Mindscape

by M. M. Vaughan

  “Welcome back,” said Maura, opening the door, the familiar sound of classical music filling the air.

  Chris didn’t speak for a moment as he looked about, his heart in his throat. It was just an entrance hall, but, for him, it was so much more. It was a place where he was valued, where he could be himself, and where there were people who actually wanted him around. It was, he realized, his home—much more so than the house he had shared with his mother. For a split second, the thought entered his mind that he would have to leave here in a few months’ time, but he pushed it away—for now, he just wanted to see his friends.

  “Where’s Philip?” asked Chris.

  “In the Map Room, I expect, waiting for you. Why don’t you run along—I’m sure you have lots to catch up on. Sir Bentley wants you all in the classroom for a briefing at ten, so you have an hour to yourselves.”

  “Thanks,” said Chris, running off in the direction of the student quarters.

  • • •

  Chris walked into the spectacular Map Room, covered floor to ceiling in maps as its name suggested, and found Philip curled up on an armchair reading a book. He was dressed in a three-piece suit and a red bow tie, and his hair was slicked down in a side parting. Chris smiled at his best friend, who always looked as if he had time-traveled forward a hundred years.

  “Haven’t you read every book by now?” asked Chris, smiling.

  “Not even close,” said Philip as he threw the book down and jumped up to greet Chris. “I’m so glad you’re here—wait till you see this!” he said, grabbing Chris by the arm. “Apparently, there were two phases of renovations—Maura said they didn’t have enough time to finish it all before we started last term. Honestly, you won’t believe it. They left the best till last.”

  Chris, intrigued, dropped his bag on the floor and followed Philip over to the back of the Map Room, where a map of Oxford taller and wider than either of the boys hung next to the row of pool cues.

  “This was here last term,” said Chris, confused.

  “I know, but look closely. Do you see anything strange?”

  “Um, no,” said Chris, scanning the names of the roads that he had memorized early on in his time at Myers Holt. As far as he could see, nothing had changed.

  “The Bodleian Library,” said Philip.

  Chris’s eyes ran back across the map to the library.

  “Oh! What’s that?” said Chris, peering in at the small black button protruding from the center of the circle.

  “Press it.”

  “Press what?” said a voice that made both of them jump. They turned to see Lexi at the doorway, her mass of frizzy curls even more wild and unruly than they had been last time the boys had seen her, her smile in contrast to the stern sound of her voice.

  “Lexi! Come here. Look at this,” said Philip.

  Lexi, having grown up with three older and mercilessly teasing brothers, looked over at them, and her eyes narrowed.

  “Yeah, I’m not falling for that one,” she said, arms folded.

  “Suit yourself,” said Philip, turning back to the map. Chris waved Lexi over and turned back himself, eager to press the button.

  “Go on,” said Philip, excited.

  Chris pressed the button and jumped away as the map suddenly swung backward, revealing a large black, door-shaped hole.

  “What’s in there?” asked Lexi, her curiosity having led her over to them.

  Chris stepped in first and a light came on automatically, revealing a secret room that was, it turned out, a library—but a library unlike any that Chris had ever seen.

  Chris found himself standing on a wrought-iron balcony that ran along the perimeter of the relatively small room, giving access to the books on the dark wood shelves. He stepped forward and leaned over the railing.

  “Wow!” said Chris, surprised to be looking down at bookcases that continued below them for three stories at least, making the sofas and large, ornate rug lying at the bottom of the room seem tiny.

  “How do you get the books down there?” asked Lexi.

  “That’s the best bit,” said Philip, walking out on the balcony to a gate. He lifted the latch, stepped onto what looked like just another section of balcony, and closed the gate behind him. He leaned over, lifted a hatch that Chris hadn’t noticed, and climbed down.

  Chris walked over, followed by Lexi, and saw that Philip was standing on what looked like a window-cleaner’s platform, suspended by ropes.

  “There are ropes to winch you round and down if you feel like making things difficult. Or, if you’re twelve and have the Ability, like us, you could just do this,” said Philip, grinning as he looked up at them. Suddenly, he disappeared from view.

