Part 6 (2/2)

I agreed with her. I wanted to be understood.

I had seen some of them giving me curious looks. I suppose they were wondering about the exact nature of my ordeal.

But none of them knew about my memory.

That became obvious when I answered Mr Beagle's question and none of them looked surprised or even very interested.

But Mr Beagle did. Or, at the very least, he looked curious. curious.

When I found out Mr Beagle was to be my history teacher, I was somewhat anxious. I remembered his grouchiness towards Laurel and Erin on the day I arrived at Cascade Falls.

In cla.s.s, he still seemed grumpy most of the time, but not so very scary.

He was still wearing the same tweed suit as far as I could tell, unless he had a wardrobe full of tweed suits, and I noticed it sagged slightly at the knees and elbows. It looked quite threadbare and, as I looked at Mr Beagle's ruddy face and tired eyes, I noticed that he he looked a bit threadbare, too, and a bit saggy. He looked like a popped balloon, and I wondered what had been the pin that had made him deflate. looked a bit threadbare, too, and a bit saggy. He looked like a popped balloon, and I wondered what had been the pin that had made him deflate.

He had spent much of the lesson looking at his desk, or the book in his hand, or the floor. He looked up, briefly, when others answered his questions, but he seemed almost bored by their answers and simply nodded as acknowledgement and then returned his attention to the book. When I answered the question, however, his eyes fixed on me, and he inclined his head to one side thoughtfully. 'So you haven't ...' he began. Then he shook his head and said, 'Well done, Tessa. Did everybody hear Tessa's answer?'

Twenty-nine girls shook their heads. Beside me, Rhiannah nodded.

I felt a warm glow knowing that Rhiannah had heard my answer; she cared enough about me to listen, when my other cla.s.smates obviously found the lesson too dull to bother.

'Tessa, can you repeat what you just said?' said Mr Beagle.

'The first name for Tasmania was ' I began.

That's when I felt it.

Between my legs. Wet and hot.

And in my belly, a pang like a branch being snapped.

'What's wrong, Tessa?' asked Mr Beagle.

'Nothing, nothing,' I said, feeling my face reddening.

'Then finish what you were saying. Go on. The first name for Tasmania was ...'

'Van Diemen's Land. Named after Anthony van Diemen, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies, who was the one who sent Abel Tasman, on his voyage in 1642. Mr Beagle, may I please be excused for a few moments?' I said very quickly.

Mr Beagle narrowed his eyes, and I could see his mouth starting to form the word 'no'.

'Mr Beagle, I don't think Tessa's very well.' I turned around to see Rhiannah looking at me, a concerned expression on her face. 'You know she's just been in hospital. I think she should go to the sick room. I can take her, if you like.'

'Is that true, Tessa?' asked Mr Beagle, his face turning from grouchy to something close to concern. 'You're ill?'

I nodded. 'I'm not quite ... right,' I said, which was true.

Something was happening. And it wasn't wasn't quite right. quite right.

Mr Beagle rubbed at his wrinkled forehead and grumbled, 'All right, then. But, Rhiannah, I want you you at least to be back before the end of the lesson, okay?' at least to be back before the end of the lesson, okay?'

Rhiannah nodded quickly and said, 'Of course, Mr Beagle.'

As we walked out, I could feel Charlotte and her friends watching me again.

I sneaked a glance at her and chanced a small smile. Her top lip curled up in a way that was definitely not smiling. Next to her, Inga rolled her eyes and whispered something in Charlotte's ear that sounded very much like, 'You were so lucky to get rid of her, Charlotte. She's a freak.'

I felt my cheeks burn with shame.

Charlotte and her friends hated me and and they thought I was a freak. And they didn't even know everything. They didn't even know the they thought I was a freak. And they didn't even know everything. They didn't even know the really really freakish parts. freakish parts.

A few moments later, in the corridor, Rhiannah grabbed my arm and said, 'So, what's the matter, Tessa? Are we actually going to the sick room?'

'I thought that's where you were taking me,' I replied, confused. That's where Rhiannah had just told told Mr Beagle she was taking me. Mr Beagle she was taking me.

'If that's where you need need to go, then that's where I'm taking you,' she said. 'Do you feel a migraine coming on, or the flu or whatever?' to go, then that's where I'm taking you,' she said. 'Do you feel a migraine coming on, or the flu or whatever?'

'The flu?'

Another word I hadn't heard before.

Rhiannah put her palm on my forehead. 'No temperature,' she said. 'Are you achy? Is your throat sore? Does your head hurt?'

I thought of my back, which was still throbbing. I didn't think that was the kind of ache that Rhiannah was talking about, and I didn't think I had any of the other symptoms, so I shook my head. 'No.'

'Then you probably don't have the flu. Worst luck for you. The flu gets you out of a whole week of school. Sometimes they even send you home, and if they don't you get total star treatment. Ice cream and soup and lemon tea delivered straight to your room. You should've got flu.'

The way Rhiannah talked about it, I almost wished I did did have this 'flu', even though the symptoms sounded quite horrid. have this 'flu', even though the symptoms sounded quite horrid.

If it meant ice cream.

If it meant going home, which would mean, I supposed, going to you, Connolly, in Sandy Bay. I would still really have liked to do that.

'It's ...' I began, and then I didn't know how to finish. My face felt all hot again. I didn't know how to tell Rhiannah that my sickness was down there. down there.

'You can tell tell me, Tess!' Rhiannah said, rolling her eyes. 'Seriously, I'm the girl who had to wear an eye patch for three weeks because I got a piece of bark in my eye and it got infected and everybody called me ”Jack Sparrow”. Embarra.s.sing medical complaints I can handle, okay?' me, Tess!' Rhiannah said, rolling her eyes. 'Seriously, I'm the girl who had to wear an eye patch for three weeks because I got a piece of bark in my eye and it got infected and everybody called me ”Jack Sparrow”. Embarra.s.sing medical complaints I can handle, okay?'

'It's ... wetness,' I said, finally, feeling a wave of relief crash over me at having finally said it. 'Between my legs.'

'You got your period?' Rhiannah's voice was quieter now.

I didn't know what to say. Did I have my 'period'? I wasn't sure. I did not recognise the word. So I just nodded. If that was the word that Rhiannah gave to what was happening to me, then that's what was happening.

'Well, why didn't you just say so?' asked Rhiannah. Then, her eyes widened. 'It's not your first one, is it?'

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