Ghost of Newsangtown

Hide and Seek

This time Louise did look up, directly into Miss Reed's eyes. "I will not speak to her. I'm going now. I'm fine. Really." Her hand was twisted against Miss Reed's persistent hold. The conversations in the staff room hushed. "Thank you." She turned to the entrance as Miss Reed let her wrist slip free.

By the time she got to her next class she was late. Her maths teacher had been leaving the staff room when Miss Reed brought Louise through, so he seemed surprised to see her turn up at all. "It's okay Louise, now take your seat. Karla has been staring at that door since she sat down." Louise broke eye contact with her teacher to discover that Karla was glaring-down the class before anyone had a thought to comment.

As soon as she sat, Karla was in her ear. "Word in the halls was that The Crow got you." In response to her confused look, "Mrs Crowley, The Crow."

"I know The Crow. I'm just amazed at the halls and how they talk. I was only down there a minute."

"Well then, you must know that that's not all they're talking about today."

"Someone other than me? That's a change."

"No my little Lou, no one but you. You're going to have to sort it out with Josh as soon as you can though. It'll all just get worse if you don't."

"Me sort it out? I've got nothing to sort out. If he's interested in sorting anything out, it's his own mess and he can do it on his own time." Her voice rang out clearly in the quiet class.

"Shhh." But Karla was too late.

"Louise, you came in late and I understood that, but you, of all people, don't talk in my class." Somewhere behind her she heard the name 'Josh' passed around.

Karla's chair scraped as she stood. "I'm sorry Sir, it was my fault. I shouldn't have distracted her. I won't do it again." She sat again and opened her book as if the conversation was over.

During these hot summer months, their first break was the longest. Even at that time of day, it was the shade that determined the seating. Usually Karla would prefer to hang close to the action, down near the covered sports quadrangle. She didn't even try to lead Louise down there this time. Instead, she accepted Louise's preference for the little patch of dark shade cast by a short tree on the slope of the oval. They picked over each other's lunches as usual.

Karla broke the silence first, "Did you chat with Natalie much last night?"

"No, not at all. Not since I left your place."

"Really? I thought you would have gone straight home and just continued where you left off. How come?"

"Well, she wasn't online when I got home. I did check. So then I went downstairs and had a big fight with Mum instead. She thinks I'm on drugs."

"Just because she's worried about you, doesn't mean she thinks you're on drugs Lou."

"She does though. Or at least did, till I set her straight. No actually, even after that she was still giving me the look."

"So you spent the whole evening at it with your mum. No wonder you're off centre today."

"No, I really didn't. That only took a moment, an ad break. I went back up, then noticed there was an email from a Richard." Louise leant forward, lifting her weight off the hands behind her and dusted them off together. Then turning even more to face Karla, "I really think this Richard might be my real dad. You're gunna have to read his email. Should've printed it."

"And left it in your pocket for your mum? Just like everything else she's found?"

"Oh yeah, probably best not."