Camdeboo Nights Read Online Free PDF

school–acute peritonitis brought on by complications from a botched appendectomy–and had gone through exactly what he’d experienced. Although he was a hell of a lot shorter than the average kids his age, thank God his parents hadn’t seen fit to name him after a character from a fantasy novel filled with elves and walking trees. Even now he wasn’t quite sure which was worse.
    Perhaps he should just call Arwen on the landline,but he was wary of her father, a stern man who frightened him half to death.
    Stupid, of course–the old man wouldn’t be at home during the day.
    The rest of the assembly passed without incident, save for the attempt some person behind him made to trip him on the way to mathematics. When Etienne turned around to catch the culprit in the act, all he got was Jean-Pierre and his friends trying to look innocent. His own ferocious scowl had no impact.
    A confrontation with them wasn’t worth his trouble, so he quickened his pace while trying to ignore their endless nudges from behind. If he had longer legs...and if wishes were horses.
    Helen was in this class. She arrived out of breath, ten minutes into the lesson, which did not please Mr. Bayly.
    “Sit!” The man gestured at the empty desk in front of his table–the spot reserved for troublemakers–where, oft as not, Etienne ended up sitting.
    She kept her head down, a red-gold strand of hair falling over her face as she seated herself. Etienne hated the way the others sniggered. His only consolation was that Odette was not here. Odette studied accounting and home economics. Mathematics was for boffs, according to her, although he never heard her rag Jean-Pierre for getting Bs. Jean-Pierre was on the rugby team. Damned jock.
    Etienne tried to concentrate during the rest of the lesson but his thoughts fluttered about. He was only too glad when the bell rang. He’d go talk to the new girl, find out what subject choices she studied. Of all the crap things out there, starting at a new school halfway through the first term was near the top of the list.
    Marianne and Aniska, two of Odette’s friends–or lieutenants as he preferred to call them–beat him to it, so Etienne followed at a distance, toward their English class.
    They were sussing her out.
    He watched, in the ten minutes before Mrs. Davis came in–late as always–how they congregated around Helen, asking questions. Helen’s gaze darted about–she was obviously bewildered by all the attention she was receiving.
    During the tea break, he retreated to the library, and made himself as inconspicuous as possible among the shelves. Perhaps with the new girl here and Arwen absent, his tormentors would not seek their usual dismal sport.
    Later, a message from Arwen did await him in his inbox, after all.
     
    Hey Etti
    I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner but I haven’t really been feeling at all well. Dad says I have to come back soon, so I’ll see you on Tuesday. They’re talking about sending me to the shrink again.
    Laterz
    Arwen
     
    The message had been sent on Saturday. Etienne ached for Arwen. She’d fainted after that incident with Odette and he’d not been able to speak with her before the school nurse had booked her off.
    After long break he had the first indication Odette would not accept Helen. In typical fashion, they’d invited her to sit with them in their circle on the school field beneath the poplar trees but he could see, as he walked past on his way to the library, their body language was not quite right.
    They were interrogating her, and it didn’t look as if they liked all the answers.
    Odette sat straighter than usual, somewhat apart, with Marianne and Aniska on either side of her, talking animatedly.
    They may not do anything now, but he’d seen this little routine enough times in the past. He walked away, narrowly missing Jean-Pierre. That was a small mercy about being a little person. Etienne could slip into hiding a lot quicker than anyone