There’s these two kids, boys, sitting close together, squished in by the big arms of an old chair. You’re the one on the left.
The other boy’s warm to lean close to, and he moves his gaze from the telly to you, sort of in slow motion.
‘You enjoying it?’ he asks.
You nod. He puts his arm round you and turns back to the screen.
Afterwards you both want to try the thing in the film. You sneak the big box of matches from the kitchen drawer and run with them to the woods.
You go first. You light the match and hold it between your thumb and forefinger letting it burn right down until it goes out. Your fingers are burnt, but they hold the blackened match.
The trick works.
The other boy tries it too. Only he doesn’t do it. He drops the match.
Then you wake up and remember where you are.
YOU ARE READING
Half Bad
Teen FictionYou can't read, can't write, but you heal fast, even for a witch. You get sick if you stay indoors after dark. You hate White Witches but love Annalise, who is one. You've been kept in a cage since you were fourteen. All you've got to do is escape a...
