Free Preternatural (Worlds & Secrets) by Lloyd Harry-Davis Page A

seniors,” said Miss Fanwall “look,” she gestured. “They have their crests to stitch on. It’s strange though, they should’ve gotten these at the beginning of the year. I guess they grow up so fast don’t they.”
    “ Yeah,” mum forced out a fake and unpersuasive laugh. “That must be it,” she muttered underneath her breath.
    “ So, Lina, how’s Jade’s performance in her new school?” asked Miss Fanwall, too inquisitive for her own good.
    “ Oh, it’s great! She’s taking part in all these extra-curricular activities and I’m getting very good reports and comments about her.”
    “ You are ?” Jade asked in astonishment.
    “ Yeah,” mum said staring at Jade so spine-chillingly that she shut up all together. Did mum know about all this? Or was she deliberately playing along?
    “ Anyway, I’d love to stay and chat, Georgina, but I’ve got to take the kids home and stitch these for them. Oh and please tell Mr Leery I’ll try and stop by tomorrow – I’ll have to cancel today’s appointment. Come on let’s go,” mum said, hurriedly ushering us out.
    “ Bye,” Jade, Jaden and I each sang individually as we walked out of the office door.
    “ Oh, Jaden, be a darling and close the door on your way out, will you?” Miss Fanwall asked.
    “ Thanks, love.” Miss Fanwall’s perky mood didn’t seem to wear off and was intoxicatingly nauseating at times. She finally sighed heavily as we left the room.
    “ Tut’ , charming family.”

CHAPTER 3.
    Misapprehension
     
     
    We were marching down the hall at such a viciously fast pace that I thought my hamstrings were going to tear and that the carpet would somehow wear out.
    “ Mum, slow down. No one’s after you,” Jade quickly said as we tried to keep up with her rapid catwalk.
    “ Huh?” mum didn’t seem to be herself at this point. I would say she seemed paranoid and quite fretful, always looking at each intersection in the corridors with a nervous tremble I could truly sense. “Oh, sorry. It’s just...I’m in a rush to do something,” she said.
    “ Do you think we should tell her?” Jaden whispered as we tried to keep up with her rapidity.
    “ I guess we should.” I took a deep breath, “hey, mum, can I ask you a question?” I started.
    “ Yes, of course. Anything, sweetheart. What’s wrong?” she robotically replied.
    “ Well, a number of things actually but I guess I’ll come right down to the point and say it – are we in 2014?” I asked. Mum halted and looked back at us whilst evilly chuckling.
    “ What makes you ask that?” she replied unconvincingly innocent.
    “ Because apparently we’re –” I stopped and groaned.
    “ Never mind; it’s too long to explain. I’ll explain when we get in the car,” I justified.
    “ All right, your choice. But we’re not dropping the subject,” mum replied.
    She did not seem to stop as she approached the main entrance. She merely walked on, obstinate, and swung the doors with each of her hands. Who did she think she was; calamity Jane in a saloon? Mum looked bizarrely eager to get back home and Jaden, Jade and I couldn’t help but feel so lost and disarrayed. It wasn’t even noon yet and we were already dreadfully worn out.
    We walked out into the playground to cross to the car park, but the weather seemed to have gone downhill. It was raining terribly; an ever-pouring deluge of bitter rain that corroded your skin as soon as it made contact. The sky was a terrible grey. A horrible night-resembling darkness had built up above as thunder and lightning threw tantrums in the heavens. The streetlights in the neighbourhood had been turned on to illuminate the darkened vicinity of Richmond upon Thames. Crows circled the skies in an orderly fashion. Mum continued to walk on through the deluge without a single care of her getting wet and we followed keenly.
    Our car was a big Ford, parked di rectly in front of us. We hopped through the rain with our hands stuck underneath our