Part 10 (1/2)

Claw.

The word reminded me of what I had seen last night, attached to Rhiannah's pale hands.

Claws.

I looked down at Rhiannah's fingers now. Her nails were chipped and there was a deep scratch on her right hand. On the left one, the knuckles were black with bruises.

'Did you fall?' I asked.

Rhiannah followed my eyes down to her hands. 'Something like that,' she said, echoing my phrase from just a few moments ago.

'Do you need to talk about it?' I asked.

She shook her head. 'No,' she said, quickly. 'No, it's fine. It's complicated. Don't worry about it.' Rhiannah bit her lip and rubbed absently at the bruises on her hand.

I swallowed hard and tried to forget what I had seen or imagined the night before, and remember the good, kind Rhiannah, who had made me feel so welcome at Cascade Falls. I tried to think of the Rhiannah who was in front of me now, looking so upset.

I decided to stop my questioning. I would show Rhiannah the same respect she had shown me. 'You can tell me anything,' I said. 'But you don't have to.'

'Thanks,' she said, forcing a small smile. 'I might take you up on that one day. Maybe you can do the same.'

I nodded. 'In the meantime ... waffles?' I asked.

Rhiannah shook her head. 'No, ma'am. Today isn't waffle day, Miss Tessa. Today is hash brown hash brown day!' day!'

I had no idea what a hash brown was, but Rhiannah seemed excited by it, just as she had been about waffles. Which could only mean that hash browns were something to look forward to. I grinned right back at her and used a phrase I had heard you and Vinnie use when you were talking about your first morning coffees. I said, 'Bring it on then, Rhiannah. Hit me up with some hash browns!'

'Ah, Rhiannah! Just the person I was after!'

Ms Hindmarsh poked her head around the door of her office as Rhiannah and I walked back from our breakfast (which was, predictably, wondrously divine, and of which I had partaken, well, at least one one too many 'browns'. I too many 'browns'. I was was going to get fat at this rate). going to get fat at this rate).

'Um, why?' Rhiannah answered, nervously.

'Nothing to worry about!' said Ms Hindmarsh, smiling. 'I just wanted a chat. Would you mind waiting here for a moment? I just need to send a quick email first. It won't take long.'

'Sure,' said Rhiannah.

'Hi, Tessa,' said Ms Hindmarsh, turning to me. 'How's everything going?'

'Really well, thank you, Ms Hindmarsh,' I said.

'Excellent,' she said, her blonde curls bobbing as she nodded. She turned back to Rhiannah. 'I won't be long, Rhiannah. I promise I won't make you late to cla.s.s.'

She stuck her head back inside the door and said, 'Perrin, thank you for your time. Rhiannah's here. I'll have a chat to her on her own in a moment, if that's okay with you.'

The boy from my first day Perrin, Rhiannah's brother moved past Ms Hindmarsh into the hallway. Immediately, his eyes found mine, and then they scanned over me like a searchlight. I felt my skin p.r.i.c.kle.

I liked the boy's eyes.

I liked his strong, broad chin too, and the way his slicked-back hair showed a hairline that lowered in the middle at the front in a sharp point. I liked the jagged angles of his face. I even liked the small, zigzagging scar beneath his left eye. It was the only thing about him that seemed less than perfectly beautiful, and I think it was the thing I liked best of all.

My thoughts shunted to my own appearance, the one I had seen earlier that morning in the washroom mirror. I remembered the messy crop of hay-coloured hair, the heavy-looking bags beneath my eyes, the pointy nose and too-wide mouth. I wanted to cover my face with my hands so the beautiful boy could not see how plain I was. I wanted for a moment to look like Charlotte Lord, with her sleek blonde hair and perfect face. A lady's face.

Out of the fog inside my mind came a reflection of a younger me, with flowing, wavy hair, and a long pretty dress. I wished I had that dress now. I wished I had that hair.

It was the first time since my accident that I had thought anything of my appearance; the first time I had minded my boyish crop and tired features. It was the first time I had remembered the way my old self looked. Now I yearned to look like a lady. I wished to be elegant and comely. All for this boy. I wanted this boy to notice me and to think me pretty.

I knew that he would not think me pretty as I was.

Still, he was kind. He reached out and took my hand in his. 'Tessa,' he said gently, and I felt proud that Rhiannah had mentioned me. Then I wondered what else she had told him. I wondered if she'd told him about my memory.

I couldn't help noticing that he had a copper bangle too. It jumped and jiggled as he shook my hand up and down, and my eyes scanned it for signs of dancing paw prints. But it moved too fast. He opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, Rhiannah strode between us, forcing the boy's hand to slip from mine, and said angrily, 'Perrin, what are you doing here?'

Perrin shoved his hand in his trouser pocket. The bangle was gone. 'I just came in to make sure it was okay with Ms Hindmarsh for you to go on that big bushwalk,' Perrin said. 'You remember the one?'

'And I said it was fine,' said Ms Hindmarsh, returning from her office. 'You know we're very proud of how you conduct yourself on those walks. And we would never dream of keeping you chained up behind these walls. I just want to check a few things with you, though. Where you will be walking to, that sort of thing, so if anything does go wrong we'll know where to find you. Would you mind giving me a few moments now?'

'No, Ms Hindmarsh,' said Rhiannah. She turned to me. 'You okay to get to cla.s.s, mate?'

I nodded.

'Okay, well ...' Rhiannah looked from Perrin to me and said, 'Perrin, this is Tessa. Tessa, this is Perrin. Perrin, you can go home now.'

Perrin smirked and said, 'Well, I think, sadly, I'll go back to school. Maths is up first, though, so I might drag it out here for as long as possible. I have a note that says I don't need to be in until recess time.'

'Rhiannah, now please,' said Ms Hindmarsh.

'Seeya, Tess,' said Rhiannah. 'Perrin, don't be annoying, okay?'

'Yes, sir,' Perrin drawled as Rhiannah followed Ms Hindmarsh into her office.

I turned back to her brother, feeling my stomach twist. I could not identify the feeling. Embarra.s.sment? Anxiety? Shyness? I wasn't sure. I was torn between wanting to chat wittily with him to be funny and pleasing and elegant and wanting to run as quickly as I could in the opposite direction without saying a word.

Perrin just stared right back at me, the corners of his mouth turned upwards, his eyes glinting and sparkling.

He knew exactly how I was feeling.

He thought it was funny.

For some reason, this made me a little bit angry, and the anger made me forget, momentarily, about my shyness.

'What is amusing?' I asked.

'Nothing!' he said, shaking his head, his lips twitching. 'Just that ... well, you've got that look, look,' he said. The little bit of anger had now turned into a very big bit. How did this stranger know about my looks looks? How presumptuous of him! 'That ”I'm mad with Perrin” look,' he added. 'It's cute but definitely not funny.'

Despite his words, his lips were now twitching uncontrollably.