Chapter four

Artie Pendragon headed out onto the school field dressed in his PE kit the next day. He was greeted by a smiling Kai and a shivering Gwen who were both dressed in PE kit. She was shivering because it was raining cats and dogs and the temperature was sub-zero.
“Cold?” He asked jokingly upon seeing her.
“Boiling hot in fact.” She replied sarcastically. Artie looked blank. He didn’t understand sarcasm. Luckily Kai jumped to the rescue.
“She’s just being awkward Artie; ignore her, I always do.” He advised.
“Kai, we both know you can’t ignore me for more than five seconds; I’m just too utterly fabulous!” She joked. As if to prove her point she began to skip around the fair headed boy and sang really high key in his face. Artie, at once understanding what Gwen was trying to do, started counting to five. Before he had reached three Kai cracked, grabbed Gwen around the waist, started to tickle her and she let out a really high pitched squeal which led to Artie dubbing her ‘Mouse’ for the rest of the term.
The squeal also attracted the attention of their PE teacher who marched over to them and commanded ten laps of the school field.
“But that’s one thousand six hundred metres!” Gwen shouted in protest.
“Quite right Miss Grayson.” Their sadistic PE teacher agreed. “And before you begin those laps Miss Grayson perhaps you would like to remove your jewellery, piercings and fasten back your hair?” She asked in the tone that teachers use when they appear to be asking you a question but are in actual fact giving you no choice in the matter.
Begrudgingly, Gwen pinned her hair up into a sleek black ponytail, removed her choker, rings and bracelets and began the laborious task of removing her piercings. When it came to removing her tongue stud she hesitated for a slight second before sticking out her tongue and showing it to her rather shocked teacher.
“Sorry Miss, I can’t remove this one; it’s new. Do you like it?” The teacher, Mrs. Hargave, looked as though she was going to do one of two things; either explode or rip the stud out of her tongue herself. Or both.
Instead she contained herself and sent the class running around the field ten times as promised. Then she moved onto the long jump; a three metre long pit of sand with a rather fair run up distance. All the pupils were lined up then had to run up and land in the sand. This sounded simple enough but when Artie did it he ran, tripped over his own feet and landed face down in the sand. Everyone laughed, even Kai and Gwen at first because Artie himself was laughing. When he didn’t get up after a few minutes though they both saw he was in obvious pain and rushed to his aid.
“Artie are you all right?” Gwen asked concerned as she helped him to sit up and began to dust the tiny particles of sand off him. Artie bought a bony hand to his forehead, trying to stop the world from spinning faster than a waltzer.
“I’m fine thank you Gwen.” Unfortunately though Artie was a very bad liar and Gwen could tell. She looked him in the eye, put on hand on his and said, “You’re not alright Artie; I’m taking you to the nurse. He tried to object and protest but Gwen was having none of it; he was clearly hurt and she was going to see to it that he was ok.
“Mrs. Hargrave please may I take Artie to the nurse?” She asked a pleading look in her eyes.
“Fine, whatever. Kai would you please help Gwen escort Artie to the infirmary?” Without waiting for a response Mrs. Hargrave already returned to teaching her lesson, leaving Gwen and Kai to pull Artie up out of the sand pit and help him hobble to the nurse’s office.
There was only one other pupil in the infirmary; a tiny first year pupil who looked very pale under her freckles and was wearing a school uniform that made her look even smaller than she already was. Artie suspected her only illness was homesickness. Seeing the anxious look on the little girl’s pale face Artie bade that Gwen and Kai lay him down on the bed next to hers.
“Hello there. I’m Artie Pendragon, what’s your name?” He asked the girl who was nervously twisting the end of her plait.
“M-my name is Anna Morgan.” She stammered, still fiddling with her plait, not daring to meet Artie’s gaze.
“There is no need to sound so scared you know. We are not going to eat you.” Artie said with a smile.
“I know. I just want to go home though; I miss my mum and dad.”
