Ghost
PLOTTING HIS REVENGE was, in the end, the easy part. Pink had
plenty of time to lay down his plans, plenty of time to think and
scheme as he rocked and swayed in the pocket of Suraya's school
uniform. The hard part was figuring out how to make sure Suraya
wouldn't find out. But even that, in the end, wasn't that hard.
Between school and Jing Wei and her books and her sketches, there
was plenty in her life to keep her happy and occupied. She was
content. She was also distracted, which made his plan easier even
as it sickened him. She didn't even think about Pink or what he was
doing. And he needed to put a stop to it. He needed her to go back
to needing him—almost as much as he needed her, though that last
bit he refused to admit even to himself.
In the end, it was the bullies that were the key.
He'd promised to leave Jing alone, after all, and a pelesit would
never disobey his master. But there was a way. There was always a
way.
And it was simple enough. Simple to have red paint fall just so on
the seat of Kamelia's chair, so that she sat on it unawares.
Simple enough to use a little notice-me spell as he clung onto her
ballet slipper shoes, something that made everyone turn to look ather as she walked to the canteen from her classroom, the last one in
the farthest block. Simple enough to make sure everyone noticed the
bright red stain on her pinafore, looking for all the world like fresh
blood blooming freely into the turquoise cotton, every girl's
nightmare.
Kamelia was usually the one whispering and giggling at others
behind their backs—and to their faces, for that matter—so suddenly
finding herself on the other side of things must be incredibly
unpleasant, Pink surmised from the way she quickened her pace,
the way her hands clenched and unclenched themselves as she
walked. She quickly found Divya in the canteen and gripped her arm.
"What is going on?" Pink heard her hiss as he clambered quietly up
the rough weave of her white socks to get a better view. "Why is
everyone looking at me like that? Do I have a pimple or something?"
Divya scanned her face, frowning. "No lah, where got? I don't
see . . . oh my god!" She clapped her hands to her mouth, and
Kamelia's eyes widened.
"What? What? What's going on?"
"Come with me to the toilet. Right now." She steered Kamelia
over to the nearest bathroom, walking behind her to try to shield her
from the amused gazes of the others and shoving the two girls who
happened to be washing their hands at the sink roughly outside
before locking the door.
Minutes later, there was an agonized shriek from behind the
closed door.
Pink smiled. In just a few moments, the two girls would come
storming out, red-faced and raging, determined to find out who had
committed this dirty deed, and who would they find with red paint on
their hands? Who else but Jing Wei, who had been charged with the
task of decorating the classroom for Chinese New Year, which just
happened to be that month; Jing Wei, who had come early to school
to finish painting an enormous cloth banner with red firecrackers and
the words HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR; Jing Wei, who had
chosen the exact shade of red paint that currently adorned Kamelia's
skirt.
It was simple. So simple.
All Pink had to do was sit back and wait for his revenge to be
complete.