“That was outside! You idiots! Bloody idiots! You’ve ruined it!” She climbed into one of the little boats and unhooked it from the side. “Get in!” There was a rumbling and echoing of running footsteps outside. People were coming. I stepped into the boat as fast as my jelly legs would allow. “HURRY!” she pulled me into the boat and shoved an oar in my arms.
“Row!” she said.
Me and Robin rowed, the boat cut through the water silently and under three bridges before we sailed into what looked like a big, round, black hole. Underneath the corridors of the school. I, to tell you the truth, was terrified. As we went into the pitch darkness and out of the moonlit Library, we heard these deep voices echoing round in the cavernous room behind us.
- “Intruders, in the Library!”
- “Spells and Magic has been done.”
- “Send for the Magisteers and Ghosts, we need to do a head count, see who is out of bed.”
Tina leaned across to us in the impending darkness and whispered. “Row faster, we need to get back to our beds before they do.”
We did, we rowed and rowed hard. My heart was beating fast, the adrenaline pushing my arms forwards. If I was sleepy before then I was fully awake now. Robin was panting hard next to me. The roof above us was low and dripped water, or whatever it was, on my head.
“Ouch!” Robin yelped as his head made a crunching sound as it collided with the low roof.
“Quiet!” Tina snapped. We had no idea where the boat was going, only Tina seemed to know.
“Stop here,” she said. “You two get out, touch the wall, there should be an opening.” Robin fumbled around, with Tina tutting, and managed to find these slippery stone steps. I was really wobbly getting out of the boat, but with Tina’s sharp hisses giving directions, my feet found solid ground.
“Where are you going?” I said as she began rowing off.
“That’s the nearest entrance to your dorm. Mine’s up here. Speak later idiots.”
And that was it, she disappeared into the blackness. Robin began slipping up the dark steps, he nearly bloody slipped and fell in that water too. I wouldn’t have been able to even save him because I could see nothing. God knows what was in that water! But when we walked up through that cold, pressing darkness Robin only walked ten steps before whispering:
“Found it…” He was looking through a small grate. Through it, I could see sinks and cubicles. It was the boys bathroom, right near our dorm! Tina sure knew what she was doing. Robin pushed the metal grate away and we squeezed out of the gap as quickly as we could, pushing the heavy grate back into place.
Then we legged it back to our dorm. As we rounded the corner, I could hear footsteps and voices coming quickly from behind. We jumped into our room, closed the door and got back into bed, with all our wet clothes on, just in time. Because as soon as my head hit the pillow, we heard voices outside the door. Then it opened. A dull glowing bluish light fell into the room.
“That’s all my lot accounted for…” said Partington’s soft sleepy voice. Then the ghost that must have been with him muttered in suspicious agreement.
And then, I fell into a blissful, yet short sleep.
When we awoke the next morning, big yellow and black shirts with names on, hung at the end of our beds. For one glorious second I thought it was Christmas and a big stocking awaited me filled with glorious goodies. But then, as the sleepiness slid away I came back to reality and realised what they were. I heard some of the boys talking, I just wanted ten more minutes sleep.
“Do we wear them down to breakfast?” said Graham.
“No,” said Jake. “If we win then we will wear them to dinner.”
I sat up bleary eyed about twenty minutes later feeling no better. Robin sat up and we exchanged sympathetic looks. The others had gone down to breakfast already.
“We were that close to being caught,” I said, going over to poke the fire. My legs and sides were burning.
“That was too close for comfort,” Robin said before chewing his lip anxiously. “Hey, are you a bit nervous about today?” he was fumbling with the yellow shirt on his bed.
“Yeah,” I said, usually I would never admit my weakness as my parents would always tell me, but I was petrified. Butterflies were multiplying and churning somewhere deep in my stomach.
“Me too,” said Robin, looking a deep shade of green.
