Chapter 2
Issy managed to escape a confrontation with Ray's gang at the gates for almost a week after the day Nico arrived. This gave her a sense of trepidation, as she knew it couldn't last. Sure enough, her luck ran out one day as she walked down a dilapidated and deserted street on her way back to the cottage, and noticed Ray and his gang up ahead of her. They were walking in her direction, so she instantly slowed her pace and hoped she wouldn't catch up with them. One of them pointed to something on the ground with a bark of laughter, and the others laughed too. They stopped, and gathered round whatever it was on the ground. Issy crept closer, feeling curious despite herself. Bile rose in her throat when she saw what it was they were laughing at. An injured wren was hopping lopsidedly along the pavement, trailing its wing behind it and tweeting softly. With mounting horror Issy watched as Ray aimed a kick at the little bird, and the others joined in. Finally Issy could bear it no longer. Crying out "What do you think you're doing?" she ran towards them.
"What do you think you're doing?" Nico heard the angry shout and turned, and was astonished to see Issy push through the circle of boys and kneel to the ground beside the wren. Very gently she picked it up and cradled it in her hands, holding it close to her heart. Her hair fell forward, shielding her face and the bird from view. Around him Ray and the others were laughing hysterically at the turn of events, but Nico heard them as if from a great distance. He couldn't take his eyes off Issy. She sat very still, hiding behind her curtain of black hair. Only Nico was watching closely, so only Nico could be sure of what he saw.
He saw Issy hold out her hands. He saw the wren spread its wings and fly away, both wings working perfectly. He saw Issy watch it escape, her vivid blue eyes shining with happiness for just a moment, the bright sun illuminating her face. The wren's blood was still on her white shirt and on her hands.
The atmosphere shifted. The laughter died away, and a tense silence took its place. The circle of boys closed in around Issy. Even the sun hid behind a cloud. The air crackled with suspense. She sensed the change, and Nico saw fear cloud her features as she looked at the confused and afraid expressions of the people around her. Slowly, very slowly, she rose to her feet. "How did you do that?" asked Ray in an unnaturally loud and harsh voice. She spun round to face him. "What the hell did you just do?" asked Ray again. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. "Witch", spat Ray. A whisper went around the circle as the other boys repeated "witch" in undertones. The word seemed to snap her out of her trance, her eyes flicked frantically from side to side as she searched for a way out. Nico looked from Issy to Ray with rising panic. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" shouted Ray suddenly. Issy tried to run, but Ray had the first stone in his fist before she'd gone three paces. It missed and hit the ground just short of her. Thunder roared overhead as more clouds gathered in the sky, and the rest of the gang joined in. One hit her at the back of the neck; she stumbled but kept running. Another hit the side of her head, causing her to trip and fall. Her satchel split open, spewing her possessions onto the pavement. She desperately tried to gather up her things, but Ray's last stone hit her squarely on the head. She looked back at her tormentors for a moment with scarlet blood streaming down her face, before she fled, leaving her things behind.
Nico watched her go feeling hollow inside. His heart was thumping in his chest. Ray came and stood beside him, and asked Nico if he was up for hanging out with him and the lads. "Wha... er... sorry, man, I can't tonight. Er... got to help my mum with the unpacking." It was a lame excuse, but Ray didn't argue. "Whatever" he said to Nico, before leaving with the rest of his gang. Nico waited until they'd gone before going to the place where Issy had dropped her things. The first drop of ice cold rain hit his cheek as he crouched down and looked at what she'd left. A large book with 'Ismira Gilderien' written on the cardboard cover in loopy, elegant handwriting caught his eye. He picked it up, and opened it. To his amazement it was filled with the most beautiful black and white pencil drawings, all of fairytale creatures. Majestic unicorns, cheeky looking elves, fire-breathing dragons, delicate fairies... They were so expertly drawn they seemed almost real. The cover had ripped when Issy fell, and as Nico had been absorbed in the sketchbook he didn't notice the few drops of rain turn into a torrential downpour. The book was going to be ruined. Nico made up his mind. He tucked the sketchbook safely into his schoolbag, and resolved to give it back to Issy the next day.
