The Magpie Effect - The Magpie Chronicles Book 1 (#Wattys2015)

Chapter 26

My carriage rolled up at six in the form of rusty old Gloria. There was still an hour left before the Ball started, and already the streets were dark. I leaned out of my bedroom window and listened to the steady, rhythmic chug of Jet's car struggling up the road.

A deep sigh, and then I bolted down the stairs. Aunt Vera was sleeping on the sofa, and Martin was watching a rugby game. Vivian was fussing over a platter of sweets, arranging them just so that prospective trick-or-treaters could disarrange them with sticky fingers.

"You're off, are you?" She looked up from her task. She was wearing a headband with a tiny witch's hat on it, all fuzz and glitter.

"Yeah, Jet's here," I said. As far as they knew, I was still going over to his house for dinner. Vivian's exclusion from the Book Club meant that she had no idea that Jet and I weren't on good terms. She was cut off from an ample supply of gossip.

"Oh, Saffy, you could have dressed a bit nicer," she said, her voice disapproving. Martin glanced over from his rugby match.

She was right. I was wearing a thick hoodie and jeans. Hardly dinner date attire, but entirely suited to ambushing and ambush. "It's not that sort of dinner, mum. We're just friends."

"Is this that Jet kid?" Martin grumbled from the sofa.

"Yes, dad, and don't worry, he'll bring me back by ten," I said hurriedly, "now I really have to-"

"Ten?" Martin bawled.          

"Martin, keep your voice down!" Vivian gestured wildly at Aunt Vera, who stirred in her sleep. They launched into a savage bickering match, and I slipped through the front door. I braced myself against the cold, and rushed down the garden path. Jet was waiting for me at the end of it.

Gloria rattled as I jumped inside and slammed the door behind me. "Hey."

"Hi," Jet said, his tone robotic. He didn't look at me. "So, where to?"

"The Ball," I said. There was no time to fuss over the intricacies of our relationship just yet. "You didn't tell your mother about this, did you?"

Jet pulled off from the curb; Gloria groaned with the effort. "Nope. She's expecting us back home any minute now, so I've turned my phone off."

In that moment, I wanted to reach across and plant a kiss on his cheek. My stomach was bursting with gratitude. "Thanks, Jet. You're the best."

I saw his cheeks redden, even in the darkness. "Yeah, well."

And that was all we said for the remainder of the journey. It took us twenty minutes to reach Atlantic High, and by then the first party-goers were already beginning to arrive. Jet parked Gloria away from the other cars where nobody could see us, and we watched as the wraiths rolled by in an assortment of costumes: pirates, vampires, clowns, mad scientists.

The Halloween Ball was taking place in the gymnasium, which was just visible from where we sat at the far end of the building. By day, we'd seen it transformed into a barn-type instalment, piled with hay and gnarled cardboard trees from the art department. The multi-coloured light from inside splashed through the glass pane walls, dappling the lawns in deep violets and crimsons. The speakers blared and screeched through the night as the bands underwent their sound-checks.

Slowly, I became aware of a pair of eyes studying me. I sat back in my seat and turned to face Jet. His gaze was intent, his brows furrowed.

I cleared my throat. "How much of this stuff do you know, Jet?"

"Enough," he said. "I know that you're doing something that you shouldn't be, and I'm crazy for going against my mother's word to help you do it."

"So you don't know what it is that your mother does?"