Free Haunting of Lily Frost by Nova Weetman Page A

a bike splashes through the puddles on the road.
    â€˜Hey!’
    A hand goes up, waving at me as he passes. I’m not sure if it’s a screw-you or an apology, but my jeans are starting to stick to my ankles and my left shoe is soaked, so it doesn’t really matter what the wave means. I don’t want to be here with all these new faces. Right now Ruby’s probably walking to school with some other kids from our street. They’ll be talking about their weekends that didn’t include me, and pretty soon no one will mention me, or ask about me, or even remember I existed. I’ll be a ghost to them.
    The rain’s so heavy even my golf umbrella is being knocked around. Kids run past me. My brother’s disappeared inside and I’m dawdling. Girls laugh behind me and I guess they’re laughing at me, so I’m just going to stay here, hope everyone will pass me and then maybe I can walk up the steps and sneak in unnoticed.
    â€˜Lilian?’
    That’s clearly not going to happen. A tall, thin woman is staring at me.
    â€˜Yes, but I’d rather Lily or Lil.’
    â€˜Of course. I’m Mrs Jarvis. The principal.’
    â€˜Right.’
    â€˜Welcome to Gideon High School.’
    â€˜High school? I thought it was the only school.’
    â€˜Yes it is. But the high school students are in the back part of the building and the primary school students are in the front part of the building.’ She says all this with one of those smiles that look like she’s deranged, but putting on a good show. And thenthe rain suddenly stops and the air is quiet again. I fiddle with my umbrella, but it’s stuck. She reaches in, unsnaps the button and the umbrella just folds down, like it’s surrendering. She shakes it gently and all the drops fall downwards, not like when I do it, shaking water everywhere like a dog after a bath. She hands it to me.
    â€˜Thanks.’
    â€˜Where’s your brother? It’s Max, isn’t it?’
    â€˜Yeah. Yes. He’s inside already.’
    â€˜Well, then, come and meet your class, Lil.’
    â€˜Great. I can’t wait.’
    She’s a fast walker, Mrs Jarvis. Her feet snip along at a pace that even I’m struggling to keep up with. Inside, kids whip out of her way, not through fear, but because she’s someone with a purpose. Eyes watch me as I follow her down the hall. Mouths move, words being said, whispers shared. I’m glad I have her in front of me. She’s a human shield, setting a pace I’ve got no choice but to follow. I concentrate on her tiny-boned ankles instead of on the inside of my new school.
    The building is tall. It seems larger inside than it looked from the outside. The walls stretch up for ages to a dark ceiling. There’s a series of little rooms off the hallway. As we pass each one, pockets of noise burst out, and then quieten down again until we reach the next. It’s not like my old school. There everyone yelled until the bell rang and if you didn’t get out of the way, you were pushed.
    Finally we reach the end of the hall. She turns a sharp left and walks into a room with maybe ten kids already seated. They stop speaking as we enter and they all stare at me. I try to smile, but I can’t.
    â€˜Class, this is Lily Frost. She’s just moved here from the city.’
    Something in the way she says ‘city’ makes me think she doesn’t like it much. My face feels hot, so I’m probably blushing. I wish I wouldn’t. I wish I could be bold and brave and socially cool like Ruby, but even with only ten new faces staring at me, it’s hard. I manage a sort of smile and then I look down, hiding under my thick fringe, hoping my cheeks aren’t as red as I suspect they might be.
    â€˜Hi, Lily. I’m Danny. Sorry about splashing you before.’ It’s him. The boy on the bike.
    â€˜It’s fine,’ I whisper.
    â€˜And I’m Julia.