by Marc Lindsay
Jason was panting heavily. He attempted to get to his feet, when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He tried to roll away but was too slow, as Hector’s foot connected with the side of his head. The force of the blow sent Jason rolling to one side, despite the ringing in his ears and disoriented vision, he slowly got to his knees, his arms raised in a defensive posture, blood running from his nose and the corner of his right eye.
Jason prepared himself for more when a woman’s voice rang out through the dining hall.
“Stop this instant!” Everyone turned to see Ms Stonewall striding toward the brawling pair, her face devoid of sympathy.
“What the hell is going on here?” Hector was the first to respond.
“The new kid started it Ms,” Hector said, sincerely.
“Really,” Ms Stonewall replied, “Mr Page just decided to attack the five of you, for no good reason.” She eyed him dubiously. Hector was straightening his shirt.
“Who can say Ms, from what I’ve heard, he has a history of this sort of thing,” Hector said smugly. “Have a look at my boys here,” he said, pointing to Tiberius, who was moaning and the other boy, coughing and rubbing his throat.
It was apparent that Ms Stonewall was now looking at the situation with a ‘Is the school liable?’ look in her eyes.
“Is what Mr Rope saying true?” she questioned Jason, now looking uncertain, not knowing how to respond.
“Hector’s full of shit,” a voice called out from the crowd. Everyone turned to see who had spoken up, including Ms Stonewall, Jason and Hector. A petite figure stepped from the crowd. Jason recognised her as the goth girl from his English class. Dressed pretty much the same as when he had seen her the day before, her grey army trench coat opened at the front revealing long slender legs in charcoal stockings, black shorts and combat boots. She stood with her hands on her hips, defiantly daring anyone to question her.
“Who threw the first punch?” Ms Stonewall shot back. The goth girl didn’t reply. Another girl dressed in pigtails and long rainbow coloured socks spoke up.
“It was the new boy, but he….” Ms Stonewall cut her off with a steely glare.
“That’s all I need to know Ms Piper”. She turned to Hector, “take your friends to the nurse’s station and get checked out”.
“Yes Ms,” Hector replied, firing a malicious glance at Jason. Jason’s jaw tensed. Ms Stonewall turned her attention toward him.
“You can take yourself to the Principal’s office, I’ll be with you shortly,” Ms Stonewall said.
“What a crock,” the goth girl exclaimed. Ms Stonewall spun to face her. “And you young lady can take that filthy mouth of yours to afternoon detention. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you the time and place,” she said sarcastically.
Ms Stonewall raised her voice so everyone could hear.
“If there is nothing else, move away and continue with your lunch,” she said and with that, turned and departed the dining hall. Jason looked around, but found the goth girl gone. His face was grim with the realisation that his day had gone from bad to worse.
Chapter 9
Jason sat outside the principal’s office. He had been waiting about fifteen minutes and hadn’t heard a peep since he arrived. He hoped that was a good sign. A door slammed and Ms Stonewall strode down the hallway toward Jason, an angry expression on her face.
“You’re a lucky young man, Mr Page. It seems no permanent damage has been inflicted on the boys you attacked, our esteemed Principal, Mr Florentine has a lot on his plate due to some recent vandalism and theft, not to mention a soft spot for your mother. So you’ve dodged the suspension bullet.” Her words were thick with venom. Jason sighed in relief. “However I’ve been instructed to punish you using my own discretion,” she said. Jason opened his mouth to respond and was silenced with a wave of her hand.
“I’m not interested in excuses, you made a promise to me and broke it. I don’t forget that sort of thing.” Jason tensed, awaiting his judgement. “Two weeks detention. You’ll report to the school library five minutes after the final bell, not a minute later. You will remain there until five o’clock.” A wicked smile crossed her face and she leaned in close, her lips inches from his ear.
Jason could smell the faint scent of her perfume, a mixture of vanilla and cinnamon. Despite her direct bluntness and the fact that she evidently disliked him he couldn’t help but feel a strong sexual attraction towards her. Her breath near his ear was driving him crazy. She lingered a little longer.
“Don’t ever screw with me again,” Ms Stonewall whispered. This jolted Jason, who struggled to control his reaction, apparently not well enough, as her smile spread wide, she drew back regarding Jason with her piercing eyes.
“I’m glad we understand each other, you can head back to class now.” Jason watched her leave, aroused and concerned all at the same time.
The final bell sounded and he made his way quickly to the library, eager not to create any further trouble for himself. He found the area that had been set up for after school-detention. There were other students already seated some alone, others together chatting. Taking a seat near the back, he waited for the lecture he knew would be coming. The librarian emerged from her office. She was in her early sixties, her grey hair in a bun. She was wearing a light blue dress that was probably deemed conservative forties years ago and her half-moon reading glasses were perched on the end of her nose. Jason thought there must be an assembly line somewhere producing women to her exact specifications, because she reminded him of every other librarian he had come across over the years.
The librarian introduced herself as Ms Brewster.
“For those that haven’t been here before,” Ms Brewster finished mid-sentence as the door was flung open and the goth girl sauntered in. The librarian regarded her coolly.
