Chapter Three

2am

Screams racked the girls’ dorm.

Paige was pulled sharply out of a dream and momentarily lost reality. Then she realised where she was, and where the screams were coming from.

After pulling Jubilee’s covers off her to wake her (for some reason she could sleep through anything except cold), she raced down the corridor to the room at the end, currently occupied by Susy.

The girl in question was definitely the one screaming. She was leaning against her bed, left arm flopping by her side like a sack, bone threatening to break through skin any second. At a glance there was no sign of a break in, no one had attacked her. There was no obvious explanation for her injury.

Paige sent Jubilee for an adult, then tried to calm Susy down.

"Please honey, stop screamin’. Ah know it hurts, but it ain’t doin’ you no good. Ah’m here now, and Ms Frost or Mr Cassidy are comin’ any minute to take y’along to the med lab and fix you raht up, so you’re going to be okay." She carried on speaking comfortingly, not bothering to hide her accent so early in the morning. "That’s better, no more screamin’. Cryin’s fine, you can cry as much as ya like, it’s just that screamin’ kinda hurts me too. Okay? Good."

Susy’s scream, however, was replaced by Banshee’s as he flew into the room. The White Queen and Jubilee followed shortly.

"She’s broken her arm, Mr Cassidy. Ah’m not sure how."

"That’s all right lass. Ye’d best be goin’ back to bed now, though. There’s nae more you can do here."

"Cassidy," Emma interceded. "She should at least accompany us to sick bay. After all, she was the first at the scene." She turned to Paige. "Thank you so much for stopping her from screaming. I don’t know whether you realised this, but Susanne tends to broadcast her feelings on a psi-band which is difficult to block."

"Ah didn’t know she was a psi?"

"She isn’t." Emma sighed. "She just thinks loudly."

By this time, Sean had taken the wounded party to the med lab, and was putting a cast on her arm as the others approached. Jubilee had dutifully woken the other students to inform them of the situation, so a bleary-eyed bunch surrounded Susy’s sick bed.

"How did you manage it?" Ev asked, trying to stop his feet from going back to sleep before the rest of him.

"I expect," M said, "she floated up to the ceiling while she slept, then awoke with a crash."

"You done that, chica?"

M shot Skin a dirty look.

"Well, actually," Susy said with embarrassment, grimacing as Banshee finished the cast, "I just rolled out of bed. I was going to go to the kitchen for a drink."

"How’d’ya break ya arm so bad from that?" Jubilee asked between bubbles of gum.

{Does the girl never stop with the gum?} Susy thought.

//No// she heard Ms Frost say.

Banshee filled in before Susy could shrug.

"A recently healed break is very susceptible to bein’ rebroken if ye’re nae too careful."

{They broke your arm?} Angelo thought with shock.

Emma picked the thought up, and transmitted it to Susy.

{My foot, too} she thought wistfully.

"Yes," she said out loud, "the cast came off about a month ago. I didn’t realise it was still soft." She noticed Jubilee stifling a yawn. "I’m sorry I got you all out of bed, but I’m okay now, okay?" With her right hand, she shooed them away. "Go to bed, sleep well."

"Sure, g’night," Jubilee said instantly, and went thankfully to her room. The others went more slowly, in dribs and drabs, just to be courteous, but eventually she was left with just the two head people.

"I think we need to talk," Emma said.

Susy smiled weakly. "Yeah."

Sean shot Emma a ‘What do you know that I don’t, and why don’t you ever tell me anything?’ look.

//I just want to check on something Angelo thought. Susanne might have been assaulted, and I’m going to see if she’ll let me scan her mind. It’ll be easier for her than to tell me.//

{Shouldn’t ye let her come to ye in her own time?}

//For once, Cassidy, trust me. I know what I’m talking about. Why don’t you stick to ruining Frank Sinatra songs?//

Banshee tightened his lips and walked out, careful not to think what he wanted to think about his fellow teacher before he was out of the room. Not that that would stop her listening, of course, but she might be too busy with Susanne to reply.

Emma smiled at Susy.

"Some day he’ll stand up to me, I’m sure. But until then, I don’t mind winning every single argument we have."

Susy smiled back.

"Um," she started, "I want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me since I turned up here. I mean I feel like I’ve been taking advantage of you, and I’m sorry. I’ll leave if you want me too, but I’d rather stay here and earn my keep. I’ll cook, wash up, whatever you want, if you don’t make me leave."

This all tumbled out in a rush, before Ms Frost could protest. She smiled.

"You don’t have to leave. Having been in contact with your parents -" Susanne gasped, "- I know they want you to go back only when you think you’re ready. If you’re really worried about being an imposition, I’ll make you a part-time student." Emma thought about this for a moment. "Yes, that would sort out Visa problems too. Well?"

"I...I suppose so. If you weren’t worried about that though, what did you want to talk about?"

"What happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"What ‘they’ was Angelo talking about?"

"I...I thought you spoke to Mum."

"She respects your privacy. She didn’t tell me anything, but now you’re hurt again, I’d like to know."

Susy shut her eyes, to stop herself from crying. "I don’t know if I can tell you," she said.

Emma softened her approach. "I know it’s hard. If you don’t mind, I could scan you - read your memories. Would that be better?"

Susanne considered this for a while.

Finally, she said, "Does it hurt?"

Emma shook her head.

"All right then."

"Relax," Emma told her, then took a deep breath and, one hand to Susanne’s forehead and one to her own, shut her eyes and began to sink into the girl’s mind.

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