The Scars We Bear
Here is the next installment! Thank you for the review!
Chapter 8: The Things That Go Bump In The Night
Something had woken her, a noise, obviously it had to have been a noise. A sort of thump, a distant creak, like someone stepping on an excessively squeaky floorboard, or opening a door on squeaky hinges. Perhaps that was it. Someone had opened a door and it banged against the wall. Probably one of her classmates messing about. Right?
But as Leah lay in bed, listening, she couldn't help but feel although something was off. Wrong. A lingering feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. For somewhere out there, a very unpleasant creature was lurking in the darkness, waiting to strike.
o0o
When the next morning rolled around, Leah still had that bad feeling. It stayed with her as she and Eva joined Hannah and Tansy in the hall for breakfast (cold, lumpy porridge). It tugged annoyingly at her insides as they brewed invisibility potions with HB (easy), sang an out of tune rendition of Eye of Toad with Miss Bat (why?), and gathered for lunch (an unidentifiable greenish concoction) in the hall.
There, they caught whispered words of warning between the older students.
"Cackle's in a horrible mood today!"
"Have you seen Cackle?"
"What's up with Miss Cackle?"
"Watch out for Cackle. She's on the warpath!"
After that, Leah couldn't help but chew her bottom lip worriedly as they filed into the spells classroom. It didn't take long for the first years to find out what the older girls had been referring to.
When Miss Cackle swept into the room, Leah could immediately sense that something was off. Her usual kindly mannerisms were absent, replaced instead, by something else. Something. . .colder. Leah watched her every move with neurotic obsession, determined not to be taken off guard. Chancing a look at Eva, she saw that her sister was doing much the same. They were both nervous.
No sooner had class started, than Miss Cackle was snapping at everyone who dared stick a toe out of line. She hurled a textbook at Adrianna Adderfang, who luckily managed to dodge it, for whispering to her neighbor and turned Carolina Blackwood into a frog for answering a question wrong.
By the time it was Leah's turn to try the spell they were learning, which was supposed to revive a dying plant, she was petrified. She spoke the words in a shaky voice and when she flicked her fingers, her hands trembled. Suddenly, there was a pop and a crash as the potted plant she'd been aiming for exploded and fell to the floor in pieces. She'd said the words wrong.
Miss Cackle turned furious eyes on her and Leah gulped. "Look what you've done, you foolish girl!" She yelled.
"Look at the mess you've made, you foolish girl!" Grandmother's voice rose in anger, and she slapped the tiny girl before her.
"I-I'm s-sorry, Miss C-Cackle." Leah stammered.
"Well don't just sit there, clean it up!"
"What are you waiting for! Clean it up!" Grandmother shoved her to the ground and she landed in the pile of broken glass, the sharp pieces digging into her hands and knees and smudging the marble floor with crimson.
Before she knew what was happening, Miss Cackle had grabbed her and dragged her out of her seat and pushed her to the front of the room. She stumbled and fell into the shards of broken pottery.
"Leah!" Eva exclaimed as she stood up.
"Quiet, girl! This is what happens when you make foolish mistakes!" Miss Cackle snapped.
"Get on with it then! I don't want to see you again until you've finished your errand!" Grandmother barked. "And no more foolish mistakes, or your dear sister will pay the price!"
Leah waved her bloody hands and the mess vanished, but the teacher only seemed to get angrier.
"I didn't mean with magic, girl!" She yelled, and when Leah stood and turned around, she backhanded her hard across the face.
Leah's eyes widened in terror as she stumbled back against Miss Cackle's desk, her fingers wrapping around the edge until her knuckles turned white. Everything around her faded into insignificance as she fought the invisible hand that was squeezing her lungs, making every breath a near impossibility. She couldn't control the panic that had begun to envelope her.
Eva didn't know what to do. She could hardly stand against the headmistress, but she couldn't just stand by and watch her sister be hurt. Again. "Stop it! Can't you see you've hurt her? She's scared!"
"Did I not tell you to be quiet, girl? Be quiet! And you!" She turned back to Leah then. "Get back to your seat!"
Leah didn't move. She was frozen to the spot, trembling in fear and struggling to control her breathing.
"Go!" The woman reached out to grab her again, but Leah threw herself out of the way and pressed herself against the wall.
"Stay away from me!"
"Don't give me orders, girl!" Miss Cackle snapped. She turned, looking ready to hit her pupil again, but Leah saw it coming. In a second, she had disappeared in a swirl of blue smoke, leaving behind the rest of the class in a stunned silence.
There was a long moment of dead silence while the first years didn't even dare to whisper to each other and Miss Cackle stared at the spot Leah had been, in what appeared to be shock.
That's weird. Thought Eva. She knows we can transfer - she's seen us do it before. Why is she so surprised?
