squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to ignore Estelle’s interjections. The old bag had been quiet since the nightmare, why was she back now?
Ranjit’s eyes flashed. ‘Demon? Is that what you think? What does that make me, then?’
‘Ranjit, why are you being like this?’ Cassie hissed, turning her body to square up to him more fully. He glowered back for a moment, then, with a deep breath, his look softened. He reached over and touched her knee.
‘I’m sorry, Cassie. I didn’t mean to …’ Ranjit lowered his voice. ‘Look, I’m sorry. Maybe now’s not the time to talk about it.’
Cassie slewed her gaze left and right. Sure enough, a few of the smirks had returned now that she and Ranjit had raised their voices to each other. Taking a deep breath of her own, she slid her arm hesitantly back through Ranjit’s.
‘OK … What if I just forgive you, then?’
‘Great. What if I just don’t mention Richard Halton-Jones again?’
‘Even better.’ Cassie gave him a slow grin. Setting her jaw, she decided to put the whole episode behind her. ‘Anyway … what’s happening today in the world of the Few?’
‘I think the plan is to watch a movie. Fancy it?’
‘Yeah, sure.’
Just as she spoke, one of the older students nearby lifted a remote control and blinds began to slide down the massive windows. With a click and a hum, a huge screen began to descend from the ceiling and the state-of-the-art projector lit up.
‘OK, definitely cool,’ she said, awed. ‘Maybe this common room thing isn’t so bad after all.’
As the lights dimmed, Cassie relaxed into the soft leather of the sofa, trying to forget the image of Ranjit’s face, eyes narrowed, jealous and so quick to bridle. She’d never seen that side to him before. They obviously still had a lot to learn about each other. Anyway, wasn’t she glad he was jealous? In a way it was nice. Reassuring. Had she overreacted? Was she wrong to have bitten his head off? Probably. But it was only a minor squabble, and he seemed to have forgotten it already.
Sighing, she closed her eyes. The cosy darkness enveloped her, and after a moment, she forgot the film – forgot most things – as she found herself concentrating only on Ranjit’s closeness. The intoxicating smell of his body through his shirt. The rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She felt her fingers clutch his tightly. If she stopped over-analysing everything, she might even forget her worries altogether …
CHAPTER SEVEN
C assie swore under her breath and considered for the fifth time whether hurling her monitor through a seventeenth-floor window would be considered grounds for expulsion.
At the start of term, the new computer science teacher Mr Jackson had seemed a soft touch. But now, a few weeks in, he’d turned into a monster. Their latest project – designing a new section of the Darke Academy website – could have been fun as well as interesting, had Mr Jackson not insisted on including such a complex sequence of animations and graphics. Cassie had always been a dab hand at web design, but she was sick of the sight of Dreamweaver. Her own dreams were trouble enough.
Estelle’s nocturnal visits were getting more frequent – three in the last week – and although there had been no repeat of the melting photo frame incident, Cassie couldn’t shake the notion that the two events were somehow connected. She had considered asking Ranjit about them, but she knew that he found it disturbing that Cassie could hear Estelle’s voice, and she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
Cassie sighed, refocusing on the screen in front of her. Perhaps Jake could help – the boy seemed glued to his laptop these days, whether in or out of class. She’d never had him pegged as a computer geek, but maybe …
She slipped out of her chair and hurried silently across the room, keeping low to avoid the roaming gaze of Mr Jackson.
‘Hey, Jake, can you—’
‘Cassie!’
Jake
Ranjit’s eyes flashed. ‘Demon? Is that what you think? What does that make me, then?’
‘Ranjit, why are you being like this?’ Cassie hissed, turning her body to square up to him more fully. He glowered back for a moment, then, with a deep breath, his look softened. He reached over and touched her knee.
‘I’m sorry, Cassie. I didn’t mean to …’ Ranjit lowered his voice. ‘Look, I’m sorry. Maybe now’s not the time to talk about it.’
Cassie slewed her gaze left and right. Sure enough, a few of the smirks had returned now that she and Ranjit had raised their voices to each other. Taking a deep breath of her own, she slid her arm hesitantly back through Ranjit’s.
‘OK … What if I just forgive you, then?’
‘Great. What if I just don’t mention Richard Halton-Jones again?’
‘Even better.’ Cassie gave him a slow grin. Setting her jaw, she decided to put the whole episode behind her. ‘Anyway … what’s happening today in the world of the Few?’
‘I think the plan is to watch a movie. Fancy it?’
‘Yeah, sure.’
Just as she spoke, one of the older students nearby lifted a remote control and blinds began to slide down the massive windows. With a click and a hum, a huge screen began to descend from the ceiling and the state-of-the-art projector lit up.
‘OK, definitely cool,’ she said, awed. ‘Maybe this common room thing isn’t so bad after all.’
As the lights dimmed, Cassie relaxed into the soft leather of the sofa, trying to forget the image of Ranjit’s face, eyes narrowed, jealous and so quick to bridle. She’d never seen that side to him before. They obviously still had a lot to learn about each other. Anyway, wasn’t she glad he was jealous? In a way it was nice. Reassuring. Had she overreacted? Was she wrong to have bitten his head off? Probably. But it was only a minor squabble, and he seemed to have forgotten it already.
Sighing, she closed her eyes. The cosy darkness enveloped her, and after a moment, she forgot the film – forgot most things – as she found herself concentrating only on Ranjit’s closeness. The intoxicating smell of his body through his shirt. The rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. She felt her fingers clutch his tightly. If she stopped over-analysing everything, she might even forget her worries altogether …
CHAPTER SEVEN
C assie swore under her breath and considered for the fifth time whether hurling her monitor through a seventeenth-floor window would be considered grounds for expulsion.
At the start of term, the new computer science teacher Mr Jackson had seemed a soft touch. But now, a few weeks in, he’d turned into a monster. Their latest project – designing a new section of the Darke Academy website – could have been fun as well as interesting, had Mr Jackson not insisted on including such a complex sequence of animations and graphics. Cassie had always been a dab hand at web design, but she was sick of the sight of Dreamweaver. Her own dreams were trouble enough.
Estelle’s nocturnal visits were getting more frequent – three in the last week – and although there had been no repeat of the melting photo frame incident, Cassie couldn’t shake the notion that the two events were somehow connected. She had considered asking Ranjit about them, but she knew that he found it disturbing that Cassie could hear Estelle’s voice, and she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
Cassie sighed, refocusing on the screen in front of her. Perhaps Jake could help – the boy seemed glued to his laptop these days, whether in or out of class. She’d never had him pegged as a computer geek, but maybe …
She slipped out of her chair and hurried silently across the room, keeping low to avoid the roaming gaze of Mr Jackson.
‘Hey, Jake, can you—’
‘Cassie!’
Jake
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