by Quinn Conlan
The Square is busy, although less so than earlier. The Helpers form their standard tight circle around us. They carry the same strange jars. People stop and stare like last time, however, when I stare back, I don’t feel as threatened. The question of ‘am I like them?’ has been answered. I can see that answer in their eyes.
I find myself looking around for the distinguished man with the killer mo. I don’t see him. It’s amazing how each time I look into someone’s eyes, I can intuit that they are a vampire. As we pass close to some of them, I even start to feel a reaction to them. It’s almost as if each vampire has their own emotional tone. I’m drawn to some. Overwhelmed by a few. And I find myself recoiling sharply from others.
I wonder how they might be reacting to me? Do I give off good vibes? Should I try to give off threatening vibes, so they don’t think me weak? I can see a few vampires staring intently at me. I must be such a sorry sight, after the week I’ve had. I haven’t bathed in days. What a sudden blessing it is that all you can smell down here is the rancid air.
I look at my fellow new recruits and see just how haggard they are. Transition takes it out of you. And a three-hour exam is the cherry on top. Suddenly, I can think of nothing except a nice, warm bath, shampoo through my hair, and clean clothes.
We move as one towards the train platform. A Helper gestures for us to start piling onto the waiting carriages. Again, I register how ridiculous these primitive trains are, with their splintered, bare floors and not much else. I distract myself by thinking of a large suitcase filled with fresh clothes waiting for me at Dorms. I hope that’s not a fantasy.
But first, there is another hand-drawn ride through the tunnel of love. The lights from the Square fade away and we are absorbed by the darkness. The rancid underground air gathers into a savage density in the tunnel, and it’s hard not to gag at times. One poor student on our train does throw up, which makes him a momentary outcast.
I look around to see who my companions are on this hell ride. Kit is right by my side. She no longer clutches at my dress, however I feel we’ve become pretty inseparable. She still looks glum about the exam. I decide not to make the usual ‘I’m sure you’ll be fine’ speech you hear so often in life. Instead, I put a hand on her back and offer a look of sympathy.
Further into the huddle, I can see Garret. He’s chatting with a couple of other beefed up boys. It’s hard to hear what they’re saying over the unending groan of the train, but I’ll take a wild guess and assume it’s about football. I see the wicked-grinned bad boy in the leather jacket. He’s talking animatedly with two other boys and it dawns on me that he’s doing an impersonation of Mr Morrison. The other boys are in stitches. I find myself smiling and wishing I was closer to the show.
Suddenly, my view is blocked by the trio of cheerleaders. They stand right in front of me and look me up and down disapprovingly. Oh boy. Five series of Gossip Girl has taught me just how bitchy some girls can be.
Somehow, these girls have managed to stay a little cleaner than the rest of us. Their dresses aren’t quite as dirty, and their hair is less ragged. One of them even looks like she’s recently applied make up. They spend an eternity staring at me in withering silence. I decide to be proactive. “Is there a problem?” I ask.
“You tell us, farm girl,” says Crystal. I’m a little thrown.
“Have we met before? How did you know I’m from a farm?”
“Well, let’s see. Split ends…” says the girl to Crystal’s right.
“Weather-beaten face…” says the girl on the left.
“A dress made from an old tablecloth…” says Crystal, coming in with the trump card. Yikes. These girls are brutal. “Want us to continue?” asks Crystal, “cos we probably can.” So this is bitchiness in the flesh. Gossip Girl suddenly seems like a documentary series. I instantly know I’m not like these girls. I don’t mean in terms of appearance, although clearly they do. I mean I just know I’m not as driven to want to hurt others for my own gain. In a weird way, as uncomfortable as this moment is, I’m grateful. It confirms what my father always said about me, but which I could never quite believe because of how biased he was.
The cheerleaders stand there waiting for my move. I’m learning the ways of the world. I don’t quite know what to do, but I know that the comment about my dress has stung me. It may not be Prada but it’s very special to me. “My dad saved up and bought this dress for me, so maybe you could show a little respect. Besides, you don’t even know me,” I say. Crystal doesn’t miss a beat.
