Shadowstitch, p.10
Shadowstitch, page 10
Effie laughed. ‘Latin incantations, blood signatures, pacts with the devil. She’s lifted it all from a movie. Cowans have such limited imaginations.’
‘Oh, I don’t know.’ Rowan glanced at the room behind them. ‘Their imaginations seem pretty active to me. They’ve been eating it all up and adding their own tasty twists – there are rumours we drank Darcey’s blood, that we raised the dead, had an orgy with Satan … I think at one point we’re meant to have sacrificed a goat.’
Effie snorted.
‘No one’s actually buying this?’ Manda spluttered. ‘I tried to get people to believe in God for years with no one ever turning up to Bible study, but oh, they’re perfectly happy to believe I’m offering a dead goat to the devil?!’
‘Of course people don’t really believe it,’ said Rowan. ‘But they don’t care. Fake news is more fun than real news, especially if it involves orgies.’
Effie put a hand up. ‘Amen to that.’
‘And now we have this inspection to deal with.’ Rowan slumped in her chair.
Anna’s stomach twisted as the inspector came back into her mind.
‘Darcey’s blatantly behind that too. Her parents are on the governors’ board and Mum’s always said it’s the parents on the board that really run our school. They’ve probably pushed for the inspection to make her claims seem somehow legitimate.’
‘There was no mention of witchcraft,’ Effie retorted to Rowan. ‘Even if they find us guilty of bullying or being in some kind of cult. What are they going to do? Students aren’t expelled for that kind of thing any more, they’re made to talk about their feelings.’ She looked disgusted at the thought.
‘It might go on our records, damage our chances of getting into a top university,’ said Manda.
Effie clicked her fingers. ‘Oh no, you mean Oxbridge are going to reject me now?’
Manda gave her a flat look. ‘You don’t get it. My parents are going to find out about this inspection and things are bad enough already. Since the allegations, they’ve gone into a full restore-the-Richardson-family-image campaign, which seems to mainly comprise of watching my every move. Mum looks at me like she doesn’t even know me—’ Manda shut her eyes and took a breath. ‘I wasn’t even sure I’d be coming back; they’d been talking about moving me out of St Olave’s but I think they were worried it would interrupt my final year and draw more attention to the whole thing. The only way I can get through all of this is to convince them I’m normal while being exceptional – secure top marks in all my coursework, nail my exams, get into the country’s top law schools and get Karim back. I’m sure my parents would prefer a Christian boy but once they find out Karim’s going to be a dentist, they’ll come around. It’s a highly respected profession.’
Rowan shook her head dizzily. ‘That’s a lot of pressure, Manda. I haven’t even got as far as looking up where my next class is, let alone applications …’
Anna tried to think about her previous plans but they felt a lifetime away. She’d been intending to apply for medical school but was it even what she wanted? She couldn’t remember if it had been her idea or Aunt’s. It didn’t feel like it mattered any more. She found it strangely hard to imagine any future … as if that day Aunt had died, she’d died too.
‘If we’re caught, it’s penance, isn’t it?’ Manda’s eyes widened. ‘The rumours are back for us now. The rule of three: Whatever ye send forth, comes back to thee.’
Effie waved a hand. ‘There’s no such thing as the rule of three. Magic doesn’t work that way.’
‘Well, how does it work?’
‘Chaos.’ Effie’s eyes lit up with the word, like orbs of static.
‘Balance,’ Rowan countered.
‘Either way,’ Anna spoke up at last, ‘we are guilty. We did cast a spell on Darcey.’
‘We didn’t know it was going to get so out of hand,’ said Effie.
Didn’t you? Anna held in her reply. She would probably never know the truth – if Effie had truly known how dark the spell would get, the destruction it would cause.
‘And we didn’t do any of the things Darcey’s claiming,’ Manda added. ‘Well, mostly …’
‘True.’ Effie grinned. ‘We never sacrificed a goat.’
