Chapter 7 – Pippa Pentangle is Concerned

Hecate sat at her desk in her room that evening and she had been stressing about how to put the situation to Pippa, they were best friends in school and one day in the middle of fifth year she made the biggest mistake of her life and she had distanced herself from her friends especially Pippa. Hecate's biggest secret was that she had turned a non-witch into a witch with the use of a wishing star, all had seemed great until a few days later where the girl had turned to stone, Indigo Moon she was called. Hecate used to be a happy go lucky kid, she was cheeky and felt the rules didn't apply to her until that day. Filled with self-hatred, she wouldn't let anyone close again, Pippa would have understood the situation however Hecate could not have been sure. Both women have not gotten along since then. When they had to speak to each other the words were stiffened both women hating each other with no idea why on Pippa's side.

She sat there and when she had decided an hour later what she would say to Pippa, she turned to the mirror in her room and turned it around, she always hated her reflection and spoke to it.

"Pippa Pentangle" She spoke clearly. To her amazement Pippa answered within seconds.

"Hecate? I wasn't expecting a call" Pippa responded, looking like she hadn't long gotten out of the shower with her pink nightdress on and her pink dressing gown with white butterflies on and her blonde hair up in a towel. She looked very pretty.

"I wasn't going to" Hecate responded wishing now that she hadn't.

Feeling the hesitation Pippa wanted to know what could possibly make her want to ring her at all, they never spoke unless they absolutely had to.

"have you heard from Sapphire at all, she is fine by the way" she asked Pippa.

"I have actually, she sent me quite a long letter, I almost wasn't going to read it, said you told her to" Pippa stated with a tiny smile. "What is this about Hecate" she pressed.

"I walked into the hall this morning and there was a Bull shark in there and she had wings coming out of her back" this was not how Hecate had intended to explain this morning, but it's how it came out.

"Ah yes, Sapphire doesn't sleep due to flashbacks from her past, she makes a version out of herself using air to look like she is asleep, it has never fooled me, I can assure you" Pippa responded.

"You didn't think it would have been a good idea to mention it, Pippa?" Hecate asked with slight frustration.

"I can't be sure how the staff will respond, Ada and Dimity knows and that's it, you're not the only one who didn't know" trying to reassure Hecate as much as possible, she knew Hecate hated it when she was the only one not in the loop. "she's not a bad girl, her anger and behaviour come from a place of trauma".

"That she explained, the concern I have is that she believes herself to be a burden, she has stayed in the woods all day to cool down, which was her choice might I add" Hecate informed her with slight sympathy in her voice for the girl. Another tone of voice she never knew she had in her.

Pippa suddenly looked downcast and looked close to tears "explains everything" is all she could manage.

"Might be best for you to come to ours and see her" Hecate offered.

Pippa only nodded and ended the call.

Hecate sat and scolded herself in a whisper "Well done Hecate, well put, hope your happy now you've made her cry, there was a plan, what happened?"

Pippa had crawled into bed after she had ended the call with Hecate and let all her tears out, it wasn't long till Aiden had heard her crying and he had let himself into her room and shut the door behind him. He got into bed with her and hugged her tight and stayed silent whilst she cried into his shoulder. He ensured no one could hear her outside her room using a swift hand movement. She stopped crying after a while, and she just lay there in his arms hearing his heartbeat. She turned over to go to sleep and he turned to her and wrapped his arm around her whispering words of comfort and reassurance. She loved him, he always knew what she needed, she felt she didn't deserve him. She grabbed his hand which had slid onto her stomach and held it whilst she fell asleep. Aiden had heard the whole conversation between the women, and he didn't like what he heard Hecate say. There was no hatred in what she had said, she hadn't said any lies in anyway, it was what she had said about Sapphire feeling like burden that had hit him hard. He stayed with her all night, not wanting her to be left alone in this state.

The following morning Pippa Pentangle arrived at Cackle's Academy and it was eleven o'clock, classes were in session and she had been flying for 2 hours, she was always a graceful flyer who's broom never went of course or lost a sense of direction. As she landed Dimity was there to greet her. The severity of this situation she understood as she looked at Pippa.

"Where is she" Pippa stated as she was looking around with panic written all over her face.

"She's fine, she is in potions" Dimity stated reassuringly.

"That's not what Hecate said last night".

"Hecate has her ways of explaining things, but she seems fine, what did she say to you?" Dimity pressed as she led Pippa to Ada's office.

"That Sapphire stated she feels like a burden on everybody, this is what I feared when I agreed to send her here" Pippa said in a small voice. She felt like she had failed her daughter, she didn't want any child that entered her school to feel like that especially Sapphire.

Dimity knew that Sapphire feeling like a burden would not end well. She needed to be around her mother now more than ever. Her magic would end up out of control with a giant mix of emotions running through her system, not sure what to do with it and loosing control. It was not going to be easy to get her to not feel like a burden, if anyone could do it, it was Pippa.

"Any idea who spread it round that she was at Pentangles?" Dimity queried.

"Chloe Spencer" Pippa stated with anger "That girl has been expelled, glad to see the back of her, I should have kept her and taken her to wormwood beginning of term, now that would have wiped the smile of her face".

Dimity had never seen Pippa so angry or heard her speak of a student in such a way. Chloe had deserved it though, it was no secret that Sapphire and Chloe didn't get along, they hated each other.

"I'll leave you with Ada and let Hecate know you're here" Dimity said softly as Pippa entered Ada's office.

