On the fifth day of Christmas
Dec. 30th, 2013 09:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tallulahgsmy true love sent to me
five unusual accounts
[Title] The North Tower Girls Again
[Fandom] Malory Towers (superhero AU, sequel to The North Tower Girls)
[Rating] PG
[Notes/Summary] Alicia and her friends have a range of unusual talents, but they're facing enemies old and new, as well as jealousy and long-buried feelings inside the group...
[The Story So Far] Alicia, able to heal herself from any injury, began researching people with super powers. She provided lodgings to Darrell, who makes things explode when she loses her temper. Darrell became friends with telepath Sally and super-strong Mary-Lou. It was discovered that Mary-Lou's friend Gwendoline could steal the powers (and ultimately the life force) of anyone she touched; when Darrell and Mary-Lou proved this, Gwen fled and hasn't been seen since.
Outside it was thundering, but Mary-Lou only jumped a little when it was very loud, rather than cowering and crying as she would have done a year ago. It probably helped you to stop being scared, Darrell thought, when you knew you could lift up a car with your bare hands.
Or perhaps Mary-Lou was just distracted by the supper-time conversation. There were five of them tonight – her and Mary-Lou, Alicia, Sally, and the girl who'd just moved in since Irene had begun living up at the university. Ellen, that was her name: frowning, eating the stew as if she wasn't really tasting it. Telekinesis, Alicia had said. Very limited, but she's still an excellent research assistant. Terribly hard-working. There had been an unspoken suggestion that hard-working meant dull, but then, Alicia found a lot of people dull.
“No, please do tell us how it went,” she was saying now. “I'm genuinely interested.” And to Ellen: “Sally's done terribly well – she's just become town council representative for people with... special abilities. It's quite amazing, really.”
Darrell saw Sally's eyes narrow a little. You didn't have to be a telepath to spot that Alicia wasn't being entirely sincere. Although since Alicia had been hoping to get the same position, that wasn't surprising.
“It went well,” Sally said, shortly. “So far, everyone seems very willing to talk about things and listen to each other.”
“Well, it wouldn't matter to you if they didn't, would it?” Alicia said, smiling.
“There's only so much I can do if people want to be intentionally obstructive,” Sally said, not smiling back.
“You must have had an awful lot to talk about,” Mary-Lou said, hastily. “There's so much to consider now they know people like us exist.”
Sally nodded. “It was mostly about the compulsory disclosure of powers, though.”
“They're still trotting that one out?” Alicia said. “I hope you gave them short shrift.”
“Actually,” Sally said, directing her words to her plate, “I thought they made some very useful points.”
“Excuse me?” Alicia was smiling again, but as if she had to laugh at someone being so stupid. “You aren't saying you think it's all right for people to have to declare what powers they hold, are you?”
“I'm saying – and I said – that if people have abilities which give them a significant advantage over others -” Sally's voice was tightening a little. Darrell felt sorry for her – Alicia wasn't an enjoyable person to argue with at the best of times - “then those others should perhaps be aware of that. For instance, I think you should know when you're around me that I can pick up on your thoughts unless I make a strong effort not to. Not to mention more information might have avoided what happened last year with Gwendoline.”
Alicia shrugged, ate another mouthful of stew. The thunder crashed again. Ellen glanced warily from one to the other of them.
“If you say so,” Alicia said at last. “Personally, I think you're coming at it from an unnecessarily personal angle, but... you're the representative, after all -”
It was just the kind of casual attack that Darrell knew Sally hated, but just at that moment they heard the front door unlocking and Irene was hurrying in, making the lights flicker and sending the shoe-rack toppling down the hall. “Golly, it's absolutely awful weather out there! Alicia, Darrell, Mary-Lou, I picked up a couple of strays up at the halls -”
“Irene!” Mary-Lou protested, laughing. “I'm sure they're not strays!”
“Oh, I'm sure I give that impression,” one of the girls who'd followed Irene into the house said. Her short dark hair was damp, and raindrops mingled with freckles on her face. “Sorry I'm dripping everywhere – I did have an umbrella, but... well...”
“Belinda has a rather handy knack of bringing things to life through drawing,” Irene said. “Unfortunately -”
“Oh, yes – Irene told me!” Alicia got to her feet, eyes glinting with the usual fascination she showed whenever someone with a new and interesting power presented themselves. “Anything you draw comes to life, but then it vanishes after half an hour, yes?”
“That's right,” Belinda said. “So I drew the umbrella before I left, but I couldn't find my front door key, and I considered drawing a copy but I suspected it might not fit the lock, and then by the time I found it, I'd lost ten minutes, so the umbrella popped out of existence at the top of your street rather than at your front door.”
“I'm not sure you and Irene should be rooming together,” Alicia said. “I can't help feeling you'll create a perfect storm of chaos and no doubt risk destroying the world. Perhaps your disclosure idea has something in it after all, Sally – but won't you introduce me to your other stray?”
The other girl was equally wet, but her hair, streaming water down her face, was long and blonde, and she extended a hand to Alicia as if she were wearing a fur coat and at a party. “It's lovely to meet you – Irene's told me so much about you. I'm Daphne Millicent Turner, and I'm so sorry to be so dishevelled! I have an absolutely beautiful umbrella I got from Liberty's, but I left it at home, so Belinda let me share hers... until...”
“Daphne's telekinetic as well,” Irene said. “So I said I'd introduce her to Ellen -” She glanced quickly between the two of them, probably thinking, as Darrell was, that they were hardly obvious friends. But Mary-Lou was already hurrying forwards: “I'll get some towels! Oh, and some tea – and I'm sure there's enough stew if you – and Belinda, of course – if you'd like to join us -” She was blushing a little, and Darrell saw Sally glance at her, smile slightly. Again, though, you didn't need to be a telepath to spot shyness. Still, at least it meant the argument seemed to have been forgotten.
Sally couldn't remember the last time she was quite this angry. It being completely justified anger didn't make it any better. Not least because displays of high emotion only gave Alicia more to make fun of.
“For goodness sake,” she was saying now, arms folded, half-smile on her face as she leant against the dining room table, “Nobody was hurt, and really, I'm not sorry – if they're going to debate such stupid ideas then they deserve everything they get -” And under that, her thoughts: [it's ridiculous] [gets so worked up] [I'd be much better as representative, everyone knows it] [studying these phenomena for years]
“You tricked me,” Belinda said, voice slightly muffled because she had her head rested in her hands. “Sally, I promise, I never would have done it if I'd have realised -”
Sally believed her – her thoughts were echoing almost exactly what she was saying. No, she knew very well whose idea this was.
“What's happened?” Darrell hurried into the room. “Was the meeting really horrible, Sally?” She glanced from Sally to Alicia to Belinda. [hope Sally's all right] [wanted her to be all right] [what if they laughed at her?]
“You could say that.” Sally found her throat tightening with fury as she remembered (and perhaps she was angry, too, that Darrell had thought she might look stupid). “Alicia was working with Belinda to explore her powers. You remember, they were wondering what might happen if Belinda drew a picture of a real person? Whether it would make a copy or something?”
Darrell nodded uncertainly. “Does it?”
“No,” Sally said, and she was trying to keep her voice level but she could hear it becoming choked. Alicia was smiling: [so serious!] [she doesn't understand, that disclosure argument was dangerous] [she can't even keep a cool head] “No, it allows you to control the person's actions. Alicia suggested Belinda draw Councillor Rougier and Councillor Dupont having a fight: throwing papers at each other, pulling each other's hair. She said the two had been willing to act as test subjects.”
“I can't believe I actually thought that was true,” Belinda said, turning to glare at Alicia.
“It was funny,” Alicia said, glancing away.
“No, it wasn't!” Sally heard her voice rise. “They called the police in, Alicia! Forget people with powers having to disclose them – at this rate they'll drum us out of town!”
