Foxblood: Rise of the Hellion (WattyAward 2012 Finalist)

Part Seventeen

Fear oozed through the dilapidated walls; they knew. I pictured them huddled in the corner of the coop, all vying for the safety of the farthest spot, so white, so innocent…so stupid. Running my tongue over my teeth, I contemplated the easy kill, and then dismissed the thought. I would leave them be tonight. Tonight my palette required something more exotic, and I knew exactly where to find it.
The woods had provided well. I finished off the last of the grouse carcass and licked the blood from my snout, delicious. Bracken snapped and my ears pricked. I didn’t need spectators; time to go.

Things were quiet for the next couple of weeks. There were no more unexpected visitors, no more dead students, and with Sebastian back…no awkward advances from Connor. The exam season was in full swing, and practice for the Triplasian Tournament had stepped up a notch.

I should have been concentrating my efforts on my studying, but instead, I found my mind wandering. It wasn’t unusual. As a child, I’d spent many an hour daydreaming, a little girl’s fantasies, hopes and dreams that one day I would make a better life for myself and my family. Those dreams would never come true now, at least not for Mum, and now I’d have to look out for Todd. He’d be the only family I’d have left soon, and someone needed to protect him from all that I now knew lay around us, waiting. Beth’s description had conjured up an image of the demons in my head, and they had been monopolising my nightmares.

“Miss Crevan, were you considering joining this class at some point today, or is there somewhere else you’d prefer to be?” Mr Arkwright’s voice cut into my thoughts.

“Sorry, Sir. You have my full attention,” I lied, as he turned back to the board and continued his scribbling.

After a few minutes, my eyes drifted back to the window. From this angle, I could see the playing field with its wall of targets, and if I focussed hard with my new found super-sight, I could see Sebastian practising his archery. Watching him relaxed me but didn’t take away my fears. Something was coming. I could feel it.

Connor jogged over to him, and they high-fived, laughing. Were they so used to the threats around them that they could take it so lightly? Sebastian put down his crossbow and picked up a bo-staff, twirling it like a baton with one hand and gesturing Connor forward with the other. I longed to escape the stuffiness of the classroom to join them on the grass, smell the daisies, and roll on the warm earth.

“Miss Crevan, as your mind is quite plainly not in this room, I’d prefer your body not to be either. You are a distraction to the other students.” Mr Arkwright slammed his notes on the desk as he spoke. “Please leave my classroom and return when you are able to show more commitment.”

Suddenly all eyes were on me. I pulled up my hoodie, gathered my stuff together, shoving it roughly into my bag, and wove my way to the door, head down.

Mr Arkwright thrust a wad of exam notes against my arm as I passed. “Here,” he said. “Don’t forget these.” I took them, nodded my thanks, and scuttled out.

The mutterings of anonymous girls’ voices filled my head.

“God that girl’s weird,” the first one whispered.

“Yeah, I’ve never liked her,” said a second.

Another interjected, “You’re just jealous of her hot fella, Gina.”

“Yeah, how is that even possible? What does he see in her?” said the first one again.

“And what’s with that hair of hers? Seriously?” The voices merged into giggles.

I yanked my hood down. I didn’t need to hear how much the girls in my class hated me. I already knew. My northern accent and bargain bin clothes had given me the loser tag at the start of the year, and everyone thought that my orange hair was merely an attention seeking stunt. The sun hit my face as soon as I pushed on the fire door bar, and I ran all the way to the boys.