"Aw, Jonesy won't mind."

"Sure. All we gotta do is offer him a drink!"

"Strychnine?" suggested a chorus of voices.

Holly joined the dancing, but retired breathless after a few tracks. She went to sit by the window, precariously balanced on a stack of chairs. Looking out she saw the wind had dropped slightly; thin powdery snow was being whisked over the ground and plastered against the buildings.

"Snow already?" Dodo appeared at her elbow, mug in hand.

"It won't lay, I bet." Holly was morose. "It's been ages since we actually had snow at Christmas."

"Yeah. Hey, you remember the year it started snowing Boxing Day and carried on clear through to March?"

"April," Holly contradicted. "It was snowin' on my birth-day, and that's April four."

"Mine's always filthy. I didn't ask to be born in February! Wasn't it about that time it snowed so hard they sent us home at midday and we walked up through the Park?"

"Yeah, I remember that."

"There was you, me, Annette, Heather-who else?-oh yeah, Chris an' Diane."

"So there was." Holly thought: That's right, it was before me an' Diane had that row. Now she's over there with Gabriel, tellin' dirty stories by the sound of it. d.a.m.n her. An' Chris, over there with Carol-who does she think she's kidding? She's jittery as h.e.l.l.

"She's been a bit weird this last term." Dodo glanced over at Chris. "Did you know, she quit going to Youth Club? And she never went in the table-tennis tournament, nor the ladies' football. I suppose you and her are still..."

"Yes."

"Don't you think you might-I mean, it is Christmas-"

"It's nothing to do with me," Holly snapped, envying Dodo her easy friendships.

"OK, OK." Dodo hastily changed the subject. "I was up the Hollington stables again las' night."

"Your dad still doing work there?"

"No. It's the Wrecker-"

"Who?"

"Whitefire."

"Oh, Strawberry's foal."

"That's him. Only everyone calls him the Wrecker now, he's so wild. Vicious. At least, he is with them, not me. I have to go up and feed him most nights, he won't let anyone else near him." She finished her drink. "It's a rotten shame, him being born like that."

"She had a rough time with him; I remember she was down in the field below us at the time."

"Yeah, but I mean... split hooves, and that deformed head. It's not fair. And he's OK really."

Yeah, kick your head in for tuppence! Holly thought. "Is he still growing?"

"Oh, yeah. He isn't six months old yet, and he's big as a yearling already. Me dad says he's a freak. That's why he's got allthat wrong with him. He says freaks don't live long."

"The owner might not keep him, anyway."

"I would. If they'd let me. He knows me. But they might have to move him soon, isolate him. He disturbs the other horses."

"You're lucky, knowing that sort of people. I wouldn't mind a bit of horse-riding."

"You ought to come over one Sat.u.r.day in the holidays, and bring that boyfriend of yours."

"Fletcher?" Holly queried. She had spent much time down in the stable-hut, but reading lessons were hardly romantic, she thought, especially when she had little patience and he had a frayed temper.

"Yeah, Fletch. You got another fella hidden away some-place? No, seriously; he's got a thing about animals, right?"

"Well, I guess-"

"I mean he never pa.s.ses one but he talks to it; cat, dog, anything. And I mean talk."

"People do talk to animals."

"Not like they were people, they don't." There was a shrewd and suspicious look on the younger girl's face, that faded to remembered wonder.

"I saw him once, when he didn't think anyone else was there but him. Going home from the garage. There were crows in that field at the back, six or seven of them. He stopped and called to them. And they came to him. Perched on his arms."

Holly could see that as clearly as Dodo; the boy's arms stretched and swaying under the burden of black-feathered bodies.

I didn't know, she thought, obscurely let-down, that he was so lonely. And Dodo? I was right at midsummer, sooner or later someone'll have to tell her; if only to warn her to keep off. But not yet; it can't be now, not yet...

The door clicked open; all conversation ceased. They stood like statues; only the music still pouring into the empti-ness...

A small pigtailed third-year put her head round the door. " 'Scuse me-is Dodo Ogden in here?"

"Here, Heather."

"Sod off, both of you!"

"Move!" Annette made a threatening gesture and the two girls ran giggling up the pa.s.sage. "Christ Jesus, I'm gonna have a heart attack if that happens again!"

"Aw, quit worryin'!"

Holly went back to the window. The snow was coming down in earnest now, the town being blotted out in grey veils.

She was suddenly lonely; feeling as if she were standing outside the window where the light made a yellow square on the snow, looking in at the girls who danced and talked, hearing their chatter and music... out in the grey morning... alone...

Don't know why I'm miserable, she thought. Maybe it's just the tail-end of the cold. Or that this is the last Christmas party I'll have here. All the same, I wish next Sunday was over. I wish I never heard of midwinter.

"b.i.t.c.h!"

Holly swung round, hearing Chris's voice sharp with anger. She was with Helen Gabriel and Diane Cooper.

"Screw you!" The black-haired girl had a half-full beaker in her hand; she threw the liquid in the shorter girl's face. Chris slapped the cup out of her hand and flew at her.

Violence was electric in the room. Girls scattered out of the way, s.n.a.t.c.hing drinks and records to safety; then formed a shouting circle round the fighters.

"You p.i.s.sin' cow!"