Alicia shrugged: “Oh, don't be so melodramatic -” but her thoughts whispered, [good] [they should be a little more scared of us] [being taken for granted]
Darrell came across to Sally, put an arm around her. “No one will think it was your fault, Sally.” She was warm and her thoughts were a comforting barrage of [Alicia's an idiot] [poor Sally] [how dare she?] but Sally couldn't stop thinking of everyone's stares and whispers and her own stuttering attempts to justify what had just happened. Thank goodness people couldn't read her thoughts.
Running footsteps. The front door was wrenched open and Mary-Lou stood there, gasping for breath, hair dishevelled, coatless. “Darrell – Alicia – Sally – quickly, put the television on, the news -”
“If it's about the council meeting -” Belinda started, but Sally was getting flickers of panic from Mary-Lou that told her it was about much more than that. She dashed over to the set. The little screen glowed into life, a sombre reporter standing in front of the university gates.
“... scene at the council chambers today was initially presumed to be a malicious prank,” he was saying, “but police are now wondering if it was intended to act as a diversion while the attack on the university occurred. Witnesses are unable to give accounts of what they saw, but the fire has damaged most of the offices and research laboratories in the west building, and several people have suffered injuries in fleeing the scene.”
Alicia had gone pale.
“That...” She swallowed. “Someone must have known what...” [Belinda and I were talking here] [Sally] [Darrell] [Mary-Lou]
“Someone in this house overheard?” Darrell said. “But... who'd do something like this?”
“Not you or Mary-Lou,” Alicia said. A quick glance, and then: “And not Sally, either.” [Too good] [Not going to disgrace herself like that just to get to me!] And then an odd little mental twitch of [Surely not -] before she turned to look at Sally and both thought and spoke, “Ellen or Daphne.”
“Not Daphne,” Darrell said. “I saw her go out this morning and she hasn't been back since. Ellen... Ellen's been in her room...”
Alicia was already marching towards the door. Sally hurried after her: “Alicia, don't – you can't just storm in and accuse someone like that -”
“Please don't tell me what I can and can't do,” Alicia said, very, very lightly. “You may be a council representative but you're not the mayor.” She started up the stairs. “And, if you don't mind, I'm a little annoyed that large portions of my research notes appear to have gone up in smoke. I'd quite like to get to the bottom of this -” She reached the landing, strode over to Ellen's bedroom door, knocked loudly on it and flung it open. By the time Sally got there, she'd already started, “Hello, Ellen – is there anything you'd like to tell me about what you've been doing today?”
Ellen had been sitting at her desk; she got to her feet now, scowling. “What do you mean? Do you normally just burst into people's rooms like this?”
“I do when I discover someone used something I was planning in order to set fire to my workplace,” Alicia said. [Look at her, so jumpy] [she even looks guilty] [can't even hide it!] [that idiot Sally thinks -]
Ellen stared at her. “What are you talking about? I... I haven't...” [does she know?] [it can't be anything to do with -]
Sally stared at her. She wanted to believe the thoughts she'd just heard had been her own mind playing tricks on her, but no – ringing in her ears was not furious denial, or confusion, but nervousness. Guilt.
“Ellen,” she said, “if you've got anything to do with what's happened, you should tell us.”
“I haven't!” Ellen gasped. “I don't know what Alicia means! I haven't done anything!” [I said I wouldn't]
“If you're asking that,” Alicia said, “then she must be guilty. You can hear her thoughts, can't you?”
Sally didn't want to admit that that was what she was doing – and if she didn't want to give Alicia the satisfaction of being right, then so what? No one was listening to her thoughts – but Ellen had gone pale and, scrambling to her feet, snapped, “What I'm thinking is none of your business! I haven't done anything wrong -”
“Then why isn't Sally backing you up?” Alicia said. “Dear Sally is so good. If she thought you were innocent, she'd say something.”
Sally opened her mouth to tell Alicia to be quiet, but the other girl cut across her: “Well? If she's got nothing to hide, you'd know, wouldn't you?”
“Stop it!” Darrell said fiercely. “Why on earth would Ellen want to hurt you, Alicia? She's been helping you! The only person I can think of who would want to do something like this is Gwendoline -”
As she said the name, Sally felt Ellen's thoughts jump, echoing it, and the image of blonde hair and a scowl popped up in her mind.
“You... you know her,” she said, before she could think.
Ellen was pale, the shadows under her eyes standing out like fingerprints.
“How interesting,” Alicia said. “Or are you denying this, too?”
Ellen's mouth was crumpling. She pressed her hand to it. [can't] [can't tell them] Sally frowned, trying to work out what it was the thoughts were saying, but the barrage of emotions and panic were making it too hard to hear -
“Well?” Alicia said to her. “What's she thinking?”
“Stop it!” Ellen screamed, and the framed picture on the desk hurled itself forward, flew over Sally's head and smashed against the doorframe. Mary-Lou cried out; Darrell shouted, “How dare you?” and her powers sent Ellen flying, sprawling across the floor, and above them the lightbulb burst, plunging the room into half-darkness. Ellen screamed – Sally couldn't tell if it was spoken or thought, it was just a long scream of I hate you I hate you leave me alone - and the books on the desk and the little shelf were flung into the air, flying across the room, pages flapping – the curtains billowed out and then the window shattered, the glass glittering as it burst.
Sally found herself huddled on the floor, staring at the broken glass spattered across the carpet. Darrell was kneeling next to her: “Sally? Sally, are you all right?” Mary-Lou was crying as she and Belinda started to pick up the broken glass. Ellen was gone.
“We may as well not bother tidying this up tonight,” Alicia said, coming back into the room with a candle. “I'll get another bulb and have that window fixed. Honestly, Darrell, you could have kept more of a grip on yourself.”
“So could you,” Darrell said, glowering up at her. “Sally told you not to go confronting Ellen to her face like that.”
Sally was too tired to agree. She rested her head on her knees and tried not to think about how bad a day it had been. Darrell stayed sitting with her, an arm round her shoulders, thoughts a soft whisper.
Daphne wished they hadn't had to meet in such a down-at-heel cafe. It smelt of egg and grease and wet hair, and the people in it were the sort that she liked to pretend she knew nothing about. Common, rough men grabbing breakfast before going to work factory shifts; shop girls smoking and leaving lipstick marks on coffee cups. Not me, she told herself. Not me. Her powers would see to that. And this time, she wouldn't get caught.
Gwendoline, opposite her, was staring round with a sour expression on her face. “I can't stand places like this. I'm so sorry, Daphne. I thought I was going to be able to meet at – well, someone else's home, somewhere nice, but then I was told I had to make my own arrangements, and I couldn't risk Alicia or one of the others seeing you coming to my rooms.”
“That's quite all right,” Daphne said, and switched on the charm just a little, just to make her hair less damp and flat, her complexion a little brighter. “We're nearly finished, though, aren't we? I've told you everything that happened.”
“And you're sure they don't suspect you?” Gwendoline took a large bite of the Bath bun she'd ordered, and said round it, “Alicia always thinks the worst of everyone.”
“Please, Gwendoline, I've got the situation entirely under control.” Daphne smiled again to remember it. In the kitchen that morning, she'd let the power swell in her voice like syrup as she'd said to Darrell, I went out half an hour ago, and I won't be in the house again until this evening. To Alicia as the girl fumbled for candle and matches, there's no one here except you. To Mary-Lou, that night, what cut on my face? There isn't anything -
She bit her lip as she remembered that, and Gwen smirked: “It didn't stop you getting hit when everything started exploding, did it? How lucky that you can deflect awkward questions.”
“I didn't even need to do that, once I remembered to hide it. Only Mary-Lou noticed...”