  Chris and Lexi ran over to the railing and looked down to see the platform zooming around to the other side before coming to a sudden stop.

  “Chinese-language books over here,” shouted Philip, pulling one out with a wild, excited look on his face. He looked back up at the ropes, and the platform suddenly sprang to life again, dropping toward the ground.

  “Or advanced mathematics, if that’s your thing,” he said, taking out a couple more books and placing them by his feet.

  Chris watched as Philip zoomed round and up and down collecting a mountain of books. Finally, the platform whizzed back up to where he had started.

  “That’s amazing,” said Chris, taking and setting down the books that Philip passed up to him.

  “I want a go!” said Lexi. “Come on, Chris.”

  Chris waited for Philip to climb up through the hatch and then let Lexi down first before following her.

  “Any spy novels? I finished all the ones I got for Christmas already,” said Lexi as Chris looked at the map framed on the railing of the platform.

  “Yep,” said Chris, pointing to a section of the map. He turned to the far wall and pointed across from where they were hanging.

  “They’re over there. Hold on.” Chris turned his attention to the ropes above him and let his mind go blank except for the image of the rope moving in the direction of the shelf.

  Chris, who had expected to be moving to the left gently, fell forward onto Lexi as the platform started spinning around the room uncontrolled.

  “Chris!” shouted Lexi, pushing Chris off her as she looked up at the rope. She willed the platform to stop dead, and it did. Chris looked over at Lexi apologetically.

  “Sorry, I didn’t realize it would go that fast.”

  “Someone hasn’t been practicing the Ability over the holidays,” said Lexi, sounding amused. She looked up at the rope again, and the platform began to move gently.

  “No . . . well, not much. I thought we weren’t allowed to,” said Chris. “Why, have you?”

  “Maybe once or twice,” said Lexi as they came to a smooth stop. “I didn’t tell anyone, though,” she said, seeing Chris’s look of surprise. “It’s just that sometimes you need a bit of help when you’ve got three brothers picking on you.”

  Chris thought back to that morning and the incident with Kevin, and he nodded.

  “Yeah, I understand. Now I’m wishing that—”

  “Ooh! They’ve got the entire Ian Fleming collection,” Lexi said as she grabbed an armful of books. “One day, they’re going to write books about me, you know,” she said, placing the pile down by her feet.

  “What kind of books?”

  “Books like these,” replied Lexi. “I was thinking about it over the holidays, and I’ve decided I’m going to be the next James Bond—but better.”

  “James Bond is a man.”

  “So?” said Lexi.

  Chris thought about it for a moment. “Okay, well, good luck with that. Where to next?” asked Chris.

  “Don’t we have our Latin A level soon?”

  Chris nodded. “I’ll do it,” he said, looking up from the map toward the ropes.

  “Okay, but try not to throw us off this thing this time,” said Lexi as she grabbed on to the railing.

  Chri
s focused once again on moving, and the platform went into a sudden drop, making Lexi gasp.

  “Only joking,” said Chris as he slowed the platform. They glided smoothly across to the Latin section at the bottom of the room, where they both collected some books before making their way back to Philip.

  “Best thing ever, right?” said Philip, grinning as they reentered the Map Room.

  “Yep,” agreed Chris. He closed the door behind him just as another door across the room opened.

  “Tidings to you all,” said Sebastian with a small bow.

  For a moment, nobody spoke as they stared at Sebastian in his new outfit.

  “What are you wearing, Sebastian?” asked Lexi with a small laugh.

  Sebastian, who normally wore T-shirts and jeans, ran his hands over his canary-yellow suit.

  “Do you like it? I have been investing much thought in Philip’s sayings—dress to impress, isn’t this correct?” said Sebastian, his Spanish accent thick.

  “Very nice,” said Chris, still in shock. “Where did you get the pink shirt from?”

  “Savile Row,” said Sebastian, clearly very pleased with himself. “I asked for a new wardrobe for Christmas.”

