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Chapter Thirteen
Hallow Elders
Seeing their parents made Esmie shake with worry. Ethel and Sybil might be understanding about her struggles but her parents certainty wouldn't be. Luckily she might be able to hide the fact she was not eating from them, if she said she collapsed from walking to much.
"What on earth is going on?" Ursula asked her daughter before she could so much as think of what to say.
"I am sorry mother" Esmerelda said looking at the floor
"First we find out you left without permission and now that you are in hospital from fainting" Triton went on annoyed.
"I should have rested, I walked to far that is all" Esmerelda said, she wasn't a good liar but her parents were the easiest to lie too.
"Then why did we get a call from Miss Cackle saying you fainted because you are malnourished?" Ursula said angrily. Esmie looked at Ethel, doing the thing they do a lot where they talk through looks before turning back to them.
"I skipped breakfast" Esmerelda said knowing they were more likely to buy it than her sisters were.
"How much of a fool do you take us for? Millions of people skip breakfast everyday and don't collapse" Mr Hallow said, glaring at her annoyed.
"Well I..." Esmerelda started but was not even sure what she should say.
"Tell me the truth, have you being deliberately skipping meals, I want the truth Esmerelda" Mrs Hallow said, using her harshest tone on her.
"Yes" Esmerelda said, knowing lying would make things worse
Before anyone could say anything their father had slapped her. Sybil flinched and gasped, Ethel closed her eyes and winced.
"Don't hit her!" Ethel said as she finally realised what had happened and found her voice.
"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Mr Hallow shouted back at her.
"Please don't hurt Esmerelda dad" Sybil said, feeling close to tears but knowing she would be told of if she cried.
"You be quiet!" Mr Hallow said. All three girls fell silent then, they knew they couldn't do anything.
"You stupid girl, do you know how much trouble we could get in? They might take you away for neglect!" Mrs Hallow told her annoyed.
Esmerelda was about to say that she wished they would so they could be away from the physcos they called parents, but she didn't want to be beaten up anymore in front of her sisters so she held it back.
"I didn't mean for it to happen, I am sorry I just..." Esmerelda said looking at the floor.
"You just what!?" Ursula said, waiting for the answer.
Esmerelda looked at her sisters again. She knew they wouldn't understand whatever she said but she had to tell them the truth.
"I think I am suffering from the same thing Ethel is" Esmerelda said quietly looking at the floor. Ethel and Sybil gripped her tighter, scared of their parents lashing out again.
"I have told you all, Ethel is not ill, your grandmother has being putting ideas into your head!" Ursula said, looking red with fury. She hated talking about Ethel's depression more than anything.
"Bur mum she went to the doctor" Sybil said trying to make her listen.
"QUIET" Mr Hallow shouted before he looked at Esmerelda again.
"I am fed up with these ridiculous excuses, neither of you are ill, now I know you have been down about your powers but that is no reason to starve yourself" Mr Hallow said annoyed, he hated silly talk like this.
"Oh how do you know? You never even asked me how I feel!" Esmerelda went on, unable to resist. They always pretended they knew her so well when they knew nothing at all.
"We know you are upset, anyone would be upset if they lost their magic" Ursula said before she shifted her gaze from her eldest to her middle daughter.
"You see what you do? Why can you not behave yourself?" Ursula shouted out looking disgusted with the middle blonde.
"Don't shout at Ethel! This is not her fault" Esmerelda told them glaring back at them. In all honestly she didn't blame Ethel at all anymore, If Ethel hadn't of being there Agatha would of gotten magic of someone, Ethel tricking Esmerelda guaranteed it was Esmie but it could of being anyone.
"She knew it was AGATHA" their dad said wondering how she thought this wasn't Ethel's fault.
"Well Agatha tricked her too! Maybe if you two had given her even a slight bit of attention, she wouldn't of gone to someone like Agatha Cackle to get it off!" Esmerelda shouted, knowing that was what Agatha had promised Ethel. Her being head girl and her star pupil, Ethel would feel important for once in her life, that was what Ethel wanted, to feel worth something.
"DON'T blame us for her behaviour" Triton told hid daughter. "I have had enough of you answering back" he told her. The parents looked at each other and then turned back to the girls.
"You two leave this minute" Mrs Hallow told the younger two
"No way!" Ethel said, not prepared to leave Esmie to be punished in whatever disgusting way her parents had planned.
"NOW!" Triton yelled
"NO!" Ethel shouted before Esmie touched her arm.
"It is okay, go on" Esmerelda said as she gave her sisters a look, hoping they understood her. Ethel nodded and took Sybil by the hand, leaving her with their parents.
"Come on Sybil, we need to get help" Ethel said running to find someone.
Esmerelda was grateful she was in a hospital because she thought that way they could not do something to bad to punish her with so many prying eyes but she was wrong.
Her father cast a spell, one even the smart girl didn't know. She was just wondering what it did when she felt her back burning.
"AHH" the girl screamed out as she felt the flesh on her back burn, it got more intense and she screamed louder so her mum cast another spell. It silenced her. She was still screaming but no sound came out.
It was so painful for the girl, tears sprang to her eyes, it felt like someone had poured boiling water over her. She had heard of this spell before, it was a curse burning spell and tears fell out of her eyes as her flesh burned.
"I told you not to mess us around" Mr Hallow told her and the girl let tears fall out of her eyes, the pain making her feel in agony.
"You will listen girl" Ursula said as she helped her husband.
Ethel and Sybil ran around the hospital until they found a nurse. Out of breath the stopped.
"Help our sister please, our parents are hurting her!" Sybil said knowing whatever they were doing would be bad.
"I am sure everything will be fine" the nurse replied, busy and not wanting to be bothered.
"Look, maybe it is fine but maybe it isn't do you want me to contact the Great Wizard or tell him you aren't looking after your patients?" Ethel replied glaring at her.
The nurse looked at her seeing the girl looked serious and sighed before replying.
"Very well, let's go" the woman said following the girls back to the dorm, rushing to check on Esmerelda.