Chapter Twelve

Mildred and Ethel both slowly sneaked into Agatha's office where the locket was lying on the desk. Mildred reached it first and picked it up by the chain with an smile.

"That is definitely Hardbroom's I would recognise it anywhere" Ethel said

This locket was the same as there one the girls had found but it was complete and very shiny as it had clearly being looked after. Ethel was just about to open her mouth to speak when she saw Mildred putting the chain around her neck.

"What are you doing are you insane?" Ethel asked

"I know it is powerful, but we will be able to keep it safer if we actually wear it" Mildred told her

"But ….maybe I should wear it I was the one who got us into this whole mess" Ethel said

"We can take it in turns" Mildred replied as she sighed and put the chain around her neck properly.

"How do you feel?" Ethel asked

"Totally normal" Mildred replied in shock. She had expected to feel some effect straight away.

"Come on let's get out of here before Gullet and Agatha come back" Ethel said as the two girls left the office and started walking down the corridor. They had only one part of the locket to obtain now, Agatha's part. That will be the hardest part to obtain as they didn't even know where Agatha kept it.

"Before we even can do anything we have to find out exactly where Agatha keeps her half of the necklace" Ethel suggested

"Yes, Agatha is nowhere near as smart as her sister, we have to find out when she leaves the locket out in the open but my question is how do we do that?" Mildred asked

"I have an idea, follow me" Ethel said.

Mildred was completely stuck for ideas so she obeyed and followed the blonde girl out into the courtyard not really understanding what the idea was. Once they were outside the courtyard Ethel walked towards the tiny red box on the wall that was there to push when an fire occurred so the alarm would sound. Before Mildred could register what she was doing Ethel had picked up an stone and smashed the glass sounding the alarm. Mildred covered her ears as the loud alarm rang out.

"What did you do that for?" Mildred asked

"I will explain inside come on" Ethel said loudly above the alarm. The two girls ran inside being careful to avoid the crowd of people making their way to the courtyard. Once they were safely inside Ethel went back to Agatha's office and the two girls walked in.

"Why are we in here?" Mildred asked

"Well we had to get rid of Agatha long enough for us to be able to look around" Ethel causally replied as she opened an drawer and started to look through it.

"You want us to trash the room?" Mildred asked amazed

"No, I want us to look around there is an difference, but you are more than welcome to go ask Agatha for the locket yourself if you are not up to looking" Ethel replied.

Mildred sighed and walked to another side of the room and started looking as well. Though she wasn't holding out to much hope of finding anything, would Agatha be stupid enough to leave something so valuable in her office? Mildred thought but Ethel was right they did not have to many other options.

The girls could still hear the fire alarm ringing in their ears as they emptied out drawers and cupboards and looked in files but they knew time was limited because it would not take them long to discover there was no fire.

Mildred was just about to empty another drawer when an funny feeling came over her and she stopped what she was doing all of an sudden an memory came back to her that was so vivid it seemed real.

Mildred is eight years old and is once again being bullied. The children of her school don't like her because she is 'strange'. It is PE an subject Mildred is no good at and she can see the other pupils in the corner of her eye laughing at her. Instead of helping her the teacher tells her to stop messing around and says nothing to the children who are laughing. Mildred is then sitting on the floor in the toilets crying.

There scene changed then. Mildred and her mother Julie were laughing and smiling as Julie drove down the road when all of an sudden out of nowhere an truck pulls out in front of her and she goes to break but rolls of the road.

There scene changes then to an hospital and someone telling Mildred her mother had passed away. As she was from an single parent home it is something Mildred feared above all else and she was seeing it happen before her eyes.

Mildred grabbed hold of an folder and pulled it of the table as she fell onto the floor. Ethel who had not noticed the change in the girl turned at the loud banging noise and saw Mildred on the floor crying. She ran over to her.

"Mildred? What's wrong?" Ethel asked

"My mum...I need to make sure my mother is okay there was an crash" the girl said quickly and in an panic.

Ethel had never in the year she had known the other girl seen Mildred panic like that. Her eyes were full of fear as she looked around the room.

"It's not real...it must be that locket it is making you see things" Ethel told her

"But what if it is real...I can't lose my mother, I don't have an dad I wouldn't be able to live at home anymore, I need to talk to her" Mildred said as she stood up and started walking to Agatha's mirror.

"Mildred we don't have time, Agatha and Gullet have probably realised by now that there is no fire we have to find that necklace quickly" Ethel said as she tugged on her arm to pull her away from the mirror.

"Give it to me for an bit" Ethel told her as Mildred took the necklace off quickly and Ethel took an breathe before putting it around her neck just as the door flew open and Agatha and Gullet stood in the doorway.

The two young pupils looked around and realised how bad this was. The whole office was an mess and though Ada was very nice but had an firm side, Agatha would probably curse them for what they had done.

"What on earth!?" Agatha asked

"Ethel" Mildred whispered

"What?" Ethel whispered back

"Run" Mildred said

Ethel did not need to be told twice, before Agatha had an chance to open her mouth an second time the two girls ran past her and Gullet and down the corridor as she shouted after them.

"Where do we hide?" Ethel asked

"I don't know, Gullet will be on the warpath" Mildred replied out of breathe from all the running she had done.

"It's no good, she will find us" Ethel replied as just then their nightmare came true and Gullet appeared right in front of them.