Gwen moved next to the little girl and hugged her. “Why don’t you go and see your sister?” She suggested. Anna’s eyes widened in shock and she looked as though she was going twist her plait right off her head.
“How do you know I have sister?” Anna asked, looking at the gothic girl who was hugging her. Gwen tapped the side of nose and smiled secretively.
“Let’s just say I have my ways.” Gwen told her, feeling slightly smug. Anna looked like she was going through a tantrum and she pleaded with her eyes for Gwen to tell her how she knew she had a sister.
“Fine, fine, I’ll tell you.” She sighed, removing the piercings she had since put back in and tying her hair into two pigtails with the bobbles she always had snagged around her wrists.
“Do you remember me, Anna?” Gwen asked placing her hands on the younger girl’s shoulders and looking into her eyes. Anna peered hard at the girl in front of her, trying to see through the layer of make-up.
“You’re Gwen Grayson aren’t you? You used to be my sister’s best friend.” Anna told Gwen and she visibly flinched. Artie looked at Kai for some kind of explanation only to have the words, ‘I’ll tell you later’ mouthed back at him. Artie nodded and waited for the nurse to come and treat him.
“Just go and see your sister.” Were Gwen’s final words before turning back to Artie.
The nurse was now treating Artie, prodding his aching bones which was causing him to cry out in pain. He screamed the most though when she tenderly touched his collarbone. He grabbed hold of Kai and Gwen’s hands impossibly tight causing them both to whimper in pain.
“I’m afraid you’ve broke your collarbone, pet.” The nurse said in her gruff sounding, almost man like voice.
“Yeah and I think you’ve broke my hand, Artie.” Kai told him, holding up his throbbing red hand. Artie grinned despite the pain in his collarbone as the nurse was bandaging him up. When the nurse was finished she sent all three of them away, telling Artie to come back in six weeks to have the bandages taken off.
“And you,” the nurse said gruffly, looking at Kai and Gwen, “look after him.”  The two nodded and helped him hobble back to the common room as his ankle was bandaged up as well.
Artie was sat down in on a couch, Gwen curled up beside him and Kai was sat in an armchair opposite them both.
“Hey Kai, someone finally broke your record.” Gwen told the blonde haired boy in question, a wicked grin plastered upon her face.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kai said, feigning confusion.
“Remember your first ever week here and you fell down the stairs and you broke your leg?” Gwen encouraged. “You were the first kid to injure yourself this close to the beginning of the year and now everyone tries to break your record.”
“Ok Gwendolyn, just because I’m a complete klutz doesn’t mean you have to point it out to Artie.” Kai told her with a glare, putting emphasis on her full name because he knew being Gwendolyn annoyed her.
“What did you just call me?” Gwen demanded through gritted teeth, flying to her feet.
“You heard me, Gwendol-” Kai, now also on his feet, repeated but before he could finish saying her name he was cut off.
“I told you never to call me that!” Gwen exclaimed, anger burning like fire in her eyes. Artie, sensing a fight coming on, stumbled to his feet and hobbled over to where Gwen was standing. Gently he put his bandage free arm around her and effectively restrained her from inflicting any damage on his fair headed friend.
“Don’t.” He whispered, his soft breath tickling her ear. Gwen sighed in reluctance, but didn’t attack Kai, neither verbally or physically, but instead nodded to show she wasn’t going to do anything.
Artie smiled. “Good. Now Kai, apologise.” He ordered.
“Why?! I didn’t do anything!” He moaned. Artie threw him a stern glance.
“You called her Gwendolyn which she clearly doesn’t like so it seems only fair you should apologise to her.”
Kai rolled his sea blue eyes behind his glasses but reluctantly did as was asked of him. “I’m sorry, Gwen.” She gave a slight nod of her head and smiled at him in response. But the smile was soon wiped off her face when the door was thrown open and Lance walked in, anger written all over his face. Artie felt his raven haired friend grow stiff in his arm.