“Yes, Miss.”
“Then take it off.”
Keira desperately wanted to play, as she had been selected for the short list for a trial to play for the school first eleven against another school at hockey. It was the first time she had a chance to be selected to represent any school in anything. This game was the final trial before the match on Saturday, and out of twenty-two possible players, she just had to shine.
She was in a justifiable quandary, for the torc had been round her neck consistently since that day she had placed it there. It was loose enough to shower and wash without difficulty, and it never seemed to get grubby or sweaty.
A couple of girls had teased her about it, but she claimed it was an old family good-luck charm and she never took it off.
She knew that if she took it off, then there was only one possible result, and that would be disastrous.
“Can I put it in my locker, please?” she asked, as sweetly as she could. She thought she might be able to place it round her thigh under her skirt, or something.
“You have three minutes!”
She raced to the changing room and grabbed both ends of the torc. It came free as always, and she waited for the tingles.
They never came
She waited, and waited, and still nothing happened.
She lifted her skirt just to make sure, to discover that she was still Keira.
She opened her locker and pushed the torc in, locking it with the combination lock provided.
She ran back towards the pitch, waiting for the tingles and having her world end.
Perhaps because she had worn it for a longer period, then the change took longer to happen. Perhaps she might last until the end of the game.
Perhaps.
Miss Trehearn watched her join the others.
“There; that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“No, Miss.”
She was not able to concentrate to begin with, as she kept expecting the tingles to mark the beginning of the end.
They still never came, so she entered into the game with increasing enthusiasm. She had so far avoided using the power of the torc, as she needed to prove to herself that she was capable of competing on an even playing field with her contemporaries.
Just before the second half, she scored the first goal of the game.
By the end of the game, the other side had drawn, but that wasn’t the point. Two goals had been scored and she had scored one of them. She had also been responsible for defending against at least three concerted attacks, and managed to win the ball from the opposition each time.
After the whistle blew, Miss Trehearn called them all around her into a circle.
“Good game, girls. That was quite impressive. I’ve chosen the eleven for Saturday, with two reserves. I will read your names out, and if you are not called, then please head off for a shower. Otherwise, those I name please remain here and we’ll settle your positions for the match.”
Keira was the second name called, after the better of the two goalies, Brittany Phillips.
After the coach had finished, there were thirteen girls left. Keira felt excited, as she was now going to play against another team. This was a first for her.
“Right, Deidre, as you were on the team last year, you will captain the team this season. Keira, I want you as vice-captain, as you show the most promise and you seem to have an excellent idea as to how to get the defence to best cover the opposition forwards.”
She said more, but Keira was only half-listening. Vice Captain! How good was that?
After the short team talk concluded, they made their way back to the showers. As she approached her locker, she saw it was open. Her heart sank, and she immediately checked.
The torc was gone!
She looked at the girls who had preceded them to the showers, and two were missing. There was an altercation in the toilets, so she ran to find Sally Dixon and Fiona Bullinger fighting.
Sally held the torc in her hand and obviously Fiona wanted it.
“That’s my property,” said Keira firmly and very loudly.
She hadn’t meant to, but it was loud enough for Miss Trehearn to pop her head around the door. The three girls were unaware of her presence.
“You want to fight me for it?” said Sally. Fiona decided that she no longer wished to be part of this and tried to leave. Shannon managed to prevent her from doing so by tripping her up with her leg and then sitting on top of her on the damp floor.
“I don’t have to fight you for it,” Keira said, quietly and firmly. “That is my property and you broke into my locker and stole it. Everyone can see that, so unless you want more trouble than you can handle, I suggest you hand it back, right now!”
“I never took it, so you can’t prove that. She took it!” she said, pointing to the pinned-down Fiona.
Keira didn’t even look at Fiona.
“You have it, so you know it was stolen, so that makes you guilty of handling stolen goods. I believe that carries the same sentence at crown court, of ten years in prison!”
A sudden silence came over those assembled. As there was a possibility of a fight, the girls had been noisy in their support, mainly for Keira. However, as Miss Trehearn walked into their midst, they all fell silent and returned to minding their own business.
“Miss Frost is absolutely correct. Now, Miss Dixon, you have two choices, and both involve you returning Miss Frost’s property to her first. One of them does not involve any pain. Your choice.”
Sally passed the torc back to Keira, with little grace.
“It’s broken anyway; it doesn’t bend.”
“Now apologise.”
“Why; I never did anything?”
Miss Trehearn just looked at her as some teachers could.
“Sorry,” Sally mumbled.
“Now, you and Miss Bullinger can get changed and get over to Mrs Lambert’s study. I will have a talk with Miss Frost and ascertain whether she wants the police involved. Clearly that lock has been tampered with, so the case for involving the police is a compelling one.”
There was a corporate sharp intake of breath as all those present realised that a possible prank had just been upgraded. These two girls were looking at suspension if not expulsion for dishonesty.
Keira gratefully opened the torc and replaced it around her neck. Only then did she relax.
“Is it valuable?” Miss Trehearn asked.
“Only to me.”
“If it is, might I suggest you have it placed in the school safe?”
“I’d rather keep it on me, thanks.”
“Then I would get a decent lock for your locker, if I were you.”
“I will.”
“Now, the decision to involve any external authority lies with you. The miscreants will be dealt with by Mrs Lambert, and it may be she feels this is serious enough to call the police. However, on face value, I’m not sure it is, but that decision is up to you.”
“I have no desire to have some police officer taken off some important job to take statements from me and other witnesses over a petty matter that is relatively irrelevant as I have my property back. I will be happy to leave it in the hands of Mrs Lambert, as long as any further dishonesty is discouraged.”
Miss Trehearn smiled. She was a large (not fat), mannish lady of around thirty. She played Rugby for the England women’s team, and was not the sort of woman that anyone would want to start an argument with, no matter how much alcohol one had consumed first.
“Well said, Keira,” she said, and then walked out.
The two girls were gone by tea time. After tea, the fifty-six remaining girls were called to the main hall for an address by the Principal.
They sat on the reasonably comfortable chairs in the large auditorium that doubled as a theatre and cinema, as well as many other functions.
Mrs Lambert and Miss Trehearn walked in and stood in front of the assembled girls.
“As you are no doubt aware by now, an act of petty theft and damage resulted in one of our number almost losing her personal property. Up to now, this is unheard of here, and so I had absolutely no qualms in calling the parents of the two young women responsible and asking them to come and collect errant offspring. They will not be returning.