The Mandrakes

Chapter One: The Disappearing Bin Bag

Rachael Digby woke to her alarm buzzing tirelessly, it could have been going off for ages for all she knew. She cracked her eyes open and looked at the time flashing on her digital clock. 8:15! She was in the shit! School was starting in half an hour and being the first day back after the 6 week holiday she really didn't want to be the last one in. She didn't want to have to walk into the classroom late again and be the center of attention so early in the year. She just wanted to blend in and not be noticed. Rachael didn't have any friends in her class, or in school for that matter–she was what everyone called a loner. She wasn't a complete loner though, she had a best friend out of school who lived on her road called Charlotte Mandrake, but Charlotte attended a fancy boarding school far away, so Rachael would only see her best friend during the holidays. But, this being the last year in school, that would all change soon. Charlotte was a bit weird, she was very secretive, as were her mum and dad. They had kooky things in their house that Rachael couldn't even explain, but Rachael loved Charlotte's family. They were much nicer than her own family. Rachael didn't much enjoy her own family, she would much rather be at Charlotte's than at home. Rachael's mum and dad were always away on "business" although she was sure her mum and dad were just doing what they could to get away from their hermit of a daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Digby were social butterflies in every sense. They would forever be attending social events and were big in their world of jacuzzi sales–nearly 80% of their neighbourhood owned a Digby Jacuzzi. The Mandrake family certainly didn't own a Digby Jacuzzi. In fact, they didn't mix well at all with the community, which suited Rachael down to the ground. She couldn't really stand the people her own parents mixed with. Talking about Jacuzzis and tennis and blah blah blah. Rachael remembers that Charlotte's father, Dimitri, didn't even know what a Jacuzzi was. When Rachael explained what it was he exclaimed, "Ohh like a giant cauldron for people"! Rachael thought Mr and Mrs Mandrake were funny people. They didn't even own a car or a television set. And she loved their eccentricities. Their home was dark and old fashioned, like they hadn't changed their furniture since the house was built in the Victorian times. They had beautiful gas lights and candles, old leather bound books and stuffed animals. She loved it there. Her own home was a pristine, modern day, state of the art home. They had a maid and everything was up to date. But it didn't feel the slightest bit homey, especially so since her parents were away so much of the time. Rachael got her uniform on and rushed out the front door to the black Mercedes waiting on the grey slate driveway. "Hello Fredrick," Rachael said sunnily to her chauffeur in the front seat. "Good day, Miss Digby, we are rather behind this morning, but no worries, Miss Digby, I will do my best".

The car pulled out of the slated driveway and out of the big silver gates adorned with a giant "D". They soon passed the Mandrake residence and Rachael noticed something strange through the bushes that lined the front of the Mandrake residence. Charlotte, Dimitri and Valeria Mandrake were all crouched in their front garden with their hands on what appeared to be an old bin liner full of rubbish! Then something really strange happened before Rachael lost sight of them, the bag began to glow bright! "Fredrick, stop the car"!

"As you wish, Miss Digby, is there something wrong"? Fredrick said as he pulled up alongside the curb just past Charlotte's house. Rachael swung the car door open and ran through a gap in the bushes into Charlotte's front garden. She got there just in time to see the whole Mandrake family disappear before her eyes along with the glowing bin bag! Rachael could not believe her eyes. What had she just witnessed? She looked around the overgrown garden in disbelief. She was bewildered, but completely curious. She walked to the enormous mahogany front doors that had beautiful serpentine carvings all over it and noticed they were ajar. She so wanted to go in, she could almost not fight the urge to push open the door and go inside the house; she reached forward to push the door with her right hand when suddenly Fredrick appeared behind her. "Miss"? Rachael jumped out of her skin. "Miss Digby, sorry to alarm you but we must be leaving if we are to make it on time".

Rachael slowly turned to Fredrick. "Of course".

She returned to the car and sat quietly for the remainder of the journey. What on earth had just happened? She had to have been imagining things, but on the other hand she couldn't argue with what she had seen with her own eyes. There had to be a reasonable explanation for this, her best friend and mother and father could not Chauffeur just gripped a dirty old bin bag and disappeared. It just wasn't possible. Or was it? She had to try make sense of what she had seen, but how? She could hardly knock there and ask them "hey, saw you all disappeared earlier with a bin bag, what's all that about"? They left the front doors open, maybe if she left school at break and had a little look around their house, it may shed some light?

Chapter Two: Portkey

Rachael knew clock watching wasn't going to help, but it was so hard when the clock was right in the middle of the wall just above the white board! 10:45! Only 15 minutes to go. Rachael absolutely hated French! It was the one lesson in which she could guarantee she would be made to stand up and speak in front of the whole class. Her French was awful and it was guaranteed to make all the girls in her form laugh hard at her feeble attempts, which didn't help the 'head down and not get noticed' plan she used to get through her miserable days at school. Sometimes she wished she was invisible.

The clock was barely moving. Madame Button left the classroom to get some homework sheets and the class began to get hyper in her absence. This was something Rachael hated. She knew any second now she would be bothered by the "popular" girls. She wasn't wrong, either.

"Hey drip"! Piped up a tall blond girl behind Rachael. Rachael ignored her, then felt a thud on the back of her chair.

"Are you deaf, drip"? Said the blond girl after booting the back of Rachael's chair. Rachael turned to face Melissa Jones. She was at least half a foot taller than Rachael and was very thin and had long blond wavy hair down to her waist. Melissa was one of those girls that could have been really pretty if she wasn't such a bitch.

"What do you want, Melissa"? Rachael said, in an exhausted manor.

Melissa stretched in her chair, and then looked round at the rest of the class, the chatter subsided and everyone's eyes were upon the two girls now.

"I wanted to know why you're such a drip, Rachael". Melissa said, with a sick grin on her face, while giggles came from all round the room.

Rachael felt her face burning and gulped to try and find something to say, but her words dried up in her throat. Melissa began screwing up a bit of paper and aimed it at Rachael's forehead. The paper bounced off her face and the class roared with laughter. Rachael felt the tears welling up but didn't want to give Melissa and the rest of those wretched girls the satisfaction, so she scooped up her books and pencil case and made a beeline for the door. As she swung the door open she collided with Madame Button with full force, Rachael flew backwards into the classroom and landed on her bum with a loud thud. The class erupted with laughter once more. Rachael gathered up her things hastily and disappeared about as quick as the Mandrakes, but by foot rather than by bin bag. Tears clouded her vision as she jogged down the corridors toward the exit. The bell was ringing now and the hallways started to fill up with loud giggling, chattering school girls.

She pushed through the doors that lead to the car park and felt the cool air on her face, this made it easier for the tears to flow, as if the outside air gave her permission to really cry.