whispering, observers returned to the party, delighted with the night’s
entertainment.
‘Kitty, are you OK?’ Lis reached down to the taller girl.
‘Yeah, I think so.’ She checked herself for wounds. ‘God, what a total bitch!’
‘Well that’s hardly headline news,’ commented Jack in a shy voice.
‘Let’s go, this party was a bad idea.’ Kitty hauled her lanky frame up.
Danny shrugged his shoulders as if the whole thing had somehow been his fault. ‘I’m so sorry, Kitty.’
‘You don’t have to apologise for Laura Rigg,’ Delilah stated simply. ‘She’s her parents’ fault. They should have drowned her at birth.’
Kitty and Jack were already at the door.
‘Wait!’ Lis said, her heart in her mouth. ‘I wanna come with you.’
Kitty turned back, a smile on her lips. ‘Really? Defecting so soon? What would Laura have to say about that?’
‘I . . . I don’t care.’
‘I think you do. We’ll be in touch.’ Kitty blew her a kiss and swept out of the front door. Delilah followed, leaving Lis on the stairs with Danny, but wishing more than
anything that she could depart with Team Kitty. Lis couldn’t ignore it any more, there was . . . something about them and she wanted a piece of it. As she watched the trio walk away
into the night, they seemed so . . . free . Lis didn’t want to be on Laura Rigg’s leash for a second longer.
Aftermath
By the following Monday morning, the novelty of a new start in Hollow Pike had completely worn off and Lis felt school-sick. She’d lain in bed well past her alarm and was
now running considerably late. She toyed with the idea of trying to convince Sarah she was ill, but knew her sister would only call upon her to make the mature, adult choice as to whether she was
well enough to attend school, and then she’d only end up feeling guilty if she stayed home.
Cornflakes formed a dry, pulpy mass in her mouth, impossible to swallow.
Sarah shrewdly regarded her across the kitchen table as she fed Lis’s little nephew, Logan. ‘What’s up, kiddo?’
‘Nothing.’ Automatic response.
‘Don’t believe you . . .’ Her sister smiled.
‘I’m fine. It’s just early.’
‘Is it school?’
‘Nope.’
‘That Laura girl?’
Yes. ‘Nope.’
‘Your teacher . . . Mr Gray, is it?’
Lis let herself laugh. Sarah wasn’t going to let it go. ‘Good lord, Sarah, everything is fine! Mr Gray is lovely! Satisfied?’
‘He seems nice . . . quite a looker too! Maybe I’ll bob along to his adult Spanish classes . . .’
‘If you do, I’ll emancipate myself from you!’ Lis grinned. Sarah guffawed loudly as Lis ditched her soggy cereal in the sink and turned the tap on, squashing the cornflakes
down the plughole.
After a second of processing the image before her, she took a step back. ‘Sarah?’ she said.
‘What?’
‘Look at this.’
Sarah heaved Logan onto her hip and shuffled over to the sink. ‘What is it? And please don’t put food down the sink, the drains get blocked.’
‘OK, but look.’ Lis motioned at the gurgling water.
‘I’m looking. There’s nothing there.’
‘The water is going down the plughole the wrong way! It should be going anti-clockwise.’
Sarah looked at her with sisterly disdain. ‘Ha! That’s an old wives’ tale. Or maybe it’s magic!’
Lis’s head snapped up at that. ‘What?’
‘You know – the whole Hollow Pike witch thang.’
‘Did you just say thang ?’
‘Yeah, I’m still down with the kids.’ Sarah winked. ‘When Max and I first moved here, we went on this witch tour one Halloween. It’s true, you know, there were
witches in Hollow Pike. The town’s supposed to be cursed or something.’
‘But years and years ago, right?’
‘Well, obviously. The tour was so naff, it was hilarious. We should go on it this year.’
Lis had dismissed Harry and Laura’s talk as nonsense, but coming from her sister, the witchcraft legends were suddenly real. And fascinating. Sarah
entertainment.
