The Flower and the Serpent

by Madeleine D'Este

‘I just rolled my ankle. A little bruised but I’ll be fine.’ Angelika smoothed her hair back into place. ‘I’m sure I can walk it off.’

  ‘Please be more careful next time, Angelika,’ Ravenswood said. ‘We can't lose a leading lady.’

  ‘You can't let her back in,’ Jacinta said. ‘She's a danger to us all.’

  Holly opened her mouth but said nothing.

  Violet wished the wall would swallow her up.

  ‘Jacinta, I said enough. Angelika is fine. It's time to go back inside the drama room, I need everyone to focus.’

  Angelika hobbled towards the drama room with Jez at her side. Holly and Jacinta stomped down the last few steps, murmuring to each other. Lila followed but she didn't even glance in Violet's direction.

  Violet waited until the corridor was empty.

  Toby appeared at the dark theatrette doorway. ‘Are you okay? What happened?’

  ‘Leave me alone,’ Violet growled and trudged towards the drama room.

  Word spread fast. The rest of the cast whispered behind their hands as she tried to slink into the back row of the drama room. Everyone looked at her as if she was a smear of dog turd on their shoes. Even Lila.

  But Ravenswood, of all people, had come to her defence. It must be finally dawning on him how valuable she was.

  Her forehead was steaming hot. She turned in her seat and looked out the window as the sun dipped behind the mountain and the swaying eucalypts turned ghostly. Were the headaches, the memory gaps, the black things shifting about in the corner of her eyes, signs that Holly was right?

  She bent over and gripped clumps of her hair. If she'd decided to push Angelika down the stairs, she'd remember. Wouldn't she?

  From the front row, Angelika turned to face Violet. There was a slight smile on Angelika’s lips but the smirk was as hard as glass.

  Violet gulped and icy fingers ran up her spine. Throwing herself down the stairs and turning everyone against her was all part of the conspiracy. She was a better actor than Violet thought.

  Angelika turned back and Violet's headache thundered on. She rubbed her eyes, not caring about smudged mascara.

  Lionel's words sang over Violet's skin:

  ‘I'll fight till from my bones my flesh be hack'd.

  Give me my armour.’

  Violet tightened her fists. She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply through her nose. She wasn't the crazy one.

  A screwed-up piece of paper hit the chair next to her. Violet looked up with a scowl, but saw Lila gently nodding at her from the row in front. Violet unwrapped the note.

  ‘I know it wasn't you. Lx.’

  Violet smiled. Good old Lila. She could always rely on her. But the hours until opening night were slipping away. How could she unmask Angelika? Violet sucked a long breath in through her teeth.

  And who would believe her?

  ***

  ANGELIKA

  The smile still lingered on Angelika's lips as she savoured the fear in Violet's eyes. Shakespeare's words were almost as good as Sun Tzu's. And just as relevant.

  ‘The mind I sway by and the heart I bear

  Shall never sag with doubt nor shake with fear.’

  Violet had just been a nuisance until she'd stepped into Rowan's empty shoes but now she was too close for comfort.

  Angelika reached down and rubbed her ankle, milking her injury for a few moments longer. She could still feel the warmth of Violet's hands on her back but Angelika chose to bite her tongue when Ravenswood asked. Instead, she recalled Sun Tzu's wisdom.

  She will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight. She will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.

  Angelika didn't have to lift a finger. Violet was doing all the work herself with her little tantrums, sabotaging and distancing herself from the rest of the group. Even her few friends were turning against her.

  All except Ravenswood. His response had been surprisingly lenient and not at all what she expected. She pressed her lips together hard. He needed to be her champion and hers alone.

  She will win who, prepared herself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

  Angelika opened her notebook, and as she clamped her teeth around her pen lid, a shot of pain ran along her jaw and jabbed behind her right eye. She didn't remember hitting her head. Perhaps it was dehydration. It had better not be a cold.

  With a sip of water, she returned to her notes. She had to be ready to strike any moment. If everything went to plan, there'd be a million more Violets on the road ahead.

