Cross

Book 1 Chapter II - Terror

Chapter 2 - Terror

For once, all was quiet at 75 Monks Way, and Janice was determined to make the most of it. She would be taking the children to school today to complain to the headmaster about that new teacher's shocking treatment of the students. Legina had come home almost in tears yesterday, saying he had taken her phone for no reason and refused to give it back.

True, Dani had given a rather different version of events, but what they both agreed on was that David Cross had been unnecessarily harsh about the whole thing. The girls' brother, Edward, hadn't seen what happened and wasn't able to give his version of events.

She was busily engaged in making a packed lunch for Edward, who was terrified of food poisoning and refused to eat any meal if he didn't know how it had been prepared, when an ear-splitting shriek pierced the air.  

"Mum! Mummy, come quickly!" Dani's voice screamed from upstairs. 

Janice was out the door, up the stairs, and outside her daughter's bedroom door in a heartbeat. But Dani wasn't there.

"Where are you? What's wrong?"

"In the bathroom, and I'm bleeding!"

Janice rushed downstairs to get the first aid kit and back upstairs to stand outside the bathroom door. "Where are you bleeding? How bad is it?"

"I don't know, but there's blood on my underwear."

Janice sighed and set down the first aid kit, mentally preparing herself for a long, drawn-out explanation.

~~~~

After Dani had been convinced that no, she was not bleeding to death, and Legina and Edward had been torn away from their make-up and video games, respectively, they set off to the school in the car. 

"Come in," the headmaster called when Janice knocked sharply at the door.

She marched in with the three children (Richard, the eldest, had graduated the year before) in tow.

"I'm here to complain about the way the new teacher treated my daughter. Why did he confiscate Legina's phone? It wasn't her fault that it fell out of her pocket."

"It didn't fall out of her pocket," Dani muttered, but no one paid any attention.

Headmaster West groaned. "Professor Cross reported the incident to me after it happened. According to him, your daughter threw her phone at him."

"That's not true!" Legina shouted angrily.

Dani had to agree, not that she'd ever say so.

When it became apparent that Janice would not let the matter drop, West glanced at the clock and sighed. "Perhaps the children should join their classmates for assembly. Edward, tell Professor White to take it as I am otherwise occupied."

As soon as they left the office, Dani turned to Legina. "Can I borrow your phone now? I'll give it back to you at dinner and I'll make sure nothing happens to it."

"Why do you want it?" her sister asked with a frown.

"I want to show Steven and Gareth the pictures."

"Pictures?" Edward repeated, overhearing this. "What pictures?"

Dani thought quickly. Her brother didn't know about the spaceship they'd seen, and if he did he'd probably tell their parents, who'd tell the police, and she'd seen enough science fiction shows to know the police would probably say the photos were forgeries but warn them not to tell anyone or something awful would happen to them.