Chapter Twelve


As Mildred followed the nurse to the room where Constance was, she tried to ignore the desire to run, she was so distracted in her thoughts she didn't even realise the nurse had stopped walking and she walked into her back.

"Sorry" Mildred said. The nurse smiled and told her it was the room on the next left. Mildred nodded and thanked her before making her way inside.

Mildred entered and realised it was completely silent, so much so she could hear the beeping of machines from rooms down the corridor. As she stepped inside she saw her teacher, lying on the bed, not moving, as she was frozen.

"Miss Hardbroom?" Mildred said wondering why she was not moving. Her cry was met with silence.

"Miss Hardbroom!?" Mildred said a bit louder this time. She walked a bit closer to her, saw she very much was frozen, and felt dizzy.

When she still didn't move Mildred turned around and walked into the table in shock. The loud sound of things falling of the table led to the nurse Mildred had spoken to entering the room.

"She's…" Mildred said trying to refrain from throwing up.

"Sorry love, I thought you were aware of her condition...come on, it's alright" the nurse told her leading her out the room before she could become more upset at the situation.


The journey back to school felt much longer for Mildred than the journey had going, but she arrived back just before her first lesson was due to start. She rounded the corner to head to the potions lab and saw her friends.

"Millie, you are pushing it a bit where have you been?" Maud asked her rushing over as soon as she saw her arrive.

That question made what Mildred had just saw hit her and she suddenly burst into tears, not even knowing what to say in response.

"Millie, what's happened?" Enid asked, glancing at Ethel as she was normally the source of her friend's upset.

"I went to see HB" Mildred said through tears.

"What? Why?" Ruby said confused as to what would possess.

"I had to know what was going on...Cackle is acting so odd...it's really bad...she's in a coma!" Mildred said through tears.

"A COMA" Jadu yelled loudly in shock.

"I saw it with my own eyes, she was just lying there…" Mildred replied upset at what she had seen.

Mildred's friends didn't know what to say so tried to comfort her gently, blocking the corridor in the process.

"Girls what is going on?" Imogen asked hearing shouting and crying and a lot of commotion as a crowd formed.

"We all know the reason Miss Cackle won't let you visit HB now, she's trying to hide she is in a coma" Enid told her.

"She's what!?" Imogen responded thinking she must have misheard. Seeing more and more girls starting to crowd round to see what was going on, Imogen pushed through the crowd and headed for Amelia's office, thinking she had some explaining to do.

"Amelia you are needed, now!" Imogen said barging in without even knocking. Amelia was looking through a newspaper but jumped up at her teacher's distress.

"What's going on?" Amelia asked as she walked with Imogen, then heard the sounds of shouting and rushed towards it.

"Girls what's going on?" Amelia changed her question.

"I went to visit HB Miss...I know she is in a coma!" Mildred stated, she was a little calmer but still upset.

Amelia sighed. Mildred had gotten the wrong end of the stick and had being unfortunate to arrive when Constance was in a frozen state.

"Amelia...why didn't you tell us?" Lavinia asked.

"Please all be quiet" Amelia said settling the girls down.

"Mildred is mistaken, she isn't in a coma" Amelia explained.

"I saw her Miss!" Mildred replied.

Amelia sighed, she couldn't exactly hide the truth now.

"I know, but it isn't what you think...Miss Hardbroom is suffering from after effects from fighting the uninvited last year, the coma you saw was the frozen state we all suffered last year when the uninvited put us to sleep, it is temporary and she does come out of it, she also has other issues but I don't believe I need to disclose them all, I kept it a secret as I didn't want anyone to feel like they are to blame" Amelia said glancing slightly at Mildred's friends. It had after all been them who had released the uninvited in the first place.

No-one spoke after Amelia finished talking, everyone was in far to much shock to comment as none of them had suspected this at all.

"I know it is sad, I think we should call a holiday" Amelia said knowing none of the girls, or staff, would be able to concentrate today after the bombshell news.

Mildred felt relief that her teacher was at least not in a coma all the time, but then she remembered something else and became untrusting of the hospital.

"But Miss, Miss Hardbroom is not safe in that hospital, them nurses think she is your daughter, they don't even know the right information" Mildred told her.

Mildred looked at her teacher and saw her shift her eyes away, which told Mildred she was lying about that too. Mildred assumed she was right after all and she had lied to be allowed to have updates about her condition.

"Are you sure she said daughter Mildred?" Lavinia asked thinking that was ridiculous. Mildred was right, them nurses were useless and getting information mixed up.

Amelia looked around and opened her mouth not knowing how to explain the situation, she knew the information she was about to share would shock them all to the core.

"Did you tell them that to be allowed updates as her family member?" Imogen asked Amelia, also drawing the same conclusion Mildred had.

Amelia looked at her, the guilt evident on her face "No I told them that because she legally is…" Amelia revealed.


The shock by this comment was somehow even greater than finding out the true nature of Miss Hardbroom's sickness. Agatha could literally of broken into that school at that moment and everyone would have been too shocked to have noticed. It was as if everyone was suffering from there freezing themselves.

"Now I have heard it all" Lavinia eventually got out.

"Amelia...I think we need a chat" Imogen said unable to wrap her head about anything she had been told. Amelia nodded, thinking it was fair she explained everything to them finally. Lavinia followed behind Imogen and Brielle, the potions supply, spoke.

"I will watch the girls" she told them knowing it wasn't really important she was involved in the conversation as she was just a supply and had been there a few days.

"Thank you Miss Thornheart" Lavinia commented as she followed the other members of staff to Amelia's office.

"Right girls erm...let''s go to the hall and have some juice" Brielle told them as she led them away and tried to think of a distraction.

Mildred eyed her friends who looked drained by the news, they all felt guilty for releasing the uninvited and didn't know what to say about what had happened and it was obvious they all felt guilt form inside them. They made their way to the hall in silence, all completely absorbed in their own thoughts.