Ethel still felt gloomy and depressed when she woke up the next day. She'd been allowed to wake up a bit later today because Miss Cackle had excused her from classes; Ethel told herself she needed to thank Drusilla for her efforts. She was told to go to Miss Cackle's office first thing so she pulled herself from her bed, got dressed, done her hair and went Miss Cackle's office.
After a few soft knocks Ethel walked in, Miss Cackle offered her a seat and began to speak.
"Ethel, I understand your concern for your sister, do you not have any idea whatsoever about her whereabouts?" Cackle spoke,
Ethel mentally scoffed, would I be going out of my mind with worry if I knew where she was? Stupid bitch….. Ethel thought, but daren't say it out loud, "No, Miss, I have no Idea where she is."
"It's very unlike Sybil. She was always such a sensible girl." Miss Cackle said, Ethel hated the way she referred to her in the past tense, "Ethel, this is a very important year for you, I understand this is a very difficult time for you and your family, I would say take all the time you need, but you have very important exams coming up."
"I understand Miss, I'll be back in classes whenever you see fit." Ethel said, not in the mood to contend with her decision.
"In that case, I want you back in class tomorrow." Cackle said, Ethel nodded and left the office and went back up to her own room.
She'd been reading a book in her room when she heard a knock at her door, before Ethel could give permission for the person on the other side of the door to enter, Mildred Hubble had already let herself in.
"I wanted to see if you were ok." Mildred said gingerly, Ethel looked at her in disbelief and scoffed,
"Why, we've never given two shits about each other before?" Ethel spat, Mildred hardly ever heard Ethel swear, Enid swore like an army Sargent when they were in the DOBS den, so did Fenny and Gris.
"That may be." Mildred said "But that doesn't mean I want to see you like this, when you had that outburst-"
"I'd hardly call it an outburst." Ethel said coolly.
"Call it what you like, but we're worried about you, all of us." Mildred said sincerely, Ethel slowly got up off her bed and walked over to Mildred, not taking her eyes off her, Ethel's determination to stare her down made Mildred feel uneasy,
"And will your worry find Sybil? Will your worry help me find her?" Ethel spoke in a demanding manner; Mildred was at a loss for words,
"Ethel-" She stuttered,
"Get out Hubble." Ethel spat, being in no mood for Mildred to waste her time, Ethel turned her back to the brunette witch, hearing the thud of a closing door as she exited.
Ethel finally caught up with Drusilla at dinner and thanked her, Drusilla replied with a curt smile, of course, to Ethel's heartache, Sybil was once again the topic of everyone's discussions, she couldn't bare all this speculation, she'd outright refused to believe some of the more outrageous rumours, like the rumour that she's believed to be dead, or got mauled to death by wolves and many more, Ethel could not believe how insensitive they were being, Ethel, once again, was about to go into a flaring temper, tell everyone where they could stick their speculations, when Miss Hardbroom appeared out of thin air, as she so often did.
"What is the meaning of all this wild chatter?" Miss Hardbroom said in her distinctive stern tone,
"No one's seen hide or hair of Sybil Hallow for almost two months Miss Hardbroom, we were just-" Enid Nightshade began, only to be hastily interrupted by Miss Hardbroom,
"You were just speculating, allowing your imagination to conjure up all sorts of ridiculous theories which will no doubt cause even more distress for Ethel, I imagine she already has all sorts running through her mind without you adding to it, and what I'm about to say next goes for all of you, Wherever or whoever Sybil Hallow is with, with the exception of Ethel, Is of no business of yours, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Miss Hardbroom." Says everyone in the Great hall, Ethel buried her face in her hands, she just wanted to see Sybil. After eating all her soup she went over to Miss Cackle,
"Miss Cackle." Ethel spoke, "I was wondering if I might return to classes today instead of tomorrow, I need to keep myself busy."
"Very well, Ethel." Was all Miss Cackle said, and Ethel set off to potions class with Drusilla in tow.
Ethel Hallow had never been gladder to be sitting in potions class, for an hour at least it would take her mind off Sybil, it was the therapy she so desperately needed, Ethel absentmindedly watched her cauldron brew for a while, until Miss Hardbroom's harsh voice pierced through the silence which, until then had only been accompanied by the bubbling of cauldrons,
"I expect homework to be in by tomorrow, no exceptions." She spoke as the class filed out of the room, Ethel's next class was chanting, she despised chanting whereas Sybil simply adored it, one of the many differences between them, Ethel didn't care how different they were, it doesn't change the fact that Sybil is her sister.
Today's chanting lesson was not a practical one, but a theory lesson, which meant they'd be writing, Ethel went upstairs to get a few books that she needed when she decided to take a detour before going back to class, and she decided the destination of that detour would be Sybil's room.
She walked into Sybil's room to find it was just the way she'd left it before they left for half term, books were scattered on her desk, her bed sheets untidy, her clarinet slung on her bed with one half sticking out of her bed sheets, but Ethel only had her eyes on one thing, the picture of her and Sybil. That picture had been taken in the summer before Sybil's first year at Cackles, Ethel took a good look at herself in that photo, like she didn't want to be there, it made her feel…ashamed.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, Clarice Crow came bursting through the door, startling Ethel,
"Ethel, I've been looking for you everywhere." She said with a trembling voice, Ethel had a terrible feeling in her stomach, she didn't like the look on Clarice's face, "You-You need to see this."
"Clarice what's happened?" Ethel said urgently,
"Ethel just– you need to go downstairs." She said, stumbling over her words, the worry in her voice made Ethel feel sick, Ethel broke into a half-run as she went down the stairs but stopped dead in her tracks on the top of the stairs when she saw her standing in the main hallway. There she stood, clad in a black leather jacket and looking a little more paler than when Ethel last saw her, her eyes glittered darkly, but her face was without expression, she looked more mature, completely different to the weepy, scared girl who'd came through walker's gate three years ago, this new Sybil sparked fear in Ethel.
Miss Cackle came rushing into the hallway and when she saw Sybil, she looked like she'd seen a ghost, Miss Hardbroom followed after, they both stared at Sybil in shock, but Sybil didn't so much as glance at either of them, she was too busy staring intensely at Ethel, whose breathing was slowly becoming more rapid by the second, Ethel wanted so badly to run up to her and embrace her in a bone-crushing hug, but something told Ethel that Sybil was in no mood for the sisterly reunion Ethel craved.
Sybil ascended the stairs so that she was face to face with Ethel, Sybil wasn't facing her, she was looking ahead at the corridor in front of her,
"Sybil." Ethel said, feeling like she'd been holding her breath for ages, she reached out and gently put her hand on Sybil's left arm, Sybil slowly turned her head and looked at her with a cold indifference, that look cut through Ethel like a knife. Sybil turned away from Ethel, not saying anything to her and completely ignoring Clarice and skulked off to her room, leaving a distraught Ethel on the staircase.