frankie [episodes 1-3]

-3-

After school the next day Rebecca drives us all to Kings College. We'd agreed that the conversation between Mr Redwood and the curator at the wax museum seemed pretty suspect, and decided to pay Carter a visit. Plus, Rebecca reminded me, we needed to visit him anyway, to get information on the next girl.

The next body part I find myself thinking to myself with a shudder as she navigates the hearse down the traffic clogged Strand.

Outside the weather is grey and the thrum of raindrops echo around the chapel when we enter. The vast space is empty but, as Rebecca noisily stomps toward the alter, the door to the reading room opens. Carter is momentarily backlit by the dimly lit door frame, his pale hair glowing like some kind of heavenly halo, before he steps into the dark chapel towards us. He is carrying another one of his files and he beams as he places it on the centre of the alter between us.

"So great to see you all again!" he says as Jared leans casually against its surface. "I'm so pleased everything went alright with the Whisperer! Any complications?"

Rebecca's expression darkens.

"Well there was one thing...before Frankie killed him he said there were more of them, and that He had them everywhere," she pauses then fixes her blue eyes on the reverend. "I mean who is He?"

Carter frowns, crumpling his otherwise smooth forehead.

"Hmm...interesting. I wonder if..."

He tails off, his eyes momentarily glazed over.

"Yes?" says Jared, arching an eyebrow. "Care to share with the rest of the class?!"

Carter shakes his head hurriedly.

"Oh no, nothing, probably nothing. Now - I take it you're here for the next file?"

Jared holds Carter's gaze for a moment and there seems to be a weird struggle for dominance as something passes between them. Then Jared ducks his head and nods. I flick my gaze toward Rebecca to see if she noticed it, but she's currently wringing out her wet hair onto the fancy, patterned floor.

"Yeah, we're here for the file," she says, finally looking up, "but we also wondered if you could get any information on one of our teachers – Mr. Redwood - and on the curator of the wax museum in central London. We overheard a conversation that seemed a bit...off."

"Demonic?" says Carter.

She shrugs, "not sure yet. Maybe."

"Either that or you just don't like wax museums, Becs..." says Jared – who has been the most sceptical about what we overheard yesterday.

She shoots him a glare.

"Shut up, Jared."

She reaches over for the file then pauses, her hand extended mid-air. She turns and looks at me.

"Do you want to take it, Frankie?" she says.

I stare at it a moment, fighting off the feeling of hollow darkness as I think about what it contains.

Eleanor Masters, The Left Leg is written across it.

Another dead girl, another part of my body.

Take it I hear the voices sing in my mind, Take the file.

I inhale sharply then snatch the file from the surface. Rebecca nods at me and Jared pushes himself off the alter as I tuck it awkwardly under my arm. I'm annoyed at myself that my body is trembling slightly.

Then we say our goodbyes to Carter and make the walk back down the pews toward the exit.

We have another girl to avenge.