“I know the type. Poor little country girl who secretly thinks she’s better than everyone. I’ll draw out your bitchy side if it kills me.”
“You just need someone to pick on,” I say, defiantly.
“That’s right farm girl,” says Crystal, “and we’ve found you. Our very own, very raggedy ann doll.” She touches the collar of my dress, with a hideous smirk on her face. Then she pulls at it, causing it to tear. I’m horrified. The kids around us stop and stare. Garret stares, and so does the bad boy. Kitty puts her hand to her mouth in horror. I’m not embarrassed, but I am, suddenly, furious. My father spent months saving for this dress. I may not be a bitch, but nor am I a pushover.
I shove Crystal in the chest with both hands. She looks momentarily shocked and falls back a couple of steps. When she regains her footing, that’s when I see it. The very first glimpse of vampire fangs. She opens her mouth and they descend, fast as lightning. She hisses like a wild animal. People instinctively step back, as much as the small train will allow for. I see fury in Crystal’s eyes. However, rather than being shocked or afraid, I discover my new instinct. I open my mouth and there they are, ready and waiting. Two sharp, bloodthirsty fangs. It hurts a little, this first descent. I guess my gums have to acclimatize. But once they’re fully down, it sends a ripple of strength through my body, similar to when you get a major kick of adrenaline. I can detect rage, too, coursing through me. And a strong, willful desire to simply protect myself.
I stare back at Crystal and match her fury. “No one pushes me around!” she screams. She comes straight for me, violently shoving her hands into me. I step back and suddenly realize I’m standing right on the edge of the train. There’s not a handrail in sight. I guess that would have been a little too thoughtful of the Council. In fact, the only thing I have to hold onto at this moment is Crystal. I grab her arms as I teeter dangerously on the edge, and she realizes that she too is in trouble. As I start to fall, Crystal tries to swing the two of us around and back towards the train floor. She is strong, I’ve already learned that. But not that strong.
We topple over the side of the moving train. As we go down, I feel lucky that we aren’t falling directly under the wheels. We hit the train tracks hard. Both of us wince. Our arms are still gripped tightly around one another. Down the line, we hear the sudden screech of brakes and I can see sparks flying through the air. It’s an almighty sound. You thought riding one of those things sounded horrendous – try stopping one at full speed.
For a moment, there is silence. It’s just me and this girl who is clearly now my official arch nemesis, lying together on the filthy train tracks. The fall was hard, but I notice I don’t feel any injuries. We release each other and look around. I can see that Crystal is a little shocked and scared. So am I. There is chatter further down the tunnel and the sound of our names being called. They echo towards us, and, somewhat frantically, Crystal calls back. “We’re here!” She turns to me. “Nice going hick.”
“You started it,” I fire back.
“That’s right. And don’t think this is the end.”
“Oh for god sake Crystal, give it a rest for five minutes,” I wearily reply. I look around. There is a candle about five meters further down the tunnel that takes a tiny edge off the darkness. I can hear the sound of footsteps as people rush to find us.
We both sit up. I look to the side of the tracks and I can see that the tunnel isn’t fully enclosed. There’s a gap on one side that lo
oks quite deep. It’s like a cavern, running along beside the tracks in both directions. I’m curious about it. I move closer towards it and peer in. Crystal follows suit, perhaps not wanting to show her nerves. Suddenly, I realize that something is peering back at us! Several things, in fact. Eyes. Lots of them. Staring straight at us, and none of them stopping to blink.
Crystal and I both pull back with a start. The eyes don’t move. It dawns on me that maybe they’re as afraid as we are right now. “Maybe this is where the candle keepers live?” I wonder out loud.
“Nice work Einstein,” replies Crystal. She’s relentless. I try my best to meet their gaze and listen to my feelings. Is my body telling me I am looking into the eyes of vampires? It’s a confused feeling. I tell myself I still have my training wheels on. I wonder what Crystal is making of them, but I stop short of asking, since I’m tired of the wise crack replies. Slowly, I adjust to the darkness and more parts of these strange creatures become visible. I realize that whatever they are, I’m looking at a family. There are two grown ups and three little children, all of them smaller than humans. They don’t move a muscle.
