Halfway through the fic.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

Across the town, the elder members of SPLAT were currently ambling along the footpath, Mandy sandwiched between Ian and Lloyd. Internally, she was buzzing. Harvey had concocted a causal date on the spot and Ingrid had accepted! She smiled as she envisioned her 'little ones', sharing sweet, gentle kisses, a warm glow radiating through her. Ever since SPLAT had formed, Mandy had always kept an eye out for the two youngest members, hence her nickname for the pair in question, and now that they were expressing their feelings more into the open, Mandy was pleased that a sort of romantic relationship was blossoming between them.

'Must help take their minds off of school.'

She shivered slightly at the thought of school. The one place that she utterly loathed.

Mandy ended up sighing in exasperation as Ian kicked a stone along the footpath, with his highly polished school shoes. Ever since they had parted ways with Harvey and Ingrid, Ian had been in a desolate mood. Lloyd had been uncharacteristically quiet, which Mandy put down to the Chairman of SPLAT thinking about his foster sister. Though she had been miffed at the most likely prospect that Lloyd had been contemplating about Dinah in a negative way.

She blinked at Ian's sudden growl. "Urgh, I should have gone to the chippy! I'm starving!"

At his tone, Mandy's eyes, contorting to slits, centred onto the tall boy as she snapped back:

"Tough!"

Ian physically recoiled, his tinge of exaggeration nearly earning him a bump on the head from a lamppost. Voice full of hurt and confusion, Ian replied:

"What?"

"Oh, you know what, Ian!"

"No I don't…"

Rolling her eyes, Mandy launched into a rant, something she seldom did, considering how she had been christened 'Peacemaker' by the others at one SPLAT meeting, a few months ago.

"Saying how you wanted to go to the chippy when you knew that Harvey and Ingrid wanted to be on their own!"

"T-They did?!"

"Yes… Didn't you hear the tone of Ingrid's voice? She wanted us to refuse-"

"So THAT'S why you elbowed me!"

Pursing her lips at being interrupted, Mandy nodded. "Exactly, and the reason why she wanted us to refuse is because she wants to be with just Harvey!"

"Why?"

Mandy shook her head in exasperation, throwing her hands up into the air. "Oh, for goodness sake! Haven't you noticed that they are crazy for each other? And have been for YEARS?!"

She gawped as Ian halted in his tracks, a gunfire of laughter being ripped from him. At Mandy's expression, he lost it even more. Mandy scowled, folding her arms over her chest.

"What is so funny, Ian?"

"I-It's just t-that, I know t-they're crazy for each other!"

"Y-You do?"

Having recovered from his laughing fit, Ian nodded in a somewhat solemn manner.

"Well, it is obvious when the pair are making gaga eyes at each other all of the time!"

"True."

Ian sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, I was so angry. I just fancied fish and chips…." Imitating a chirpy Cockney, he concluded: "And I would have got some for me dad, as well! I swear!"

Chuckling, Mandy answered: "I believe you, and I apologise for having a go at you. I'm pleased that Harvey and Ingrid got the chance to do something on their own, without us hovering behind them and breathing down their necks."

"Yeah, same." Glancing at Lloyd, who was still silent and seemingly oblivious to his surroundings, Ian mouthed to Mandy:

"You know he would, considering how Harvey is his little brother."

Attempting to thwart her giggles, Mandy shot a subtle look at Lloyd before mouthing back:

"You're right, he would! I can imagine that, if they started dating, he would be stalking their every move and interrogating Harvey about what he did with Ingrid at a specific time!"

"Oh god…. And if Harvey said that they had been doing something, which Lloyd considered 'bad' in his eyes, then he would go after Ingrid and THAT would be hysterical!"

Creasing up, Mandy sputtered aloud: "No d-doubt, Ingrid w-would explode and a massive slinging match would e-erupt between her and Lloyd!"

"What?!"

Both Ian and Mandy jumped in shock as Lloyd scowled at them, the mentioning of his name and the topic of conversation it had been dropped in, causing him to jerk out of his thoughts. As he flickered his fury filled eyes from one guilty SPLAT member to the other, Lloyd growled:

"What were you talking about just now?!"

Ian chuckled weakly, saying: "Oh, nothing! Hey, the Park!"

Lloyd's growls intensified as he snapped: "Tell me, Ian! I don't like having my name dragged through the mud like that!"

Sensing a brawl, or more like a one-sided brawl, about to ensue, Mandy hastily interjected with a few words of relief and wisdom.

"We were just saying how if Harvey and Ingrid got together, that most likely, you would be breathing down their necks all of the time and probably having a go at Ingrid, if she hurt Harvey in any way…. Not that she would…"

"Oh…." Losing his expression of rage, Lloyd said: "Give me a bit of credit, Mandy. If they did start dating, then I wouldn't be following them all of the time or interrogating them. I wouldn't even harass Ingrid if anything happened, only if it was serious! Yes, I may ask Harvey how things are going, but he's my little brother, he's MY responsibility."

Nodding in understanding, Mandy reached out and patted Lloyd's arm as Ian started leading them towards the neighbourhood park, one of their usual joints. Although the sky was close to being plunged into darkness, courtesy of the season being Autumn, lights were dotted around the park, illuminating every piece of equipment and every pathway. As the trio ventured over to the swings, one of the park lights began twitching, the beam flicking light at intervals. Lloyd noticed this and his eyes widened slightly. He didn't believe in fate, thinking it as 'hogwash', but something about that light got his mind racing and his heart pounding. To him, something bad was coming…..

