Witch - By Fiona Horne Page 0,5

felt hot and bothered. Before I knew it he had steered me around a big puddle on the path. It was really sweet. I decided I needed to know more about this guy.

‘So, have you been at Summerland High since your freshman year?’ I asked.

‘Yeah. I was destined to come here. I went to Summerland Elementary across town, and we all got shunted over here to Summerland High after our incarceration there.

Why did you come here from Australia? Rumour has it that it’s the greatest place on earth. Awesome beaches, kangaroos . . .’

‘Yeah, that’s true, especially the kangaroos – they’re all over the place. We have to kick them out of our classrooms at school all the time,’ I said.

‘Are you serious?’ he said, his eyes wide.

‘I’m kidding!’

He laughed, and it struck me how unlike me it was to be cracking jokes with a hot guy. With anyone, for that matter. I told myself to get a grip.

‘Actually, my parents are originally from here. Dad’s a policeman, but he took a job as head of an international crime task force in Australia just after I was born. They made him an offer he couldn’t refuse, I guess.’

‘So why the move back to Summerland now?’

‘My dad’s here to replace Captain Sharpe.’

‘Whoa, the police chief?’

‘Yeah. Did you know him?’

‘Well, this is a small town. His death was really sudden and unexpected – he got some weird kind of food poisoning.’

‘That’s what my father said. He’s not very emotional, but he took this pretty hard. Apparently they were friends back in the day.’

‘Do you miss your friends?’

‘I didn’t really have that many back there, to be honest.’ Good one, I thought. Now he’s going to think you’re a super-freak. ‘I was sad to leave, though. Australia’s beautiful. But . . . so is Summerland,’ I added, trying to sound more like a normal human being.

And actually, I had to admit, Summerland was beautiful. We’d reached the top of the Ortega Hill and the view stretching along the Californian coast as far as the eye could see was breathtaking. Even with its cold green ocean and heavy sea-fog that rolled in and clung to the cliffs like clockwork at three p.m., turning a sunny afternoon into a misty winter day, there was something almost magical about the small town, perched on the steep coastline, with its tall, quirky Victorian-era homes set on narrow streets that wound up the steep hills like a maze.

I had spent most of my time after school for the past two weeks happily wandering on my own up high in these foggy hills, looking out over the ocean. But right now I was enjoying having company, a lot.

All too soon we reached my house.

‘Well, see you at school tomorrow,’ Bryce said with a wave.

I just nodded dumbly at him and ran up the path.

Three

‘Vania Thorn, do you have the solution to this equation?’ Mrs Hestalow said, tapping her pointer on the board.

I was in the front row and could see her bright-red lipstick staining her teeth. She was wearing a black-and-white polka-dot dress and pointy-toed black patent-leather pumps. I liked Mrs Hestalow. She looked more like a fifties rockabilly chick than a maths teacher, and she was friendly to me. Unlike Mr Barrow, who just seemed to hate me more by the day. I had bumped into him when I’d rounded a corner in the corridor on the way to maths. I’d apologised, but he’d just stood there silently, staring at me with his cold beady eyes. Thinking about it sent a chill through my body, making the hairs on my arms stand up as I replied to Mrs Hestalow.

‘49x = 147. x = 3.’

‘Very good.’ Mrs Hestalow smiled and turned back to the board. I returned to gazing out the window and thinking about something much more pleasant than my weird chemistry teacher . . . Bryce.

The bell rang and I jumped. This was the last class of the day, and I was walking home with Bryce again! He had come up to me at lunch when I was in line at the canteen and quietly suggested it.

Cassidy and one of her bitchy friends had been watching and had rolled their eyes when they saw us standing together – but thankfully hadn’t thrown an orange at me again. I was so surprised I’d just agreed by nodding at him dumbly. Bryce was Cassidy’s boyfriend, and yet he wanted to walk me home?

I had butterflies in my stomach as