Shadowhall Academy by Phil Hickes

Author:Phil Hickes
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Usborne Publishing Ltd

By the time they’d finished supper, Lilian could barely make her way upstairs to the dorm room, each step making her bruised ankle ache even more. It felt like it had been the longest day ever. She brushed her teeth as quickly as she could, hurried to the dorm, pulled back the sheets, said goodnight to Ms Strange when she popped in for lights out, then stretched out her legs with a long, satisfied sigh. Even her ironing-board mattress felt comfy tonight.

Lilian fell into a sleep that was punctuated by sinister dreams of girls with swirling red hair, black eyes and piercing laughs. She woke at some point in the night to the sound of rustling coming from Angela’s bed. Squinting through one sleepy eye, she could see Angela getting up and pulling on her dressing gown, before sliding her feet into her slippers. Then, strangely, she slipped her coat on. Must be colder than usual in the loo, Lilian thought, before plonking her head back down on her pillow.

Yet she didn’t fall straight back to sleep. The wind whooshed and whistled, making huge great sighs and groans as it rattled the windows in their frames. Lilian felt unsettled. She raised herself on one elbow and looked over at Marian’s bed.

“Maz?” she whispered. “You awake?”

The only answer was soft, even breaths.

Lilian wanted company. She sensed that something wasn’t quite right. And Angela hadn’t returned yet.

Levering herself up out of bed, Lilian snatched her dressing gown and quickly pulled it on. Her feet searched in the dark for her slippers and with a backwards glance at Marian and Serena, she quietly opened the door and walked to the bathroom.

“Angela?” she called.

There was a faint smell of toothpaste in the air. A tap dripped, adding a melancholy sound. It was creepy in there, but Lilian could tell it was empty. Even so, she checked all the cubicles, just in case.

But where could Angela have gone?

Poking her head out of the bathroom door, Lilian peered up and down the corridor. It was empty and silent. Tentatively, she made her way back to the dormitory. Opening the door, she saw that Angela’s bed was still empty. Lilian was getting worried now. She tiptoed over to Marian’s bed.

“Maz… Marian,” she whispered. “Are you awake?”

All she got in reply was a groan.

Lilian pulled back one of the heavy curtains and peered out. The rain hadn’t eased. She could still see it slanting down in the beam from one of the school’s powerful spotlights. She saw something else, too. Just for a moment. Two small figures making their way across the grass.

Towards the lake.

Even though she was walking away from the school, with her back to her, Lilian instantly knew that one of them was Angela.

She dashed out through the door and down the stairs, not caring if anyone heard her. Angela wouldn’t be wandering outside at night unless something was wrong. Reaching the entrance hall, Lilian ran to the main doors, noticing they’d been unlocked. One swung open in the breeze and Lilian grasped the handle and tugged it the rest of the way.

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