by Gill, J. G.
Min and Thomas exchanged glances, the kind that meant they weren’t about to listen to anything I’d just said.
“I know this is hard, Clare, but if we don’t get you to the Slipworld as fast as we can, both you and Bede will be in serious danger,” said Min.
It was clear that I was going to need another approach.
“Look, I’m honestly not trying to be difficult,” I said, “but I don’t even know what this Slipworld thing is and I really just want to find my brother.”
Thomas threw Min a glance.
“If Min and I come back for Bede, will you come to the Slipworld with us now?” he said.
“Is there no way we can find Bede first?” I said.
“No Clare, there really isn’t,” said Min. “So much time has passed already and Demarge can move incredibly quickly in this world. Please, just trust us on this.”
I paused to consider the options. If I went with Min and Thomas it would at least mean I’d have a chance of getting out of the prison. It would also mean not having to see Demarge again.
“Okay, I’ll go with you now,” I said, reluctantly. “But only if you promise me that we’ll come back and look for Bede.”
“Of course,” said Min.
“So how’s this going to work?” I said, gazing up the window. “Are we going to take turns giving each other a leg up or something?”
Min and Thomas laughed.
“What?” I said frowning.
“Min and I may not be quite at our full strength at the moment, but we can certainly do a little better than that,” said Thomas.
As I waited for him to continue, I noticed a strange twitching movement from somewhere immediately behind him. I glanced sideways at Min and noticed that the weird twitchy thing was happening behind her too. Before I could ask either of them what was going on, a pair of translucent wings with fine, pale blue veins was gradually unfurling from just beneath Min’s shoulder blades. Each wing was a long, narrow oval, the shape of a surfboard. Now Thomas’ wings were also unfolding from his back, the fine veins a pale yellow.
I blinked and rubbed my eyes. There’s no way this can be real, I told myself. But no matter what I did to try to clear my crazy vision of the wings, nothing seemed to work. Min smiled.
“Thomas and I are not made of flesh and blood like you. We’re made of light. We have no need for wings in the Slipworld, where light can move easily. But here, in the world of material things, the dark atmosphere presses in on us. We’ve had to adapt as other creatures have, by developing wings so we can cut through the heaviness and carry objects.”
As Min spoke I barely noticed that she and Thomas had slid their arms under each of mine. I felt my hair blow across my face as the frantic beating of wings vibrated in my ears. Before I knew what was happening, my feet were leaving the ground and I was travelling rapidly towards the window. I made the stupid mistake of looking down and my stomach began to lurch. I was still trying to deal with my gag reflexes when I felt Min whispering in my ear.
“Curl yourself into a ball, we need to pass you through the window.”
I quickly drew my arms and legs into my body, accidentally whacking myself in the face with my elbow. Youch.
“Why do I have to be so clumsy?” I cursed under my breath.
I was now doing my best impression of an egg as I felt my butt touch down on a cold slab of stone. The atmosphere smelt even mustier out here than it had inside the prison – not a bad smell exactly, just a damp one, which reminded me a bit of wet moss.
“The ledge is very narrow so be careful,” said Min.
I reached out, my fingertips tentatively dabbing the rough grain of the stone, before stretching out each of my legs, one after the other. It was only once I was sure I’d properly balanced myself that I dared to lift my head and look around. I saw instantly what Min had meant about the ledge – there were only centimetres between my hand and the edge of the stone, which fell away into endless darkness.
I swallowed hard, trying desperately to settle my stomach. My fingers were now clutching the window frame so tightly that my knuckles had turned white.
“Clare, are you okay?” Min’s bell-like voice rose out of the window. I watched her slide through it and step neatly over my legs, balancing on the outer rim of the ledge. She looked so relaxed you’d have thought she was standing in the middle of a huge, flat paddock, rather than a millimetre away from a one-way trip into a bottomless pit.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I lied.
Min leant down to help me up, as I tried – and failed – to think of a good excuse to remain sitting.
