Jezzabel by By Misha Kroon (red scrolls of magic .txt) 📖

I sprinted down the stairs, unclipped the latch and opened the door. Rayner was leant against the wall, out of breath. “You didn't need to run.” I told him. He sniggered and pushed me out of the way so he could get in. “Quick upstairs. I gotta make up something to keep Paula out of my room today.” He laughed,

“That sounded worse than it should have done.” He said and ran up the stairs.

“Jerk.” I muttered under my breath before closing the door. Paula popped her head out of the office door,

“Who was it?” she asked. I waved my hand at the door,

“Some guy trying to sell me car insurance.” I answered. She raised an eyebrow and turned away, “Oh and I’m going through my wardrobe so don’t come into my room without knocking, okay?” I called out to her, she waved an arm over her shoulder, I took it as a yes and shot up stairs.
Rayner was lying across my double bed, leaving zero space for me, with his hands behind his head. I looked at him laughing, before running towards the bed and bellyflopping his legs. He slapped my head lightly, laughing too. I rolled next to him.

“So you’re trying on clothes that you need to get rid of? Ace!” I looked at him confused. “You gonna be prancing round in you bra!” when I still looked at him funny he continued, “You just said to Paula you were going through your stuff to sort through it.” He paused to see if I’d caught on, he sighed, “Honestly, are you blonde under all that brown hair?” he asked, “You,” he poked me in the face, “Looking through clothes,” he tugged on my jumper, “Meaning, you,” He poked me again, “Take off clothes, to try on other clothes, meaning I see you,” he poked me a third time, “Half naked.” He said it slow like I was thick. I caught on and started slapping his arms. He knocked me onto my side and pinned me down to my bed hovering over me holding my arms to my side and leant down,

“I thought you were supposed to be mourning the fact you’ve just been told your not really Poppy?” he breathed in my ear. I wriggled underneath him trying to get away, “If your were making it all up, I might tell Paula that I'm here.” He whispered. I got an arm free and pushed him off the edge of the bed, laughing.

“You know,” I started, “I'm trying to ignore it right now. So just shush.” He poked his tongue out at me.

“You can’t hide from it, Jezzabel.” He said to me softly. I nodded, I knew I couldn’t but that didn't stop me trying. I threw one of my pillows at him,

“Jeeez you sounded like a shrink just then.” I said as he threw back the pillow and clamoured onto the bed. He smiled,

“Ah, that be exactly what I be aiming for.” Sometimes what he said didn't make sense. I rolled my eyes,

“You know that councillor I had to see back in year 8?” I said to him, he nodded. “The one I got sent to when I pinned that maths teacher to a wall with a broken chair leg?” He nodded again. Back then I was really violent and antisocial, I couldn’t be in a classroom for to long and had threatened teachers when they tried to tell me what to do. Because I was in a Home they gave me another chance and instead sent me to a councillor twice a week. Although she was nice, she didn't do much help, “Well she always said to me when I was in a bad mood when I turned up to a session, you can’t hide your feelings from me. I seemed to do it just fine, cos she sent me away after a few weeks. It’s just you who can see my hiding place.” I gave him a smile that meant this conversation is getting awkward and sentimental. He grinned at me weirdly so I pushed him off the side of my bed again and then leant over the other edge of my bed to retrieve the laptop I had borrowed from school a few weeks ago. I opened it up and logged on.

Technically this laptop didn't belong to the school anymore. Amy-Lee’s dad had taught me about Computer Networking, so removing the school Network from the laptop was easy as pi. I had found some pirate running software and programmed the laptop to my settings. It was the sort of thing I did when I was bored.

“Hey isn’t that the laptop you asked Miss Jubal to borrow at the beginning of the year?” Rayner asked me from the other side of the bed. I looked at him,

“It was – but now it’s not.” I said shortly. He started juggling with my toy elephant and giraffe,

“Ya no, it’s really sweet that you still have cuddly toys.” He said teasing me. I threw my piggy heated bean bag at his face. I had good aim.

“Ya no,” I started the same as him; “You should shut up. Cos I could easily hack you laptop from here and email your entire internet history to your mum, including all the porn websites.” He looked at me guiltily.

“Can you really do that?” he asked me. I thought about it, it had been intended at an empty threat but thinking about it, if I could find out his laptops IP address it would be almost too easy.

