OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Chapter Thirty-One
A Punishment
Maud and Enid wanted to carry out their plan, but it was difficult as they needed Ethel to be alone. They couldn't strike in lessons, out of lessons she was with Mildred, Felicity or her sisters, which meant it gave them five minutes each day they could catch her. The five minutes where she left her bedroom to walk to her sisters room for the hour she spent with them, as she walked down the yellow corridor, that was the time they had.
Ethel was walking down the corridor humming to herself as she headed to her sisters' bedroom when she felt someone grab her arm and drag her into another bedroom, she screamed from shock then realised it was only Maud and Enid.
"Do you mind?" the girl said annoyed. Maud started speaking at that moment.
"Shut up, we are not going to let you hurt Mildred," Maud said
"I am not going to I have fallen in love with her," Ethel said before she fell to the floor, Enid had sent a spell at her and suddenly she was unable to move, except her head and eyes and when she tried to do a spell they didn't work either, it was a full disabling spell.
"Lift this spell right now!" Ethel said lying helpless on the floor.
"Maybe Mildred is too gullible to see your games but we aren't it is time this ended," Enid said pulling out two pairs of scissors, keeping one herself and handing the other to Maud.
Ethel screamed with wild eyes, she didn't know their intentions but was scared they were going to stab her.
"Come on this is too far, killing me won't solve anything," Ethel told them, her breathe raspy.
"Killing you?" Maud said "Who said anything about doing that, Mildred is in love with you, but if you look different she won't love you anymore" the girl finished.
Ethel realised then what they were going to do, they had scissors and if they were going to change her appearance it meant they were going to cut her hair.
"NO PLEASE," Ethel said knowing she shouldn't get so upset, but her hair was the only part of her body she wasn't self-conscious about. Maud didn't listen, just raised her hand casting silencing spells.
"Mildred needs to fall out of love with you," Enid told her as the girls attacked. Ethel was helpless, she couldn't move. One girl went either side of her and started cutting her hair.
"No," Ethel said hearing the noise and knowing they weren't messing. "Stop please..." Ethel said upset. The girls didn't listen just carried on their task. Ethel saw her ponytail fall onto the floor on Enid's side and started to sob and scream, trying to fight them off.
"Please be quiet Ethel," Maud said with a sigh. The girls cut more, making the hair as short as possible, but very uneven as they were not used to cutting hair. Ethel cried and whimpered quietly as she saw more and more hair falling to the floor. Until satisfied, Enid lifted the spell and she could move again.
"Now get out," Enid said. Ethel shakily got to her feet and left the bedroom. She put her hand to her head, hoping by some miracle it was a trick and her ponytail will still be flowing there but felt her hair only touched the top of her neck and the rest was gone. She went and sat down in the corridor and started to sob.
Esmie and Sybil were worried when Ethel didn't arrive so had split up to look for her, Sybil saw Ethel crying her head leaning against the wall and rushed over.
"Ethie are you okay?" What happ..." the girl said gasping as she noticed her sister's hair. Ethel couldn't see it but knew it looked bad, after all, they hadn't cut it straight. Ethel looked up at Sybil before bursting into fresh tears and leaning her head on her shoulder. Sybil put her arm around her shocked and sickened someone would attack another person like this.
"Ethel who did this?" Sybil asked her stroking her back. Ethel didn't reply only sobbed and Sybil with one hand took her maglet out her pocket and messaged Esmie and Mildred, telling them Ethel had been attacked. In less than a minute, the girls appeared from different directions.
"Ethel what..." Esmie started then stopped as she noticed her hair or lack of it.
"Your hair," Mildred said noticing
"Don't look at me, I am hideous" Ethel said unable to imagine how bad she looked.
"No, you are still stunning," Mildred told her. She loved her long hair but she loved her looks, her hair different didn't change her face and how much Mildred loved it.
"No...I am not" Ethel said crying more "I know crying about hair is properly vain but...I only like my hair" Ethel cried more. Esmie and Mildred shared a look. Ethel was so insecure of her body, but loved her long blonde locks, at times changing her bows in her ponytail and she loved to brush it for hours., yes the only part of her body Ethel was comfortable with was her hair.
"Ethie who did this" Esmerelda said bending down to talk to her
"I don't want any trouble..." Ethel said Mildred bent down too.
"Someone attacked you Ethie, they need to be punished, please tell us," Mildred said looking in her eyes. God she still loved her so much.
"Maud and Enid," the girl said in a whisper but it was clear everyone heard her by her reaction.
"WHAT," the girls said in unison
"They said if I look different you won't love me anymore, I couldn't move they used a paralysis spell on me," Ethel said sniffing, but not crying now.
Mildred felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, she was devasted, her best friends, so many years friends and they attack her girlfriend like this, in the way they knew would kill the little bit of confidence she had most.
"Esmie, you can fix her hair right?" Mildred asking knowing there was a potion as she used it in her first year.
"Yes I can look up the potion," the girl said
"Ethie go with your sisters and fix your hair I need to talk to Maud and Enid," Mildred told her.
"I deserved it...I did it to you in our first year" Ethel said knowing it was just karma
"The difference is you didn't pin her to the floor helpless, that is pure nasty," Sybil told her sister
"I don't want any trouble," Ethel said worried. Mildred planted a soft kiss on her lips.
"You aren't making any, they are, go on, go with your sisters and I will talk to them," Mildred said helping her to her feet and she was happy to see her give a little hint of a smile.
"Come on Ethie," Esmie said wrapping an arm around her and leading her away with Sybil on the other side. Mildred watched them then turned on her heels, heading for Maud's bedroom, anger boiling inside her.