  ***

  RAVENSWOOD

  Ravenswood tried not flinch each time Kon mangled another of the Bard's lines. But the kerfuffle with the girls on the stairs kept gatecrashing his mind. Angelika seemed fine but the backlash against Violet had been quite vicious. He'd never understand teenage girls, with their hot and cold alliances and petty feuds. He sighed and hoped they'd be best buddies again by Friday. He couldn’t lose anyone else. He couldn't let his actors abandon him.

  Not again.

  A sharp knock sounded and two uniformed police officers filled the classroom doorway. The pimple-faced Kon stopped mid-word and the rest of the room buzzed with whispers.

  ‘Mr Ravenswood? Sorry to interrupt,’ said the one with the flattop haircut and the thick neck. ‘Can we speak with you for a moment?’

  ‘Of course.’ Ravenswood scrambled to his feet. His heart beat furiously. Please don’t let it be Fiona. ‘Kon. Keep going. I'll only be a few moments.’

  Ravenswood didn't know why but he grabbed his clipboard and pen. It just seemed the right thing to do.

  ‘How can I help you?’ he said, extending a slightly shaking hand. The two officers stepped away from the door into the dim corridor. Ravenswood followed but left the classroom door open, and a bunch of curious faces craned their necks to watch.

  ‘I can't hear rehearsing,’ Ravenswood shouted and the nosy parkers ducked their heads back inside.

  The flattop spoke. ‘I'm Sergeant O'Hare and this is Constable Morrison.’ Morrison was slim and around Ravenswood’s age.

  The name and the officer’s sticky-out ears rang a bell. ‘Morrison? Were you at...’

  ‘Newtown High,’ Morrison replied.

  Ravenswood produced a twisted smile. It was funny how life turned out. From what he remembered, Boof Morrison had been destined for a career on the opposite side of the prison bars.

  O'Hare continued. ‘We're here about Rowan Howie. I believe she is part of your play?’

  Ravenswood frowned. ‘She's not here today. She's sick.’

  ‘Her mother reported her missing this afternoon.’

  ‘Missing?’ Ravenswood gasped and clutched at his throat. He winced as he accidentally knocked the scab from yesterday’s brush with the filing cabinet. ‘How awful.’

  ‘We don't suspect any foul play. Yet. Girls of Rowan’s age run off every now and then, after a fight with their parents. They usually turn up after a few days. But we have to look at all possibilities.’

  Ravenswood nodded but his mind scattered into multiple dark places.

  ‘And this is the place she was last seen.’

  ‘Right. She was here all day yesterday. She left with everyone else. But I don't specifically remember seeing her leave. I was the last person left in the building...I think.’

  Ravenswood shivered and his eyes widened. What if Rowan had been in the car park? Before him? He cleared his throat and straightened his posture. How could he tell the police about the thumping on the roof? What would they think? If they didn't laugh in his face and take him straight to the funny farm at New Norfolk.

  He continued. ’You might want to talk to Miss Quinlin. You'll find her in the science block. And the maintenance men. But they don't speak.’

  ‘There's no sign she went home. What time did you finish up?’

  ‘I dismissed them all around four o'clock. It was already getting dark. It was pitch black by the time I left.’

  ‘And how
was she?’

  ‘She was nervous about the play. I'd selected her as understudy to the leading role and she was having second thoughts about the whole thing. I told her to sleep on it. These girls can work themselves up into a lather. Then this morning when she didn't turn up, I called her house and left a message but I assumed she'd decided to quit.’ He rubbed his neck. ‘I feel terrible now. Should I have called you straight away?’

  ‘You haven't spoken to her mother?’

  ‘I left a message. But didn't she notice Rowan missing before today?’

  ‘Mrs Howie works nights at the hospital. Her son thought Rowan had locked herself in her room. Can we talk to the class?’

  ‘Absolutely. They might know more than I do.’

  ‘Can you point out her close friends?’

  He couldn't admit he barely noticed Rowan, not now, not to the police. ‘I'm not sure. But we can ask? I'm sure they'll all want to help.’

  Ravenswood wrung his hands as he followed the officers back into the classroom, the police trudging in their heavy boots, their belts weighed down with guns and gear.

  Kon and Wayne stopped instantly.

  ‘Thanks boys. Everyone sit down,’ Ravenswood said. ‘We have something serious to discuss.’

