Earthborn: Ormingat Trilogy, #2 - Hardcover

Sylvia Waugh’s books include Space Race, as well as five books about The Mennyms.
From the Hardcover edition.

CHAPTER 1

The Bullying

The Gwynns had lived just outside the city of York for the past fourteen years. Nesta, their only child, was born there. As far as the neighbors knew, Matthew and Alison Gwynn were a pleasant, young American couple who had settled and made their home in England. Only the faintest of accents and the odd phrase here and there made people remember that they were not British born and bred. They kept themselves to themselves, but so did everyone else in their leafy, comfortable suburb.

Never in a million years would anyone have guessed their astonishing secret. In fact, the only difficulty they had experienced so far in their time here had been the bullying their daughter had suffered in her first years at Carrick Comprehensive. But that could have happened to any ordinary child, born of purely human parents.

For a year and half, Nesta had been bullied and tormented at school. It was never clear why. She was shy and clever, never one of the crowd, but not friendless. Then one day another girl from the form above, with a long ginger ponytail and eyes like a cat, came up to Nesta in the playground and said, "Is your name really Nesta?"

"Yes," said Nesta, not quite sure what this strange girl meant. She did not know her at all. The girl gave a feline smile, eyes closing almost to slits.

"Where'd you get a name like that from?" she said.

"My mom called me that. She chose it," said Nesta. "It's Welsh for Agnes, I think."

"Mom!" said the girl, with a snigger in her voice.

"Who's this Mom? Haven't you got a mam then, like the rest of us?"

"I've always called her Mom. It's what she called herself, I suppose. My parents came from Boston two years before I was born. That's in America."

"Oh dear and la-di-dah!" said the girl, tweaking a lock of Nesta's fine hair.

Looking at the two of them, the ginger girl would definitely have been the one to stand out in the crowd. Nesta was pale but pretty with gray-blue eyes and soft, light brown hair. She was quite tall for her age but slightly built. The other girl, besides her very distinctive red hair, was large-boned and clumsy-looking. Her complexion was ruddy and she had a wide, toothy grin.

Nesta made no reply and no protest. She felt nonplussed at such uncalled-for attention. She just walked away as quickly as she could.

From such a small beginning, the bullying grew, pushing and shoving, mocking and calling names. The girl, who was known to everyone as Ginger, got a group round her for the wonderful break-time game of tormenting the first-former who never fought back.

Nesta tried hard to stay out of their way, but she told no one, not even her parents. She had felt so ashamed of being singled out. She wept into her pillow at night and wondered, Why me? She couldn't understand what was so special about her. It couldn't just be the name. There were plenty of strange names in the school--a girl called Ethena in 1B, a spotty little boy called Godwin in her own class. No one picked on them.

Her staunch friend in all her troubles was Amy Brown, a short, stocky girl, but very brave despite her lack of height. In the playground, Amy tried to defend Nesta from the bullies. But one against many, no matter how brave, is not always effectual.

"Leave her alone, you lot," Amy said. "She's not doing you any harm."

"Who's gonna make us? You?" said Ginger, putting her tongue out at Amy. "You're a shrimp! If you're not careful, we'll add you to the hit list, Goggles!"

"Don't speak to them, Amy," said Nesta anxiously. "It will only make things worse."

Amy tossed her head at the bullies and said, "Touch me and I'll yell so loud I'll be heard from here to the minster." She might be short and bespectacled, but she bristled in a way that made sure no bully ever ventured too far with her. Nesta, however, was a different proposition altogether. . . .

Even after the summer holidays, the bullying continued. Her second year in the school looked like being no better than the first. The very first day back, Ginger pulled her hair just in passing and said, "See you later, Skinny-pins. Let you know how much we've missed you!"

Nesta looked down at her legs, which were really not especially skinny at all, and wished she were fatter. Would that have made a difference?

"Are my legs really skinny?" she asked Amy.

"They're thinner than mine," said Amy, looking down at her own sturdy legs, "but that doesn't mean anything. I always think my legs are too fat. My brother says I have hockey-player's knees. I'm quite used to insults. It's best to ignore them."

The day that Ginger's friend Lesley punched Nesta in the face and made her nose bleed was the day the bullying reached its peak.

"Do you never fight back, Spike?" said Lesley, a heavy-jowled girl of less than average intelligence. She had caught Nesta in a corner between the wall and the school gate. It was too good a chance to miss.

"No," said Nesta, fearful but firm. "I never fight at all. Fighting is stupid."

Then, quite suddenly, Lesley lifted her fist and leveled it at Nesta's nose. It was a harder blow than she meant to deliver and even she was startled when there was a spurt of blood. Nesta could hardly believe it had happened. She hurried to the cloakroom to bathe the blood away. Amy followed her.

"I'm going to tell," she said firmly. She stood with one hand on the washbasin, gripping the rim tightly. "That Ginger and her mates can't get away with this. I won't let them."

Nesta stopped with the paper towel in midair and gave her friend a look of horror. The thought of everyone knowing--teachers, parents, and even any other children who were not yet aware of the situation--was unbearable.

"You can't tell," said Nesta. "Please don't tell. They'll stop sometime. They'll have to. I never do anything to them."

"I'm telling," said Amy grimly, "and nothing you can say will stop me."

She ran out of the cloakroom, up the stairs, and straight to the staffroom door, where she knocked loudly. Mr. Winters opened it.

"Yes?" he said, looking down at Amy over his mug of coffee.

"Please, sir, Ginger Watkins and her gang are bullying Nesta Gwynn. And it's got to stop," said Amy, her chin jutting out determinedly.

Harold Winters smiled down at her in amusement, but he took notice all the same. It was the first the staff had known of the problem. The information was acted upon immediately. Mrs. Powell, the head teacher, rang Mrs. Gwynn. Fortunately, Alison was at home. Arrangements were made for Matthew and Alison to come to the school and discuss the problem. It was agreed between them that Nesta should know nothing about their visit. It is important not to punish the victim.