Bartholomew started pacing up and down slowly, and said, “We will keep the past in the past, and look towards the future. And to that end, I want to welcome two students.”
I looked around. New students?
“Ivy Grey, stand up, please.”
My sister looked horrified. But she stood up, trembling a little as the eyes of the whole school fell on her.
“Miss Grey will be joining her twin sister, Scarlet. Everyone welcome Ivy, please.”
There was a mumbling of welcomes, but everyone was still looking at Ivy strangely. Not least me, who was wondering what on earth our headmaster was playing at. Why was he pretending that Ivy was new? Why was he covering up what Miss Fox had done?
“And we have another student who has returned from spending some time abroad,” Mr Bartholomew continued in his rattling drone.
He pointed to the back of the room. I turned round, following his finger. “Miss Adams, please stand up as well.”
I couldn’t believe it.
Vile Violet.
She was back.
I had never seen Scarlet look as horrified as she did at that moment. Her complexion went a strange shade of green when Mr Bartholomew called out Violet’s name. I sat down again and grabbed hold of her hand.
But then Violet looked awful too; pale and frightened. I’d never seen her before, but I felt as if I knew her from Scarlet’s diary entries. She’d seemed like a horrible bully, someone to be afraid of, but at that moment I only felt pity for her.
I hadn’t known that they’d found her. I hadn’t even been certain that she was still alive. Perhaps Miss Finch had tracked her down too, or Mr Bartholomew himself. If she’d been locked away in the asylum like my sister … Well, wherever she’d been, she certainly hadn’t been “spending some time abroad”. The thought made me queasy, and I had to look away.
The headmaster had finished the assembly with boring notices and some reminders of Rookwood’s many rules. Lights out at nine o’clock sharp. No food in bedrooms. No running in the corridors. In fact, no running anywhere, except perhaps on the running track.
I still couldn’t believe that he was persisting with Miss Fox’s deception, claiming that Violet had been away and I was a new student. What exactly was he playing at? I supposed that the school’s reputation was being put ahead of us, ahead of me, yet again.
And it meant more lies. Just when I thought I could be myself again, I’d have to act like I hadn’t already been here for months.
We traipsed to the dining hall, where the familiar chatter and clatter enveloped us. I could feel people staring in amazement. I supposed we were a startling sight – perfect mirror images of one another.
“Oh, Rookwood food, how I didn’t miss you,” I said to my stew as we sat down, before realising that, according to the headmaster, I’d never eaten it before. I glanced round, hoping no one had noticed my comment. I thought Scarlet might nudge me and tell me to shut up. But she was distracted, staring at the other side of the Richmond table.
Violet was standing there, and she looked miserable.
Mrs Knight was talking to her. “Miss Adams, I’m afraid you’ll have to join the Evergreen table.”
Penny jumped up. “But Miss, she was in Richmond before! Can’t we just kick someone else out?” Penny had been Violet’s best friend, not to mention another of Scarlet’s worst enemies.
Our house head frowned. “There’s simply no room now that Ivy and Ariadne have joined us. And besides, there are several free places in Evergreen.”
What? Suddenly Mrs Knight was talking about me as if I were a new student, too. She knew full well what had really happened. Why was she going along with the headmaster’s game?
Scarlet spoke up. “She should do as she’s told and go and sit with Evergreen.” And then in a dramatic whisper to me, “As far away from us as possible.”
“Miss Grey, will you mind your manners?” snapped Mrs Knight, exasperated.
I looked at Violet, expecting her to start shouting at any moment. But to everyone’s surprise, she simply walked off to the other table without a word.
Penny sat down again, looking stunned. I could tell she was wondering what had happened to her old friend Violet. The one that ordered everyone else around and wouldn’t be told what to do by anyone.
I picked up a forkful of the unappetising stew and stared at it. Oh well, I was hungry. I ate some, and it was at least hot. Someone had gone overboard with the pepper, though.
Ariadne appeared beside me with her dinner. “Did I miss something?”
“Violet was sent to the Evergreen table,” I said.
Mrs Knight’s gaze flashed to Ariadne. “Miss Flitworth, your room has been arranged. You will be staying with Violet.”
Ariadne’s eyes went wide. I almost choked on my stew.
“I trust there won’t be any problems?”
Ariadne shook her head slowly, but she didn’t blink. “No, Miss.”
Mrs Knight nodded, and then turned to talk to Madame Lovelace, the history teacher.
Oh gosh. Poor Ariadne, subjected to Violet. It had been bad enough reading about what the girl had done to Scarlet, making her life a living hell – I really hoped that history wasn’t about to repeat itself. But so far, Violet seemed to be giving everyone the silent treatment.
Penny glared at Ariadne and me and started to say something, but then Scarlet kicked her under the table. “Ow!” she muttered, reaching down to rub her leg.
“Scarlet,” I said in a quiet warning tone. “I want to actually finish my dinner tonight.”
My twin grimaced at me. I mimicked her own grimace back at her. At least some things never changed.
After dinner, I left a despondent Ariadne at the door of her new room. I wished her good luck, and she gave me a hug. There was no sign of Violet.
I had one of the school’s traditional lukewarm baths and then climbed into bed – almost climbing into the wrong one, as I instinctively walked towards Scarlet’s.
“Mine,” she reminded me from the dressing table, where she was brushing out her hair.
I folded myself into the sheets, exhausted. I half-wondered if any of Ariadne’s collection of sweets remained under the bed.
Scarlet turned a