She perhaps hadn't intended to mention Mary-Lou. Gwendoline was already scowling: “I bet she was in hysterics after what happened. I'm surprised she had the time to notice anything.”
“She was all right, actually. She made everyone some tea and volunteered to come out to the university with Alicia and help sift through what they've salvaged. Alicia told her not to bother, though. I think she was too angry to want help, though she's trying to pretend she doesn't mind too much about what happened...”
Gwen frowned at her for a second before shrugging and taking another bite of bun.
“Well,” she said, “we'll put the next stage into operation soon. As soon as I have more information, I'll give you your orders.”
“Orders? Surely it's only to keep letting you know what's happening at the house.” Daphne reached for the slightly sticky sugar bowl, added another spoonful to her coffee in the hope that she could convince herself to actually drink it. She could hear her parents shaking their heads at her for wasting the money on something she wasn't even going to drink. Maybe she could make the cup look prettier – but she would still be able to see that it was just chipped white china.
“For now,” Gwen said, looking smug. “But I'll - we'll - need you to do more than that, later.”
“Oh.”
“Are you scared?” Gwen said. “I mean... you've done an awful lot of other things. I suppose when you keep getting caught it must make you nervous -”
“Not at all,” Daphne was beginning, but Gwen carried on, “Or are you feeling sorry for Mary-Lou? After all, I've heard a lot more than I wanted about how she's been cooking you meals or making you tea or lending you stockings and gloves and umbrellas...”
“Are you enjoying that bun?” Daphne said in her sweetest voice. “Only I would hate to make you think it had turned into something... not very nice.”
Gwen swallowed her latest mouthful and scowled at Daphne.
“Just so you know,” Daphne carried on, “I really don't give two hoots about Mary-Lou, any more than any of the others. I just don't want to run into... difficulties again. Now that there's more knowledge of people like us, convincing a jury to let a person off might be more difficult. They might take precautions.”
“You won't get caught this time,” Gwen said. “My associate -”
“I'd love to meet this person,” Daphne said. “I quite wonder whether she even exists, she sounds so intelligent -”
“My associate has worked everything out. She recognises potential and good breeding when she sees it.” Gwen preened a little. “She came to find me because she knew my skills would be invaluable. She wasn't even disappointed when that idiot Ellen wouldn't help us.” A sigh. “I really thought she might. Her people are terribly poor, you know. I thought she'd do anything for money. She turned up again after she ran away from Alicia's, can you believe it? Of course I sent her packing. Her powers are miniscule – even that incident at the house was overreaching for her. Headaches, delirium, shaking all over. Whereas people like you and I – we can do what we want and it won't hurt us a bit.”
Daphne smiled. Yes, that was true. “All right. Well, I'm sure you'll be in touch.” She got to her feet before her companion could – she didn't like letting Gwen get too close to her. She had no intention of letting anyone bewitch her.
“You're awfully late!” Darrell said, as Alicia opened the front door. “I was wondering if you'd got lost or something!”
“Even on a bicycle, I couldn't get through the traffic,” Alicia said, pulling off her damp coat and hat. “I jolly well wish I had the power to fly sometimes, especially on a stormy night like this.”
“It probably wouldn't be any warmer, though. Come and sit down, I'll put the kettle on.”
Sally was sitting at the dining room table, reading through a yellow-paged report. She glanced up as Alicia walked in, gave a small smile. Alicia wanted to tell her to stop holding a grudge, but – not that she would ever admit it – she could see that Sally had reason to be angry with her. Of course Ellen had been out to cause trouble from the start, but she herself should have been more circumspect. Now Ellen had disappeared and they had no way of knowing what she'd been up to, how Gwendoline was involved, what the two might be plotting next -
A gust of wind rattled the windows. Alicia jumped, and then wanted to shake herself for being so twitchy. She was far too old to be scared of storms. Particularly as she could heal from any injury life – or anyone in it – chose to throw at her.
“It does sound horrible out there,” Sally said. She glanced at Alicia, then down at her work again. “I'm glad you got home safely.”
It was typical of Sally's over-controlled manner, but Alicia suspected it was an awkward attempt to make peace. Perhaps Sally was thinking about what had happened too – that they'd clearly had a traitor in their midst without even realising, that there was a whole lot more at stake than a silly council position. At any rate, Alicia made herself smile and say, “Well, if anyone is made for dodging cars in the rain, it's me. I wasn't sorry to get indoors, though.” She looked round the shadowy room. “Where's Mary-Lou? Not hiding under the bed, I hope?”
Sally and Darrell glanced at each other; Darrell looked exasperated. “She went out earlier. Apparently Daphne is at the other end of town and forgot her purse. Mary-Lou went to bring her home, lend her the bus fare, take her an umbrella...”
“Which is fair enough,” Sally said, “but I've noticed she's borrowing things off Mary-Lou a lot. I'm starting to wonder whether she's taking advantage of her a little.”
“Goodness knows why she'd need to,” Alicia said. “Her people are terribly well-off; she paid three months rent upfront. Perhaps she's one of those who just doesn't quite realise the value of money.”
Darrell started to speak, but then they heard the front door open again, and a moment later, Daphne walked into the room, pushing her damp hair off her face. “Goodness, I'm so cold! I hate being outside on nights like this...”
She stopped as she saw Alicia, mouth hanging open a little. “Alicia! I didn't... I mean... I'm surprised you're home this early with the weather like that.”
Alicia thought that looked a good deal more surprise than needed, but she'd long thought Daphne was the kind of person who liked to say things to appear oh-so-gracious. Perhaps it was a rather shabby example of that.
“Where's Mary-Lou?” Darrell said after a moment, when it became obvious that no one else had come inside. “Didn't she find you?”
Daphne frowned. “Find me? Was she looking for me?” She bit her lip. “I've been at the shops all day – I don't think she said she'd come and meet me...”
“You phoned here,” Darrell said, turning round to face her. “A couple of hours ago, I think it was. You'd forgotten your purse? Mary-Lou went to find you.”
Alicia could already feel small chills creeping down her back that something wasn't quite right, but Daphne went completely white, and actually clutched at the doorframe as if she was about to faint.
“Is that what I said?” she stammered. “That Mary-Lou needed to come and find me? Where did she think she had to go?”
“She didn't say,” Darrell said, glancing nervously at Sally. “Right over on the other side of town – she said it would be too far for you to walk. I tried to convince her you could call a taxi, but she wouldn't listen -”
“The old church,” Daphne interrupted. “On Clifftop Road. That's where, isn't it? Of course - it was meant to be you,” she said to Alicia, “but you weren't home -”
“What are you talking about -” Darrell began, but Daphne was already hurrying out into the hallway and a moment later they heard the whirr of a number being dialled and her voice, shaking: “A taxi, please, from North Tower House on Cornwall Street to Clifftop Road – it's extremely urgent -”
“It's a trap,” she sobbed, once they were crammed into the dark car. Alicia could feel her shaking. “Gwen said she needed my powers. I didn't want to risk giving them to her, but I didn't want to risk getting caught at the scene either, so I let her. It was supposed to be you, Alicia – she'd pretend to be someone else, lure you out, say she'd found someone with powers in need of help -”
“You've been working with Gwendoline from the start,” Alicia heard herself say, an amused edge to her voice because she couldn't quite believe how much of a mistake she'd made.
“Yes,” Daphne said, sniffing. “She said if we managed to get rid of you, there'd be no one to stop us doing whatever we wanted with our powers. I've done that anyway – oh, you won't want to even look at me when you find out everything – but if I tell you then maybe there'll be something you can use, maybe it won't be too late – Ellen had nothing to do with it, Gwen approached her too and she refused – she's worth ten of me -”
“What are your powers?” Darrell, in the front seat, was speaking very carefully, but even so Alicia could feel her rage humming in the air, and Sally was leaning forward to put a hand on her shoulder.
