The Magpie Effect - The Magpie Chronicles Book 1 (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 13.2

Mr Carmody emerged from the cave, tailed by a flank of confused students, just as Mona surged forwards. “What’s going on out here?”

But he was too late. Mona vaulted across the small opening with lightning agility, arms outstretched and yodelling a demented war-cry. Her hands collided with Carmen, still pacing hysterically back and forth, and she was sent flying through the air, over the small cliff of embankment and into the murky river below.

The abyss swallowed her whole, the waves clambering over each other like a pit of snakes, each silver coil writhing to sink their fangs into a fresh meal. The water heaved and churned as though angered by the sudden interference. 

The entire world fell away. There was no sign of Carmen. What if a snare of current plucked her by the ankle and off into the river? What if we never saw her again? 

I could feel my insides shredding themselves, alive with cannibalistic terror that fed on itself and grew. I was barely aware of Mr Carmody as he propelled past me, not even stopping to peel off his jacket before he dived into the river.

The students that had congregated behind me rushed forward as one, so that we were all stood on the edge of the precipice, staring downwards in anticipation. Mona was lost amongst the crowd, her body consumed by a tangle of fabric and limbs. On the margins of my consciousness I could hear somebody shouting my name, over and over again.

The next few seconds trickled by tauntingly. All I knew was roiling nausea, the furious rumble of water below, and the rush of blood in my ears. 

When Mr Carmody broke the surface, with Carmen flailing in his arms, the whole crowd seemed to swell with relief. She had her arms draped around his neck but she was barely moving, as though the cold of the water had snatched her energy away and sent it sailing down the river. 

We all watched as Mr Carmody heaved Carmen towards the shore, setting her on the bank so that he could climb out after her. For a second she was still, and then she began to splutter. 

“Somebody give me their coat!” Mr Carmody barked. Somebody rushed forward and handed him their jacket, and he proceeded to wrap it over Carmen’s shoulders. She was shuddering violently, I noticed. Her cheeks almost looked blue. 

Just then, I felt something snag at my attention. It was Debbie, with both of her hands on my shoulders. “Saffy,” she was saying. “Are you ok? What happened? You saw what happened, right?”

I was too dazed to answer. I could see Mona hovering over her shoulder, her thumbs raised in a sign of conquest.

Mr Carmody turned his attention to the crowd. “What just happened?” he demanded.  His rage wasn’t harboured; it was written across his face in bulging veins and ruddy explosions of colour. “Will somebody please tell me what happened in there-” he jabbed his hands in the direction of the cave, “and out here?”

Nobody answered. The tumble of water and Carmen’s uncontained sobs were the only things to be heard. 

Mr Carmody got to his feet, gently pulling Carmen up alongside him. Holly rushed to the aid of her friend, wrapping her arm around her shoulders and whispering soothingly into her ear. Mr Carmody, however, broke away from them and stormed over to the mouth of the cave, where he appeared to have dropped something.

He knelt down to pick it up, and then presented it to the crowd of open-mouthed students. Mona started to laugh all over again.

It was the clown mask.

“What is this?” he boomed, holding it high like a decapitated head. “Somebody’s idea of fun? A harmless prank? Whoever is behind this ought to know that their immaturity almost cost somebody their life. I want answers. I want them now.”

The crowd answered with uncompromising silence. I was sure that my body was going to betray me, slash my cheeks with red as a symbol of my guilt. I tried to slowly, invisibly, inhale and exhale. Technically, I hadn’t done anything wrong and yet I could feel the guilt festering beneath the skin of my cheeks like burning rubies. 

A couple of seconds passed, and just when it seemed that nobody was going to answer, Carmen lifted her head. Her hair was clinging to her forehead and her make-up was coursing down her cheeks in rivulets of black. I didn’t think I’d ever seen her look so unattractive before, and for a fraction of a second, before she parted her quivering, partially-blue lips, an unclenching sense of satisfaction took hold of me.

But that was before she opened her mouth and said, “I can help you, Mr Carmody.” I watched as she reached out with a trembling finger and pointed it directly at me. “It was her. She did this to me. She pushed me into the river.”

*********

Eeek, the enmity is getting even more personal! What do you guys think? Please don't forget to VOTE and COMMENT if you enjoyed, and thank you so much for reading!