  “You have more of this?” asked Philip.

  “Yes, a different color shirt, suit, and tie for every day of the week. Do you approve of my new attire, Philip? I took my lessons from you.”

  “It’s all right. A bit showy,” said Philip flatly, walking off.

  Chris turned and saw Philip by the pool table looking down at his own clothes with a miserable look on his face. Chris was surprised—Philip had always seemed so self-assured.

  “You look fine,” Chris whispered as he approached Philip, leaving Lexi and Sebastian to catch up.

  “I look like a middle-aged professor next to that,” said Philip.

  “You always look like a middle-aged professor,” said Chris smiling. “It worked for Einstein, though, didn’t it?”

  “I suppose so,” said Philip, shrugging his shoulders.

  “Come on, you should be flattered: He just wants to be more like you. Don’t let it bother you,” said Chris as he dragged a reluctant Philip back to the others.

  • • •

  Twenty minutes later and Philip had cheered up after Sebastian convinced him to teach him how to tie his tie in a Windsor knot.

  “Maybe it’s not so bad,” said Philip to Chris as they sat down in front of the television. “Nothing wrong with all of us making an effort, I suppose. You could borrow some stuff from me if you want. I have a monocle that would look good.”

  Chris imagined himself wearing a bow tie and monocle and winced. “Thanks, but I’ll stick to my own clothes for the moment.”

  “Fair enough,” said Philip, “but the offer’s there if you change your mind.”

  The sound of the door opening once more saved Chris from continuing the conversation. They both turned to see Daisy standing in the doorway in a new pink dress, a sad smile on her face.

  “Has she been crying?” whispered Philip.

  “She just doesn’t like to say good-bye to her family,” said Chris, remembering how inconsolable Daisy had been on their first day at Myers Holt. He stood up to go and say hello but was beaten to it by Sebastian, who grabbed Daisy’s hand and got down on bended knee.

  “So doth thy beauty make my lips to fail, and all my sweetest singing out of tune,” he said.

  “Er, thanks,” said Daisy as she pulled her hand away. Chris noticed that she was blushing.

  “Daisy!” said Lexi as she ran over to give Daisy a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here. These boys get weirder every day.”

  Daisy giggled and she hugged Lexi back, her homesickness quickly disappearing. “I know. Well, not Chris—you’re still normal, right?”

  Chris shrugged. “I guess.”

  “Nah, he’s just as weird as the others, he just hides it better,” said Lexi. She gave Chris a playful punch, then grabbed Daisy by the arm and dragged her over to the other side of the room.

  “Game of pool?” asked Philip as the girls disappeared into the library. Chris and Sebastian nodded.

  “You two play first. I’ll play the winner,” said Chris. He sat down in an armchair next to the pool table.

  “Where is Rex, anyway?” asked Philip. “Then we could play doubles.”

  “Did I hear my name?”

  Chris turned as he saw Rex walking into the room looking just as he had before Christmas: round faced and freckled, wearing his favorite orange T-shirt.

  “Hi! Game of pool?” asked Philip.

  Rex nodded and had begun to walk over to them when he suddenly saw Sebastian and stopped dead. He glanced over at Philip and then back again at Sebastian’s suit.

  “Nobody sent me the memo,” he said finally.

  “What memo?” asked Philip.

  Rex broke out into a wide grin. “The one about Halloween moving to January.”

  Philip shook his head, half-smiling, half-exasperated. “Same old Rex.”

  “Missed you, too, Einstein,” said Rex. He walked up to Sebastian and leaned down to examine his perfectly knotted tie. “Purple tie with lime-green stripes? Interesting choice, Pedro.”

  “Dress to impress,” said Sebastian.

  Rex stood up and looked over at Philip in mock horror. “Oh, no, it’s contagious. What next? Chris wearing a top hat?”

  “Yeah, I left it in the bedroom,” said Chris.

  Rex’s eyes widened in shock. “Seriously?!”

  Chris laughed. “No, of course not.”

