OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Chapter Two
Bad Day
Sybil did not have a good night. She tossed and turned, and had a nightmare about the performance. In her nightmare she was performing with her year group and everything was going well until the blonde tripped up on her own feet and went flying, straight into the Great Wizard, and ruining the entire performance. Sybil woke up sweating from fear, it was only a nightmare but she felt like it was going to really happen.
"Sybil? Are you awake?" She heard Clarice say, knocking on her door to make sure she was up so she was not late. Sybil rubbed her eyes, tired from her lack of sleep but replied.
"Yes...I will be there in a moment, go on without me" Sybil replied as she forced herself out of bed to start getting ready, she wasn't normally one for being late, her parents had done something right in raising her, teaching her and her sisters the importance of time keeping and she was not used to having to rush but she didn't want to miss breakfast, it was disgusting but having an empty stomach was worse.
"Are you okay Sybil? You look awful" Beatrice commented as Sybil walked into the dining hall halfway through breakfast and took a seat between her friends, starting to eat her breakfast.
"I didn't have a good night" Sybil replied explaining the reasoning for why she looked tired and drained. Clarice and Beatrice eyed each other concerned for their friend.
"Are you still worried about Halloween?" Clarice asked, knowing the girl had being fretting about it the night before.
Sybil nodded, seeing no point in denying it. "I am going to mess it up, I just know it, and then everyone in the school will hate me" Sybil replied, her porridge getting stuck in her throat as she ate.
"Sybil, you are a good witch you will be fine" Beatrice replied trying to reassure her friend she will be okay. Sybil however looked over and saw Miss Drill leaving the staff table to get ready for her classes. Sybil put her spoon down and stood up.
"I need to talk to Miss Drill" the girl said and her friends looked at her and shouted after her
"Sybil what about your breakfast?" she heard Clarice say but that wasn't important now.
She was going to ask Miss Drill if she could skip performing. Mr Rowan-Webb and Miss Bat would be indecisive and probably fall asleep before answering, Miss Cackle wouldn't listen and would outright say no, and Miss Hardbroom terrified her, so that left Miss Drill who would be the most reasonable person to ask.
"Miss Drill" the girl said running after the teacher who walked towards the sports cupboard and started to pull the bag of basketballs out. The woman turned around and smiled at the first year.
"Are you okay Sybil?" the woman asked, looking at the girl to give her her attention.
"Not really Miss Drill, about this performance at Halloween, I was wondering if I could sit out of it, I am not very good at performing" Sybil said, looking at the woman, hoping she would tell her that was fine.
"The perfomance is compulsory Sybil, everyone has to take part" Miss Drill told her, thinking Miss Cackle should of made that more clear.
"I can help backstage, please let me skip this Miss" Sybil said, desperate and the woman looked at her now concerned.
"Why do you want to not join in Sybil?" the woman asked, knowing something was up with the girl, Sybil sighed, knowing she had to tell her about her worries or she won't help her.
"I am going to mess it up Miss, you know I am not good at performing and get nervous, I don't want to embarrass the school" Sybil replied and her teacher looked at her sadly.
"You are a good witch Sybil, I know you will be nervous but everyone will be, and don't worry you will have plenty of time to practise" Miss Drill told her as she knew they would have weeks to perfect it, but Sybil shook her head, still not wanting to partake.
"I know things have being tough this year for you with Esmerelda not being here" the woman started and Sybil looked down, feeling her chest hurt at the mention absence of her sister. It was still something that hurt her a lot.
"But I am positive this perfomance will be okay, maybe we can even invite her to come and watch" Miss Drill replied, trying to make Sybil feel better. Hoping if she knew Esmerelda would be there to support her she would be more confident.
"I don't want to let her down" Sybil replied sighing "Please can you ask Miss Cackle about not taking part, please?" Sybil said wanting to see Esmerelda, but worried about messing up in front of her. Miss Drill knew she was getting no-where fast so she nodded.
"Alright I will ask her but don't get your hopes up" the woman told her, not wanting the girl to think she was saying yes when she didn't have much chance of that happening.
Sybil nodded, knowing that was as best as she was going to get "Thank you Miss" Sybil replied just as the bell rang, Sybil rushed of to Spell Science, not wanting to be marked absent.