“I can make people believe what I want them to,” Daphne said. “I can make them see what I want them to. I make people think I'm wearing pretty clothes, that I can afford expensive things. I make them like me. I made you think I'd gone out of the house on the day of Sally's meeting. I stopped you even considering me a suspect. I've, I've walked into shops and taken jewellery and no one knew I'd been inside. I'm no good and I know that but Mary-Lou was kind and – oh, even this, she went out in the storm to try and find me -”
“What's Gwen going to do?” Darrell said.
But Alicia could imagine: “Remember last year, when Mary-Lou confronted her and she nearly drained the life out of her? If she's got the power to make you see whatever she wants, Mary-Lou won't see the danger until it's too late.”
The car radio buzzed and sunk into static: Darrell took a deep, shaky breath. “I should get out and just run,” she said, voice shaking - “we'll be stuck in traffic all the way and I'm going to ruin the car at this rate -”
“No!” Alicia suddenly knew what to do. “You should get out and run to the university – look – Irene and Belinda's rooms are only a few streets over. Go to Belinda and tell her to draw Gwendoline. Draw her unable to move, or, or going to the police, or – something, anything – it'll give us another half-hour – stop the car, please -”
The taxi driver, muttering, did so, and Darrell sprang out, the splash of her feet echoing for a moment before she slammed the door and disappeared into the night.
“Sally,” Alicia said, as the car moved on again, “I'm sure you've been doing this already, but is Daphne telling the truth?”
“I think so,” Sally said. “If she can do – what she says, though, she can probably fool me, too. She could be tricking us both right now – I'm sure that's occurred to you, too?”
Daphne, crying still, shook her head. “I promise. I promise – not this time -”
“It doesn't matter,” Alicia said. “I think Mary-Lou's in danger, and your information's the only lead we've got. I only hope we get there in time.”
Mary-Lou felt as if she were walking back to herself through an empty, cold land. For hours and hours it seemed like there was nothing, and the only her was far, far away, a tiny dot of firelight in the darkness.
Mary-Lou? Mary-Lou, are you all right?
She was so tired and so cold and – something bad had happened -
Mary-Lou, please...
That voice. Daphne's voice. My friend...
Something bad had happened. Yes. She'd got off the bus and - I'm in the porch of the old church, Daphne had said, it's so cold and horrid out here... Only the porch had been empty, whitewashed walls faintly glowing in the moonlight, dead leaves blustering across the floor. The heavy door open. She'd stepped inside. The smell of mould and rotting books and papers, a broken stained-glass window high above her, and Daphne, standing in the aisle, the dim light sucking all the colour out of her hair and face.
I knew you'd come, she'd said, but it wasn't grateful, it was... mocking. As if Mary-Lou were stupid to have wanted to help.
Of course I came! I couldn't leave you stranded.
No, Daphne said, and her mouth curved into a smirk. No, because you're my best friend, aren't you? You think I'm wonderful.
Lightning making the broken window blaze white for a second. Jagged glass shape behind her eyes.
Tell me, Daphne said, walking towards her, what would you do if I said I couldn't care less about a silly, boring little mouse like you? If I was only friends with you because you've been writing me cheques and taking my turns with the housework? After all, you can't really think you've got much you can offer me.
Cold and dark and the rain pattering on the tiled floor. It was like someone had thrown a stone at her and hit her so hard she was too shocked to feel it.
I don't, she said. I don't have anything to offer. And she didn't understand why Daphne was saying this, what she'd done wrong, but she thought that if the other girl was frightened, somehow, or angry (because this was frightening) then she, Mary-Lou, could try and help. You're still my friend. If... if you only like me because I help you, that's all right. I like helping people. Daphne was only a few feet away from her. We should go home. It's too cold in here. You'll get a chill.
Daphne smiled and reached out to her and took her hand.
And then it got really cold. For a moment Mary-Lou thought the storm must have suddenly grown worse, but then as the dreadful dizziness spread over her she remembered the last time she'd felt like this – talking to Gwendoline – telling her what she'd worked out – and Gwen had said:
We've been thinking that if I try hard enough, I could take everything - not just powers, everything -
She'd thought, so Daphne can do it too, and then, I was stupid to trust her, and then, well, I don't care...
She's still my friend, and I... I have to...
And someone was clutching her hand but this time they dragged her out of the cold and the emptiness and there she was back in herself, gasping for breath, cold tiles under her back, and people crowding around her, faces lit up with torchlight.
“Mary-Lou,” Daphne gasped, tears running down her face. She was golden in the light. “I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead...”
Someone was helping her sit up, wrapping a blanket round her. Everyone was talking, asking her if she was all right, if she could remember who she was. Lucky she didn't get here earlier. Call an ambulance!
“It was Gwendoline,” Daphne said, and Sally was kneeling down next to her, taking her other hand: “It was, Mary-Lou, I promise. All those things she said, that was Gwen, not Daphne.” Of course, Mary-Lou thought, she can hear how sad I am...
“What did she say?” Daphne said. “Oh – I think I know. Mary-Lou, I promise, it isn't true, any of it. You're my friend, do you understand?”
“I think she means it,” Alicia said, from above them. “She confessed a lot of things to us that it would've been a lot more convenient for her to keep secret, all because of you. And the attack she hit Gwen with when she ran into the church – it was amazing, quite frankly.”
“It was terrifying,” Sally said, shivering. “I only caught part of it and I'm still not sure whether I'm in the real world.”
Daphne shuddered, clutched Mary-Lou's hand more tightly.
“She fought back,” she said, numbly. “She made me see things. I saw you and you were – you were dead. I thought...”
“But it didn't matter what you thought,” Alicia said, “because that must have been when the tidal wave hit. Darrell -” She turned round to look at the other girl, who had just hurried up to them, “what happened to asking Belinda to target Gwendoline?”
“Belinda's never met Gwendoline,” Darrell said, rubbing a hand across her face. “We tried her drawing a girl with blonde hair from my description, but Belinda said at the time she thought it hadn't worked, that she could feel it. We didn't know what else to do, so she drew the inside of the church and water pouring through it. We thought that might at least knock everyone off-balance.”
“And you're all dry now,” Belinda said from behind her. “Half an hour and it disappears, just as normal.”
“Yes,” Alicia said. “But it wasn't much fun before that. Were the octopuses really necessary? Not to mention Gwen got away in all the chaos.”
“Some people are never satisfied,” Belinda said, shaking her head. “We should get Mary-Lou out of this place, anyway, it's freezing. Get you a hospital bed next to Ellen – did you hear?” she said to the others. “Irene found out today – Ellen turned up at the hospital, half-out of her mind with exhaustion, but they think with rest she'll be fine.”
“Thank goodness,” Daphne said, smiling shakily. “And... listen, I know that... I know you won't... I'll go to the police, I'll turn myself in for what – for everything I did. I knew things were going too far and I let them anyway -”
Mary-Lou clutched at her hand, suddenly cold again.
“Don't,” she said. “I don't want you to go.”
“I would have let Alicia die,” Daphne said. Her fingers were chilly. “And you don't know half of what I've done. I wouldn't trust me, if I were you.”
“I'm not sure I do trust you,” Alicia said. “But your powers are fascinating. Not to mention extremely useful. I'd rather have you on my side than in jail, or out in the world and able to make contact with Gwendoline and... anyone else she might be working with.”
“I agree,” Sally said. “And goodness knows agreeing with Alicia isn't something I do much.” She smiled, and Alicia smiled back.
“And I've made mistakes myself,” Darrell said. “Used my powers in stupid ways. I can't argue against someone else getting a second chance.”
“Exactly,” Belinda said. “And there's five of us against one of you. If it came down to it, we could probably win!”