Shaking his head to clear the thought away, Lloyd smiled. Ian had climbed onto one of the swings, feet planted firmly on the seat and was clutching onto the metal sides, whistling merrily. Mandy had hopped onto the swing in the middle and was swinging gently, marvelling at the sight of her feet floating over the ground.

The leader of SPLAT ambled over, taking the remaining swing. He shifted on the seat, the negative thoughts troubling him once again. As Ian whooped and leant his head back, Mandy expressing her anxiety over how dangerous he was being, Lloyd turned to the left so that he could view both of them and murmured:

"I'm worried."

"Well, that's a shocker."

Flopping onto his seat, Ian shrugged his shoulders at Lloyd's glare. "Sorry, mate. Wittiness is a force of habit."

Lloyd graced Ian with a hard look for a few more moments before whispering in a hushed tone.

"What I mean is, is that I feel like something's going to happen. Or that school is only going to get worse for us. Don't you two feel like that as well?"

Ian and Mandy paused for a couple of seconds, before reluctantly nodding. Biting his lip, Lloyd said:

"It's just that, what Harvey said earlier, about what everyone does in Assembly? Why would they lie about it? The only reason why they would lie, is in order to keep something covered up. But what?"

Mandy sighed. "I don't know. I wish that we did."

"I've been wondering for years and I know we all have been, especially Harvey, but what he did today, was utterly reckless and makes me furious with him!"

Ian nodded slowly. "I guess he could have waited before acting so drastically."

Lloyd exclaimed: "Exactly! And yes, he uncovered the lie. Yet the way he went about it, could have put US in jeopardy! Not to mention, himself!"

He sighed. "I just wish that H would take my warnings a bit more seriously. If he and Ingrid do get together, then they'll have to hide their relationship as best as they can do at school. I won't have them being targeted by the Prefects, over their love for each other."

As Ian attempted to lighten the mood slightly by making kissing noises, Lloyd mustered up a half smile.

"Appreciate the noises, Ian. Also, while we're on the subject, is it me, or do the Prefects seem to be getting more vindictive lately?"

Remembering Simon's treatment of her a few weeks back, Mandy shuddered, whispering: "They seem to be. I realise that we're not like the others, but surely, they're crossing the line now! How can they hold so much hate for us?!"

Ian snorted. "It's obvious. Like you just said, we're not like the others so the Headmaster hates us. The Prefects are his little slaves and do everything he says, therefore they hate us as well."

Speaking up morosely, Lloyd added: "And make our lives an utter misery."

"Yep."

Sighing again, Lloyd's anger steadily grew as it was apt to and he promptly snarled:

"Who does the Headmaster think he is?! Treating us lot, like CRAP! He has turned the WHOLE SCHOOL against us!"

Mandy stood up from her swing and placed a hand onto Lloyd's shoulder, murmuring:

"But you hate school, anyway."

"Maybe I wouldn't, if I was actually treated fairly! If I was treated like one of Them!"

Mandy retracted her hand, knowing that in this situation, even her speciality of cheering people up would not work. Instead, she mumbled:

"I sometimes wish for that…. I hate how isolated we are."

"Cut off from the rest of society for being 'troublemakers'." Snapped Ian.

"Yet… part of me wouldn't change it for the world."

She smiled at the two boys, whispering: "As then, I probably wouldn't have made friends with you guys. Sure, I would have been with Ingrid, considering how she's my neighbour, but I wouldn't have met Harvey if I hadn't have met you, Lloyd."

Ian waggled his eyebrows, leaning over and purring: "And you wouldn't have laughed so much over the years, if it wasn't for me."

Mandy giggled and shook her head as Lloyd said: "True, Mandy, very true. Though I think us being…. different to the others, has set us as targets for the Headmaster."

"Well, duh! He's been out-casting us since we joined!"

"I know, Ian, but I have an awful feeling that he's planning for something… something BAD."

Immediately, Mandy's eyes bulged and she whispered in horror: "Oh goodness! I suspected something, but that man is so evil!"

"Not to mention cruel and clever at the same time…" Ian was sharing the same expression Mandy currently wore.

Lloyd tightened his hold on the metal railings as he snarled: "And I am sure that Dinah Glass is part of his plans, whatever they are."

Groaning, Mandy sat down on her swing again. "Oh, Lloyd! Have you really forgotten Harvey's speech?! She is simply an orphan! Just a lonely child looking for a family to love and cherish her for who she is!"

As Lloyd scoffed, Ian drawled: "Yeah, man. If Dinah was working for the Headmaster, then she wouldn't be putting in as much effort as she is, to the way she acts! I mean, why would she go to all the trouble of being all shy and that, when she has the protection of the Headmaster, whatever happens?!"

"She's not shy! She's faking it!"

Mandy snapped: "Oh really? Well, if she was really faking it, then why do I see fear in her eyes, every time I see her in school? How, when Rose orders all of Them to line up for Assembly, Dinah looks like she wants to bolts? I'm telling you, Dinah is afraid, maybe even more so than US! And she is shy!"

Ian frowned as Lloyd grumbled under his breath. "How can you tell that about her?"

Mandy winked. "Women's intuition…" Suddenly beaming brightly, she chirped:

"Come on! Let's see who can get the highest!"

Ian grinned as well, shouting: "Stop sulking, oh high and mighty Chairman! And swing with us!"

Collapsing into laughter, Lloyd mumbled: "All right."

The three of them started to swing up high in the air, cheering in delight. However, amidst the joyous cheers, the eldest of them vowed to himself that once he got home, the time would be spent on interrogation.

And Lloyd had the perfect target in mind.