As she was tired she kept messing up her work, she hoped Miss Cackle would listen to reason and let her sit out of the show, Esmerelda could still come and watch Ethel, and then she could still see her sister, so that didn't change.
Sybil nearly burst into tears right there and then in her classroom. Sometimes, when she remembered why her sister was not at school with her and the situation she was in currently she felt herself welling up, Ethel was even worse, you just had to say the name 'Esmerelda' and Ethel would struggle to contain her composure, of course the middle sister was feeling guilt as well as sadness for Esmerelda losing her powers, she had learned to late the consequences of her actions.
Sybil took a breathe, trying to clear her mind. She couldn't let herself get upset yet, she could cry later tonight if she wanted to, people always told her never to cry in public. Esmerelda had perfected that art, no-one had seen her shed a tear in public since the day she started at Cackles, Ethel was getting better at suppressing her tears, she still had her moments when she did cry in front of others, but as she got older, she was starting to keep her tears in. Sybil in all honestly, didn't cry much either, but unlike Esmerelda or Ethel she was not able to stop herself when she realised people were around her, but she knew she had to be brave right now, it was not the time for crying.
"What did you talk to Miss Drill about?" Clarice asked, sending the young girl out of her thoughts, she looked at her friend.
"I asked her about the performance ,She is going to ask Miss Cackle if I can sit out the show, but she said it's compulsory, so I probably won't be allowed" Sybil replied with a sigh, wishing she had the choice.
"Try not to worry Sybil, it will be fun" Beatrice replied and Sybil was frustrated, Beatrice would find it fun, it was right up her street, the girls in Sybil's class were smiling and joking, clearly still excited about the news they received yesterday. Sybil looked at her book and tried not to let her mind wander, she didn't have to worry about that right this second.
"You were brilliant at the talent show" Clarice said, not understanding why Sybil was so upset
"But the reputation of the school or my family was not at stake with that" Sybil replied, falling silent and looked down sadly.
Unfortunately for Sybil, she had inherited the worry trait Esmerelda had and the performance kept coming back to her mind, she didn't even know what her year group would be doing in the performance yet, she wished she did so she could practise it now. She was so distracted she caused her potion in potions to explode again, and Miss Hardbroom yelled at her, told her she was useless, compared her to her sisters and gave her detention, so it was a disappointing end to a day that had not being good to start with.
"Oh Sybil there you are" Miss Drill said as she spotted the girl coming out the classroom with Beatrice and Clarice. Sybil was covered in ash from the potion, and was not in a good mood. She just wanted to go and wash and then go to her room.
"I asked Miss Cackle and sorry Sybil I tried, she said you have to join in" the woman told the girl, deciding it was best to come out with it and not pretend she didn't know yet. Sybil looked down at the ground sadly as she walked in the corridor with her friends.
"Love the new look Sybil" Felicity said as she walked past with Ethel. Sybil looked up seeing the dark haired girl looking at her and smiling. Ethel looked at Felicity and the girl stopped smiling, knowing she was risking a curse for mocking the girl's sister, satisfied, Ethel turned to Sybil.
"Sybil for goodness sake, you are a Hallow, you need to stop making your potions explode" Ethel said, knowing exactly what had happened, as it wasn't the first time it had.
Sybil looked at her sister, and then her friends and Felicity, feeling her anger and frustration boil over, she had to be in the show, Esmerelda was powerless and not here and everything was going wrong and now Ethel was telling her she was letting down the family name.
Sybil couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't strong or brave like her sisters, she wasn't able to suppress her emotions and with that she burst into tears and covered her face, before running of to her bedroom.
"Sybil!?" Ethel said shocked, surprised her sister was so upset, Sybil was timid but didn't cry much so she was worried. The blonde looked at Felicity and glared.
"Well done" the girl said, blaming her for making fun of her sister and upsetting her. Ethel dropped her books in Felicity's arms and rushed after Sybil, her overprotective sisterly side coming out, she was worried about her, and as the oldest Sybil in the school she had to make sure she was okay, she didn't care in that moment if people saw her running after Sybil, she just had to make sure she was okay.