I don’t know what to do, but something in me wants to reach out to them. To show them we mean no harm. I can feel that my fangs have retracted and I hope that Crystal’s have too. I wish I had more light. I look a little further along and suddenly see more pairs of eyes. These ones are approaching. We’ve got company. I wonder how many candle keepers and their families actually live down here? I feel sorry for them, but I’m also becoming ever so slightly afraid.
That’s when I get my wish for more light. A bright blue light, that creeps across the cavern and reveals the full extent of these strange little souls and their underground lives. The light illuminates everything, and as soon as it hits the tunnel dwellers, they recoil sharply and wince in pain. They cover their faces and begin immediately scurrying further up the tunnel. They move fast. I just have time to take stock of them. Their bodies are even more gnarled than I first thought. The children included. Their faces are pallid and limp. Their bodies are covered in just a few bare rags. As one of them cries out in pain, I peer into his mouth and see two unmistakable fangs. I guess that makes them vampires.
In a heartbeat, they are gone. I can feel hands on me, pulling me up. It’s the Helpers. They’ve come brandishing blue-light torches that must be tailor made for the tunnels. Not far behind them are several kids from the train, who rush at us. Crystal and I assure everyone we’re fine and we all hurriedly make our way back to the train.
As our journey resumes, I can’t stop thinking about the poor young shadow family. I glance at Crystal. She’s already staring at me. For a moment, we linger in a shared acknowledgment of what we just witnessed. And then, I guess it’s too much for her to bear. She’s flanked by her two sidekicks and she returns, willingly, to her greasie queen bee mode. As we charge on towards Dorms, I realize that all of us newbies are in this together, and none of us knows what’s around the corner.
Chapter Four
I’ve learned two solid facts about the Underground so far. Some of it runs beneath the subway. And it’s to be my home for the next two years. I best get used to the damp hair and rancid smells. I’m yet to work out what lies above the Square. The manholes would suggest it’s just below street level. This just leaves the Dorms.
We emerge from the tunnel into a large, open space. It’s smaller than the Square, but it’s still impressive. A crowd of kids are waiting for us. The rest of the Junior class has been here for some time, and I see a couple of worried looks dissipate as we make our entrance.
We disembark and join the class huddle. All of the Helpers hop onto our late train and make a speedy return to the tunnel, leaving the rest of the trains at the platform. The first thing I notice about the Dorms is the air. It feels different to the Square and the tunnel. It’s not as heavy or stale. It’s a relief.
There’s a lot less wood, which is also a welcome change. The ground is bare soil, well compacted. There are no buildings lining the edges. Instead, there are tunnels, heading off in all directions. They are thankfully free of train tracks.
It feels like a giant, underground burrow. I look up. An amazing sight awaits me. There are scores of plant roots, dangling down from the ceiling. We must be under a park. Some of the longer roots have been fashioned into beautiful shapes. Some are plaited, some have been bent to resemble animals or stars. It’s like graffiti, but with tree roots.
It dawns on me that everyone in the crowd standing opposite our nervous huddle is a teenager. This whole place must be for the Alurian students. They appear to range in age from 12 to around 18. Many of them look at us like we’ve accidentally strayed onto their turf.
There is a long, increasingly uncomfortable silence. Finally, five teens step forward from the group. They move with an air of ceremony. Two of them look like carbon copies of Garret. One looks like Crystal’s long-lost twin. One is a thin, nerdy-looking boy, and the last one is a dark-featured girl with beautiful, long black hair. The sight of her hair heartens me. It couldn’t look as good as it does without there being water and shampoo down here.
The nerdy boy is the first to speak. “Juniors. Welcome to Dorms.” His voice strikes a serious and terribly earnest note. One of the jocks takes over.
“We trust that Transition went smoothly.” Yeh, it was a real peach. The second jock chimes in next.
