Inferno
The Deleted Scenes
Ten
(From the Epilogue)
The poker game was in full swing, and Amelia was quite enjoying herself when a series of thuds, magical crackles and high-pitched screams from above them halted the betting in its tracks.
"What on earth was that?" asked Imogen.
"It came from the direction of Constance's room," said Davina conversationally, looking up from her music stand at the ceiling.
Amelia, Imogen and Algernon all stood up at the same time as if they had been electrocuted. Amelia was about to lead the rush out of the door towards her deputy's room in order to save her from whatever devilish force was attacking her when she was saved the trouble by Constance's appearance in the staffroom. She did not appear to be any the worse from whatever skirmish might just have occurred, and indeed, Amelia might have concluded that there was nothing out of the ordinary going on had it not been for the light dusting of feathers that were adhering to her hair.
"Constance?" she began timidly, but tailed off on seeing the expression on the potions teacher's face.
"Will someone please explain," Constance began in a low and dangerous voice, "how come my bedroom has been invaded by a man in a red evening gown who is..." she paused, "who was insistent on telling me that I should keep my hair down more often and that I would look particularly fetching in a black leather catsuit?"
Amelia was dumbstruck, but luckily Algernon had a ready reply.
"Erm, was the man's name Dennis, by any chance?"
"I didn't think to ask," said Constance, her expression appalled. "Given the circumstances I thought that social etiquette was the least of my concerns!"
Before Algernon could explain the appearance of the mysterious Dennis any further, the discussion in the staffroom was interrupted by a scream from the courtyard outside.
"DENNIS!"
A few moments later, the sound of running footsteps passed by the staffroom door. Amelia opened it and the occupants peered out, just in time to see a young woman with ink-stains up her arms and hands clawed from writer's cramp coming along the corridor towards them, holding a broomstick in one hand and dragging a... well, Amelia assumed it was a man... by the scruff of the neck in the other. She stopped outside the staffroom and waved the broomstick cheerily.
"Don't mind me," she said. "My name's Kimmeth. Just come to collect Dennis. Great work defeating Agatha by the way. Can't wait to see what happens when the Devil comes back!"
The young woman disappeared off down the corridor, leaving the staff of Cackle's Academy gaping after her. It was several minutes before anyone could speak again.
"Well," said Davina. "That was... unexpected."
"Yes," agreed Amelia, closing the staffroom door once more and going over to the window, where a broomstick could just be seen disappearing over the horizon.
"Wait," said Constance, pausing in picking feathers out of her hair. "Did she just say that the Devil was coming back?"
The gathered staff looked around at each other.
"Oh cripes..."
Tee hee hee!
Well, I don't think there's anything left to say other than I hope you've enjoyed the deleted scenes from Inferno, and look out for Pandora's Box!