“Yep.” I said. He opened his mouth and closed it again, “You look like a guppy doing that.” I said. He did it again. I laughed. “Anyway.” I said, trying to distract him, “If you’re finished your fishy ducky impression, you can come and help me.” He slid over the bed and sat next to me, smushing me right onto the edge. I laughed again and pushed him back towards the other side.

“Help you with what?” he asked.

“To find this Flick woman.” I answered restarting my laptop so I could switch it to a mode with which I could hack a computer. Rayner raised his eyebrows at me, “What?” I asked, “She’s the only person I know that could know something about my real mum and dad.”

“Fair one.” He said shrugging, and lying back on my bed while I typed away, sending Trojans and breaking Firewalls. He stared at the screen but his eyes were blank, he never understood this complexity if compture-ness. I ignored him, and continued to type until I accessed Paula’s computer that had access to the Home’s CCTV. I looked through the stores of video until I found the right video that was labelled with the right time and date for the woman’s appearance. I nudged Rayner so he sat up,

“Watch the screen, the sounds not to good so we’ve got to listen hard.” He nodded, I turned up the speakers. The first footage I played was from Paula’s office, the image was black and white and blurry, but you could distinguish the difference between Paula and Felicity. Knowing how slow Rayner could be on the uptake I pointed out who was who. He nodded; we both listened hard as the voices started to crackle through the speakers. Paula’s voice was heard first,

“We have not heard of that child for nearly 15 years.” She said slowly. ‘Flick’ looked at her as if surveying Paula,

“Where is Jezzabel?” she asked as if she had not heard Paula speak. Paula repeated her self,

“We have not heard of that child for nearly 15 years.” Flick leant forward in her chair,

“Why?” she breathed, her voice so quiet the camera microphone barely picked it up. Paula leant forward in her chair resting her elbows on the desk, much like she had when she spoke to me,
“Because we once had a child who was brought here 15 hears ago, but now she isn’t here. We have seen no need to speak of her since she went.” Paula’s voice seemed strained.

“Where did she go?” Flick asked.

“Before I reveal anymore information to you, as this goes into confidential matters of a child in state care I will need to verify who you are, and if you are who you say you are.” Paula seemed to get a hold of herself, her crackly voice on the film evened out slightly. Flick tittered,
“I hardly think I need to tell you who I am, seeing as Jezzabel is my daughter.”

“It’s just a simple question that only Jezzabel’s mother would know.” Felicity leant further forward in her chair, indicating that Paula should go on, “What was baby Jezzabel left with when she was left in out care?” Flick leant back in her chair, and clasped her hands over her knee.
“Why, her clothes of course. Any good mother would leave her baby with something warm to wear.” Her voice was pitching steadily higher, as if she were under pressure. Paula, to, leant back in her chair,

“Anything else?” she asked. Flick shook her head. “Then, unfortunately I can tell you no more about the whereabouts of Jezzabel, be her here or else where. I think it is time for you to leave, yes?” Paula stood up and opened to office door. Flick remained seated. “Miss Jackside, I said it is time for you to leave.” Flick’s head flicked up to look at Paula.

“Why,” she questioned, “Would you mention anything about the possibility of Jezzabel being here?” she asked. Paula looked confused. “I quote, ‘be her here or else where.’ Why would you mention her being here if you say she has not been here for 15 years Ms Nickel?” Paula spluttered. Felicity stood up and straightened her skirt, “Thank you,” she said holding her hand out, “I think I have all I need to be getting on with.” Paula took the woman’s hand out of pure confusion. Felicity left the room and the Home.

The way Felicity spoke it was as if she was the one interrogating Paula. I could see why Paula was worried that she would come to my school, she didn't seem thick therefore I knew she would piece together that Paula had let it slip that I might still be here, the fact Jezzabel was 15 and that all the children that went to secondary school that lived in the home all went to the same school. She could have come to my school.

I closed the video window and opened a different one which was the front door at the time Felicity left.

She stopped by the door and pulled out her phone the camera zoom wasn’t clear enough to see what she was doing on her mobile, but then she put it to her ear calling someone. The disadvantage was that Paula thought it was rude to listen to conversations that were had on the doorstep so the camera didn't have a microphone, and I didn't know what she had said.

When she hung up she delved into her bag and pulled out a bottle of Bodyshop Et De Toilette Rose and sprayed it in her hair, at her chest and towards her knees, she wiped a finger over the cap to catch any drops of perfume, put the bottle in her bag and rubbed the droplet of Rose water over her fingers. She straightened her skirt again and turned off the door step walking toward the school.

I closed the CCTV files and stared blankly at Paula’s Pon &