Daphne stared round at them all, her eyes brimming with more tears, before she buried her face in Mary-Lou's shoulder. Mary-Lou hugged her, and the last of the cold slipped away.
five unusual accounts
[Title] The North Tower Girls Again
[Fandom] Malory Towers (superhero AU, sequel to The North Tower Girls)
[Rating] PG
[Notes/Summary] Alicia and her friends have a range of unusual talents, but they're facing enemies old and new, as well as jealousy and long-buried feelings inside the group...
[The Story So Far] Alicia, able to heal herself from any injury, began researching people with super powers. She provided lodgings to Darrell, who makes things explode when she loses her temper. Darrell became friends with telepath Sally and super-strong Mary-Lou. It was discovered that Mary-Lou's friend Gwendoline could steal the powers (and ultimately the life force) of anyone she touched; when Darrell and Mary-Lou proved this, Gwen fled and hasn't been seen since.
Outside it was thundering, but Mary-Lou only jumped a little when it was very loud, rather than cowering and crying as she would have done a year ago. It probably helped you to stop being scared, Darrell thought, when you knew you could lift up a car with your bare hands.
Or perhaps Mary-Lou was just distracted by the supper-time conversation. There were five of them tonight – her and Mary-Lou, Alicia, Sally, and the girl who'd just moved in since Irene had begun living up at the university. Ellen, that was her name: frowning, eating the stew as if she wasn't really tasting it. Telekinesis, Alicia had said. Very limited, but she's still an excellent research assistant. Terribly hard-working. There had been an unspoken suggestion that hard-working meant dull, but then, Alicia found a lot of people dull.
“No, please do tell us how it went,” she was saying now. “I'm genuinely interested.” And to Ellen: “Sally's done terribly well – she's just become town council representative for people with... special abilities. It's quite amazing, really.”
Darrell saw Sally's eyes narrow a little. You didn't have to be a telepath to spot that Alicia wasn't being entirely sincere. Although since Alicia had been hoping to get the same position, that wasn't surprising.
“It went well,” Sally said, shortly. “So far, everyone seems very willing to talk about things and listen to each other.”
“Well, it wouldn't matter to you if they didn't, would it?” Alicia said, smiling.
“There's only so much I can do if people want to be intentionally obstructive,” Sally said, not smiling back.
“You must have had an awful lot to talk about,” Mary-Lou said, hastily. “There's so much to consider now they know people like us exist.”
Sally nodded. “It was mostly about the compulsory disclosure of powers, though.”
“They're still trotting that one out?” Alicia said. “I hope you gave them short shrift.”
“Actually,” Sally said, directing her words to her plate, “I thought they made some very useful points.”
“Excuse me?” Alicia was smiling again, but as if she had to laugh at someone being so stupid. “You aren't saying you think it's all right for people to have to declare what powers they hold, are you?”
“I'm saying – and I said – that if people have abilities which give them a significant advantage over others -” Sally's voice was tightening a little. Darrell felt sorry for her – Alicia wasn't an enjoyable person to argue with at the best of times - “then those others should perhaps be aware of that. For instance, I think you should know when you're around me that I can pick up on your thoughts unless I make a strong effort not to. Not to mention more information might have avoided what happened last year with Gwendoline.”
Alicia shrugged, ate another mouthful of stew. The thunder crashed again. Ellen glanced warily from one to the other of them.
“If you say so,” Alicia said at last. “Personally, I think you're coming at it from an unnecessarily personal angle, but... you're the representative, after all -”
It was just the kind of casual attack that Darrell knew Sally hated, but just at that moment they heard the front door unlocking and Irene was hurrying in, making the lights flicker and sending the shoe-rack toppling down the hall. “Golly, it's absolutely awful weather out there! Alicia, Darrell, Mary-Lou, I picked up a couple of strays up at the halls -”
“Irene!” Mary-Lou protested, laughing. “I'm sure they're not strays!”
“Oh, I'm sure I give that impression,” one of the girls who'd followed Irene into the house said. Her short dark hair was damp, and raindrops mingled with freckles on her face. “Sorry I'm dripping everywhere – I did have an umbrella, but... well...”
“Belinda has a rather handy knack of bringing things to life through drawing,” Irene said. “Unfortunately -”
“Oh, yes – Irene told me!” Alicia got to her feet, eyes glinting with the usual fascination she showed whenever someone with a new and interesting power presented themselves. “Anything you draw comes to life, but then it vanishes after half an hour, yes?”
“That's right,” Belinda said. “So I drew the umbrella before I left, but I couldn't find my front door key, and I considered drawing a copy but I suspected it might not fit the lock, and then by the time I found it, I'd lost ten minutes, so the umbrella popped out of existence at the top of your street rather than at your front door.”
“I'm not sure you and Irene should be rooming together,” Alicia said. “I can't help feeling you'll create a perfect storm of chaos and no doubt risk destroying the world. Perhaps your disclosure idea has something in it after all, Sally – but won't you introduce me to your other stray?”
The other girl was equally wet, but her hair, streaming water down her face, was long and blonde, and she extended a hand to Alicia as if she were wearing a fur coat and at a party. “It's lovely to meet you – Irene's told me so much about you. I'm Daphne Millicent Turner, and I'm so sorry to be so dishevelled! I have an absolutely beautiful umbrella I got from Liberty's, but I left it at home, so Belinda let me share hers... until...”
“Daphne's telekinetic as well,” Irene said. “So I said I'd introduce her to Ellen -” She glanced quickly between the two of them, probably thinking, as Darrell was, that they were hardly obvious friends. But Mary-Lou was already hurrying forwards: “I'll get some towels! Oh, and some tea – and I'm sure there's enough stew if you – and Belinda, of course – if you'd like to join us -” She was blushing a little, and Darrell saw Sally glance at her, smile slightly. Again, though, you didn't need to be a telepath to spot shyness. Still, at least it meant the argument seemed to have been forgotten.
Sally couldn't remember the last time she was quite this angry. It being completely justified anger didn't make it any better. Not least because displays of high emotion only gave Alicia more to make fun of.
“For goodness sake,” she was saying now, arms folded, half-smile on her face as she leant against the dining room table, “Nobody was hurt, and really, I'm not sorry – if they're going to debate such stupid ideas then they deserve everything they get -” And under that, her thoughts: [it's ridiculous] [gets so worked up] [I'd be much better as representative, everyone knows it] [studying these phenomena for years]
“You tricked me,” Belinda said, voice slightly muffled because she had her head rested in her hands. “Sally, I promise, I never would have done it if I'd have realised -”
Sally believed her – her thoughts were echoing almost exactly what she was saying. No, she knew very well whose idea this was.
“What's happened?” Darrell hurried into the room. “Was the meeting really horrible, Sally?” She glanced from Sally to Alicia to Belinda. [hope Sally's all right] [wanted her to be all right] [what if they laughed at her?]
“You could say that.” Sally found her throat tightening with fury as she remembered (and perhaps she was angry, too, that Darrell had thought she might look stupid). “Alicia was working with Belinda to explore her powers. You remember, they were wondering what might happen if Belinda drew a picture of a real person? Whether it would make a copy or something?”
Darrell nodded uncertainly. “Does it?”
“No,” Sally said, and she was trying to keep her voice level but she could hear it becoming choked. Alicia was smiling: [so serious!] [she doesn't understand, that disclosure argument was dangerous] [she can't even keep a cool head] “No, it allows you to control the person's actions. Alicia suggested Belinda draw Councillor Rougier and Councillor Dupont having a fight: throwing papers at each other, pulling each other's hair. She said the two had been willing to act as test subjects.”
“I can't believe I actually thought that was true,” Belinda said, turning to glare at Alicia.
“It was funny,” Alicia said, glancing away.
“No, it wasn't!” Sally heard her voice rise. “They called the police in, Alicia! Forget people with powers having to disclose them – at this rate they'll drum us out of town!”
