Derry Girls: New Horizons, Part 1

Back in Black

Huge thank you to both Will Styer and Misha Mercury for their creative inut and support for helping me write this chapter.

Erin sat at the edge of the campfire with a notable scowl on her face. James had noticed the scowl that was acquainted with past incidents as he braved to walk over to her, coming away from the others who were sat together. Having an idea of why she was being so..... 'Erin like' as she angrily snapped tiny bits off a small branch and threw them into the fire with merciless hate.

It was now the last night of the camping trip. The young campers occupied themselves as best as they could. They would all be heading back to Derry in the morning, but there were matters that were still unresolved. The last few nights had gone by without any further incident of theft. The lack of events had frustrated Erin that she had been unable to unmask who the culprit was. So much, she began to conjure up wild theories as to who was responsible for stealing the camper's things but had no proof to back up her theories. No one seemed to be behaving in an unusual manner. But the brawl that erupted between Ciara Rafferty and Tina O'Connell during a game of Hurling brought everyone's frustrations to the boiling point.

Tina O'Connell had been outspoken throughout the trip regarding the stolen items. Even going so far as to spread rumours amongst the campers that Ciara Rafferty, another girl in her year, was the thief. The brunette teen had not reacted straight away to Tina's accusations. Instead, she waited for the right moment to act; remembering that Big Mandy was Tina's sister wouldn't have done her any favours to retaliate rapidly. There were now 10 girls who had reported something missing. There was a snake in the grass, but no one knew who it was.

Items ranging from chokers, a CD Walkman, hats, a bubble bag, strangely, even a pair of platform trainers, watches, and jewellery. Some of the girls even reported money going missing. Erin had made a list of the 'missing' items and tried to figure out what the connection was. She had made enquiries but had gotten nowhere in identifying the culprit. She could only conclude that the perpetrator had to be the same person, since Coco Pops had reacted the same way when sniffing each victim's rucksack. Even Sister Michael was beginning to feel frustrated, knowing how much of a ballache it would be to have to inform the parents of the victims when they got back.

The suspicion and tension was undeniable during the group outdoor excursions. They had ventured to nearby places such as the mystical Beaghmore Stone Circles, which bore chiselled markings of the oldest known Celtic language. Next, they had gone cycling along the Davagh Forest Trail, which was almost uneventful until Michelle almost collided with a tree, all the while insisting she was capable of riding even though she was recovering from her secret drinking sessions with Laurie when everyone was asleep.

Even visiting the beautiful Tullaghoge Fort had a close call. The gang found it somewhat symbolic as they stood around the inauguration stone where the historic O'Neill clan would inaugurate their chief by hanging a single shoe over his head. Orla had taken the liberty of taking her boot off and walked around and hung it over each of the gangs' heads, and then herself. In her own unique way, she saw it as a way of anointing everyone as part of a 'Clan'. Then Coco Pops took the liberty of lifting his hind leg to mark his territory on the inauguration stone, but they managed to get him away before he committed the deed.

But all the while, there was an undeniable tension hanging over everyone, as the thief had not been caught. Father Peter had suggested to Sister Michael about splitting the groups up again with some camp site activities as a means of easing the tension. Little did the Priest know that his idea would only create more problems instead of solving them.

The little green monster emerged from within Erin when Michelle had decided to teach First Aid to the camping group along with James and Aisling. Michelle started by showing the RICE method -Rest. Ice. Compress. Elevate- for the treatment of sprains and suspected broken bones while taking pleasure in using James as the dummy. But then Michelle attempted to break the tension by thrusting Aisling into an extremely awkward situation by getting her to demonstrate CPR on James. A notion that made Aisling's face turn red, while James winced in embarrassment while the younger members laughed at them both. Aisling noticed the suggestive digs coming from Tina O'Connell and her friends as she nervously lowered herself down to demonstrate the manoeuvre but was quickly stopped by Michelle before Erin could get her hands on her in a fit of rage.