‘Kitty, are you OK?’ Lis reached down to the taller girl.
‘Yeah, I think so.’ She checked herself for wounds. ‘God, what a total bitch!’
‘Well that’s hardly headline news,’ commented Jack in a shy voice.
‘Let’s go, this party was a bad idea.’ Kitty hauled her lanky frame up.
Danny shrugged his shoulders as if the whole thing had somehow been his fault. ‘I’m so sorry, Kitty.’
‘You don’t have to apologise for Laura Rigg,’ Delilah stated simply. ‘She’s her parents’ fault. They should have drowned her at birth.’
Kitty and Jack were already at the door.
‘Wait!’ Lis said, her heart in her mouth. ‘I wanna come with you.’
Kitty turned back, a smile on her lips. ‘Really? Defecting so soon? What would Laura have to say about that?’
‘I . . . I don’t care.’
‘I think you do. We’ll be in touch.’ Kitty blew her a kiss and swept out of the front door. Delilah followed, leaving Lis on the stairs with Danny, but wishing more than
anything that she could depart with Team Kitty. Lis couldn’t ignore it any more, there was . . . something about them and she wanted a piece of it. As she watched the trio walk away
into the night, they seemed so . . . free . Lis didn’t want to be on Laura Rigg’s leash for a second longer.
Aftermath
By the following Monday morning, the novelty of a new start in Hollow Pike had completely worn off and Lis felt school-sick. She’d lain in bed well past her alarm and was
now running considerably late. She toyed with the idea of trying to convince Sarah she was ill, but knew her sister would only call upon her to make the mature, adult choice as to whether she was
well enough to attend school, and then she’d only end up feeling guilty if she stayed home.
Cornflakes formed a dry, pulpy mass in her mouth, impossible to swallow.
Sarah shrewdly regarded her across the kitchen table as she fed Lis’s little nephew, Logan. ‘What’s up, kiddo?’
‘Nothing.’ Automatic response.
‘Don’t believe you . . .’ Her sister smiled.
‘I’m fine. It’s just early.’
‘Is it school?’
‘Nope.’
‘That Laura girl?’
Yes. ‘Nope.’
‘Your teacher . . . Mr Gray, is it?’
Lis let herself laugh. Sarah wasn’t going to let it go. ‘Good lord, Sarah, everything is fine! Mr Gray is lovely! Satisfied?’
‘He seems nice . . . quite a looker too! Maybe I’ll bob along to his adult Spanish classes . . .’
‘If you do, I’ll emancipate myself from you!’ Lis grinned. Sarah guffawed loudly as Lis ditched her soggy cereal in the sink and turned the tap on, squashing the cornflakes
down the plughole.
After a second of processing the image before her, she took a step back. ‘Sarah?’ she said.
‘What?’
‘Look at this.’
Sarah heaved Logan onto her hip and shuffled over to the sink. ‘What is it? And please don’t put food down the sink, the drains get blocked.’
‘OK, but look.’ Lis motioned at the gurgling water.
‘I’m looking. There’s nothing there.’
‘The water is going down the plughole the wrong way! It should be going anti-clockwise.’
Sarah looked at her with sisterly disdain. ‘Ha! That’s an old wives’ tale. Or maybe it’s magic!’
Lis’s head snapped up at that. ‘What?’
‘You know – the whole Hollow Pike witch thang.’
‘Did you just say thang ?’
‘Yeah, I’m still down with the kids.’ Sarah winked. ‘When Max and I first moved here, we went on this witch tour one Halloween. It’s true, you know, there were
witches in Hollow Pike. The town’s supposed to be cursed or something.’
‘But years and years ago, right?’
‘Well, obviously. The tour was so naff, it was hilarious. We should go on it this year.’
Lis had dismissed Harry and Laura’s talk as nonsense, but coming from her sister, the witchcraft legends were suddenly real. And fascinating. Sarah
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