Partington was so nervous about the Riptide game we had to calm him down. Our classroom was full of nervous pacing, and farty noises. At eleven-thirty it was time to make our way down to the pitch. The whole school was already in the stadium. We had watched them making their way over there. We got dressed into our shirts, mine was overlarge as usual and resembled a baggy nighty. Hunters didn’t fit at all and threatened to burst at the seams, and Robin’s was so baggy and small he looked like a stick insect in a dress.
“They could have took our sizes!” said Dawn, who looked to be struggling to breath.
“Mine fits beautifully,” said Dennis, doing a pirouette.
Partington led us out of the safety of the classroom, through the deserted school and towards the pitch. I felt like my innards could fall out at any moment and I hadn’t eaten anything. I just couldn't. The girls were really quiet and huddled together like cold penguins. And then, sooner than possible, we were standing in this long, dark tunnel waiting to go out. I could hear the crowd roaring. I felt like crying. Robin’s face was a darker shade of green than the pitch. Graham and Simon looked grave, and both starred at the ground. Gret and Jake had their heads together in a baying silent prayer or something. Hunter was trying to crack jokes but no one was listening.
A tall thickset woman dressed all in black, came up and began searching us one by one with a long probe.
“I’m Magisteer Underwood, the referee. I’m just searching you all for restricted weapons and Spells,” she announced, running her hands all over the place, which felt quite undignified.
Then, she signalled for us to go out. This was it. Butterflies in my stomach doubled, tripled, then flapped around at a furious pace. And I needed the toilet. Again. But it was too late now. Joanna was at the front and began leading us out onto that chequered pitch to a tumultuous roar. The sound was deafening, it kind of hit you making your ears squeal. All around us were faces and eyes. Some part of me felt like this was some massive trick and at some point they would say ‘hold up guys, it’s only a joke your not really playing… that would horrible and mean of us… go back inside in the warm.’ But that didn’t happen. The sky was dark and cloudy and moisture hung in the air. The crowd were wrapped up warm in robes and scarves as I stood, jealous, in a baggy yellow dress with my teeth chattering against the cold.
Partington was waiting for us at the side of the pitch and began yelling to us over the noise. “Take your positions… and ready yourselves.”
What positions? This was really happening. And none of us really knew what to do or expect. I walked over to the right side of the pitch, over the chequered squares. I could hear a section of the crowd calling my name.
“Avis… Avis… Are you really a Blackthorn Avis?” I didn’t look up, but it sounded like my brother and all his friends, before large swathes of the crowd began to join in. The Stadium looked bigger now it was full of people, eyes from everywhere watched and judged, almost sensing our ineptitude before we’d even started.
Then, Straker appeared, with his form the Eagles, dressed all in red. Leading them out was none other than David Starlight. Straker stood next to Partington, who ignored him.
“Okay…” called Underwood, who had a whistle floating just in front of her mouth. “Take your positions. As we let the Habitat change!” Then she gave a gigantic blow on it.
There was a great roar from the crowd and I had to shield my eyes as a blinding white light lit up the green pitch., Suddenly we were standing on this sandy desert with small mud huts and cactus plants. It was surreal, all at once we were in the wild west. The cactus plants were huge and
spiky. The tall mud hills steep, and the sand was hot.
“Ooo, a nasty one for this match,” said Underwood. “Your flounders will appear in your bold-hole in five… four… three…”
I wheeled around to look at Hunter, the ball would be appearing right next to him. “Two… One… PLAY!”
Twelve shots of fizzing Spells went straight for us. One hit me in the face and I felt my body swell into the air. What was the bloody Spell called!
“Kady… Kadie… Kadriepop!” I cried, falling to the floor. As I wheeled round surveying the scene as time seemed to slow: Hunter hadn’t spotted the blue flounder in our bolt-hole, but that was the least of my worries. Robin, Jess, Dennis, Florence, Ellen and Simon were hanging in the air, then all at once a streak of blue light zapped them off the pitch. Oh no. Now it was only me, Gret, Jake, Graham, Joanna and Hunter left. The Eagles began running full pelt across the sand towards us. I ducked behind a mud mound and saw this red ball go flying through the air towards our bolt-hole. Hunter finally realised, with Joanna screaming at him, where the ball was. He picked it up and threw it, but not before a fizzing Spell flew through the air and smacked him in the face, raising him into the air. What’s worse, our blue flounder stopped in the air and flew back towards our own goal! David Starlight burst past me hiding behind a mud mound, kicked off a cactus, launched himself into the air, caught it and smashed it into our bolt hole. A shot of blue light erupted into the sky.