“How nice of you to join us Selene, please take a seat,” Ms Brewster said, Selene ignored the librarian’s instruction, leisurely surveying the seating arrangements, her gaze stopping on Jason. The corners of her mouth twitched up slightly into a smile. Selene casually made her way towards Jason, her coat brushing past his chair as she sat down next to him. She leaned back and placed her feet on the chair to her front. She turned her head toward Jason and performed a kissing gesture in his direction followed by a wink of her eye. Jason’s face flushed red as he turned away, evidently embarrassed by her bravado.
Ms Brewster kept her calm, clearly annoyed, but not surprised by Selene’s behaviour.
“As I was saying, for those that haven’t been here before, I don’t care what you do as long as it’s quiet and you remain in your seats. I’ll be at the desk catching up on work. Place your hand up if you require my attention. Is that clear?” She took the rooms silence as acknowledgement, turned and went about her business.
As soon as Ms Brewster was out of earshot, Selene turned to Jason.
“As you already heard from old Brewster there, I’m Selene, so how are you enjoying Perigord so far?” Selene asked with a chuckle. Jason smiled, despite himself.
“I’ve made better first impressions that’s for sure,” he quipped. This was followed by more laughter from Selene.
“Those were some pretty slick moves today,” Selene said, matter of fact. “Where did you learn them?”
“I have been taking boxing and a bit of MMA for the past three years, mainly for fitness, but for self-defence as well,” he replied.
“Well I’d say those lessons were fairly successful,” she joked.
“And I’d like to say that was my first time,” he replied.
“Ew, a bad boy,” Selene crooned.
“Hey could we change the subject please, I’m going to be hearing enough of this when I get home,” Jason replied tiredly.
“Fair enough. Hey I like your cross,” Selene said, pointing to the pendant around his neck. Jason smiled, holding it up for Selene to take a closer look.
“It belonged to my great uncle I think,” Jason said.
> “You’re not sure?” Selene replied. Jason shrugged and explained the circumstances behind its discovery.
“In fact I have the book here if you’re interested” Jason asked.
Selene nodded and rubbed her hands together.
“I’m intrigued,” she replied, sitting up in her seat. Jason retrieved the book from his school bag and placed it on the table with a heavy thud.
“Whoa, you weren’t kidding were you,” Selene said, eyeing the large tome.
“I’m not one for exaggeration,” he stated honestly as he opened the book and turned to the first page. Selene looked around as if something should be happening.
“Oh, was that it? I was half expecting some kind of demonic chanting to emanate from the netherworld, but this is a bit of a letdown,” she said flatly. Jason went to close the book.
“Well if you’re not interested,” he replied dryly. Selene slapped her hand over the top of his, looking him seriously in the eyes.
“Hey I was just kidding, you need to get a sense of humour, Rocky,” she said, slapping his hand out of the way. After a brief glance inside she turned to Jason.
“You weren’t completely wrong, some of this writing is definitely in German. I can make out some of the words but nothing that would prove useful.” Jason looked a little deflated as well. He didn’t know why but he had hoped Selene might be able to shed some light on the book’s content. Selene could read his reaction and interjected, “My grandmother is full on German. If you’re interested, we could take the book around one day and let her have a look,” Selene offered.
“I’d appreciate that,” Jason said sincerely, giving her a warm smile. Selene returned his smile, displaying a cute pair of dimples, her silver eyes glittering. Then the moment was over, the two of them looked down both a little embarrassed at how easily they had let their guards down,
Jason flipped through some of the pages in the book and cleared his throat.
“So, what do you do for fun around here?” he asked keen to change the subject.
“If you’re one of the walking dead, not too much. Hunting, fishing, getting drunk,” she said bitterly, then noticing his reaction, “Oh, It’s not all that bad I suppose. The Parthenon theatre shows classic horror movies Friday nights, and old Sci Fi movies on Saturday nights, the cheesier the better is their motto.”
“Really?” Jason asked.
“No, but it should be,” Selene joked and they both laughed.
“There’s also Crow FM the local radio station, every night between ten and four the DJ plays his own selection of tunes so if you’re into something a little different.”
“What are you like at the moment?” Jason asked. Selene thought it over.
“I’m kinda into Darkwave, you know, Diary of Dreams, Johnny Hollow.” She watched Jason closely, gauging his reaction.
“I don’t mind Johnny Hollow,” Jason replied.
“Really, what’s your favourite song?” Clearly not believing him, Jason thought it over for a second.
“I’m kinda fond of Stone Throwers,” he admitted. Selene looked impressed.
“Yeah I like that one too,” she replied.
Jason yawned and Selene took it as a sign of boredom. “The DJ’s a friend of mine, calls himself Beetle,” Selene blurted out.
“Beetle,” Jason repeated dubiously.
“I don’t know his real name, he’s a cool old dude, used to be a roadie back in the day for the Stones, the Who, and about a dozen other classic bands. He’s got some great stories to tell if you’re ever interested,” Selene said.
