A/N: This chapter is based on Series 2 Episode 7 Hollow Wood and some parts are the same as the episode. I do not own the episode I am just using it for my story as I feel like I need to include this in this specfic story.

Chapter Five

Back To School

It had been a week and Esmerelda was hardly eating a scrap. She knew it was dangerous and even deadly but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. The thing was she didn't even feel hungry anymore so she didn't have a desire to eat. That day she got up and actually made herself look presentable before she left early, preparing for the long journey she was taking.

It took over an hour to arrive at Cackles. Esmerelda had to see her sisters in the flesh before she did something stupid. She dressed all in black so that no-one could see she had began losing weight. Thankfully it wasn't to noticeably yet but with Ethel always seeming to notice stuff she had to be as careful as she could.

She knew from Sybil she had potions that morning for her first lesson so after she sneaked into the school so she went to the classroom when the lesson had finished and Sybil looked at her confused. She removed her hood and Sybil beamed and ran into her arms to hug her.

"Sybie" Esmerelda said genuinely smiling for the first time in a while.

"Well met Esmerelda" the girl heard HB say and she pulled away from her sister and her smile dropped.

"Well met...Miss Hardbroom" Esmerelda replied shyly.

"To what do we owe this pleasure?" HB asked stupidly.

Esmie refrained from rolling her eyes. Did the woman not know she had an obsession with her sisters? She was not there to sample the school food that was for sure.

"I came to see my sisters" Esmie said looking down at the younger girl beside her lovingly "And if possible Miss Cackle" Esmerelda said looking back at HB.

"Ethel is off site at the moment doing a task I set, but I will tell Miss Cackle you are here" Miss Hardbroom replied.

Why today of all days did HB have to set Ethel a task, she needed to see Ethel so badly but she hid her disappointment and nodded.

"Thank you" she said before Hecate transferred away.

She had thought she was okay honestly. She was getting so good at hiding her emotions from other people but she had not being able to hide her hurt when Sybil's friend, Clarice, basically told her she was not allowed at Cackles without magic. She had let her mask drop then and found it hard to regain her composure.

She went to see Miss Cackle with that thought lingering on her mind. She had decided to ask the woman for a job just so she could be close to Ethel and Sybil and she also thought if she was at the school she would have to eat and she would no longer starve herself. It was a good idea for many reasons.

"If it was up to me the answer would be yes in a heartbeat but there are rules" Ada said and Esmerelda looked down upset and disappointed.

"I understand" she said looking at the floor sadly

"Why don't you catch up with Sybil, and I'll discuss it with Miss Hardbroom" Ada told her and Esmie smiled slightly.

"Oh thank you so much" Esmerelda replied as she left.

She started walking around the grounds to find her little sister until she heard Beatrice, her sister's other friend, call her who wanted her help to get Clarice and Sybil talking again. They were still fighting after what Clarice had said.

"I have no magic anymore" Esmerelda told Beatrice sadly not knowing how she could help her with a magical problem.

"Don't they have a game called netball in the non-magical world?" Beatrice asked Esmerelda who shrugged.

"Yes but I don't know much about it" she told Beatrice who threw the ball at her and ran off. Esmerelda went to score but missed, but then again she didn't think she had ever tried score without magic before.

Esmerelda spent the new few hours playing netball with Sybil once Beatrice had found her. Surprisingly it was actually quite fun and they spoke quietly to each other as they played.

"How long can you stay? Ethel will really want to see you" Sybil commented and Esmerelda sighed knowing she didn't have much choice in that, it was basically until her parents realised she had left that she had time.

"I know, I want to see her too" Esmerelda said as she threw the ball and scored. She missed Ethel, she knew it surprised people as this was in a way Ethel's fault but Ethel had learned, Esmerelda saw that even if others didn't.

"I would do anything for you to stay, anything" Sybil said sadly as she had missed her big sister so much and didn't want her to leave again.

"Things will get easier Sybie, I am always going to be here even if I am not here physically with you" Esmerelda told her sister seeing she looked sad.

Sybil hugged her then and Esmerelda hugged her back feeling so much better than she had in months, she felt alive again, she felt like it was worth living again, even if it was just to feel her sister hug her like that.

"There must be something we can do" Sybil said to her sister with a sigh.

"There is nothing I can find yet but it is okay, I am getting used to it" Esmerelda told Sybil just as she saw Clarice and Sybil walking up to them, she untangled her sister of her and led her over to her friends knowing life was to short for silly squabbles.

"I am sorry" Clarice and Sybil said at the same time

"I don't have a sister of my own, I should have tried to understand that sororal dynamic better" Clarice said and Beatrice and Sybil glanced at each other confused.

"Soraral, it means that unique sister thing we have" Esmerelda told her sister happily putting her arm around her and then letting the friends hug.

Esmerelda was glad she had got them back together. Clarice was a little strange and blunt and Beatrice never thought about anything and just went head first into things but they seemed to really like Sybil and not be using her for their own gain so she was happy Sybil had found friends she could trust.

"Who knew netball was so crafty?" Beatrice said as the group walked in a line and all laughed slightly.

"GO TEAM HALLOW" Sybil said putting her hand up and Esmie high fived her happily until Ada called her over.

When Ada told her she couldn't work at Cackles Academy she honestly felt broken inside as she realised she would have to leave Ethel and Sybil again and just then her dad turned up which meant her time was up and she hadn't seen Ethel yet. She had a little time as her father proceeded to argue with Ada and Hecate but Ethel was taking her time.

"Hollow wood" HB said when she was asked where the girls were. Esmie held back a squeak. Her little sister was in the most dangerous woods in the witching world, what if she and the others had taken so long because they were injured or even….no she couldn't think like that. She would know if Ethel was gone. She would feel her soul leave her, a part of her would just break.

Even though Mr Hallow found out where Ethel was he didn't seemed to concerned and didn't offer to go look for her. Instead, he told Esmerelda it was time to go and to say goodbye to Sybil. Esmerelda opened her mouth to argue but her father gave her such a deadly look she didn't dare. She got on the broomstick behind her father.

"Esmerelda...NO WAIT NO" Esmerelda heard Ethel shout just as they were taking off. She saw Ethel running up to them looking so heartbroken the happiness she felt before disappeared. She could hear Ethel still shouting. She waved at her sadly knowing there was no point in asking her dad if she could quickly see Ethel as he would say no.

"NO COME BACK, PLEASE" Ethel shouted to them

Mr Hallow though did not go back as they disappeared through the trees the last thing she saw was Ethel's sad face looking at her.

Her dad landed outside their mansion and flicked his hand to put his broomstick away before talking

"Go to your room before your mother comes home, you are in trouble young lady" he told her and Esmerelda nodded without another word climbing the stairs. As soon as she made it in there she sat on the floor and burst into tears, her sadness worse as she had being rejected from a job and had missed seeing Ethel. Ethel had looked so heartbroken it had killed her. Her life seemed to just be getting worse and she rushed into her bathroom grabbing a blade from a razor and slashing her arms not caring anymore about it being bad just needing to stop the hurt inside.