The Broken Spell Read Online Free

Freak?’
    ‘Or what?’ repeated Bev.
    ‘Friend of the Freak,’ Trish followed, looking a little uncertain as she tugged at the small comb still trapped in her hair. Grace wondered if she was expected to join in.
    ‘I’m not going to do anything,’ said Jenny. ‘But I can’t speak for Una.’
    Grace glanced at Una, who hadn’t stepped forward but made a nervous attempt at a threatening look that came out more like a goofy smile. The previous year, Una had been briefly possessed by a demon, and had had a truly savage appearance. Jenny was obviously hoping this memory was still fresh in Tracy’s mind. Not to mention the brutal punch that the possessed
non
-Una had given Tracy, which had caused a giant welt on one cheek and got her suspended from school.
    ‘That girl asked to eat in our lunchroom today,’ Jenny lied,‘and Una said it was okay.’
    The Beast snorted, but loosened her grip on the girl’s collar.
    ‘Whatever,’ she replied. ‘You freaks should stick together anyway.’
    Tracy walked past the girls, knocking Jenny’s shoulder.
    ‘Stick together,’ said Bev, following her leader.
    ‘Freaks,’ Trish said, still holding the tangled comb on one side of her head.
    ‘Eh, thanks for that,’ Una blurted out when they were gone. ‘What if she’d wanted a fight? I could have been mince-meat there.’
    ‘Didn’t you see her face?’ Jenny replied. ‘She’s still scared of you.’
    ‘Yeah? For how long though?’
    ‘Are you okay?’ Grace asked the first year, stooping to help her pick up her belongings that lay strewn across the floor.
    ‘Yes, thanks,’ the girl said in a tiny voice. ‘Thank you.’
    ‘No problem,’ said Jenny. ‘You want to eat lunch in our room today, just in case?’
    The girl swept her long, black hair from her face, revealing large, brown puppy-dog eyes, and smiled.
    ‘Yes. If that would be alright.’
    The six girls soon found a table in their lunchroom large enough for all of them.
    ‘Haven’t you got anything for lunch, em, sorry, what’s yourname?’ Grace asked, sitting down.
    ‘Delilah,’ the girl replied, shyly pulling a chair out.
    ‘I’m Grace. This is Jenny, Adie and Rachel. And the scary one over there is Una.’
    ‘Very funny,’ said Una, with her mouth full. ‘I’d have looked scarier if you’d given me a head’s up on the plan.’
    Jenny giggled and pulled a Snickers bar from her pocket. Grace looked expectantly at Delilah and waved her tin-foiled sandwich to remind her of the question.
    ‘Oh, em, my mother forgot to get stuff in for lunch today,’ the girl replied.
    ‘Didn’t she give you some money to get something?’
    ‘
She
forgot,
I
forgot. She meant to give me some, but…’
    ‘I don’t mind sharing with you,’ said Jenny, holding out her lunchbox.
    ‘No!’ the others cried in chorus, for Jenny had the unfortunate habit of ruining perfectly good savoury sandwiches by putting chocolate bars and other sweets in them.
    ‘I’d take the Snickers out of
her
half,’ Jenny grumbled.
    ‘Here,’ said Rachel, holding out her sandwiches, ‘you can have half of mine. I’m not mad on salami anyway, because it gives me the most awful pimples.’
    Delilah smiled gratefully and took one.
    ‘I like your accent,’ Adie said smiling. ‘Where’s it from?’
    ‘My family’s Romá,’ said Delilah. ‘We just moved here. Me and my mum, I mean.’
    ‘You’re Italian?’ said Una.
    ‘No,
Romá
. My family travels around a lot, but mostly we lived in Moldova. My uncle has a farm there, and my grandmother prefers it there.’
    ‘You travel with your whole family?’
    ‘With some of my uncles and aunts, yes. And cousins.’
    ‘Sounds nice,’ said Adie.
    ‘It was. I miss it a lot.’
    ‘How come you’re here?’
    ‘My mother wanted to come here. She and my grandmother don’t really… She doesn’t like Moldova.’
    ‘What about your dad?’
    Delilah’s olive skin flushed a little.
    ‘I… I don’t know where he