grinned again. ‘But you can go – especially if Jim Gardner asks you!’
Freya was starting to feel uncomfortable by the turn in this conversation. ‘Don’t be foolish. Why would I go to a dance with a bunch of humans when everyone knows I don’t like them?’
Tamika and Leo Max both looked at her strangely.
‘Freya!’ Orus warned. ‘Be careful what you’re saying.’
‘Gee!’ Archie joined in. He looked at Tamika and Leo Max. ‘Ignore her, she’s crazy.’
Freya finally realized what she’d said. ‘Yes, I am,’ she agreed. She looked at Archie. ‘Sometimes I think I must have been crazy to come here.’
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
At the end of the day Freya and Archie waited outside the school. Leo Max soon arrived with a group of other students. They all looked like timid animals that had been cornered by a predator. Their eyes darted around and they looked ready to bolt.
‘This is it,’ Leo Max said. ‘This is the Geek Squad. We’ve all been robbed and bullied by JP.’ Leo Max turned to the group. ‘Everyone – this is Greta. She’s the one I told you about. She beat up JP and saved me.’
All eyes fell on Freya as if she were exposing her wings.
‘Really?’ a young girl asked, hardly daring to speak. ‘But you’re a girl! We can’t fight boys. They’re bigger and stronger than us.’
‘What’s your name?’ Freya asked.
‘Elizabeth.’
She was small and thin for her age but very pretty. She had long brown hair with caramel streaks and an exceptionally fair complexion that blushed easily. She kept her large grey-blue eyes cast down to the ground, not daring to look at anyone.
Freya bent down to her level. ‘Elizabeth, fighting should never be the first response, but sometimes you must fight in order to defend yourself. Don’t think for one moment that because you are a girl, you can’t protect yourself. If someone is hurting you, or making you feel bad, you do what you must to survive.’
Elizabeth looked on the verge of tears. ‘But I don’t know how.’
‘Me neither,’ added a tall, thin boy wearing glasses. His wispy, curly hair fell long into his blue eyes, eyes that constantly scanned the area, looking for danger. Archie had told her about him. His name was Kevin and he was the smartest boy in school – but because he wouldn’t share his homework with JP he was picked on the most.
‘Maybe not now, but soon you will.’ Freya looked at the group. ‘I asked Leo Max to bring you all here for a reason. I want to tell you that you don’t have to be afraid of JP or his gang any more. If you stand up to them, they will leave you alone. Now, how many of you want to go to the school dance but won’t because you are afraid to?’
Everyone put up their hands.
A chubby girl stepped forward. Her face was covered in acne and she was obviously very self-conscious. Like Elizabeth, she wouldn’t raise her eyes to meet Freya.
‘I really want to go, but JP said he’d hurt me if I went. He says ugly girls aren’t allowed.’
Freya looked at each of them and they all nodded. ‘What else has he done?’
‘He’s stolen two of my cell phones already,’ another boy said. ‘My dad won’t let me have another one.’
One by one, they shared similar stories of what JP had done to them.
‘While I am here,’ Freya continued, ‘I will protect you. If JP or any of his gang approaches you, just tell them they will answer to me. I promise you, you will all go to the dance. But I must warn you, I won’t be here forever.’ Her eyes darted to Archie and he dropped his head. ‘When I go,’ Freya said softly, ‘you will have to fight for yourselves.’
‘How?’ the girl with acne said.
‘What’s your name?’ Freya asked.
‘Connie.’
‘Well, Connie, I will show you everything you need to know to stand up to bullies.’ Once again, Freya addressed the group. ‘But you have to want this. I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to. So if you are interested in learning to defend yourselves, meet me here tomorrow after school. We’ll find somewhere to go where you can train.’
‘We can use my back yard,’ Leo Max offered. ‘It’s close to school.’
‘Perfect,’ Freya said.
‘How much will it cost?’
Freya looked at the boy who had spoken. He wasn’t very tall but he was stocky. She could feel his fear and desperation. He was young, but had already lived