Alicia shrugged: “Oh, don't be so melodramatic -” but her thoughts whispered, [good] [they should be a little more scared of us] [being taken for granted]
Darrell came across to Sally, put an arm around her. “No one will think it was your fault, Sally.” She was warm and her thoughts were a comforting barrage of [Alicia's an idiot] [poor Sally] [how dare she?] but Sally couldn't stop thinking of everyone's stares and whispers and her own stuttering attempts to justify what had just happened. Thank goodness people couldn't read her thoughts.
Running footsteps. The front door was wrenched open and Mary-Lou stood there, gasping for breath, hair dishevelled, coatless. “Darrell – Alicia – Sally – quickly, put the television on, the news -”
“If it's about the council meeting -” Belinda started, but Sally was getting flickers of panic from Mary-Lou that told her it was about much more than that. She dashed over to the set. The little screen glowed into life, a sombre reporter standing in front of the university gates.
“... scene at the council chambers today was initially presumed to be a malicious prank,” he was saying, “but police are now wondering if it was intended to act as a diversion while the attack on the university occurred. Witnesses are unable to give accounts of what they saw, but the fire has damaged most of the offices and research laboratories in the west building, and several people have suffered injuries in fleeing the scene.”
Alicia had gone pale.
“That...” She swallowed. “Someone must have known what...” [Belinda and I were talking here] [Sally] [Darrell] [Mary-Lou]
“Someone in this house overheard?” Darrell said. “But... who'd do something like this?”
“Not you or Mary-Lou,” Alicia said. A quick glance, and then: “And not Sally, either.” [Too good] [Not going to disgrace herself like that just to get to me!] And then an odd little mental twitch of [Surely not -] before she turned to look at Sally and both thought and spoke, “Ellen or Daphne.”
“Not Daphne,” Darrell said. “I saw her go out this morning and she hasn't been back since. Ellen... Ellen's been in her room...”
Alicia was already marching towards the door. Sally hurried after her: “Alicia, don't – you can't just storm in and accuse someone like that -”
“Please don't tell me what I can and can't do,” Alicia said, very, very lightly. “You may be a council representative but you're not the mayor.” She started up the stairs. “And, if you don't mind, I'm a little annoyed that large portions of my research notes appear to have gone up in smoke. I'd quite like to get to the bottom of this -” She reached the landing, strode over to Ellen's bedroom door, knocked loudly on it and flung it open. By the time Sally got there, she'd already started, “Hello, Ellen – is there anything you'd like to tell me about what you've been doing today?”
Ellen had been sitting at her desk; she got to her feet now, scowling. “What do you mean? Do you normally just burst into people's rooms like this?”
“I do when I discover someone used something I was planning in order to set fire to my workplace,” Alicia said. [Look at her, so jumpy] [she even looks guilty] [can't even hide it!] [that idiot Sally thinks -]
Ellen stared at her. “What are you talking about? I... I haven't...” [does she know?] [it can't be anything to do with -]
Sally stared at her. She wanted to believe the thoughts she'd just heard had been her own mind playing tricks on her, but no – ringing in her ears was not furious denial, or confusion, but nervousness. Guilt.
“Ellen,” she said, “if you've got anything to do with what's happened, you should tell us.”
“I haven't!” Ellen gasped. “I don't know what Alicia means! I haven't done anything!” [I said I wouldn't]
“If you're asking that,” Alicia said, “then she must be guilty. You can hear her thoughts, can't you?”
Sally didn't want to admit that that was what she was doing – and if she didn't want to give Alicia the satisfaction of being right, then so what? No one was listening to her thoughts – but Ellen had gone pale and, scrambling to her feet, snapped, “What I'm thinking is none of your business! I haven't done anything wrong -”
“Then why isn't Sally backing you up?” Alicia said. “Dear Sally is so good. If she thought you were innocent, she'd say something.”
Sally opened her mouth to tell Alicia to be quiet, but the other girl cut across her: “Well? If she's got nothing to hide, you'd know, wouldn't you?”
“Stop it!” Darrell said fiercely. “Why on earth would Ellen want to hurt you, Alicia? She's been helping you! The only person I can think of who would want to do something like this is Gwendoline -”
As she said the name, Sally felt Ellen's thoughts jump, echoing it, and the image of blonde hair and a scowl popped up in her mind.
“You... you know her,” she said, before she could think.
Ellen was pale, the shadows under her eyes standing out like fingerprints.
“How interesting,” Alicia said. “Or are you denying this, too?”
Ellen's mouth was crumpling. She pressed her hand to it. [can't] [can't tell them] Sally frowned, trying to work out what it was the thoughts were saying, but the barrage of emotions and panic were making it too hard to hear -
“Well?” Alicia said to her. “What's she thinking?”
“Stop it!” Ellen screamed, and the framed picture on the desk hurled itself forward, flew over Sally's head and smashed against the doorframe. Mary-Lou cried out; Darrell shouted, “How dare you?” and her powers sent Ellen flying, sprawling across the floor, and above them the lightbulb burst, plunging the room into half-darkness. Ellen screamed – Sally couldn't tell if it was spoken or thought, it was just a long scream of I hate you I hate you leave me alone - and the books on the desk and the little shelf were flung into the air, flying across the room, pages flapping – the curtains billowed out and then the window shattered, the glass glittering as it burst.
Sally found herself huddled on the floor, staring at the broken glass spattered across the carpet. Darrell was kneeling next to her: “Sally? Sally, are you all right?” Mary-Lou was crying as she and Belinda started to pick up the broken glass. Ellen was gone.
“We may as well not bother tidying this up tonight,” Alicia said, coming back into the room with a candle. “I'll get another bulb and have that window fixed. Honestly, Darrell, you could have kept more of a grip on yourself.”
“So could you,” Darrell said, glowering up at her. “Sally told you not to go confronting Ellen to her face like that.”
Sally was too tired to agree. She rested her head on her knees and tried not to think about how bad a day it had been. Darrell stayed sitting with her, an arm round her shoulders, thoughts a soft whisper.
Daphne wished they hadn't had to meet in such a down-at-heel cafe. It smelt of egg and grease and wet hair, and the people in it were the sort that she liked to pretend she knew nothing about. Common, rough men grabbing breakfast before going to work factory shifts; shop girls smoking and leaving lipstick marks on coffee cups. Not me, she told herself. Not me. Her powers would see to that. And this time, she wouldn't get caught.
Gwendoline, opposite her, was staring round with a sour expression on her face. “I can't stand places like this. I'm so sorry, Daphne. I thought I was going to be able to meet at – well, someone else's home, somewhere nice, but then I was told I had to make my own arrangements, and I couldn't risk Alicia or one of the others seeing you coming to my rooms.”
“That's quite all right,” Daphne said, and switched on the charm just a little, just to make her hair less damp and flat, her complexion a little brighter. “We're nearly finished, though, aren't we? I've told you everything that happened.”
“And you're sure they don't suspect you?” Gwendoline took a large bite of the Bath bun she'd ordered, and said round it, “Alicia always thinks the worst of everyone.”
“Please, Gwendoline, I've got the situation entirely under control.” Daphne smiled again to remember it. In the kitchen that morning, she'd let the power swell in her voice like syrup as she'd said to Darrell, I went out half an hour ago, and I won't be in the house again until this evening. To Alicia as the girl fumbled for candle and matches, there's no one here except you. To Mary-Lou, that night, what cut on my face? There isn't anything -
She bit her lip as she remembered that, and Gwen smirked: “It didn't stop you getting hit when everything started exploding, did it? How lucky that you can deflect awkward questions.”
“I didn't even need to do that, once I remembered to hide it. Only Mary-Lou noticed...”
She perhaps hadn't intended to mention Mary-Lou. Gwendoline was already scowling: “I bet she was in hysterics after what happened. I'm surprised she had the time to notice anything.”
