Just a dream

Chapter 11

I know exactly what it's like

I was in the common room. It was just me and couple of others. I was doing homework, quietly and calmly. I was being ignored, and everthing seemed to have resumed to normal status - people going about their usual business, smiling and talking as if nothing had happened. Jack seemed to have calmed down a little bit. And I wasn't frightened in the slightest about what had happened, or what was going to.

Who was I kidding?

I wasn't doing my homework quietly and calmly; my breathing pattern was changing every minute, my face often flushed with colour as thoughts bubbled through my head. No one was ignoring me. In fact, it seemed no one could walk past me without a second glance. Most of them were glances of concern, seeing if anything had been 'done' to me. However, some were of anger, roused by fear of what Jack would do. And of course, Jack was most certainly not calm, and had not talked to anyone recently without spitting out his words, or hissing a quiet threat.

And I was terrified. I was so afraid, so terrified of how Jack would punish me for telling Moggs. I was afraid of what he would say to me, and worse, what he would do to me. He had proper control over his magic, unlike the others, and could use it to effect. Who knew what his full potential was? And not to mention the fact that as soon as Miss Pearlman discovered who was really behind the attack on the GMS kid - who also happened to be my sister - she would really be onto us.

Which was why it was not a pleasant feeling to hear the footsteps coming down the stairs, quietly but menacingly, and know exactly who it was. I had been wondering why it hadn't been sooner.

"Leave." came a little mutter, and the whole room just seemed to go dead. Every breath, every flicker of the fire, every creak of the floorboards just seemed to stop and watch as the scene unfolded. I knew that the others who were down here, though I could not see them, had frozen, their eyes fixed on their new company, who would no doubt be looking in the complete opposite direction."Leave." It was a little louder, and more threatening, and they did not dare disobey orders this time.

As soon as they were gone, I rose to my feet slowly, keeping my eyes fixed ahead, concentrating on keeping my breathing calm more than anything else. My hair was falling in front of my face, but I did not dare reach a hand up to brush it aside - I stayed fixed, still. I knew I would tremble if I moved.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't do it right now." The soft hiss came from right behind me, for he had moved closer, close enough to whisper in my ear. He was using his classroom accent, the one that made him sound more upper class. I didn't understand why, but it was no time for questions. "Go on, I'd like to see how interesting you make this." You would have thought - like you would have thought most 'fairytale villans' would have - that he was grinning manically as he said it. But I knew there would be no grin on his face, even before I turned around to face him.

His usually neat hair was scruffy and folded over his face, his cheeckbones showed more than usual as he sucked in his breath, and his eyes were bloodshot and tired. His white shirt's top button was undone, and he had rolled it up at odd lengths on each sleeve. He looked a mess. Maybe he was less confident than usual, to match his appearance. If he was, I could use that.

"I have no reason." I said plaintifly, looking him in the eye. "If you want to freeze me, or whatever it is you do, then go ahead, do it now." I was testing him, but unsure of how reliable my chance was. "Or do you want a reason not to do it? Are you sure, Jack, that you really want to do it again?"

He flinched as I used his name, but it seemed to have no other affect. "Trust me, I would have the greatest pleasure in ... dealing, with you."

"Like you took the greatest pleasure in freezing Ga- that little GMS girl?"