“It’s okay, we’ll make sure you don’t fall,” said Thomas, stepping through the window and easing his way behind me.
I smiled weakly. It seemed there was no way I was going to be able to avoid having to stand on the ledge. Min grasped my arm and gently pulled me to my feet as I balanced myself against the side of the prison.
“You’ll be fine, just don’t look down,” she said.
I swallowed nervously and nodded, repeating her words to myself like a mantra. From this angle I could now see that we were on the top of what looked like a square with a dome-shaped roof, suspended in the middle of an underground cavern. I craned my neck, while keeping my feet completely still, to see the spiral staircase shimmering in the indigo darkness behind me. Turning to face Min again, I noticed that the ledge we were standing on was actually connected to a long, thin, rocky pathway. I ran my eyes along it until I eventually lost the thread, somewhere in the distance far, far away.
“Where does the path go?” I said.
“It leads to the wall of the cavern,” said Min.
I had a nasty feeling I already knew the answer to my next question, but I felt compelled to ask it anyway.
“So do we have to go along that path to get out of here?”
Min nodded. “There’s a door at the end of it, back to the outside world.”
As clichéd as I know it sounds, my heart sunk. Never mind its sheer length, the path looked incredibly steep.
“Can we fly?” I asked hopefully.
“No, it’s too risky,” said Min. “Thomas is already weak and if we lose all our light we’ll have very little hope of getting back home again. I’m afraid we are just going to have to walk like mortals.”
Like mortals. There was that phrase again. I only wished that this time I could humour it as easily.
CHAPTER XIV
Bede woke to find his mattress being shaken, as if he was in the middle of an earthquake. Someone was shouting something very loudly in his ear. He rubbed his eyes and looked up.
“Get off my bed!” said the voice. “Go and find another mattress, this one’s mine!”
“Wh…what?” said Bede. “I don’t understand, I thought I was allowed to sleep anywhere.” He was now fully awake and propped up on his elbows.
“Well think again. This is my bed, so move it.”
Bede looked into the face that was shouting at him. It was framed by a hood, making it impossible to see the person’s hair, but it had clear grey eyes, delicate bones and translucent skin. Even in the dim, early morning light, Bede could vaguely see the fine blue veins just beneath the surface of the person’s temples.
“Well?” the face demanded.
“Well what?” said Bede. The shock of having been woken up so suddenly was fast being replaced by raw indignation. So he’d made a mistake, big deal. It didn’t mean he deserved to be woken up and shouted at. He was only new to the house, after all.
“Well get off my bed, that’s what,” said the face.
Bede sat up properly and surveyed the edges of the room. Even at a quick glance there were at least three unoccupied mattresses.
“What’s wrong with that one over there?” he said, nodding at the vacant mattress furthest away.
“That’s not the point,” the voice insisted. “This is my bunk and you’re on it.”
Bede shook his head and gave a frustrated sno
rt. It was hopeless trying to reason with someone like that. He turned away and was about to lie down again, when he felt a fist land heavily against his arm, followed by a swift kick to his thigh. Now it was all on.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Bede shouted.
Undeterred, the figure jumped on him, biting and kicking, as it tried to wrestle Bede off the mattress. Bede snatched hold of his attacker’s arms and held them fast. Despite his bulky winter coat, the man’s arms were as thin and bony as a whippet. It was only then that Bede realised he was just a kid, and one who was physically much weaker than him. He breathed an inward sigh of relief, the fight wouldn’t be so bad after all.
By now, virtually everyone else in the room had woken up and was starting to get involved.
“Cut out the racket!” a voice shouted from across the room.
“Hey, what’s going on?” shouted someone else, flicking the lights on.
Bede blinked, like a mole surfacing in daylight, as he continued to wrestle with the stranger. Finally, someone got up from their mattress and pulled the assailant away.
“Enough Calix! For God’s sake, what’s got into you? You’re acting crazy.”
