Hanging his head, trying not to faint again, he shivered as a dense cluster of clouds overshadowed the sun, changing the light in the room to sombre darkness. He heard a fluttering in his ears. Feeling dizzy he gingerly shuffled his bottom back on the mattress and leant against the wall.
Aiden hovered by the bed. “Seb you look really pale. Are you going to puke?”
“I hope not.” Seb closed his eyes.
The sound of Aiden’s voice became muffled, “Should we get Mrs Reeves? Are you okay?”
He heard shuffling feet.
“Where are you going, Zach? We can’t leave him like this.” Aiden’s voice was louder and Seb heard Zach answer.
“To get Mrs Reeves. Oh, and to get out of the firing line if Seb here decides to projectile vomit.”
The sound of the door opening seemed distant and Seb focused on the hardness of the wall against the back of his head, scared he was about to faint again.
He heard Zach’s surprised voice, “Oh, sir, I was just going to get Mrs Reeves. Seb’s doing it again – he’s going to faint!”
Pinpricks of light were appearing and disappearing like a private firework display behind Seb’s eyelids. He heard Mrs Reeves and smelt a waft of her perfume.
“I’ll call his parents,” she said.
“No!” Mr Duir sounded firm. “He’s safe here, Mrs Reeves.”
Seb now heard Mr West’s voice, “Some water would help. Fetch a glass please.”
There was a pause before the clip-clop of Mrs Reeves’ shoes could be heard as she crossed Reception. The remnants of the strong perfume did nothing to ease Seb’s nausea and he swallowed hard.
“It will pass, Master Thomas.” Mr Duir’s deep voice was reassuring.
“What’s wrong with him?” Scarlet sounded more interested than concerned.
“Absolutely nothing. Now, it’s time for you to go to your classes,” Mr West said.
Scarlet and Zach grumbled then Seb heard more footsteps as the others left and the click as the door closed.
He heard a buzzing sound and felt a breath of cool air as something breezed past his cheek and then he felt a slight touch on his right hand, which lay, limp, on the bed. A fleeting pressure and then it was gone. He pulled his hand away. The sudden movement made him retch, his stomach heaving in an uncontrollable spasm. No vomit, he was relieved, but he felt so ill. He sat forward, placing his forehead on his knees which he bent up to his chest and then the mattress beside him lurched away as a heavy weight depressed it. He toppled left, too weak to stay upright, but his fall was stopped as Mr Duir’s arm looped around his shoulders and cradled him.
In an instant the nausea subsided, the dizziness stopped and Seb felt well enough to open his eyes.
Mr West peered at him and smiled. “Ah, that’s better.”
Seb felt fine. He turned to look at Mr Duir and as he did caught sight of another whoosh of green colour that darted from near the door towards the window.
“What was that?” Seb asked as he heard more buzzing and felt another breeze skim across his cheek.
“Just listen, Seb.” Mr Duir’s words were mumbled, barely audible over the buzzing which had become whispering and was almost recognisable as speech but just beyond Seb’s comprehension. Dominating his hearing, it disturbed him, like it was the chattering of ghosts.
Mr West opened the window. A gust of air rushed in. The curtain flapped and Seb felt his hair being ruffled by the breeze. It wasn’t comforting, it was chilly, and he shivered again. The whispering around him rose and Seb saw another flash of green whizz across the room.
“I am not well,” he groaned.
Mr Duir spoke quietly, “It is now as we thought, Greg.”
Mr West grunted, “Very young! I will tell the others.”
Seb watched the curtain dance in front of the window and listened to the fluttering which had become a definite whispered voice.
“Seb, pay attention,” Mr Duir said to him.
The whispering grew louder and now Seb realised he could hear words:“Do you see me? You need to see me.”
“You will stay?” Mr West asked, walking towards the door.
Mr Duir nodded to him.
“See me …”
“Who’s saying that?” Seb asked.
Mr West didn’t turn. He left the room. Mr Duir removed his arm from around Seb’s shoulders, stood and closed the door. Leaning against it he stared down at Seb. Although relieved that the nausea and dizziness didn’t return, Seb was alarmed at the ghostly whispering he was hearing.
“You must see me!”
“Who is saying that?” He looked around the small room. Mr Duir watched him, his face expressionless.
“See me. You can see me.” The whispering became a rustling voice.
“I can hear something, someone.” Seb stood, confused.
