Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz

even tried to climb up the chimney, they didn’t find anything.
    And where was Jeffrey during all this?
    In the weeks that they had been at Groosham Grange, Jeffrey had changed and this worried David more than anything. He still remembered Mr Kilgraw’s words. “If anything, he’ll be the easiest…” It was certainly true that Jeffrey had taken to spending more and more time by himself and less and less time with David and Jill. Quite a few times now, David had seen him in deep conversation with William Rufus and although he had questioned him about it, Jeffrey had refused to be drawn. Although there were no books in the library, he seemed to be reading a lot; old, dusty books with yellowing pages bound in cracked leather.
    It was Jill, with her short temper, who had finally started an argument. She had rounded on him one evening in an empty classroom as they talked about their progress – or lack of it.
    “What’s wrong with you?” she demanded. “You’re beginning to act as if you actually like it here!”
    “Perhaps I d-d-do,” Jeffrey replied.
    “But the whole school is mad!”
    “All p-p-public schools are mad. But it’s a lot b-b-better than Godlesston.”
    “But what about our promise?” David reminded him. “Us against them.”
    “We may be ag-g-gainst them,” Jeffrey said. “But I’m not so sure that they’re ag-g-gainst us.”
    “Then why don’t you just go off and join them?” Jill snapped.
    It looked as if Jeffrey had.
    David and Jill were alone as they trudged across the playing fields, up to their ankles in snow. They knew every inch of the island by now. Groosham Grange was in the north. A forest sprawled all the way down to the eastern side. Its trees could have been sculpted out of stone and looked at least a thousand years old. The point, where the jetty stood, was at the southernmost end. This was a long, flat area below the multicoloured cliffs which soared up behind. David was sure that he could see the entrance to a cave at the bottom of the cliffs and would have liked to explore it, but there was no way they could reach it. The cliffs themselves were too sheer to climb down and the point was separated from the cave by an inlet, the waves pounding at the rocks and sharpening them into needlepoints.
    There was also a river on the island – although it was more of a wide stream – running from the north into a lake beside the forest. This was where they went to now. The water had frozen over and they had thought it would be fun to go skating. But they didn’t have any skates. And anyway, they didn’t feel much like having fun … even if it was Christmas Day.
    “Have you learnt anything since you got here?” Jill asked.
    David considered. “Not really,” he admitted. “But then there are never any tests or exams or anything so it doesn’t really seem to matter.”
    “Well, I’ve learnt one thing.” Jill picked up a stone and threw it across the lake. It hit the ice and slithered into a tangle of weeds. “The boat comes every Tuesday. Captain Bloodbath unloads all the supplies and then he and Gregor drive up to the school. So for about one hour there’s nobody on the boat.”
    “What of it?” David asked, suddenly interested.
    “The day after Boxing Day is a Tuesday. And when they’re up at the school there is going to be somebody on the boat. Me.”
    “But there’s nowhere to hide.” David had been with Jill when she had examined the boat a week before. “We looked.”
    “There isn’t room for two,” Jill admitted. “But I reckon one of us can squeeze inside the cabin. There’s a heap of old rags on the floor. I think I can hide underneath.”
    “So you’re really going.” David couldn’t help feeling sad as he spoke the words. Jill was his only true friend in the school. With her gone, he would be more alone than ever.
    “I’ve got to go, David,” Jill said. “If I stay here much longer I’m going to go crazy … like Jeffrey. But once I’m