Thyla - Kate Gordon [48]
But I needed to think. I needed to remember. I needed to decide what to do next.
And I needed help.
I couldn’t go to Rhiannah or Harriet or Sara.
I needed to go to the one person here at Cascade Falls that you said I could trust; the one person you said would look out for me; the person who had been your friend and confidante for so many years.
I needed to go to Ms Hindmarsh.
I arrived outside Ms Hindmarsh’s office with my head buzzing and swarming with words and sentences and ways to make her believe me; ways to make her help me. I held a curled hand up, ready to knock, when the door was wrenched open, and Mr Beagle launched himself out so quickly he nearly collided with my fist.
When he saw me, he jerked backwards and uttered a little yelp, his hand flying to his chest. I couldn’t help smiling. Mr Beagle had seemed quite fierce, that first day when I met him on the school steps and he gave Laurel and Erin a dressing down for their naughty behaviour. Now, I liked him. He was still a bit grumpy – he always seemed like he hadn’t had enough sleep – but he was a good teacher. He was smart and interesting, and passionate about history, and we got along very well. He did make a funny noise when he was startled, though.
‘Ah! Tessa! You frightened me!’ he said, smiling and looking nervously past me down the hallway.
‘Sorry, Mr Beagle,’ I said. ‘I just came to see Ms Hindmarsh.’
‘She’s not here,’ he said quickly. I heard his heart accelerate. I noticed tiny pearls of sweat on his forehead.
I noticed also that the grey circles beneath his eyes – the ones that seemed almost permanently stamped on his biscuit-coloured skin – were even more pronounced today. He looked as though he hadn’t slept for a year.
‘Oh, okay,’ I replied. I was about to turn around and walk away, when something struck me. ‘If she’s not here, then what are you doing in her office?’ I asked, feeling a rush of boldness. And suspicion. Maybe it was his anxious, guilty face, or the loyalty I felt to Ms Hindmarsh for being your friend, but I suddenly felt something was not quite right here.
‘Well, I really don’t think that’s any of your concern, do you, Tessa?’ he said, and I noticed for the first time that he held a book in his hand. I just made out the words ‘Van Diemen Industries’ on its spine before he tucked it hastily under his arm.
‘Sorry, Mr Beagle,’ I replied, because it seemed like the only thing I could say without getting into trouble. I couldn’t afford to get into trouble and end up in detention. I had too much to do.
Mr Beagle sighed. ‘That’s okay, Tessa,’ he said. ‘I’m sorry for snapping. I’m just tired, I suppose. Ms Hindmarsh had to go out unexpectedly to visit Mr Lord and she asked me to get some files for her. That’s all.’
I didn’t even bother to ask where the files were. He had none in his hand when he left the office – just the book. He was lying.
‘Ms Hindmarsh will be back this evening,’ Mr Beagle continued. ‘Don’t forget it’s the full moon tonight. Mrs Bush is very keen that you all get a chance to observe it through our new telescope.’
I nodded, ignoring the way my scars began to throb every time the full moon was mentioned. ‘I’ll be there,’ I said, returning his lie.
Of course, I wouldn’t be there. If the whole school was in one spot, observing the moon, there seemed no better time for me to escape and begin my investigations. No better time for me to go on a bushwalk.
‘Glad to hear it, Miss Connolly,’ he said. ‘I’m glad to hear you’re not foolish and rebellious. The world out there is scary, Tessa. It’s best to be sensible, if you’re a young girl. Now, if you’ll excuse me …’
And with that, Mr Beagle was gone.
I didn’t have time to linger, though my meeting with Mr Beagle had given me many more things to think about, and an intensified sense of unease. I could reflect about it later. Ms Hindmarsh was not in her office, and so my plans had changed.
Rhiannah had gone for her bushwalk hours earlier. And I wanted to