Schoolgirl Secrets

Chapter Fourteen: One Fork Goes A Long Way

The tandem was a bad idea. By the time the two girls leant the bike against a wall and stopped for a drink; they were both bleeding and covered in grazes. They had cycled all the way back to the place where they had camped that night and set off from there. But tracking a girl through the woods is a hard job, made even harder by the fact that Elsie is very good at evading capture. Jenifer and Jane had been following footprints and scuff marks in the mud and they had occasionally found bits of Miriam's dress or hair stuck on bramble bushes. The trail had soon gone cold however, and they were completely stuck...

"What are we going to do now?" Jane said desperately, sitting down on the floor.

"I don't know," replied Jenifer, also sitting. "But I won't just sit here and wait for my sister to die."

Suddenly there was a loud crashing sound behind them and a very dishevelled looking, with twigs and leaves in her hair, with her skirt ripped up to the hip; Miss Amanda Brightlight.

The two girls leapt up and did the only thing that seemed sensible. Threw the tandem bike at the advancing woman and sprinted off.

The last thing they heard was a scream of pain and fury and a bang as Miss Brightlight threw the bike off her and gave chase.

Jenifer and Jane had an advantage; they were young and fit and they were wearing flexible jeans. Miss Brightlight was older and less fit and she was wearing a very tight black skirt.

Jane heard a whizzing noise behind her and thought that Miss Brightlight had fired her gun again. But in looking over her shoulder; Jane didn't see the protruding tree root which Jenifer jumped. She tripped and fell, jarring her neck.

Miss Brightlight took hold of her by the ankle and held her upside down. She then raised Jenifer's Swiss Army penknife to Jane's throat and pressed. Jane yelled as a trickle of blood oozed and dripped onto the forest floor. Miss Brightlight pressed harder and harder and Jane yelled louder and louder, kicking out and trying to escape.

Then, without warning; Miss Brightlight crumpled on top of Jane, screaming herself. Jenifer stumbled back and pulled her friend away to examine her neck.

The cut wasn't deep, but it was still bleeding.

The girls peered over the top of their teacher and saw her trying to pull a plastic fork out of her left buttock!

Standing a few metres behind was a pudgy little boy holding a bag of chips. Evidently it had been he who had thrown the fork.

He waddled towards them and held out a hand.

"Here," he said. "I think it's for you."

Jenifer curiously took a little origami bird from his palm.

"I found it on the floor after you left on that double bike," he continued. "I think you dropped it. So I followed you to give it back. When I saw that lady trying to hurt you I threw my chip fork at her. I do hope she's ok."

"Never mind her!" Jenifer said exasperatedly. "We didn't drop this, but Elsie or Miriam might have!"

Jane was very excited.

"Let me open it!" she squealed, reaching out.  

"No, we need to unfold it very carefully," Jenifer said, starting to unfold the wing.

When they had unfolded a crumpled, square piece of paper; the saw the message written on it.

"It's in code," pointed out the boy.

"No it's not," Jane said, becoming excited. "It's in mirror code Jenifer! Isn't it?! Quick! Grab a mirror!"

"Crikey you're right!" Jenifer said, also excited. "Did you pack a mirror?"

"No I didn't," said Jane, punching herself in the forehead. "You'd better have one."

"I haven't, why would I think to pack one?!" Jenifer, annoyed.

"That lady has one in her pocket," said the little boy, pointing at Miss Brightlight. "I can see it sticking out."

Jane lunged for the pocket and pulled out a makeup box.

Miss Brightlight was still distracted trying to get the fork out of her bottom.

Jenifer began to read the message aloud.

"Mum," it began. "I have the girl, but the Js are on my tail. Hurry up to the biggest test room, she's hard to hold. Smith already there and Maple on his way. I called him. Watch out, E."

There was a silence as the two girls read and re-read the note, trying to understand it.

"Mum?" Jane asked, scratching her head. "And E?"

"Of course! Elsie must have lied about the family fire!" Jenifer exploded. "She Miss Brightlight's daughter!"

"Oh my gosh!" Jane said, clapping a hand to her mouth. "Yes!"

Miss Brightlight had finally managed to get the fork out and was getting to her feet, grumbling profusely.

"Quick, we need to run," Jenifer said, stuffing the note into her pocket. "We have to get there before she does." She gestured to Miss Brightlight.

"But we just read the note out loud to her!" Jane exclaimed. "It's too late! We'll have to race there!"

"I never asked your name?!" Jane said to the boy, who was eating chips.

"Harvey," he said through a bulging mouth.

"Thank you Harvey!" Jenifer yelled as both girls began to sprint down the forest track, heading for the road. Heading for Number fifteen, Kingdom Road, Catalan.