The Serpent's Skin

to where only kids in trouble went, pulling up short under the head nun’s window, making sure we were plenty out of sight. Philly danced from one foot to the other.
‘You’ll wet your pants again. You should have gone to the toilet.’
She shook her little squeezed-up monkey face.
‘Look. If Mum is really in there, you know I’ll make her wait for you while you go,’ I said.
Philly put her hands on her hips and bared her teeth at me. I gave up and let her stay. We turned to the office, screwing up our eyes like it would help us see through the wall. I snuck around to the door to look through the keyhole. Philly was just about inside my shoes, she was that close behind.
The door sprung open and we startled back. Mother Gabriel was as wide as the doorway, what with her habit sticking out all stiff, on top of her being fat. Philly’s little fingers bit into the back of me and I put my arms by my sides to make myself so big Mother Gabriel couldn’t see her.
‘You.’ Her stubby finger was pointing straight at me. ‘Get the Strap.’
I knew where the Strap was.
I took a step back as if to leave, but I was trying to get a look around her into the office to see if maybe there still was a chance Mum was in there.
‘You’ll have that Strap on the back of your own legs in a minute,’ Mother Gabriel warned.
I had to get going then. I motored Philly behind me fast so she couldn’t be seen until we got around the corner. When I let her go Philly scuffed my head with the back of her hand. ‘Should have asked if Mum was in there.’
I didn’t answer, just got hold of her jumper at the elbow and towed her back to my classroom. Philly was too scared to come in cause kids weren’t allowed into classrooms at lunchtime. I raced up to the glass cabinet at the front where Sister Peter hung the Strap on a nail where it could keep an eye on us.
Philly gave me a ‘what took you so long’ look when I got back outside. I thought about taking a detour to the toilet block so she could get it out of her but, one: Mother Gabriel was waiting, and I didn’t want to make her any madder; and two: even though I knew what I knew, there was still a chance Mum could be with her.
Mother Gabriel was right where we’d left her on the step outside her office. She took the Strap and tested it against her hand.
‘Has Tim McBride arrived yet, Mother?’ I asked, brave as brave, thinking it was one of the Farrell brothers about to be on the business end of that Strap and still wondering what she wanted with Tim.
‘Elizabeth Jane and Philomena Anne McBride, get back to your own playgrounds or it’ll be you two next.’ She cracked the Strap against the door of her office. ‘And do that ribbon up properly, Elizabeth. You’re a disgrace to St Francis Xavier’s.’
We stumbled over each other backing away from her and getting around the corner. We leaned against the wall, Philly shaking, me pretending not to.
‘She knew my name,’ said Philly, all moon eyes again. I didn’t answer, and it took Philly a few seconds to catch on that whatever Tim was called for it had nothing to do with Mum.
‘Toilet. Now.’ I yanked at her jumper and pulled her upright from the wall.
But we heard Mother Gabriel’s grunt and the whack of the Strap. In the distraction Philly twisted away. I got back hold of her again.
Then we stopped. It was Tim.
We knew the sound of him trying not to cry.
I let go of Philly’s jumper and charged around to the office door. I jumped that step and raised my fist to bang on that door. Tim must be feeling real bad about Mum leaving if he’d let himself get caught at something.
Philly flew at my back to stop me, her arms swung around my neck, but I shoved her off and sent her spinning into the dirt. I banged that door right open. Mother Gabriel’s backside and all the layers of her habit filled the room. She was hunched over, thrashing the Strap onto Tim’s bum. She swung her arm back to lay into him again. Bent over a chair, Tim lifted the back of his arm to swipe at his eyes. All the sorry for him balled up in me and I launched myself dead at her. The shock of the extra weight on her arm turned her right around. She shook me off, her face all red and animal.
I stumbled back, hit the statue of Mother Mary holding baby Jesus and sent it smashing to the ground, and went down after it. Mother Gabriel stood over me, panting like she’d been out after the cows.
‘You,’ she had that finger stabbing at me again, ‘I’m not surprised at.’ She swung her veil back from her shoulders with a great heave, pushed her sleeves further up her arms. ‘Tim McBride.’ She was speaking to him but her eyes were square on me, not blinking. ‘I’m done with you. It’s your sister Elizabeth’s turn.’
Tim looked from me to Mother Gabriel. I scooted on my bum away from her boot.
But she got to the door before I could get anywhere near it. ‘Get up off the floor,’ Mother Gabriel said to me. She flung the door wide for Tim. Yanking her head to Philly outside. ‘Get your sister to the sick bay,’ she told him. ‘Change of underwear.’
Tim didn’t move an inch. Nothing but his eyes: at me, at Mother Gabriel, at the door.
‘The shame this one is to your father.’ Mother Gabriel whacked the Strap on the filing cabinet, still panting. ‘Elizabeth’s got the devil in her. Now go away while I get him out of her.’
Tim threw me a sorry