Arabella Is My Name! (Part Two)

[Altawell]

- How about cats? Christine said in a softer voice as she bents towards me.

I did not reply. Then suddenly I heard the telephone ring. I rushed toward the phone to answer it:

- Hello…
- Is that Arabella?
- Yes…
- Hi Arabella, this is Mrs. White, your English teacher!

I was surprised and nervous when I heard Mrs. White’s voice on the phone, she’d never phoned us before and I always felt uneasy when I am with her in the classroom, and even when I meet her unexpectedly in the school. Before I could say anything, I heard her saying:

- Is Christine there with you?
- Oh, yes…. yes!
- Can I have a word with her?

I waved to Christine, who was on the other side of the corridor, trying to attract her attention, at the same time I was panicking as I tried hard in my mind to figure out how my English teacher knew Christine, and why she was contacting her in our house?

Christine spoke on the phone with Mrs. White for few minutes and then turned round, before finishing her conversation with her, and said to me:

- We need to go to the school now!
- What!
- I am sorry but Mrs. White asked me to take you with me now.
- But I have finished with the school for today and I did not miss any lesson!

Christine just smiled and ended her conversation on the phone with Mrs. White then she moved towards me and holds my hand and said:

- I wish I knew why they want you to go back there now; Mrs. White did not tell me what is this all about!
- I am not going back now, I am too tired! I replied back with an angry voice.

Christine said nothing but moved towards the phone and while pointing towards it, she said in a motherly voice:

- Well, if you are not happy going back with me to the school, then you should phone and tell your dad about it.

I was not sure what to say when I heard Christine mentioning my dad. In fact I stayed silent for a while worrying a bit that she may contact him herself if I did not do it!

- There is no need to contact my dad. We can go to the school now, if you wish.
- That is good. Let us go then, they are waiting for us.

It was getting dark as we were leaving the house, even though the time was just after 4.00 pm, but this is how the sun disappears so quickly, during December, in this country. As I approached the street running, trying to avoid Christine, a fast car passed in front of me, like a flash of light. I stood still thinking what was happening. I crossed the road running faster and leaving Christine behind on the other side of the road.

I was cold and hungry but I kept silent all the way to the school.

- Thank you for coming. I am glad you made it on time! Mrs. White said as we entered her office.
- I think Arabella would like to know why she was asked to come here. Christian said while shaking Mrs. White hand.
- Of course, after all, this meeting was arranged especially for her! Mrs. White replied enthusiastically while approaching her desk.

I could not believe what I was hearing! This meeting was arranged especially for me? Did I win the school top prize? Am I the best pupil in the school? Or suddenly they have just realised that there is something very special about Arabella?! Huh!

- Sit down, dear! Mrs. White said to me, as if she knew what was going inside my head at that moment.
- Your brother was at the top of his class last year and the year before, in fact his achievements were always at the top since he joined this school. This year his achievements were even better! No pupil in this school, since its establishment more than twenty years ago, has ever had a pupil with this kind of success and high grades. Simply he was a genius child! We will miss him, I pray for his spirit to rest in peace!
- What are you talking about! What do you mean pray for his spirit to rest in peace? Kevin is with my dad now and not in the spirit world! This is utterly crazy talking about my brother in this manner!

I realised that I was shouting at Mrs. White in anger. I ran out of her office crying. Christine ran after me.

- Arabella, wait. Please wait for me. Christine kept calling my name and
begging me to wait for her but I could not stop running! How can I stop when
they tell me that my brother is dead?

I managed to reach the school gate while continuously rubbing my eyes trying to remove my tears. I looked around to see if Christine was still following me, but no one was there. At that moment I did not know what to do, whether I should go home or go back to the school! The only thing I knew was that I was cold and shivering and the sky getting grey and darker over my head.

- Are you ok dear?

I heard the voice of an old woman passing by with Scottish accent. I did not reply immediately to her, as I felt a strong desire to cry loudly but I couldn’t. The old woman came close to me and started to touch my hair.






Altawell.









© Altawell 2010