They began to giggle – the desperate, uncontrolled laughter that can only be shared by outsiders with the rest of the world at their backs. They looked between one another and despite all of it, despite what they’d done, what they were meant to have done, the threads of the year before pulled at them – magic filled with moments as bright as the moon, as dark as its shadow, the kind of magic Darcey could never dream up.
Effie raised her drinking cup. ‘Ave Satana!’
‘Shhh, Effie!’ Rowan swatted at her. ‘Let’s not add more flames to the sacrificial fires, OK? It was you in assembly, wasn’t it? When Ramsden couldn’t say the inspector’s name.’
Effie attempted to look virtuous but gave in with a snigger. ‘It was barely a spell. A tiny cantrip.’
Rowan narrowed her eyes. ‘We just have to make it through one year.’
‘Maybe it’s a good thing Karim and I split up,’ said Manda woefully. ‘This way I can keep my focus. But I can’t focus because I miss him and now he thinks I’m a whore of Satan.’ She dropped her head into her arms.
Effie looked down at her incredulously. ‘You guys went out for, like, twelve minutes.’
Manda’s head shot back up. ‘Three months and fifteen days actually. I had it all planned – power couple, house in Richmond, two kids, a golden labradoodle.’
Rowan threw an arm around her. ‘Manda, why don’t you join me? This year I’ve decided I’m over boys. I’m going to concentrate on my studies, my future, not looking at pictures of Daniel Serkis topless on the beach …’
Manda frowned. ‘Who’s that?’
‘You know, in our year – tall, auburn hair, rippling six-pack …’
Manda shrugged.
‘There you go,’ Rowan concluded, ‘I’m going to become more like Manda, too busy with my head in books to notice the male form. Any boyfriends I have will be entirely imaginary. Easier that way – all of the fantasy, none of the rejection.’
‘But, I don’t want an imaginary boyfriend. I want Karim. I still can’t believe he broke up with me. We loved each other, we’d had SEX—’ Manda mouthed the word.
‘We know, Manda, you’ve told us. A lot.’
‘Then he ends it all and gets back with his ex-girlfriend. Apparently, I was too intense. Well, I intend to get him back whatever it takes. Nobody breaks up with Miranda Richardson.’
Effie stared at them both, astounded. ‘What’s wrong with you two?’
‘We can’t all be like you.’ Rowan sighed. ‘Just talking to men like it’s nothing. How it must feel to be Effie for the day.’
Effie smiled and flourished a hand like Selene would. ‘Like I can have anyone in this room.’
They glanced behind them, and at that moment – Attis entered. He spotted them and waved. They turned back to one another, an awkward silence settling. They couldn’t exactly talk about Anna and Effie’s love lives when they were tangled – caught in the net of the boy who had just walked through the door.
Attis, broad-shouldered and hair awry, strode through the room, bending it to his will – people turning and smiling at him. Smiling! How was he getting smiles and they were basically getting spat at? He stopped to chat to one table and fist bumped someone else before reaching them.
‘OK. How come everyone still likes Attis?’ Manda asked, mirroring Anna’s thoughts.
‘Because.’ He took a seat. ‘I’m the frontman of the group. The devil in disguise. Sex god and purveyor of orgies. Also, I think I’m just more approachable. You guys are kind of scary.’ He smiled and the tension of the table dissipated.
‘It’s true. Witches are more terrifying than any devil.’ Effie’s lips quirked.
‘The things people are saying today.’ Attis blew air from his lips. ‘I heard Manda can drain a man’s entire body of his blood with nothing more than the power of one of her highlighter pens.’
Manda tried to glare at him through her laughter.
But the humour had drained from Rowan’s voice. ‘Thirteen black moons,’ she murmured.
The Juicers were approaching their table, the green juices they were named after in hand. Anna hadn’t even noticed them enter but now they were drawing everyone’s attention in their direction. Darcey’s expression was fragile, as if she might shatter at any moment. Anna wanted to hate her with her old surety, but it was no longer clear who was the real enemy: Darcey or them.
‘Darcey, you don’t have to,’ said Corinne, tossing her dyed red hair.
‘I do.’ Darcey moved nobly forwards. ‘I need to say this.’