“Sounds interesting,” Jason nodded.
“Detention is over, come and sign your name in the book and you’re free to go,” Ms Brewster announced to the group.
“That’s us,” Selene said, the pair grabbing their bags and waiting for their turn to sign out.
“Can I walk you home?” Jason asked sheepishly.
“As much as I appreciate your chivalry, I’ll have to sadly decline,” Selene said with a smile. “I’m meeting my grandmother out front. Maybe next time.”
“Okay, next time,” Jason replied lamely. Selene was the first to leave the library and by the time Jason got outside there was no sign of her. He checked his watch and realised he was going to be late getting home. Jason Zipped up his hoodie and took off home at a fast sprint.
Chapter 10
By the time Jason arrived home the sun was almost gone and only its faint glow could be seen on the valley horizon. He slowed to a jog as he made his way up the driveway, already dreading the discussion he was sure to have with his mother. Entering the house Jason noted how quiet it was. He expected a cold greeting but not this absolute silence. Eventually he found a note on the kitchen message board. ‘Had a last minute emergency, dinner is in the fridge, we will talk when I get home’. Jason sighed wearily.
“What did you expect,” he said aloud, as he made his way to the fridge.
After dinner and a shower, he was reading Great Expectations on his bed when he heard the kombi pulling into the driveway. Jason decided not to greet his mother downstairs, instead waiting expectantly for her to appear at his door. Ten minutes later she didn’t disappoint, interrupting him with a clearing of her throat.
Helen was standing in Jason’s doorway, her arms crossed and looking far from happy.
“You know that man I had to see this morning, well it turns out he’s the Principal of your school, Mr Florentine, lovely man by the way. Well there I was in the middle of delivering a foal when he received a phone call from the school telling him that there had been a major fight”, Helen said calmly. She paced into his room.
“You can imagine my surprise and embarrassment to discover that not only is my son involved, but he’s the catalyst behind the entire thing,” Helen exhaled sharply. Jason tossed the book to one side as he climbed off his bed.
“It wasn’t like that at all, and if you’ll give me a second to explain my side of the story,” Jason pleaded. Helen threw her hands up.
“Two days you’ve been at school. Two days and now this. You promised me,” Helen’s voice trailed off as her eyes began to tear up.
“Mum I’m sorry,” Jason said.
“So am I,” Helen replied, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, “I’m tired. I suggest we both turn in before we say something we’ll regret.” Jason didn’t respond as Helen turned and walked out.
The following morning he awoke early and quietly let himself out of the house, jogging slowly towards town. Running in the same direction as he had the previous day, he entered Perigords central park, the darkness illuminated by the street lights. After several minutes he picked up his pace, now running at a near sprint, his breathing coming easy as he passed several bronze statues and stopping briefly before each. One was the trunk of a large tree with a young boy and girl tying a ribbon at its base, titled The Disappearance of the Remus Twins. Another, an abnormally tall and gaunt man dressed in a tattered three piece suit and bowler hat, his feet bare and arms outstretched a hideous smile on his lips looking toward the sky titled The Resurrection of Pollux. And finally, a trio of clowns standing under an umbrella, two with their heads bowed and the one to the front holding his hat in his hands, an obvious sad expression on his face, titled The Exile of the Chiodo Brothers. Jason thought the park’s creepiness factor was a definite 9.5 out of ten, but it was also kinda cool.
He reached the library and stopped to look up at the building. He noticed a light on, ‘That’s dedication for you’ he thought, before deciding to turn back. He arrived back home, sprinting hard all the way up the drive way, barely breathing hard or sweating as he reached the front door. He entered through the rear of the house into a room he had converted into a home gym. Without stopping for a break he donned his grappling gloves. Selecting a playlist on his iphone, he closed his eyes for a second as the music flowed out. He opened his eyes and adopted a fighter’s stance. Facing a suspended punching bag, Jason started striking the bag s
lowly at first concentrating on his technique, and as the song continued, so too did his intensity. He started throwing elbows and knees into the bag, his footwork was a blur as he moved in and out. His strikes coming hard and fast. Everywhere the bag moved Jason was on it, he never let up, giving the bag everything he had. Growling with anger, he pictured Hector and his friends on the end of every strike.
After thirty minutes he gave the bag a break and discarded his gloves, he started doing burpees. Once he reached fifty he jumped up on to the chin-up bar, keeping his legs straight and raising them horizontally so they were parallel with the ground. He started doing chin ups, holding them in that position throughout. After he got to thirty he dropped off the bar and turned to find his mother watching him, her eyes wide.
“Oh my God. I heard you leave for your run well over an hour ago and I’m pretty certain you haven’t taken a break. I could feel the vibrations of your punching all through the house.” Concern was evident in Helen’s voice.
Jason towelled a light sheen of sweat from his face.
“I didn’t mean to wake you, I just needed a quick workout,” he replied, grabbing a drink from his sports bottle.
“You’re not breathing hard and barely sweating,” Helen said, her voice sounding alarmed. “I’d swear you even look bigger. Are you using steroids?” Jason’s eyes widened.