Before she could contemplate that thought further, Miss Cackle spun around to face them and the class continued as if nothing had happened.
o0o
Leah reappeared in a small dark room. It was one of the many secret rooms they'd discovered in the summer. She snapped her fingers and a candle flickered to life, casting eerie shadows around the room. The blood on her hands glistened in the dim light.
No one would find her here. She was safe. The room was located above a storeroom on the second floor. There was a trap door in the ceiling of the storeroom and they'd discovered that when you pulled it open a rope ladder would slide down. The room was small, windowless and mostly empty. The only source of light came from the candles mounted on the wall. They were ancient, and when you lit them there was a brief but distinct smell of burning dust and wax had dripped down onto the floor in small dusty mounds. There were a lot of boxes and crates in the room and they too, were coated in dust.
Leah curled up behind a stack of these boxes and stayed there. No one will find me here. She knew it was too good to be true, but she had foolishly believed they would be safe anyway. Had tried her best to learn to trust them. What a mistake that was. They had said they cared, but that was nothing but a lie. Of course they didn't really care. No one did and no one ever would. She was stupid to believe they did.
Tears gathered in her eyes and ran down her pale cheeks as she cried softly to herself. What did I ever do to deserve all this hatred?
o0o
Several years ago
Eva was away running an 'errand' for their grandmother, leaving Leah alone in the castle with the Queen of Hearts. She had no idea what Eva was doing this time around but she absolutely hated being alone with their grandmother.
That was why she was currently curled up, hugging her knees, as she hid in a rather dark storeroom. Grandmother never went in the storerooms so she, theoretically, wouldn't find her here. Leah was still scared though. She could still feel the sting in her cheek from the last backhand and the searing pain of the burning curse that had hit her legs. The healing spell she'd used to heal the angry, blistering burns had helped, but it was still painful.
She won't find you here, don't worry.
She stared into the flame of the candle she held in her hands and watched the tiny flame flicker, casting long, dancing shadows on the walls. She was determined not to let her fear get the better of her. Fire was a dangerous thing, she'd learnt that lesson long ago. One of grandmother's favourite ways to punish them was with fire. She seemed to enjoy the way they screamed when it scorched their skin.
You're in control. It can't hurt you as long as you're in control.
Leah spread her fingers and watched the candle, in its holder, levitate and float in front of her. She slowly dropped her hands, holding the candle steady with her magic and not even using her hands to channel it. Concentrating hard, she kept it floating, channeling her magic with her mind alone.
Suddenly, heels clicked down the corridor outside and Leah's eyes snapped open. She snatched the candle out of the air before it could fall and the flame winked out, plunging her into darkness. She could feel herself trembling as the footfalls grew nearer.
She won't look in here. She won't find you. She won't look in here. Shewon'tlookinhere. She won't. Calm down. Calmdowncalmdowndontpanic.
Leah vanished the candle and pressed her hands to her ears, closing her eyes as the sharp footfalls grew nearer.
Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. If you panic she'll hear you. Don't panic. If you stay silent she won't look in here. You'll be okay.
I'll never be okay. Everyone hates me. I want Eva. I wish Eva were here.
I'll never be okay.
o0o
Eva strode away from the classroom and wove her way through the crowd of girls that were switching classes. For a while she ignored Hannah and Tansy's voices calling after her but then they caught up with her and she sighed.
"Eva! Where are you going?" Hannah questioned.
Eva turned sharply. "I have to find Leah and make sure she's okay."
"We'll help you." Tansy offered.
Eva shook her head. "No. Just go to class, okay? I really don't think the extra attention will help right now. In fact, I know it won't."
With that said, she turned and hurried off. She didn't intentionally mean to come off as rude, she just wasn't very good at dealing with people.
She looked everywhere. Their bedroom, the infirmary, the towers. The secret rooms off the library and the classrooms. Eventually, she found herself standing in the corridor, unsure of where to look next. Leah was brilliant when it came to hiding. If she didn't want to be found, she wouldn't be.
As she rounded a corner, she cursed her bad luck. She had come face to face with Miss Hardbroom, who didn't look any to pleased to see her when she should have been in class.
"Miss Mills. What do you think you are doing outside of class?" She questioned and crossed her arms.
"Please Miss. I'm trying to find Leah. You haven't seen her have you?" Eva answered.
"Perhaps you should check Miss Gimlet's classroom."
Eva shook her head. "She's not there Miss. There was an. . .incident in spells. Miss Cackle was acting really strange and it was making her really nervous. She said the spell wrong and blew up the potted plant and Miss Cackle just lost it on her. I've never seen her like that, Miss. It-it got physical."
Miss Hardbroom eyed her, as if trying to decide whether she was telling the truth.