I could have Spelled him, that was my chance! But he was so quick I had no time to think. We had to get the other ball. I looked up round the mound. The other ball was…
“AHH!” I cried as I was launched into the air. I hung upside down with David Starlight’s face grinning at me.
Then the git laughed. “Did you really think I didn’t spot you?”
Before I knew it, this blinding light took hold of me and yanked me by the toes towards our team bench, which was quite full already. I sat breathing heavily, and took in my surroundings. That could not have been any more humiliating. Robin was on my left looking green still. We were sat in a line, on a long bench, set just away from the crowd near the pitch. It was a humiliating position to be in as everyone could see you. This was more brutal than we imagined and the crowd was laughing!
Gret and Jake soon zapped back, so poor Joanna was the only one out there now. We couldn't even see her. The Eagles had found our other ball and scored, but now, with eight minutes left they could Spell Joanna and receive full points.
It didn’t last much longer than a minute, somehow Joanna had found an Ornament which turned her invisible, but one of the team spotted her footprints creeping through the sand and they got her.
The announcer suddenly called out, nearly scaring me half to death — “AND THATS THE END OF GAME ONE! 5 POINTS TO THE EAGLES!”
Straker smiled smugly. The worst bit about this was — we still had four games left.
The second game was another white wash, they won 4-0. Only because Hunter managed to throw our ball out of the stadium! I think it caught a charmed tree on the Habitat, which this time resembled a thin dead forest, and was belted away by it. The games were getting rougher too. As we ran through Robin got an elbow to the jaw and hung in mid air while blood dripped all over our ball.
By the third game, I lasted two full minutes! The habitat was this grey rocky plane with hidey holes, cracks and tunnels. One of the Eagles ran straight past me. I lifted my hand and aimed for him.
“Pasanthedine!” I called. The tornado zapped straight for him as my channeller burned red hot. He shot into the air and dangled helplessly. Zapping back to his bench. God that felt good. The crowd who had taken to laughing at our ineptitude were quiet for about thirty seconds. Jess had the ball and had managed to make it invisible. Robin, Graham and Joanna stumbled upon us, and together we charged towards their bold hole… only to all fall down a large crater in the rock. I grazed my knees and the Eagles almost didn’t Spell us in time, they were laughing so much. Partington had his head in his hands.
By the forth game, there was this long grass, surrounded by bracken, and we lost 2-0. We still hadn’t even scored! It took until the final game for us to actually score a point! The Habitat was a terraced house street from the Outside world. Florence found an Ornament in one of the houses that gave her flight. When the Eagles tried to Spell her they all missed as she circled above the pitch Spelling all the Eagles. Joanna ran clean through as they were all looking up and scored! The crowd didn’t clap or celebrate though, only a few ironic cheers greeted us.
“WELL DONE TO ALL WHO PLAYED TODAY. TO THE EAGLES…” there was a massive cheer. “AND THE CONDORS…” There was nothing, except maybe laughing. “NEXT TIME… IT’S THE MANTICORES AGAINST THE CENTAURS IN HAILING HALLS RIPTIDE!”
So that was it. Our first venture as The Condors into the world of competitive Riptide. And we were awful. I mean, absolutely rubbish. We were laughed off the pitch. Partington couldn't get out of the stadium quick enough. We tried to keep our heads down as we mooched away down the tunnel and back towards our form class. We all huddled together. I had cuts and bruises all over me and my shirt was torn in several places.
David Starlight had made sure to clatter into me at every opportunity and my knees were grazed and sore. Robin was all but crying, he had scraped all his palms and couldn't move his jaw. Jess and Florence looked disgusted with themselves as they waddled back, caked in mud. Gret and Jake whispered conspiratorially in their own Golandrian. And Dennis was actually sobbing because his shirt sleeve was ripped. Ellen put her broken glasses back on and Simon bemoaned to Graham the lack of training.