“Get off me Ian!” said the stranger. “This is the umpteenth time I’ve come home from work and found that someone’s taken my space. I’ve had enough!”
Bede looked up to see that a man was now restraining the boy, although with some difficulty. In the struggle his hood had been pushed back and the small face was now crowded by a fine mass of shoulder-length, sandy brown hair.
“You’re a girl?” said Bede in disbelief.
“And you’re a rocket scientist,” the stranger spat as she continued to try wriggling free. “Man, you’re such an arse, Ian. I would’ve had him if you hadn’t got involved.” She turned back to Bede.
“Don’t think this is over. I’m talking to Troy in the morning. I’ve had enough of punks like you, coming in here and nicking my bed so I’ve got nowhere to sleep. You might think you’re all smug now, but just wait until I’ve spoken to Troy. You’ll be out, do you hear me, out!” Calix stormed out of the room.
“Good, can we please get back to sleep now?” said an anonymous, irritated voice. Someone hit the lights and the quiet darkness settled itself in the room again.
Bede lay awake, staring at the ceiling for a few moments as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Who was that crazy mare? Why would Troy want a loose unit like that living in the house? He glanced sideways, hoping that his neighbour might be able to fill him in, but he was clearly trying to get back to sleep. Bede yawned and glanced at his watch: 3:17 am. It was either much too late, or much too early, to try to make sense of it himself. He sighed, rolled over, and went back to sleep.
It seemed like only minutes later that the angry bleeps of an alarm clock ripped open the room. Still in a semi-conscious daze, Bede pulled his hood down over his ears and tried to block out the noise. It was no use. The siren busted its way into his ears and bounced around inside his head like a wasp caught in a jam jar. He slowly opened his eyes, one at a time, just as a pair of legs walked past his nose. Bede glanced up to see Ian, the short, stocky man who had helpfully prised Calix off him several hours earlier.
“Morning!”
Bede winced inwardly. Whatever time it was, he was sure it was still too early to be either that cheerful or that loud.
“Morning,” he whispered back.
“I see you survived your first night in the House of Pain,” said Ian, laughing at his own joke.
“Only just,” said Bede. “Getting set upon by a Banshee didn’t help. Who is that girl?”
“Calix,” said Ian.
“Sounds like she’s been here a while?” said Bede.
Ian nodded. “Yeah, from the start. Used to have a thing with Troy I think, but that’s been over for a while now. She does a night shift in a local factory, putting dolls together. I think it sends her a bit mental. That’s not the first time she’s gone off on one. Probably won’t be the last either. I’d stay out of her way if I were you.”
“Thanks for the tip. I’m Bede, by the way.”
“Good to meet you, I’m Ian.” He shook Bede’s hand before turning to leave. “I better get going, my shift starts in half an hour.”
Bede glanced at his watch again – it was almost ten, time to get up and start looking for Clare. He reached behind him, stabbing the floor with his fingers until he struck his clothes. They were still a bit damp but they would have to do. Once he’d made sure there was no one else in the room he quickly dropped his jeans and slid the underpants on. He squirmed as the soggy fabric hit his skin and slimed its way up his legs, as cold and clammy as a dead flounder.
Uggh, that’s so gross, Bede thought to himself, yanking his jeans on over the top to disguise the dampness.
He was halfway through putting his T-shirt on when Calix wandered into the room. She scowled at him instantly. Caught off-guard, Bede blushed awkwardly, struggling to pull the fabric down over his head to cover his stomach. He wasn’t even going to attempt a conversation while he was still half-naked. Calix continued to study him with her cold, inscrutable grey eyes, before quickly casting a glance around the rest of the room.
“Where’s Ian?” she asked.
Bede could now see her face properly, in the daylight, without a T-shirt in the way. She looked about seventeen – older than when he’d thought she was a boy, but still a year or so younger than him.
“Dunno, he said he had to get ready,” said Bede.
Calix shrugged and turned to leave.