  One of the girls gasped. Maybe it was Violet but he couldn't be sure.

  ‘The police are here about Rowan. She has gone missing.’

  This time, everyone gasped.

  ‘And this was the last place she was seen.’

  ‘Thank you, Mr Ravenswood.’ O'Hare stood with his legs spread wide and his hands clasped behind his back. ‘We need your help to understand where Rowan might have gone. Any information is helpful, no matter how trivial you might think. Just tell us all you can remember. Let's start with when you saw her last.’

  Jacinta raised a hand. ‘When we got dismissed, she walked out of the classroom. But she went down the corridor. Towards the payphone.’

  ‘Did anyone see her after that?’

  Everyone shook their heads.

  ‘Was she on the bus? Or did someone pick her up in a car?’

  The kids glanced at each other and shrugged.

  Any cars hanging around?’

  ‘She could have walked,’ Wayne suggested. ‘It was pretty foggy though.’

  ‘I walked home,’ Angelika said. ‘She lives somewhere near me. I didn't see her.’

  Violet raised her hand from the back. ‘I walked through the bush, too. I didn't see her, either.’

  ‘Did anyone see her last night? At the movies? A party? Did anyone speak to her on the phone?’

  The cast looked back, blankly.

  ‘OK. Can you tell us a bit more about her? Did anything happen that might make her runaway? Was she having a hard time? Did she have any enemies?’

  ‘Apart from Violet,’ Jacinta scoffed.

  O'Hare turned to Ravenswood. ‘Violet?’ he mouthed with a raised eyebrow.

  Ravenswood waved his hand dismissively. ‘School girl backstabbing,’ he whispered.

  O'Hare gave a firm nod and then faced the room again. ‘Did she mention any problems with her parents? Drugs?’

  Kon raised his hand warily. ‘She's got that boyfriend, doesn't she? The one with the hotted-up car.’

  ‘That explains the new rock chick outfits,’ Jacinta said.

  ‘I saw them in town once,’ Kon said. His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. ‘He's older. Eighteen or nineteen.’

  ‘You know his name?’ said O'Hare asked as Morrison took notes.

  ‘Nope. Sorry,’ Kon said with a grimace. ‘I've seen him around, though. He does something with cars.’

  O'Hare blinked. ‘Thanks. Can we speak to you alone?’

  ‘Sure.’ Kon swallowed and his neck flushed red.

  ‘Has anyone else seen or heard anything or anyone suspicious?’

  ‘Only the usual Beacon Hill weird shit,’ Wayne joked and the others laughed nervously along with him.

  Ravenswood pursed his lips. ‘Please, Wayne. Rowan could be in danger.’

  Wayne ducked his head and mumbled, ‘Sorry.’

  ‘We don't want to scare anyone.’ O'Hare glanced around the room one more time. ‘We just want to get in contact with Rowan. Bring her home again. I'll leave my card with Mr Ravenswood and if you think of anything else, please contact us. If you do see her, please get her to contact her mum. She's very worried about her.’

  With a painful smile, Kon stood up and the two officers led him into the corridor.

  Ravenswood hesitated. Should he go with them? They didn't teach him what to do in these situations at teacher's college. Should he go with them? Then he remembered Kon was only a Year 9.

  The classroom buzzed.

  ‘Maybe it's the beginning. Like those girls in the 1980s.’

  ‘She's probably up the duff and run off with the boyfriend to Melbourne.’

  ‘Her mum is pretty mean. I'd run away too if I was her.’

  Ravenswood clapped his hands.

  ‘Quiet, everyone. This is a serious matter. If you have any real information, please talk to the officers outside. Otherwise we are not helping anyone by making up stories. We have a play to put on in two days and our time is running out fast. Now, where were we? Lionel?’

  The boys spoke but no matter how hard he tried, Ravenswood’s thoughts drifted away. He hoped Kon’s story about a boyfriend was true, but the knot in his gut told him otherwise. He couldn't shake the thoughts of the car park. It made sense. This place knew the taste of blood too well.

  Ravenswood gulped.

  He hoped he was wrong.

