Chapter Ten

Esmerelda had taken the bottle of drink to her bedroom and then spent the rest of the night drinking, she had never actually drank alcohol before so when she first took a sip she gagged at the strong taste but she liked the burning feeling at the back of a throat so carried on drinking waiting to feel her mind go blank. By the time it was daylight the girl had drank two bottles of the stuff and was drunk out of her mind.

"Good morning your greatness what a pleasure it is to see you today" Ada said to the Grand Wizard who had come on another visit.

"Always a pleasure to be here Miss Cackle" the Great Wizard replied happily "I am looking forward to the choir's singing this afternoon" he told the woman. The school choir was going to be singing for the wizard at exactly twelve and he was very much looking forward to it.

"It is our pleasure your greatness" Ada told the man happily.

Esmerelda was fed up of lying on her bed and doing nothing so she stood up not bothering to dress into her uniform, she had no lessons anyway so it was not such a big deal. As Esmerelda opened her bedroom door she saw a taped note on the door and tried to remember how to read the words written on it

The Great Wizard is visiting!

Make sure you are ready for at least twelve

the entire school has to go to the choir performance

See you soon

Sybil x

Esmerelda moaned touching her sore head as she staggered out the door barely able to stop herself falling over but despite this the girl liked the affect...she couldn't remember anything, her mind was completely blank, for the first time she was not miserable thinking about Ethel's death because she could not even remember it happening.

The girl staggered to the top of the stairs and fell down them unable to manage the stairs in her drunken state, she laughed to herself as she lay on the floor wondering if she should bother getting up. That was when she heard singing, the noise was making her head pound so she held onto the wall and forced herself into a standing position before she went and started to stagger towards the irritating noise.

Ada had realised her head girl had not shown up to the days festivities but the girl was grieving so she was letting it slide, she couldn't push the girl she was already struggling enough as it is so she had made an excuse to the wizard and no-one had really mentioned it.

The students had started to sing and everyone was listening enjoying the beautiful noise so no-one noticed when Esmerelda staggered through the door still dressed in her pyjamas. She walked further into the room before she was close enough for all the students to hear.

"Will you lot shut upppp, my head is poundingggg.." the blonde girl told everyone really slurring her words a lot making it so no-one could understand what she was saying. Everyone who was singing stopped and just looked at the girl with wide eyes as they realised the state she was in.

"What are youuuuu alll looking attt?" Esmie slurred looking around the room confused as to why everyone was staring at her like that.

"Erm Esmie...are you okay?" Sybil asked pushing through the crowd to get to her sister worried.

When Esmerelda saw her she had a strange reaction the alcohol making it so she could not even tell that it was her youngest sister talking all she was focusing on was the blonde hair.

"Ethie...I love you Ethie.." she slurred happily everyone looked around sadly no-one wanting to be the one to tell her Ethel was in fact dead and she was talking to Sybil.

"Esmie it is Sybil not Ethel" Sybil replied knowing her sister was so confused.

"ETHIE" The young girl shouted as she started to run towards the girl with her arms out but of course the fact she was so drunk made her unsteady and she fell after only a few steps crashing into everyone on the stage.

If this had been any other time people probably would have laughed at her but no-one laughed this time as no-one thought it was funny to laugh at a grieving teenager who had drank herself to the point that she could not even stand just to forget what had happened to her sister.

However, the Grand Wizard was not aware of the situation so when Ada and Hecate rushed to help the girl up he was not amused.

"Miss Cackle, do you always allow your pupils to wonder around school completely drunk out of their minds?" he asked her his face literally red from anger.

"No of course not your greatness I have no idea where she got hold of the drink" Ada replied leading the girl towards the door and trying to stop her from falling again.

"Hang on a second" the Grand Wizard replied as a huge realisation came over him as to who Esmerelda was.

"This child...isn't she headgirl?" the man asked his face if anything getting more red as he came to this realisation. The girl after all was supposed to be an example.

"Yes your Greatness...but.." Ada started to say to him.

"What kind of school are you running here?" He shouted angrily

"I assure you your honour this is completely out of character" Ada told him highly embarrassed about this whole situation.

Esmerelda suddenly felt a funny feeling in her stomach she was about to throw up she could sense it.

"This is an outrage, I gave you another chance and this is what I see when I visit?" the man carried on thinking he had made a mistake keeping Ada as head.

Esmerelda could not hold it in anymore as the wizard finished talking she suddenly threw up on him. Everyone around gasped and closed their eyes not even wanting to see his reaction.

"Your Greatness, I am so sorry" Ada replied seeing the look on his face. Utter outrage.

"Miss Drill, please take Esmerelda for some fresh air" Ada told her as Miss Drill took over and Ada rushed to help the wizard.

Ada rushed the Great Wizard into her office, it had not taken long to clean his robes with a few spells but she could tell that the man was still fuming.

"Miss Cackle do you have an explanation for this?" he asked her angrily.

"Your Greatness I can only apologise, there girl is grieving right now, one of her sisters passed away during the summer and she is really not coping with it" Ada explained. She had not wanted to tell him but knew it was time to explain what was going on.

The man looked confused for a second before nodding "I thought there was three of them here last year but I thought I was just mistaken" he replied to the woman.

"Unfortunately you are not your Greatness, Ethel Hallow, the middle child died in an accident, Esmerelda has been all over the place but I have no idea how she got hold of alcohol" Hecate replied trying to help Ada.

"Miss Cackle as headmistress it is your job to know what your pupils are up to and to keep an eye on them" he told her. He felt sorry for the girl but knew she should not have been allowed to get so drunk, someone should have been watching her especially if they knew she was not coping.

"I know your honour I can only apologise it will not happen again" Ada replied feeling very annoyed.

After a lot of apologising the Wizard had left luckily letting Ada keep her job, he was not happy at all and Ada had been put on a warning. When he had gone Ada walked into Esmerelda's bedroom and saw she was asleep with Miss Drill and Sybil sitting by her.

"How is she?" Ada asked the other teacher concerned.

"She is alright now, she was really upset a while ago when she remembered Ethel is...you know but I managed to sneak her a sleeping draught" the teacher admitted. Normally teachers would not do that but the girl had been hysterical.

Ada sighed. She knew she would have to discipline the girl but she couldn't totally lose it at her she was after all suffering, Ada had no idea what she would have done if she had been in Esmerelda's and Sybil's boat with Agatha, she was not sure she would have coped either.

"Thank you why don't we leave the girl to sleep I will come and visit in a few hours" Ada told the teacher and the other pupil knowing the girl needed rest.

"Can I stay miss?" Sybil asked her "I will be quiet" Sybil then said really wanting to stay. Ada thought maybe it was a good idea to have someone with the girl in case she fell out of bed or something.

"Alright, I will be along later Sybil" Ada said as she left.

Sybil sat next to her sister and quietly cried to herself feeling like she had lost both her sisters completely instead of just Ethel, in a way the youngster had lost her eldest sister as well.