As we walked back, some people were pointing and laughing. I heard people saying:
— “He’s a Blackthorn? You must be kidding me!”
— “A Blackthorn? He’s got about as much Magical talent as a gnome!” followed by cackles of laughter.
“Hey little brother,” said this ominous voice that sent shivers down my spine. Bloody Ross with more of his goofy strange friends, sidled up to me. Some of the faces around us turned to look. I carried on walking, climbing the stone stairs back to the school. He was going to Spell me, I knew it, after years of him at home I could read him like a book.
“So you’re not signing up for the Riptide All-Star team at the end of the year then?” he cackled in his best impression of Mum. I ignored him. “I cheered you on, you have to stick up for one of your own don’t you? But the thing about Riptide is, you really need to THINK FAST! Aperincho!” He called. A whizzing red and purple ball of wind shot at my face.
“Dancidios!” I had it ready in my mind. And miraculously, his ball of thorny light fell to the floor leaving only a scorch mark. His face dropped. I’ve never seen it do that. The people around us who had stopped to watch, crooned.
“Looks like little Avis has learnt a thing or two at school,” he spat.
“Not enough…” said another voice behind me. “Parsanthedine!” Yanked up by my toes, I dangled helplessly in mid air as David flipping Starlight grinned at me again. Again! Blood boiled in my veins.
“You bloody coward!” I called. “That was from behind!” The crowd carried on walking. David and Ross high-fived, and walked off together.
“Kadriepop… Kadriepop!” I must have been there for an hour, I had no strength left to wave my arms round. Fortunately, Partington spotted me out of his window, Spelled me down again and walked off without a word.
I was fuming. I thought this school was supposed to all be about being nice to each other, helping one another out and cheering each other on? The crowd had just laughed at us playing Riptide, did they not know that we had less than a days training? I know we were awful, but still. I couldn't help this burning cauldron of fury burn inside me all the way back to the dorm. I wasn’t going back to the classroom, no way. I stomped mud all the way back up the corridors, several ghosts chased after me and shouted at my dirty insolence. So I returned some choice words for them and they soon disappeared.
I was sick of it. The humiliation, the teasing, the bare faced bullying, the not being good enough, the lack of respect from everyone. I couldn't face it anymore. As the blood rushed back to my head, I decided…
I would make them all regret the time they crossed Avis Blackthorn. It was time I did what my family had always wanted, and got my revenge. Time I became a real Blackthorn… it was time that I became evil.
***
I didn’t really speak to anyone for the next week, keeping to myself. I had been making copious notes about how to be evil and what I could do to get my own back on:
• David Starlight and the Eagles, (the image of them laughing at us in the crater still echoing through my mind).
• My git brother Ross.
• Anyone else who had crossed me.
What was even more unfortunate was the fact that we, the Condors, were kind of infamous now for being ‘The worst Riptide team in Hailing Hall’s history’ — even though it wasn’t true.
Everywhere we went as a form, people would point and laugh and remind us of our ‘huge loss’ or remark on the awful Spell I did or something else that was equally appalling in their eyes. I would try and ignore it, but it just made me more fired up about being evil and making a note of each git face who laughed at me in the corridors.
Hunter was so upset about being continually teased as he walked the corridors that he took to being late for lessons so he could walk the corridors alone and in peace. Add that to the fact that he’d been sleepwalking. Me and Jake saw him, the night before. He got up to dress, but then put his trousers on his head and proceeded to crawl around the floor searching for the door. The stress had got to all of us. In class, an argument had erupted between the girls. Dawn and Florence began tearing each other’s hair out and had to be separated by Partington.
One night, sitting by the fire, me and some of the boys were doing more Straker homework, the git had given us an assignment on the rules of Riptide. None of us had properly spoken since that day.
Avis Blackthorn: Is Not an Evil Wizard! Page 8