Sapphire wasn't where Miss Drill thought she was, she had not attended potion's instead she was at the lake in the middle of the woods bending water. Class would be finishing soon, as a result of that it wouldn't be long before Miss Hardbroom came looking for her.

"Infinity symbol, now rainbow coloured, bring it out of the infinity symbol, wrap around me going upwards and rainbow snow" she had done the water bending well. The small amount of water was going where she wanted it to, and the rainbow snow was beautiful to look at.

"My class is not an option; you are to attend each class unless you are dying" Miss Hardbroom's voice could be heard behind her.

"My mistake I thought it pointless as none of my potions seem to be working, didn't want to stress you out" Sapphire responded with sarcasm as she turned around to face her teacher.

"More of a reason to attend" Miss Hardbroom was losing patience with the girl she had not attended her class the day before either.

Sapphire didn't understand this time as she had made it clear in class that she wasn't good enough and it felt like she was just wasting her teachers time, now she's annoying her for not turning up. I just can't win, I'm not one of you, I am an element bender I don't do silly incantations, which is for all the ones we have doing in class. I have never hated potions up-until now.

"I am not turning up to a class where I am clearly not wanted, you make that quite clear every lesson, so ye it's pointless" she responded to Miss Hardbroom in a calm voice that made it clear she didn't care.

"Detention tonight, make sure you are there, that is not acceptable" Miss Hardbroom's ego had been chipped and she didn't like it. How dare she speak to me like that, I'm not that harsh surely and to act like it's no big deal, she will be sorry.

The both of them hadn't noticed Pippa amongst the trees considering she was wearing pink. She had watched the argument, the don't care attitude of her daughter and the way she felt, something told her that the burden situation wasn't just her, Hecate was making it worse. She watched as Sapphire walked back to school with a shrug.

"Well, that explains something, doesn't it" Pippa was not happy and her voice proved just that.

Hecate jumped out of her skin as she heard Pippa behind her. She turned around and Pippa looked furious.

"Before you speak, let me just tell you that under no circumstances is she to be spoken to like that, you didn't even acknowledge what she said to you, why would a student want to attend the class if the teacher is verbally ripping them to shreds. By what she said she you're not helping the burden situation" Pippa's voice may as well have just sent a bullet into Hecate's ego. "Don't mirror me and tell me she feels like a burden when you're treating her in such a way" her eyes flashing dangerously at Hecate.

"Maybe you should have instilled some manners into her, what witch can't do any incantations what witch can't fly a broom or chant, do explain" she spat at Pippa.

Pippa hit the roof "What exactly is your problem? She's a thirteen-year-old girl who is not a ROBOT, she has feelings believe it or not, did it ever occur to you that she is hurting on the inside, that maybe she's scared or is lashing out because she feels rejected? of which she is not might I add. You need to really sit down and ask yourself if you are in the right profession". Pippa Walked of at that point.

Pippa had set of to find her daughter, she eventually found her in her room and sat on her bed whilst Sapphire stared out the window, she had heard the beginning of the argument between the women in the woods.

"Why did you send me here, why not Amulet's or Amethyst's, why here?" Sapphire said with a deep sigh.

"I am so sorry sweety" Pippa had used a softer voice, one that Sapphire didn't realise she had. "if it makes you feel any better I've just verbally floored her" she told Sapphire with a wink

"I am sorry mum" Sapphire stated as she was ready to apologise "I thought you were sending me away as you'd had enough of me and used the not safe card as an excuse. I mean Miss Hardbroom is right I am not good enough, I can't do anything here, I'm useless". She hadn't noticed the tears well up in her mother's eyes, Pippa wanted to tell her that she was wrong, but she always waited for anyone to finish before she got her say in. "sometimes I really do think that maybe, just maybe, it would have been kinder for you to have just left me that day at the settlement"

Pippa couldn't hear any more of it and she got up of the bed and wrapped her daughter up in a big hug. "You are not and never will be a burden, Hecate just doesn't understand your kind and so she is slightly confused, she's very wrong, but she is very confused. The best thing I have ever done is rescue an eighteen-month-old baby from certain death, you are much more than you realise, your special and you just don't know it, I love you".

"I love you to mum".

Pippa pulled away and sat on the bed again and signalled for her to sit next to her, Sapphire sat down. As Pippa held Sapphires hand, she spoke words that sent chills down Sapphires spine. "The second day of term our school got infiltrated, luckily no casualties but many wounded, some of our fifth years and up including your friends pulled out all their strength, I couldn't be prouder of the school. They came looking for you, Sapphire, hence why I sent you away. Chloe has been expelled as she spread it round the wrong people that you were at ours". Sapphires eyes had widened, she had been a stubborn brat and her parents and those at Pentangles had been in hell. "Let me say this one more time. You never have been, nor are you or will you ever be a burden".

Hecate's ego had been severely stung by Pippa's words that morning and as Pippa had left in the afternoon the same day, she arrived she had another firm word with her and sat her down and explained exactly why Sapphire couldn't do incantations, flying and chanting. The realization had sunk in that she was expecting a child for fit into a third shaped box, she wasn't like the others. Pippa had also explained about pushing someone too far and that Sapphire was showing clear signs of depression and that she didn't want to have to hear that her daughter had died. Those words would be sure to stick with her for years to come.

The words of wisdom from Pippa had sunk in for both Sapphire and Hecate over the next few months which flew by without too many problems, Sapphire still had many detentions. She had been mirroring her parents a few times every week.