  ***

  HOLLY

  As the police left the room Holly tugged on her bottom lip with her fingers. Rowan did seem a bit strange yesterday, with all her talk about weird smells. Maybe she was sick or off her nut like Jacinta said. Then again Holly had noticed an odd taste in her own mouth, one that even a few Minties didn't shift.

  Everyone remembered Rebecca, Danielle and Tracy. Their smiling faces printed on photocopied flyers sticky-taped to every telephone pole and bus shelter, with the word 'missing' in big font underneath.

  Was it happening all over again?

  No one was ever arrested for their disappearances and their bodies were never found. But the memory of the missing girls was everywhere. This was just another reason why Holly wanted out of this town.

  They restarted their rehearsal. The final scenes of the play should have been epic, the build up to the battle for the throne, but people kept missing their cues and stumbling over their words. Everyone spoke as if they were reading the phonebook aloud. Ravenswood was cringing but his eyes seemed distant. Everyone’s laughter was shrill and nervous, and even the seamless Lionel was off. It was embarrassing, it was terrible, and the show seemed doomed to failure.

  Kon snuck back into the room and Holly glanced across at Violet, sitting in the back row surrounded by empty plastic chairs. She was scowling, her arms folded tight.

  Holly's stomach roiled. After the incident with Angelika, Violet was capable of anything. Why didn't Ravenswood alert the police? He didn't even listen when she tried to warn him.

  She sighed. Violet often shot her mouth off and Holly hadn't actually witnessed her push Angelika. What kind of friend was she? Surely she should give Violet the benefit of the doubt.

  ‘So, thanks to all at once and to each one,

  Whom we invite to see us crown'd at Scone.’

  Jason finished the last lines of the play but no one clapped. He skulked back to his seat. The room stayed quiet.

  ‘Right everyone,’ Ravenswood said finally. Even his voice was flat. ‘It's been a long day and everyone's tired. Go home, get a good night's rest and we'll try again tomorrow.’

  Holly grabbed her bag and hurried over to Kon, but there was already a circle surrounding him.

  ‘What did they say?’ Wayne asked.

  Wayne shot Holly a nasty look as she hovered around the edges to eavesdrop.

>   Kon shrugged. ‘I just told them the same stuff. About the boyfriend. They just kept asking me the same questions over and over. I don't actually know anything more. I only saw them once. But I don't think the cops know anything either.’

  Holly chewed her lip and wandered off down the corridor to the payphone where Rowan was last seen. The brick walls were cold and institutional but she always felt a little safer inside. If she stood alongside a grown-up, the teasing would stop.

  But now she felt boxed in. The walls were hard and unfriendly, exactly like the rest of the world out there.

  She turned the corner and saw the gold payphone. Wasn't this a crime scene? Where was the blue and white police tape, the policeman standing guard and the forensics person in their white paper suit? There was only the phone, and the flickering light above and the red exit sign in the distance. As though nothing had happened.

  Holly went right up and touched it. She didn't know why she was here or what she expected to find. She needed to help, to know it wasn't Violet. A hard clump formed in her stomach, telling her that something was deeply wrong. But what?

  ‘Isn't it time you went home?’ said a voice.

  Holly jumped. ‘Miss Quinlin!’

  ‘Off in your own little world, dear?’ The science teacher appeared in another garish pink cardigan, her arms loaded with ring binders.

  Holly nodded. ‘This is where Rowan was last seen. Supposedly.’

  ‘A terrible worry for her mother,’ Miss Quinlin tutted. ‘But she'll turn up.’

  Holly squinted at the teacher. ‘Do you know something?’

  Miss Quinlin chuckled. ‘Oh no, dear. At least one or two kids go missing each year.’

  Holly narrowed her eyes. Miss Quinlin's smile couldn't mask the slight tremble on her lips.

  ‘You don't think there's something sinister behind it?’

  ‘Oh no, no, no.’ Miss Quinlin chortled but looked away. ‘Don't worry yourself. The professionals are looking into it. Now, get along home before it starts raining again.’

  Holly did as she was told but she didn't believe a word Miss Quinlin had said. No one seemed to be taking Rowan's disappearance seriously. She went out into the cold with a need for more information gnawing in her belly. She needed to understand what she was up against.