‘And we can’t wait to hear it.’ Effie leant back in her chair, tilting her head.
Olivia held her phone up towards them. Darcey discarded her empty juice cup on their table and began to speak, slowly and audibly so everyone nearby could hear. ‘I just want to say that—’ She stopped, closed her eyes and steadied herself. ‘In spite of everything that’s happened and what I’ve been through – what you all did to me – I want you to know that … I forgive you.’ She said the words like an offering they did not deserve, like a queen reluctantly giving her starving subjects food to eat. ‘I know that living in anger and shame won’t get me anywhere. I want to move forwards with my life. All I ask of you is that you let go of your bitterness and jealousies and move on too. I don’t want you to do to anyone else here what you did to me. I—’ She put a hand to her mouth, her nails freshly manicured. ‘I couldn’t bear anyone to suffer like I have.’
It was convincing, she was entirely convincing, dipping her head to brush her hair behind her ear, Corinne putting a hand of solidarity on her arm. Olivia scowled at them over her phone as if they were unworthy of Darcey’s very presence, let alone her forgiveness.
Anna could feel Effie stirring beside her. Don’t do anything rash, please, Effie.
But Effie placed a hand on her heart. ‘Thank you, Darcey. That’s very sweet of you. We know you’ve been through a lot. We’ve all been very concerned about your mental health.’ Effie pulled a face. ‘But we’re so glad you’re moving on and letting your delusions go.’
Darcey’s mouth twitched as if she were restraining a snarl. ‘I am not delusional. You all know what it is you did to me, what you’re capable of …’
It was hard to tell if Darcey was performing any more. Anna could see something like fear in her eyes, but her rage was more powerful, propelling her. The whole room had turned silent, craning their necks to see the action play out live. More phones had popped up to film it all.
‘Darcey,’ Effie sympathized. ‘We all just want you to get better, to stop peddling these fantasies. They’re making you look kind of … crazy.’
‘You can try and twist my words, Effie, you can try and humiliate me all over again, but the truth will out. Everyone can feel that you’re not normal, none of you, and soon they will all see what you truly are.’
Anna could feel the eyes of everyone around her, trapping her in the room; she could hear Aunt’s accusations in her ear. You’re rotten, rotten through—
Effie cocked her head. ‘And what is that, Darcey?’
Darcey raised her chin. ‘Evil. Powerful. Witches.’
There was an intake of breath around them but Anna’s breath had disappeared, locked in her chest, too tight.
I won’t look down—
Effie’s sudden laughter shocked her before she could lose it entirely. Effie threw her hands up. ‘You’ve got us! I confess!’ She snorted another laugh. ‘It’s true. Watch out!’ She pointed a finger at Darcey. ‘Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!’
More laughter. People joining in.
‘Step back, Darcey,’ Attis warned, cracking a smile. ‘She’s turned a lot of people into frogs that way. Frogs. Rats. Piglets if she’s in the mood.’
That set everyone off even more, but Darcey’s face was no joke. She leant forwards, placing two hands on the table, her mask slipping and finally revealing the snarl beneath. Her voice was a hissed whisper, for their ears only. ‘I will see you punished for what you did if it destroys me.’
Darcey’s eyes raked over them, stopping at Anna as if she could see it – the rot. Anna could feel it, spilling out of her.
‘We can only hope,’ Effie replied with a smile formed of threat.
Darcey pushed away from the table, her face fracturing again for the crowd. ‘I tried …’ she said, plaintively. ‘They are beyond help.’
‘You’ve done more than they deserve,’ Olivia spat. They wrapped their arms around her and ushered her away. The rest of the room parted for them, whispering voraciously, hungrier than they’d ever been.
‘Allowing the likes of you into this school was the worst thing Headmaster Connaughty ever did!’ Ramsden growled.
‘I think he might have done something worse …’ Effie muttered.
Mr Ramsden’s face flushed, the broken veins around his nose flaring. They were lined up in his office: Anna, Effie, Attis, Manda and Rowan; Ramsden pacing and fuming before them like a rhinoceros forced into a suit. ‘How dare you! How dare you cause a scene on the first day back at school!’