"Hold her, Hel! Get her!"

Not now! Holly thought. For Christ's sake, Chris, not now! It's practically dinner-time, Jonesy'll be back any second!

"Break it up!" Annette tried to separate them and caught a fist in the ribs that sent her staggering back.

"You sod!"

As Diane moved in Holly grabbed her arm and spun her away.

"Don't you touch her, Cooper! Leave 'em alone!"

"I'll get you-"

The desks came down with a floor-shaking crash. Chris and Helen lay dazed in a pile of beer cans, chairs, desks, broken gla.s.s, and satchels. In the utter silence that followed Holly heard footsteps in the pa.s.sage outside.

"Christ, it's Taf Jones."

It was; and he had the headmistress with him.

"Stand away from them, you girls."

They backed away. Holly couldn't see properly, but she could hear one of the two girls crying-Chris, she thought.

"Who's hurt?"

Annette's voice was low. "My G.o.d, there's blood."

The headmistress took over. "Now then, you: Christine Ivy-where are you hurt?"

An indistinct mumble.

"Your arm? Yes, I see; that's a nasty cut. You'd better go down to sick bay and let Mrs McKay have a look at it. Who'll take her over to the main building?"

"I will, Mrs Mortimer."

"Good, Holly. Tell Mrs McKay Christine can use the sick-bed this afternoon if necessary."

Finding Chris on her feet Holly ushered her out of the room. As she shut the door she heard the headmistress' tone change from kindly concern to flint.

"I mean to find out who is responsible for this. Helen Gabriel-"

"How'd you do your arm in?" Chris was trying to twist a handkerchief round it left-handed, and not succeeding; Holly took over.

"It's funny. The one thing Gabriel's goin' to get blamed for and she didn't do it. There's a sharp edge on one of those desk-hinges, it cut me coming down." Keyed up, she laughed on a note not far removed from hysteria. "All that booze -let's see the archangel Gabriel talk herself out of that!"

"OK, OK, go easy. Where's your coat? You'll need it going over to the main building, it's snowing."

"You leave me alone, Anderson. I don't need any help from you! I didn't get any either, did I? Oh, I forgot. You don'tbelieve in fighting. You yellow b.i.t.c.h."

"I kept Cooper off your back; you'd've had two of 'em to deal with if it hadn't been for me-"

"Oh, p.i.s.s off! You make me puke."

Holly didn't hold her back. She stood in the open door, watching until the blonde girl had reached the main building.

She stood there for a long time, not looking at or thinking of anything. At last she went back in; only to meet Mrs Mortimer coming out.

"Ah, Holly, back already. Good. You can come to my office and tell me what you saw of this disgraceful incident. Mr Jones, kindly send the other girls along after dinner."

"I'll get you, Anderson," Gabriel promised as she went past. "An' you can tell your les friend that goes for her too. We'll be waiting for you."

The sun was a pale morning disc low in the south-east, gleaming on snow pocked only by lines of birds' tracks. Holly wandered by the pond's edge in the Park. Ducks waddled on the ice. The pine trees were bowed low and every few seconds a gob of snow would fall to the path beneath; white on white.

Church bells? Holly had been hearing them for some time, but only noticed it now. It is Sat.u.r.day, not Sunday? Of course. I guess they must be practising. Monotonous.

The m.u.f.fled slow tolling continued. She tried to place the church, but had to give it up as a bad job. By one bench she stopped.

That's where me an' Chris met Elathan... She scooped snow from the wood, absently making s...o...b..a.l.l.s; cold, but burning her bare skin like fire. That's a long time back now. Why the h.e.l.l did we have to be smart? Why didn't we just give the d.a.m.n coin back to Fletch? h.e.l.l!

She flung the s...o...b..ll with sudden violence; watched it curve and fall and star the pond's ice.

"h.e.l.lo."

As usual she hadn't heard him come. His Sat.u.r.day off for Christmas, she remembered. "Cheers, Fletch."

He leaned on the rail beside her. Denims, heavy cord jacket; he was nothing but human. Although scrubbed, his hands were still grimy, the nails black with grease. "Hear that row in the field this morning? Scared me white; thought they were on to me."

"It's only the Wrecker." It had woken Holly at six, much to her disgust. "They're isolating him in that stable. Sorry I didn't warn you. Dodo said something about it to me, but like an idiot I didn't see it. Lucky they didn't bust in on you."

"Heard them coming. Anyway, my stuff's packed and out of the way, up in the loft."

Holly studied him, glancing sideways. Obviously he had something on his mind. She thought he'd changed since she first saw him. Taller, bony-he'd lost flesh lately-skin paler. Dark hair close to shoulder-length. Lines round the wide mouth that smiled less and less often.

Now why should I worry about him? she asked herself deprecatingly. Especially when I know I can't help him- I know what's on his mind-tonight; the elukoi-can't do a thing about that. Maybe Mathurin was right. We should've gone away.

Fletcher said, "I'm going back."17 Snow in December It was too abrupt. Holly was colder than the snow. She could not pretend to misunderstand him.

"To the Hills, tonight? Fletcher, what do you think you can do?"

"I don't know, probably very little. Still, I can handle a bow. I have to go back, to at least try to help. I can't leave them."