Once

Fifty Six

"I still don't understand," Jax said.

It was late now. Almost one o'clock in the morning. Now the spell was broken they knew their parents would start to worry about how long they'd been gone, and they were heading for home.

About a minute after Mr Luzlic had vanished, Bianca, Letty and Marigold had suddenly woken up again. They were clearly confused, in the way you're confused when you wake suddenly from a bad dream. Elle was glad to see that they had no memory of the awful things that had happened to them. It was as if the whole ordeal had been wiped from their heads.

Bianca and Letty had left together, walking like two sleepwalkers back toward their houses. Sellan had called his dad, saying they'd found the little girl who'd gone missing a week ago wandering round at school after prom. He was on his way to pick up Sellan, Maggie and Marigold, to take Marigold home to her parents. With any luck they wouldn't have left for that holiday yet.

So that left Jax, Russell, David and Elle walking along School Lane, under the light of the midnight moon which still burnt orange-red in the sky above them. The storm was over. The pavements were slick and glossy, shining in the moonlight.

"I don't think we need to understand," Elle said back to her. "Clearly magic works in a really bizarre sort of way. I think we just need to be thankful that it's over, and put it all behind us."

"Do you think we'll forget it, like Bianca and Letty did?" Jax asked.

Elle frowned, biting her lip.

"I don't think so," she said, but in truth she didn't know. She was even sort of wondering whether it would be better if they did.

David and Russell were walking a few paces behind them. Elle heard Russell say, in a stiff, joking voice:

"So was that, like, just to stop the spell or..."

His voice trailed off. David, with a smile in his voice, said:

"I don't think it would have worked if that was the case."

"Oh," said Russell. Then, a second later, "Oh."

Elle tried her best not to laugh.

"I told Elle tonight," David said. "Before prom. I'd wanted to tell you all sooner. I just - I like you, Russell. I have since the first time we met. I just - felt kind of weird about it. I wasn't sure whether any of you liked me. But Elle said maybe you were feeling the same way, and I should go for it. I never quite expected it to be like that, but the situation sort of forced me into it."

After a moment Russell said, "Elle said that, did she?"

Elle thought the smile on her face might never go away.