‘Don’t see why we’re being told off,’ Effie spat. ‘Darcey was the one who approached us.’
‘You had the crowd laughing at her, whipping them up against her, after what she’s been through …’
‘You mean, after how much money Darcey’s parents have paid you to instigate an inspection …’
Ramsden stopped and stared at Effie as if he wished corporal punishment was still allowed in schools. He narrowed his bloodshot eyes. ‘You ought to all step very carefully with the accusations levelled against you. All summer we’ve had parents up in arms, the press sniffing around … and I have done everything in my power to keep the situation under control. I will not let you make a mockery of me, or this inspection.’
‘I agree.’ Attis nodded firmly. ‘I’m sure you’re quite capable of doing that yourself, Mr Ramsden.’
Effie snorted but before Ramsden could strangle him, Anna jumped in. ‘It won’t happen again, Mr Ramsden.’
He pulled himself up. ‘You bet it won’t. You will not speak to Darcey. You will not break a single rule this year. You will allow this inspection to run smoothly until it is over. And if you are found responsible, I will ensure you face the full repercussions.’
Manda squeaked.
‘That’s right, Miss Richardson. I hold your future in my hands.’
Anna wondered how their first day back could be going so badly.
‘I’d just like to take this moment,’ Attis announced, ‘to offer my huge congratulations, Mr Ramsden, on your promotion to the position of headmaster. You’re doing a fine job already, very commanding, just the right level of intimidation. Not that you’re letting the power go to your head.’
It tipped Ramsden over the edge. ‘OUT! OUT ALL OF YOU! DON’T THINK YOU’RE GETTING AWAY WITHOUT A DETENTION, LOCKERBY!’
‘My perfect future!’ Manda wailed as they walked down the corridor from his office. ‘Everything I’ve worked my whole life for – Ramsden’s going to ruin it all.’
‘Ramsden’s just making empty threats,’ said Effie. ‘They can’t prove a damn thing.’ She cut down a sudden corner, into a quiet dead-end corridor, an alcove window at the end. She turned to face them all. ‘I think we’re all forgetting something – we are the witches here. The power is ours, not theirs. We can discuss further at our coven-meet.’
Manda shifted from foot to foot. ‘We’re not … reforming the coven here … are we?’
‘We’re not reforming anything,’ Effie replied, a hard line in her voice. ‘We are a coven. We shall continue to be one. Is there some confusion?’
‘Is this really the best time to start doing magic again on school grounds?’ said Rowan. ‘Olivia was filming our whole interaction back then. Darcey wants to catch us out. One wrong move …’
Effie stirred the dust in the light from the window with her fingers, her eyes stilling. ‘The Dark Moon is at its greatest power in the dark, not the light, is it not? They are trying to threaten us, intimidate us. Are we going to let them? Are we going to roll over and cower? Or are we going to rise again, greater than ever?’
Rowan did not look convinced by Effie’s speech. She put her hands on her hips, looking entirely like her mum, Bertie. ‘If we’re going to be a coven, it has to be for the right reasons. Not for more revenge.’
‘What about mostly the right reasons and a sprinkling of revenge?’ Effie smiled, showing sharp incisors. ‘Jooooking.’ She made eyes at Rowan. ‘I’m just talking about keeping our magic alive, growing our powers, staying in control of the situation – not letting it control us.’
Rowan shook her head. ‘It’s too risky.’
‘I agree,’ said Attis. ‘Which is why I’m appointing myself health and safety officer of this coven. There’s going to be all kinds of precautions and new security measures. Box-ticking and unnecessary traffic cones. I might wear a uniform.’
Rowan snorted. ‘Unfair tactic, Attis …’
Anna had spent all summer running from magic but there was nowhere to run now. She had to face it – to face Effie. ‘I don’t think we should reform the coven,’ she said from behind the others. ‘I’m not practising magic right now and don’t intend to any time soon.’
After everything that had happened that day, Anna hadn’t expected to see them appear at their most shocked now. All of them turned to her with expressions of surprise and confusion.
