shock on Kelis’ face, quickly smoothed out. “I can’t manage spooky-phone, Kelis, so it has to be skin to skin. If you wore a shorter skirt we could have touched knees, but the only way is to put my leg across behind yours. Unless we hold hands as well?” This time Abel saw a little smile followed by a quick shake of the head. “I must apologise to both of you and Rob. The information I learned from Abel’s mum as she slept was not complete and I misunderstood. Chris’ thoughts seemed to mean I could be independent at sixteen, but it isn’t true freedom. I thought I could save Jenny and keep my oath to Abel Bernard Conroy, but your modern world would not allow it. I did not even think to memorise your telephone numbers. Please allow me time to find a way to complete our bargain.”
Abel hid his usual flinch at Ferryl using his mum’s first name, Chris, while he wondered how to answer. It was his own fault Ferryl didn’t have more information, because he wouldn’t let her rummage around in people’s heads as they slept. At least Ferryl seemed to be in charge and had access to Jenny’s memories. He turned to her. “I missed you during the holidays, Jenny, but I’m really pleased you are feeling better. Can we meet up without the crowd, maybe out of school?” Beyond Ferryl/Jenny, Kelis’ eyes narrowed, then she nodded very slightly in understanding. They needed some time to talk about the whole possession away from public scrutiny. Kelis for one would have a lot of searching questions.
