Thyla - Kate Gordon [51]
I heard footsteps as the third man retreated – though not completely. I didn’t hear a door shut. He was hiding. Listening. Like I was. The first man proceeded, his voice quiet and menacing.
‘Hopkins, you know that every day Victoria remains Queen is another day that our power is diminished. Soon, we will have no power at all in our motherland. The convicts are being shipped abroad at an alarming rate. In England our game is slowly disappearing. And where the game goes, so must we! And, who knows, perhaps on the other side of the world, our kind will thrive once more. This place is our refuge. It is not the best choice, that much is certain, but it is our only choice. Our only option if we are to survive.’
‘And the beasts? They prevent your survival?’
‘They have been intercepting our sport; stealing our game. Transforming it into their own kind. It is a horror, what they do. What we do is … a kindness. You see that, don’t you, Hopkins? We deal with the convict women much more humanely than they would be treated in the hands of the beasts.’
‘You have our support, sir. You know that. We are on your side.’
‘Your loyalty will be rewarded, Hopkins. Just be sure you keep your side of the bargain.’
‘We will provide you with women, sir. As many as you need. Don’t worry, they won’t be missed.’
‘I see now it was a grand idea appointing you as warden of this prison, Hopkins. You have done us proud. And for that, we will grant you the highest gift we can bestow.’
‘What is that?’
‘Immortality.’
I heard a door click quietly shut. The prison guard had left the room. I needed to run. I needed to hide. If the guard found out I had been eavesdropping … but then, he had been eavesdropping too, hadn’t he?
Still, I hid, curled up like a ball. I heard him run past. He was muttering to himself. ‘They’ve gone mad,’ he said. ‘They’ve all gone mad.’
A darkness fell on my memory, and I was back in reality. I felt my body shaking. I didn’t know what to do. I was surrounded by so many girls, all staring, all pointing, all whispering. I wanted to just sink through the ground and disappear.
Then there was another voice in my ear. A kinder one, saying, ‘Come with me, Tessa.’
I turned around to see Ms Hindmarsh behind me, her arm outstretched. I had sought her and now she had found me.
I took her hand, pushing back the tears that threatened to break free from my eyes.
‘I am Tessa. I am strong. I do not cry,’ I whispered to myself.
I let Ms Hindmarsh lead me away to safety.
Laurel and Erin were sitting outside Ms Hindmarsh’s office. I was grateful for their kind, accepting faces. They were not staring at me as though I was a monster, like the others had been.
‘Would you mind waiting here please, Tessa?’ asked Ms Hindmarsh, indicating towards the empty seat beside Laurel. ‘I won’t be long.’
I nodded and sat down.
As Ms Hindmarsh’s door clicked shut, Laurel turned to me and asked, ‘So, what are you in for?’
‘What do you mean?’ I asked.
‘Don’t mind her,’ said Erin, twiddling a strand of her crackly black hair between her thumb and forefinger. ‘She’s in a stupid mood. That’s why we’re here.’
She shot Laurel a look that was dagger sharp.
‘It completely was not my fault!’ Laurel exclaimed, pouting.
‘Oh yeah, somebody made you scratch “Mr Beagle is a very bad dog” into your desk with a compass,’ said Erin, shaking her head.
She was trying to look serious, but her dimpled cheek let slip her true feelings.
‘Nobody made you laugh when you saw it!’ Laurel retorted, and the two of them collapsed into silly, helpless giggles.
I wanted to laugh too, but it wouldn’t come. Looking at them giggling, I felt as though I was made of stone – like I was separated from their world, from happiness, by what I had learned and what it all might mean.
‘You okay?’ asked Erin, wiping tears from her eyes. ‘You look a bit pale. Look, um, I heard something. Just gossip and, I mean, tell me if this is wrong, but I heard you had an accident before you came here? You were in hospital? Are you okay