“You are looking at the rest of the student body of The Alurian School. This space here is known as the Commons. We are your Seniors.” Crystal’s doppelganger takes over.
“We five before you are the Senior Prefects of the five Dorm Houses. You have each been assigned a House based on extensive research and observation.” The tone of this introduction is so incredibly earnest that it’s hard not to crack a smile. Although I am suddenly concerned about which House I’m headed for. The thought of living under the rule of a jock or a cheerleader doesn’t fill me with excitement. Add the nerd to that mix, come to think of it.
The longhaired girl is the last to speak. I like her immediately. Her voice makes a mockery of the secret society nonsense that has come before it. “Look. You’re new. You’re scared. You’re tired. All you need to know right now is that the Dorms are underneath a cemetery, that we sleep in coffins, and yes, there is running water. Oh, and my name is Kate. It’s lovely to meet you all.”
This girl is my cup of tea, although the news that we sleep in coffins comes as quite the clichéd bombshell. Then again, I remember how much the vampire starter pack rabbitted on about the importance of tradition. Great. Sounds cozy.
The five Dorm Houses that fan out underneath the cemetery line up with the different religious sections. Underneath the Catholic section, there’s a House called the Licks. It’s ruled by one of the jocks. Below the Jewish section is a House called the Yids. It’s ruled by the other jock. Beneath the Pentecostal section, you’ve got the Penties. That’s cheerleader territory. Under the Presbyterian section, there’s the Presbies. Nerd central. And that leaves the Lutheran section, under which you’ve got the Luthers. That’s Kate’s domain.
The Houses are found at the end of the tunnels that creep away from the Commons. I am eager to discover which rabbit hole I’m to disappear down.
The Licks leader gets the selection ball rolling. “Whichever one of us Prefects calls your name, you are to fall in behind them and join your new family. When you’ve all been called, we will disband and you can begin to learn the ways of your House. We have a strict, Dorms-wide policy of candles out and coffins closed right on sunrise, and we meet right here each night at 8pm for transport to school. No exceptions. You break the rules, you will know about it.”
The House roll call is fast and furious. Garret goes to the Licks. He is welcomed with elaborate, locker room high fives. Crystal and her two cronies go to the Penties. I half expect them to do an impromptu cheer. The first shock for me is that Kitty is called by the Presbies. For some reason, I thought she’d go to the
Luthers. She looks up at me and doesn’t seem surprised. She gives my tattered dress a squeeze for old times sake and makes her way towards her new family.
The second surprise comes when the leather-clad bad boy is called by the Luthers. I didn’t really think about where he might go, but the Luthers is the only House I’m interested in. I’m mildly irritated that he’s joined the club. He swaggers over and gives some lame, hip sort of handshake to his new roomies.
I’m one of the last to be called. I’m incredibly nervous. As time has drawn on, I’ve become increasingly aware of what a big deal your House is. It could be the difference between school being hell or bearable. I am hoping with everything I’ve got that Kate calls my name. After the day I’ve had, I feel like I deserve a break. And indeed, the vampire gods are smiling up at me. Kate excitedly calls out my name and I rush towards her. She gives me a welcome hug. My heart tells me she is someone I can trust.
The five groups peel away to their respective tunnels. We head up a narrow, winding tunnel, ducking under tree roots as we go. Eventually, we arrive at another clearing. It’s much smaller and homelier than the Commons. It’s known as the Mess. I look up and see that the word ‘Luthers’ has been spelled out using tree roots. Framed House photos line the walls. There is an old red rug on the floor, and a couple of worn old sofas along the wall. I like the place immensely.
The Seniors make themselves at home in the Mess, and Kate leads us Juniors into yet another tunnel. This one’s only short, and it takes us to the Junior quarters.
It’s plain, but lovely. There are wardrobes and drawers along one wall. There is an ancient blue rug on the floor, and two ratty old sofas. I count three doors. One leads to the bathroom, which is to be shared by all 10 of us. The other two doors indicate that these Dorms have been here for a very long time. They lead to the powder rooms. His and hers. Kate tells us they’re for changing and storage.