“She was all right, actually. She made everyone some tea and volunteered to come out to the university with Alicia and help sift through what they've salvaged. Alicia told her not to bother, though. I think she was too angry to want help, though she's trying to pretend she doesn't mind too much about what happened...”
Gwen frowned at her for a second before shrugging and taking another bite of bun.
“Well,” she said, “we'll put the next stage into operation soon. As soon as I have more information, I'll give you your orders.”
“Orders? Surely it's only to keep letting you know what's happening at the house.” Daphne reached for the slightly sticky sugar bowl, added another spoonful to her coffee in the hope that she could convince herself to actually drink it. She could hear her parents shaking their heads at her for wasting the money on something she wasn't even going to drink. Maybe she could make the cup look prettier – but she would still be able to see that it was just chipped white china.
“For now,” Gwen said, looking smug. “But I'll - we'll - need you to do more than that, later.”
“Oh.”
“Are you scared?” Gwen said. “I mean... you've done an awful lot of other things. I suppose when you keep getting caught it must make you nervous -”
“Not at all,” Daphne was beginning, but Gwen carried on, “Or are you feeling sorry for Mary-Lou? After all, I've heard a lot more than I wanted about how she's been cooking you meals or making you tea or lending you stockings and gloves and umbrellas...”
“Are you enjoying that bun?” Daphne said in her sweetest voice. “Only I would hate to make you think it had turned into something... not very nice.”
Gwen swallowed her latest mouthful and scowled at Daphne.
“Just so you know,” Daphne carried on, “I really don't give two hoots about Mary-Lou, any more than any of the others. I just don't want to run into... difficulties again. Now that there's more knowledge of people like us, convincing a jury to let a person off might be more difficult. They might take precautions.”
“You won't get caught this time,” Gwen said. “My associate -”
“I'd love to meet this person,” Daphne said. “I quite wonder whether she even exists, she sounds so intelligent -”
“My associate has worked everything out. She recognises potential and good breeding when she sees it.” Gwen preened a little. “She came to find me because she knew my skills would be invaluable. She wasn't even disappointed when that idiot Ellen wouldn't help us.” A sigh. “I really thought she might. Her people are terribly poor, you know. I thought she'd do anything for money. She turned up again after she ran away from Alicia's, can you believe it? Of course I sent her packing. Her powers are miniscule – even that incident at the house was overreaching for her. Headaches, delirium, shaking all over. Whereas people like you and I – we can do what we want and it won't hurt us a bit.”
Daphne smiled. Yes, that was true. “All right. Well, I'm sure you'll be in touch.” She got to her feet before her companion could – she didn't like letting Gwen get too close to her. She had no intention of letting anyone bewitch her.
“You're awfully late!” Darrell said, as Alicia opened the front door. “I was wondering if you'd got lost or something!”
“Even on a bicycle, I couldn't get through the traffic,” Alicia said, pulling off her damp coat and hat. “I jolly well wish I had the power to fly sometimes, especially on a stormy night like this.”
“It probably wouldn't be any warmer, though. Come and sit down, I'll put the kettle on.”
Sally was sitting at the dining room table, reading through a yellow-paged report. She glanced up as Alicia walked in, gave a small smile. Alicia wanted to tell her to stop holding a grudge, but – not that she would ever admit it – she could see that Sally had reason to be angry with her. Of course Ellen had been out to cause trouble from the start, but she herself should have been more circumspect. Now Ellen had disappeared and they had no way of knowing what she'd been up to, how Gwendoline was involved, what the two might be plotting next -
A gust of wind rattled the windows. Alicia jumped, and then wanted to shake herself for being so twitchy. She was far too old to be scared of storms. Particularly as she could heal from any injury life – or anyone in it – chose to throw at her.
“It does sound horrible out there,” Sally said. She glanced at Alicia, then down at her work again. “I'm glad you got home safely.”
It was typical of Sally's over-controlled manner, but Alicia suspected it was an awkward attempt to make peace. Perhaps Sally was thinking about what had happened too – that they'd clearly had a traitor in their midst without even realising, that there was a whole lot more at stake than a silly council position. At any rate, Alicia made herself smile and say, “Well, if anyone is made for dodging cars in the rain, it's me. I wasn't sorry to get indoors, though.” She looked round the shadowy room. “Where's Mary-Lou? Not hiding under the bed, I hope?”
Sally and Darrell glanced at each other; Darrell looked exasperated. “She went out earlier. Apparently Daphne is at the other end of town and forgot her purse. Mary-Lou went to bring her home, lend her the bus fare, take her an umbrella...”
“Which is fair enough,” Sally said, “but I've noticed she's borrowing things off Mary-Lou a lot. I'm starting to wonder whether she's taking advantage of her a little.”
“Goodness knows why she'd need to,” Alicia said. “Her people are terribly well-off; she paid three months rent upfront. Perhaps she's one of those who just doesn't quite realise the value of money.”
Darrell started to speak, but then they heard the front door open again, and a moment later, Daphne walked into the room, pushing her damp hair off her face. “Goodness, I'm so cold! I hate being outside on nights like this...”
She stopped as she saw Alicia, mouth hanging open a little. “Alicia! I didn't... I mean... I'm surprised you're home this early with the weather like that.”
Alicia thought that looked a good deal more surprise than needed, but she'd long thought Daphne was the kind of person who liked to say things to appear oh-so-gracious. Perhaps it was a rather shabby example of that.
“Where's Mary-Lou?” Darrell said after a moment, when it became obvious that no one else had come inside. “Didn't she find you?”
Daphne frowned. “Find me? Was she looking for me?” She bit her lip. “I've been at the shops all day – I don't think she said she'd come and meet me...”
“You phoned here,” Darrell said, turning round to face her. “A couple of hours ago, I think it was. You'd forgotten your purse? Mary-Lou went to find you.”
Alicia could already feel small chills creeping down her back that something wasn't quite right, but Daphne went completely white, and actually clutched at the doorframe as if she was about to faint.
“Is that what I said?” she stammered. “That Mary-Lou needed to come and find me? Where did she think she had to go?”
“She didn't say,” Darrell said, glancing nervously at Sally. “Right over on the other side of town – she said it would be too far for you to walk. I tried to convince her you could call a taxi, but she wouldn't listen -”
“The old church,” Daphne interrupted. “On Clifftop Road. That's where, isn't it? Of course - it was meant to be you,” she said to Alicia, “but you weren't home -”
“What are you talking about -” Darrell began, but Daphne was already hurrying out into the hallway and a moment later they heard the whirr of a number being dialled and her voice, shaking: “A taxi, please, from North Tower House on Cornwall Street to Clifftop Road – it's extremely urgent -”
“It's a trap,” she sobbed, once they were crammed into the dark car. Alicia could feel her shaking. “Gwen said she needed my powers. I didn't want to risk giving them to her, but I didn't want to risk getting caught at the scene either, so I let her. It was supposed to be you, Alicia – she'd pretend to be someone else, lure you out, say she'd found someone with powers in need of help -”
“You've been working with Gwendoline from the start,” Alicia heard herself say, an amused edge to her voice because she couldn't quite believe how much of a mistake she'd made.
“Yes,” Daphne said, sniffing. “She said if we managed to get rid of you, there'd be no one to stop us doing whatever we wanted with our powers. I've done that anyway – oh, you won't want to even look at me when you find out everything – but if I tell you then maybe there'll be something you can use, maybe it won't be too late – Ellen had nothing to do with it, Gwen approached her too and she refused – she's worth ten of me -”
“What are your powers?” Darrell, in the front seat, was speaking very carefully, but even so Alicia could feel her rage humming in the air, and Sally was leaning forward to put a hand on her shoulder.