“Don’t ignore me, Seb … ” The whispering voice rose above the noise of the flapping curtain and Seb spun around. As he did he jumped – the figure he saw, sitting on the end of the bed swinging its legs back and forth, made him believe he had lost his mind.
The Visitor
Seb leapt backwards, slamming his shoulders into the window. He gaped and blinked, then whimpered.
The creature that regarded him from the end of the bed had human shape, like a youth about Seb’s age, but its body, with the exception of the face, hands and the long, slender feet, was covered almost entirely in a mesh of small green leaves that overlapped like the scales on a fish. The leafless areas were covered in yellowy-brown skin.
Seb stared at its face. Oval and narrowing to a pointed chin, its features were hauntingly like Seb’s own. Its head and forehead were covered in a patchwork of tiny leaves, a row of minute, brown acorns ran along the line of the eyebrows and the two large eyes had stunning silver irises surrounding their pitch-black pupils. They now watched Seb in expectation.
The leafy creature suddenly leapt and stood on the bed. “At last!” Its voice was like the rustling of leaves.
Seb looked at Mr Duir who was observing him keenly, still leaning with his back against the door.
The creature twirled, turning a circle and its leafy scales fluttered. It completed the circle and then jumped from the bed to stand between Mr Duir and Seb.
“You see me. It’s about time – I spoke my name ages ago!”
Seb opened his mouth to respond but flinched when the door to the room banged as someone on the other side tried to open it. Unable to move it with Mr Duir leaning his body weight against it, Mrs Reeves called in to them, “Mr Duir, is the young lad okay? Do I need to call his parents, a doctor, an ambulance?”
“No, Mrs Reeves,” Mr Duir answered over his shoulder. “He’s fine. In fact he is up and about now.”
He stood away from the door and Mrs Reeves barged in. She checked her pace as she saw Seb standing by the window, mouth agape.
“Ah.” She peered over her glasses. “I must say, you look very well!” She narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips.
Seb glanced at the leaf-boy. The creature stood between him and Mrs Reeves who, to Seb’s astonishment, gave no reaction at all; no shout, no exclamation, in fact nothing to indicate she even noticed this strange boy standing just two feet in front of her. She continued to glare at Seb and now her fingers, bright purple nail polish flashing, began drumming on the sides of her ample hips.
“Well my lad, what is going on? Have you been wasting these teachers’ time?” She called over her right shoulder, “What are we to do with him, Mr Duir? This boy has been having you on.” She pursed her lips.
Seb was totally bemused. The receptionist was looking right over the head of the leaf-boy who now leapt to his left and plopped down to sit cross-legged on the bed.
Mr West waddled through the doorway. He frowned at Seb.
“Mr West, he was feigning, faking!” Mrs Reeves glared at Seb.
And then unexpectedly, Mr West clapped his hands, his face breaking into
a massive flat-toothed smile. “Ah Mrs Reeves, these youngsters recover quickly, don’t they? Now, I need you to find me a file if you wouldn’t mind.” He physically ushered the protesting woman out of the room. Mr Duir once more closed the door.
In a sudden blur of green the leaf-boy shot through the door as though it didn’t exist and was gone.
The bell rang for the end of lunch but Seb just stood, open-mouthed, wondering if he had imagined the leafy creature. His heart sank as another flash of green whizzed back through the door and the leaf-boy rematerialised beside Mr Duir who had stepped towards Seb, a look of concern on his face.
The leaf-boy, silver irises sparkling in the light from the window, smiled. “You should stop staring at me.”
Seb gaped. “Who? What is that?” he asked Mr Duir.
“Seb— ” Mr Duir started then there was a rap on the door.
Mrs Reeves called out, “Mr Duir, lunch is over.” Without waiting for a response she once more opened the door and stomped in.
Mr West followed behind her. “Mrs Reeves, the boy needs to be left in peace.”
Seb saw the slightest frown of annoyance on Mr Duir’s face as he turned to Mrs Reeves. She had stopped at Mr West’s protest and now stood inside the body of the leaf-boy as though he were a ghostly shape or a film projection. Seb was horrified. He stared at the image of this strange creature, swallowed up within the larger frame of Mrs Reeves. I am going mad, he concluded.
He breathed heavily and then physically jumped as, in a flash of greeny-yellow, the creature zoomed from Mrs Reeves’ body to materialise inches from him. The leaf-boy was exactly the same height as Seb, the same build and with features so similar to