  “Great, I leave you guys for not even a couple of weeks and everything’s changed; Sebastian’s raided Bozo the Clown’s wardrobe, and Chris has gone and got himself a sense of humor.”

  “Nothing’s changed with you though, Rex—still as charming as ever,” said Philip.

  “Thank you, thank you,” said Rex as he picked up a cue. “Now, who wants to lose to me at pool?”

  • • •

  The game of pool, which had soon become a Mind Pool tournament—where they used their Ability instead of cues to move the white ball—was interrupted by Maura, who came to remind them that they were expected in the classroom in five minutes.

  “We’ll just say I won,” said Rex.

  “Only if winning means potting the least number of balls,” said Philip.

  “Fine by me,” said Rex. “Better luck next time, losers.”

  “Please, let us be friends,” said Sebastian, exasperated, as he led the way out. Chris and the others followed him through the door, down the corridor, and into the Dome.

  “Oh, it’s always lovely in here. I’m so glad to be back,” said Daisy as they stepped into the warmth of the artificial sunlight. Chris, nodding his head in agreement, stopped for a moment to look up at the Dome’s panels, screens that replicated sunlight as well as projecting a landscape of a summer’s day. The panels were so real that it was hard to remember they were, in fact, standing deep underground in the middle of winter. Chris decided to take the long route to the classroom. He climbed up to the top of the hill and, standing under the blossoming tree, looked around at the swimming pool, the soccer field, and the vast expanse of manicured lawn surrounding him.

  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

  Chris turned to see Daisy walking up toward him. He nodded.

  The two stood side by side in silence for a moment, taking in the view.

  “How was your Christmas?” asked Daisy finally.

  “It was really good,” said Chris automatically but then, remembering that Daisy was the only one of his friends who knew the truth about his home life, corrected himself. “Actually, it wasn’t good at all. My mum hardly talked to me, and I was feeling pretty bad about, you know, the stuff that happened at the ball. What about you?”

  “It was good. Dad and Mum worrying about money the whole time as always,” said Daisy, “but we had a good time. I got a new dress.”

  “It’s, uh, nice,” said Chris,
not sure what else to say about it.

  “Thanks. And sorry about your mum, Chris. I’m sure she’ll get better soon.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen,” said Chris, but, realizing how miserable he sounded, he pulled himself together and smiled. “Still, I don’t have to worry about it now—it’s good to be back here.”

  Daisy smiled back. “We’re going to be late. Race you?”

  Chris didn’t have a chance to answer before Daisy ran off down the hill.

  “That’s cheating!” he shouted after her. He chased her down the hill, laughing. It felt good to be back.

  • CHAPTER THREE •

  Chris and Daisy walked into the classroom to find everybody else already seated, waiting for them. Behind the teacher’s desk stood Sir Bentley, the headmaster of Myers Holt and director general of MI5, standing tall and imposing in his dark tailored suit, his arms folded. Chris imagined that there might be a lot of people who found him intimidating—he was a man of great power, after all—but Chris was not one of them: Sir Bentley had only ever been both kind and fair with him.

  “Ah, Daisy and Christopher, thank you for joining us,” said Sir Bentley, smiling. “Quick, sit down and we’ll get started.”

  Chris took his seat, a tall blue chair in front of a single desk, and looked up at Sir Bentley, eager to get started.

  “Well, first, welcome back. I hope you all enjoyed your well-deserved break and that you’re feeling full of energy for the new term, yes?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Chris and the others in unison.

  “Wonderful. I have a few bits of housekeeping first, and then we’ll get on to discussing this term’s work. First, as some of you may have already seen, there has been a bit of renovating done on the building while you’ve been away—namely, the library. . . .”

  Everybody nodded their approval enthusiastically.

  “Very good—I’m glad you liked it. Now, on to our lessons. As I explained at the end of last term, you’ll go back to your normal studies with Miss Sonata—you have a lot to catch up on after missing so much during your training for the Antarctic Ball.”

  Chris’s stomach sank at the mention of the ball.