“Hey…” Bede stopped her in her tracks. “About this morning, I really didn’t know that was your bed. If I had, I wouldn’t have taken it.”
Calix turned to face him square on, pausing as she quickly looked him up and down. Bede noticed that her lip was turned up slightly at the corner, although it was hard to tell if she was sneering, or just thinking.
“Whatever,” she said. Then, in a slightly more conciliatory tone, “maybe I jumped down your throat a bit. I’m tired when I get home and I just wanted to crash. It’s hard enough living here as it is, y’know?”
“Yeah, I can imagine,” said Bede. “I mean, I’m really grateful that Troy’s letting me stay and everything – I’d be pretty stuffed otherwise – but it’s not the same as having your own home with your own bedroom.”
Calix stifled a smile. “Can’t remember the last time I had that,” she said, turning to leave. She paused at the door.
“Have you had breakfast?”
Bede shook his head.
“Want to come grab some three-day old bread, gone crispy from being left out on the sink all night? We can pretend it’s been toasted.”
Bede laughed. “Sounds delicious,” he said, following Calix down the corridor towards the kitchen. “We haven’t really been introduced yet.” He held out his hand. “I’m Bede de Milo.”
“Calix Michaels,” said the girl. “So where are you from anyway?”
Bede took a deep breath and carefully retold the same story that Shrapnel had given Troy the night before. It was just easier that way, at least until he’d had a chance to explain things a bit more to Troy.
“How about you?” he said, anxious to deflect the conversation away from himself.
Calix was in the process of driving her knife into the jam pot and drawing out a heart-shaped strawberry, slapping it bloodily onto the bread.
“Oh, you know, usual story. Father left before I knew him, mother remarried an alcoholic who beat her up and abused me. I ran away as soon as I could, lived on the streets, met Troy and hooked up with him for a bit, then got a factory job and moved in here.” She paused, trying to remember if there were any other key points she’d missed out. “Yep, that’s basically it.”
“That’s pretty full-on,” said Bede.
Calix shrugged. “I dunno. It’s not like I’m the only one. This place is full of misfits like me.” She laughed and bit i
nto her jam sandwich.
There was an awkward silence as Bede wondered what to say next. He noticed a radio sitting on top of the bench.
“Does that thing work?” he asked.
“Yeah, if it’s got batteries,” said Calix. “Can never guarantee that though.”
Bede flicked the switch and the radio answered back with a gasp of crackly static. He found the tuning dial and moved it around slowly until he found a man who was part way through a song.
“Ha!” choked Calix through a mouthful of bread. “I was named after this song.”
“What, ‘Calix’?” said Bede.
“Nah, not Calix,” she said, half laughing and looking at him as if he was stupid. “Jean. You know, as in the song you’re listening to?”
“Oh,” said Bede, feeling a bit foolish. “So where did Calix come from then?”
“Read it in a book and thought it sounded more like me than ‘Jean’ did. So I changed it,” said Calix. She started singing along to the chorus, playfully trying to mimic the low tones.
Bede laughed and joined in. Before they knew it they were dancing about in the kitchen, each holding jammy bits of bread in their hands. A loud crashing sound suddenly interrupted them. It was coming from the front door.
“What’s that?” said Bede.
“No idea,” said Calix. “Most of us have gone by this time of the morning.”
It was then that they heard the dreaded words over the loud-hailer.
“Open up! Police!”
“No way,” breathed Calix, her eyes growing round with shock.
Troy came bounding down the corridor and into the kitchen.
“Bloody cops,” he said. “We haven’t even had an eviction notice yet. Quick, grab your stuff and tell everyone who’s still here to follow me. We can take off out the back door.”
“Come on, we know you’re in there!” a voice boomed over the loud-hailer. “If you open up, you know it will be a lot better for everyone.”
“They mean a lot better for them,” said Calix. “Anything to save having to run around the city after us.”
“What’s going on?” Ian came panting down the corridor. “I was just about to leave when I heard that racket going on outside.”