He was quiet all evening. His mum noticed, and asked in a falsely-cheery tone "How was school, Nico?" when she normally wouldn't have bothered. He responded with a monosyllabic grunt, before escaping to his room. He didn't reappear for dinner when his dad got home, as he'd felt vaguely sick since the incident with the wren and had no appetite. A strange feeling was pressing on his mind – guilt - that was what it was. He hadn't joined in, but he'd still stood there and watched his mates throw rocks at Issy. He'd let it happen, and that wasn't like him. With his thoughts running round in circles, Nico finally sank into an uneasy, restless sleep.
Issy made her way home, ignoring the perplexed and horrified stares of passers-by when they saw the blood on her face. She'd tried healing herself, but her baby-magic wasn't working like it normally did. She knew this should alarm her, but she was too preoccupied with fighting the pain to think about it then. She'd intended to sneak into the cottage the back way and avoid an interrogation from the witches, but as always they were a step ahead of her. She opened the back door and nearly collided with Impusa, who fixed Issy with her cold stare and hissed "What. Did. You. Do?" in her deadliest tone of voice. "It's nothing to do with you!" choked Issy as she shoved Impusa aside and ran upstairs to the bathroom.
No sooner had she slammed the door shut than it burst open again, and Impusa swept in, her long black skirt swishing. Feeling dizzy, Issy gripped the sides of the sink for support. Her mouth was full of the sickly-sweet, metallic taste of blood. "Tell me, child. What happened?" asked Impusa. Too weak to argue, Issy said "I... used magic. They didn't like it". A drop of blood from the wound rolled down Issy's face and into the sink. Her blood looked black against the white ceramic. Issy grudgingly told Impusa the rest of the story. "Well" said Impusa. "I've been wondering why you're not capable of using real magic yet, but now I see. You waste your gifts on wrens and other small helpless creatures. All you can do is baby-magic. You'll never be able to do any real magic if you continue to fritter away your powers like this. Why should it matter to you if one bird dies? You're weak, child. Eventually, you must face up to who you are."
Issy sat awake for hours that night, resting her forehead against the cool glass of her window. It helped her think. Deep in her heart she knew Impusa was right, and she hated it. Baby-magic wouldn't last forever. She was kidding herself to think that if she ignored her powers maybe they'd go away, for magic doesn't work like that. The magic inside her would grow stronger as her baby-magic grew weaker. She remembered that she hadn't been able to heal herself that day and felt a twinge of uncertainty and fear. Then another thought yet more terrible struck her! She'd have to see Ray and Nico and all that lot at school tomorrow. How would they behave? Would they have told anyone else? Issy felt scared and achingly lonely. She looked out at the familiar forest, and saw a ray of silver light split the darkness. One of her beloved unicorns cantered out from the shelter of the trees and looked up at her. She recognised Aiedail, and just the sight of him made her feel braver. Of course she wasn't alone! She blew him a kiss, before finally moving away from the window and going to bed.
When he entered the form room the next day, Nico looked around anxiously for Issy and was relieved to see her sat in her usual place. He spent the whole of registration trying to catch her eye, but to his dismay she didn't look in his direction once. When the bell went she got up and left before anyone else. Nico hurried after her, and glimpsed her at the end of the corridor. "Issy!" he called. She stopped and turned, which gave him a chance to catch up with her. She still refused to meet his eye, looking down at her feet as he rummaged in his bag for the sketchbook. "Er... here", he said, handing it to her. She gasped when she saw the sketchbook. She ran her hand over the smooth cardboard cover, then opened it and traced her finger over the pencil lines of a drawing of a unicorn. She seemed lost in her own world and Nico was just about to leave when she shut the book and shoved it back into his hands. "Keep it", she said. "I don't want it any more". He looked uncertainly at the book in his hands, then up at Issy. Her face was curiously blank. "You know Ray and that lot" she said hesitantly. "Are they your friends?" Nico was put out by the question. He ran his hand through his hair as he tried to form a coherent answer. "Er... I dunno... I guess so". She looked at him with her startlingly blue eyes for a moment, long enough to make him feel uncomfortable, before walking away. "With friends like that, who needs enemies?" she said over her shoulder as she left.
Nico felt a prickle at the back of his neck, the kind you get when you're being watched. He turned and saw Ray and his gang staring at him. Ray's expression was indifferent, but the others were clearly giving him a look that said you're dead later. Had they seen him with Issy? They must have done. Shit.
