frankie [episodes 1-3]

-2-

I tell Rebecca about the weird incident in the bathroom as we walk down the artificially lit corridor of Kings College toward the lift. It's raining outside and our shoes squeak against the linoleum. Rebecca looks at me, her white blonde hair damp and tangled around her face. She raises an eyebrow.

"You are ugly, you are worthless, you are nothing, you are mine?"

"Yeah..."

She looks pensive a moment.

"Maybe they've read it in a magazine or something, you know, like where you're meant to look in a mirror and say," she puts on a voice, "I'm a strooonngg inndeeppeendeennt wommaann."

She presses the elevator button and its doors slide open. I catch sight of myself in the mirrors and hurriedly avert my eyes as we step inside.

"You're supposed to say that as a self-affirmation exercise – you know, to boost your self-esteem or something. This was the opposite of that."

We move upwards, step out into the corridor and make our way towards the chapel at the end. Rebecca looks at me.

"Maybe they read about it in How To Shrink Your Gignormous Ego Weekly." She wiggles her eyebrows and I shoot her a look. She shrugs, "OK...Admittedly it's weird. But any weirder than usual...?"

We open the door to the shadowed chapel. I sigh.

"I guess not..."

My stomach turns anxiously. I don't want to be here. As much as Rebecca seems to think Carter is different to the other academics I've dealt with - he's not. He looks at me like all the others; like I'm some abnormal scientific specimen in a petri dish.

When we enter, he is stood rigidly - his head bent as he looks at something on the alter. He turns when he hears our voices and beams. Jared looks up too, propping himself up onto his elbows as he lays back on one of the pews.

"Are you just always here?" says Rebecca, skipping over to the bench behind Jared and throwing herself into it.

He gives her a look then turns his dark gaze towards me. There's a slight coldness behind his eyes but he nods. I wonder if he already told Carter about my power.

"Frankie."

"Jared."

Carter moves forwards. He is dressed in his formal reverend attire like usual – I wonder if he ever wears anything else.

"I'm glad you came – I just received some Intel about our next murderer!" He catches my gaze and nods, "And Frankie, it's great to see you again! I'm glad we didn't scare you off!"

Rebecca leans forwards, "Frankie would take some scaring. You should have seen her when we killed Daisy Malone's murderer!"

His blue eyes brighten and he hurries towards me.

"What? You don't mean...? A skill manifestation?"

Rebecca looks at me as though expecting me to say something. When I just stare at Carter blankly she nods, her blue eyes bright.

"Yeah, she shot like five of them – and killed the main guy. It was freaking epic!"

He clasps his hands together, glee evident across his pale face, "Wonderful, just wonderful. Never doubted it for a minute!"

Rebecca and Jared share a look, and I recall the moment when he most definitely did doubt it for a minute. He spins on his heel and makes his way to the alter.

"Now, come, come. We have work to do. I want to hear all about it, and of course," he looks over his shoulder, his eyes bright, "you have another girl to avenge."

Jared and Rebecca push themselves up off the pews and follow him. Rebecca smiles at me reassuringly as she passes and I exhale heavily and join them. Carter looks up.

"Now the next girl will be interesting because she used to attend your school. She was part of the sixth form cheerleading team."

I feel a wave of nausea as I stand beside Rebecca. In the centre of the alter is a file – just like the one that still sits on my dressing table at home. On it, in thick black letters, is the name Kerri Winters.

"And if my sources are correct, Frankie now possesses her right foot."