"She hit her, Miss. And pushed her down. She cut her hands on the broken pottery. She was really scared and transferred off somewhere. I haven't seen her since." Eva continued. "Why did you lie to us, Miss?"
"I didn't." She replied. She had relaxed slightly and her expression had softened. She looked around briefly before lowering her voice. "From what you've told me, that's not Miss Cackle."
Eva frowned. "I'm afraid I don't follow, Miss."
"You're not the only one around here with an identical twin, Eva."
Eva's eyes widened in realization. "Miss Cackle has a twin sister?"
Miss Hardbroom nodded. "Agatha Cackle. She's a nasty piece of work, Eva, she believes the school should be hers."
"You mean she's trying to take over? Without us noticing?"
"Exactly. Now, off to class with you. I'll find your sister." She said.
"Miss, I really don't think she'll -" Eva started to protest, but Miss Hardbroom silenced her with a glare. "At the double!"
Eva quickly hurried off, secretly hoping her teacher wouldn't find her sister. She feared it would make matters worse. What 'Miss Cackle' had done had broken Leah's delicate partial trust and she likely thought that everything they'd come to know and everyone who'd shown them kindness was a lie, including their usually strict form mistress, who had promised to protect them.
Constance cursed herself for dismissing 'Amelia's' strange behaviour earlier that day. After all, everyone had off days. They had all thought they'd seen the last of Agatha when they'd banished her from the premises almost two years prior. Apparently they had been mistaken and she'd been busy cooking up another plan to takeover. A plan set to fail. Now, thanks to her earlier false judgment, she had one traumatized witchling and one missing headmistress to find. And one more class to teach as well.
She gave the main floor a once over before heading upstairs to scour the dormitories. As she walked down a corridor on the third floor, she heard a muffled sound from behind a wall. Now, Constance knew every nook and cranny of the castle she called home, so she knew that beyond that wall was a secret room one could access from a storeroom on the floor below. In other words, a perfect hiding place.
She crossed her arms and dematerialized, only to reappear a moment later in the room on the other side of the wall in question. She surveyed the room, noting the flickering candle, which was a telltale sign that someone was - or had been - there. She peered around the boxes until she found the small, trembling girl she'd been searching for.
Leah jumped and shrunk back when she saw the potions mistress. She briefly considered transferring away but her teacher stopped her.
"Don't even think about it, young lady. I have been looking everywhere for you and so has your sister." She said, as if she had read her mind.
Leah blinked. "You-you were helping Eva look for me?"
"I found her in the corridor and sent her to class after I told her I'd look for you." She said, before kneeling down to be on eye level with the girl. "I'm going to tell you what I told Eva, okay?"
"What's that, Miss?" Leah questioned, and there was a glimmer of that guarded curiosity in her blue eyes.
"The woman who took your spells class is not Amelia Cackle, but her twin sister, Agatha Cackle."
"Miss Cackle has a twin?" Leah's jaw dropped.
"That she does, but Agatha is a piece of work. She has always been jealous of her sister and believes the school should be hers."
"How do I know you're not lying? That Miss Cackle really does have a twin?" Leah questioned, unwilling to believe without actual proof.
"Miss Cackle is the kindest witch I know. She would never hurt anyone, let alone one of her pupils."
"She hurt me." Leah whispered as her eyes trained on her hands.
Constance sighed. How could she get this damaged girl to trust her? "Agatha Cackle wears thick, round glasses. She's as blind as a bat without them. If you see 'Miss Cackle' with classes like that you'll know I'm telling truth." She said.
Leah frowned, and her gears turned. "She did suddenly have this weird squint - like she couldn't see properly. She must have taken Miss Cackle's glasses, but why not just transmogrify her own? For anyone who knows the both of them, the squint would be a dead give away."
"Agatha never was the quickest witch on the broom." She replied and gave a small smile.
Leah giggled in response.
"Now. Eva said you cut your hands. Let me have a look." Constance continued.
Leah obediently held out her hands to show that she'd healed her injuries and Constance nodded her approval. "Did you heal them yourself?"
"Yes, Miss. Eva and I often had to heal each other." Leah's eyes trained on the floor then.
"Well, I must say, you did a good job. Shall we get out of this dusty old room now? I have ingredients to set out for the third years, and you're going to help me. There's hardly a point in sending you to your class when there's less than 15 minutes left." Said Constance. Privately, she thought Leah would learn more from helping her with potions ingredients than from jewelry design class.
Leah looked up. "But what about Agatha? Where's our Miss Cackle? What if she tries to hurt me again?"
"I won't let her. As for Miss Cackle, you have last period free, don't you? You can look around and try and find her. Chances are she's still here somewhere."
Leah nodded tentatively in agreement and stood up. Miss Hardbroom crossed her arms and transported them both to the potions lab.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and please review!
Happy Holidays!