“I can make people believe what I want them to,” Daphne said. “I can make them see what I want them to. I make people think I'm wearing pretty clothes, that I can afford expensive things. I make them like me. I made you think I'd gone out of the house on the day of Sally's meeting. I stopped you even considering me a suspect. I've, I've walked into shops and taken jewellery and no one knew I'd been inside. I'm no good and I know that but Mary-Lou was kind and – oh, even this, she went out in the storm to try and find me -”
“What's Gwen going to do?” Darrell said.
But Alicia could imagine: “Remember last year, when Mary-Lou confronted her and she nearly drained the life out of her? If she's got the power to make you see whatever she wants, Mary-Lou won't see the danger until it's too late.”
The car radio buzzed and sunk into static: Darrell took a deep, shaky breath. “I should get out and just run,” she said, voice shaking - “we'll be stuck in traffic all the way and I'm going to ruin the car at this rate -”
“No!” Alicia suddenly knew what to do. “You should get out and run to the university – look – Irene and Belinda's rooms are only a few streets over. Go to Belinda and tell her to draw Gwendoline. Draw her unable to move, or, or going to the police, or – something, anything – it'll give us another half-hour – stop the car, please -”
The taxi driver, muttering, did so, and Darrell sprang out, the splash of her feet echoing for a moment before she slammed the door and disappeared into the night.
“Sally,” Alicia said, as the car moved on again, “I'm sure you've been doing this already, but is Daphne telling the truth?”
“I think so,” Sally said. “If she can do – what she says, though, she can probably fool me, too. She could be tricking us both right now – I'm sure that's occurred to you, too?”
Daphne, crying still, shook her head. “I promise. I promise – not this time -”
“It doesn't matter,” Alicia said. “I think Mary-Lou's in danger, and your information's the only lead we've got. I only hope we get there in time.”
Mary-Lou felt as if she were walking back to herself through an empty, cold land. For hours and hours it seemed like there was nothing, and the only her was far, far away, a tiny dot of firelight in the darkness.
Mary-Lou? Mary-Lou, are you all right?
She was so tired and so cold and – something bad had happened -
Mary-Lou, please...
That voice. Daphne's voice. My friend...
Something bad had happened. Yes. She'd got off the bus and - I'm in the porch of the old church, Daphne had said, it's so cold and horrid out here... Only the porch had been empty, whitewashed walls faintly glowing in the moonlight, dead leaves blustering across the floor. The heavy door open. She'd stepped inside. The smell of mould and rotting books and papers, a broken stained-glass window high above her, and Daphne, standing in the aisle, the dim light sucking all the colour out of her hair and face.
I knew you'd come, she'd said, but it wasn't grateful, it was... mocking. As if Mary-Lou were stupid to have wanted to help.
Of course I came! I couldn't leave you stranded.
No, Daphne said, and her mouth curved into a smirk. No, because you're my best friend, aren't you? You think I'm wonderful.
Lightning making the broken window blaze white for a second. Jagged glass shape behind her eyes.
Tell me, Daphne said, walking towards her, what would you do if I said I couldn't care less about a silly, boring little mouse like you? If I was only friends with you because you've been writing me cheques and taking my turns with the housework? After all, you can't really think you've got much you can offer me.
Cold and dark and the rain pattering on the tiled floor. It was like someone had thrown a stone at her and hit her so hard she was too shocked to feel it.
I don't, she said. I don't have anything to offer. And she didn't understand why Daphne was saying this, what she'd done wrong, but she thought that if the other girl was frightened, somehow, or angry (because this was frightening) then she, Mary-Lou, could try and help. You're still my friend. If... if you only like me because I help you, that's all right. I like helping people. Daphne was only a few feet away from her. We should go home. It's too cold in here. You'll get a chill.
Daphne smiled and reached out to her and took her hand.
And then it got really cold. For a moment Mary-Lou thought the storm must have suddenly grown worse, but then as the dreadful dizziness spread over her she remembered the last time she'd felt like this – talking to Gwendoline – telling her what she'd worked out – and Gwen had said:
We've been thinking that if I try hard enough, I could take everything - not just powers, everything -
She'd thought, so Daphne can do it too, and then, I was stupid to trust her, and then, well, I don't care...
She's still my friend, and I... I have to...
And someone was clutching her hand but this time they dragged her out of the cold and the emptiness and there she was back in herself, gasping for breath, cold tiles under her back, and people crowding around her, faces lit up with torchlight.
“Mary-Lou,” Daphne gasped, tears running down her face. She was golden in the light. “I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead...”
Someone was helping her sit up, wrapping a blanket round her. Everyone was talking, asking her if she was all right, if she could remember who she was. Lucky she didn't get here earlier. Call an ambulance!
“It was Gwendoline,” Daphne said, and Sally was kneeling down next to her, taking her other hand: “It was, Mary-Lou, I promise. All those things she said, that was Gwen, not Daphne.” Of course, Mary-Lou thought, she can hear how sad I am...
“What did she say?” Daphne said. “Oh – I think I know. Mary-Lou, I promise, it isn't true, any of it. You're my friend, do you understand?”
“I think she means it,” Alicia said, from above them. “She confessed a lot of things to us that it would've been a lot more convenient for her to keep secret, all because of you. And the attack she hit Gwen with when she ran into the church – it was amazing, quite frankly.”
“It was terrifying,” Sally said, shivering. “I only caught part of it and I'm still not sure whether I'm in the real world.”
Daphne shuddered, clutched Mary-Lou's hand more tightly.
“She fought back,” she said, numbly. “She made me see things. I saw you and you were – you were dead. I thought...”
“But it didn't matter what you thought,” Alicia said, “because that must have been when the tidal wave hit. Darrell -” She turned round to look at the other girl, who had just hurried up to them, “what happened to asking Belinda to target Gwendoline?”
“Belinda's never met Gwendoline,” Darrell said, rubbing a hand across her face. “We tried her drawing a girl with blonde hair from my description, but Belinda said at the time she thought it hadn't worked, that she could feel it. We didn't know what else to do, so she drew the inside of the church and water pouring through it. We thought that might at least knock everyone off-balance.”
“And you're all dry now,” Belinda said from behind her. “Half an hour and it disappears, just as normal.”
“Yes,” Alicia said. “But it wasn't much fun before that. Were the octopuses really necessary? Not to mention Gwen got away in all the chaos.”
“Some people are never satisfied,” Belinda said, shaking her head. “We should get Mary-Lou out of this place, anyway, it's freezing. Get you a hospital bed next to Ellen – did you hear?” she said to the others. “Irene found out today – Ellen turned up at the hospital, half-out of her mind with exhaustion, but they think with rest she'll be fine.”
“Thank goodness,” Daphne said, smiling shakily. “And... listen, I know that... I know you won't... I'll go to the police, I'll turn myself in for what – for everything I did. I knew things were going too far and I let them anyway -”
Mary-Lou clutched at her hand, suddenly cold again.
“Don't,” she said. “I don't want you to go.”
“I would have let Alicia die,” Daphne said. Her fingers were chilly. “And you don't know half of what I've done. I wouldn't trust me, if I were you.”
“I'm not sure I do trust you,” Alicia said. “But your powers are fascinating. Not to mention extremely useful. I'd rather have you on my side than in jail, or out in the world and able to make contact with Gwendoline and... anyone else she might be working with.”
“I agree,” Sally said. “And goodness knows agreeing with Alicia isn't something I do much.” She smiled, and Alicia smiled back.
“And I've made mistakes myself,” Darrell said. “Used my powers in stupid ways. I can't argue against someone else getting a second chance.”
“Exactly,” Belinda said. “And there's five of us against one of you. If it came down to it, we could probably win!”
Daphne stared round at them all, her eyes brimming with more tears, before she buried her face in Mary-Lou's shoulder. Mary-Lou hugged her, and the last of the cold slipped away.
