Underworld

by Cathy MacPhail

  For my son David

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Acknowledgements

  Also by Cathy MacPhail

  Prologue

  I watch Therese playing with our grandchildren. She looks as beautiful to me now as she did when we were seventeen. Therese pulled me through the bad times, stood by me, held me when I would wake screaming from the nightmares. People thought it was the war that drove me mad. I let them think that. Only Therese knows the truth.

  I have often thought of writing my story, but the memory has always been too terrifying to face. I am an old man now, and it was so long ago. Who would believe me? And do I believe it now myself?

  Chapter 1

  ‘So, you haven’t brought your PE kit again, Fiona?’

  Fiona Duncan stood in front of the teacher, her very stance an act of defiance. Tapping her foot impatiently, balancing her bag on her hip. She made an art of looking bored, staring straight ahead, chewing her gum. She shrugged an answer.

  Mr Marks looked just as bored. ‘This is the third week in a row.’

  ‘Really? I’ve not been counting myself.’ Fiona’s voice was full of sarcasm. That was what broke her teacher’s temper at last.

  ‘Yes, really! And this time you are in trouble.’

  Fiona blew a bubble. ‘Think so?’

  ‘Yes, I think so, Fiona.’

  Fiona didn’t say anything for a moment, then her face creased into a triumphant smile. ‘You can’t make me do anything, sir.’

  She watched her teacher’s shoulders slump in defeat. She had won. She knew she had.

  ‘Yes, you’re right. I can’t. Just promise me one thing, Fiona.’

  ‘Anything, sir.’

  ‘Don’t be a teacher. It’s a thankless job.’

  She turned away from him, laughing. No fear of that, she mumbled, and she barely caught his next muttered words.

  ‘No fear of that indeed. Once a loser, always a loser.’

  She almost spun round then. Who was he calling a loser? Just because she thought his beloved PE was boring. Maybe that was his fault. He was a rubbish teacher. Yet, even as she thought it, she knew it wasn’t true. The rest of the class, all dressed in their PE kit, thought he was great. Jumping about, eager to start. She’d held the lesson up. They weren’t happy about that.

  ‘What am I supposed to do now, sir?’

  He looked at her as if he really would like to tell her what to do. She caught the look, understood it.

  ‘Now, now, sir, don’t be rude.’

  A murmured giggle broke out in the class.

  Finally, Mr Marks shook his head. ‘Sit on the bench and do nothing. That seems to be the only thing you’re good at. I’ve wasted enough time on you.’

  Fiona threw down her bag and flopped on to the bench. It banged against the wall. She knew he’d probably report her, then she’d be disciplined by the head. Somebody would phone her mum. Her mum would rant and rave at her, and then forget it. Same thing every time. But it was better than getting changed into a nerdy pair of shorts and jumping about like somebody mad.

  Zonks! Look at the fat lassie. I wish I had her nerve, Fiona thought. She looks as if she’s got a sack of potatoes inside those shorts. She would die before she’d wear shorts if she had a bum that size. She was almost ready to laugh when the fat lassie – was her name Angie? – suddenly let out a disgusted yell. She put her hand to her hair and pulled it away in horror, trailing a long string of spittle on her fingers. She was almost crying. ‘Who did that?’

  Fiona knew even before she looked up to the walkway that ran above the gym exactly who had done that. Who else but Axel O’Rourke?

  Fiona was on her feet in an instant. ‘See you! You’re disgusting, O’Rourke.’

  In answer, Axel aimed another spit directly at her and Fiona leaped back just in time to miss it.

  ‘I’m disgusting? It should be against the law to let anything that size wear shorts.’ He pointed at Angie and laughed.

  Fiona glanced at Angie. Her round face had gone red. She didn’t know where to look. Fiona yelled back at Axel. ‘Have you looked in the mirror recently? There’s more craters on your face than on the moon.’

  Axel almost jumped over the balcony at her. He didn’t like anyone referring to his acne. No one ever did. They usually got thumped. ‘I’ll make you sorry you said that, Duncan.’

  Mr Marks roared into the conversation. ‘Right, Axel O’Rourke. Headmaster, immediately!’

  Axel did a bolt along the walkway. Mr Marks yelled after him and then he was running out of the gym to catch him.

  Fiona looked at Angie. The fat girl’s eyes were filled with tears. She was new to this school. If she was going to survive here she would have to learn how to be insulted and to answer back.

  ‘Don’t cry over him, honey,’ Fiona said, putting her arm around Angie’s shoulder. ‘He’s trash. Ugly pig like him calling you fat. At least you can go on a diet. Him? It would take more than plastic surgery to make him good-looking. It would take a miracle.’ She smiled, but Angie didn’t smile back. She wasn’t too sure whether she’d just been insulted again. ‘Come on, we’ll get that muck out of your hair.’

  Mr Marks couldn’t catch Axel. Even he couldn’t run that fast, PE teacher or not. Axel would get it later, but that was later, not now. His mate Liam stood at the door of the school cafeteria.

  ‘What’s the rush?’ he asked.

  Axel looked behind him. No sign of any panting Mr Marks. He flung his bag on a table. ‘See that Fiona Duncan, I’m going to get her.’

  ‘Come on, Axel. Even you can’t tank a girl. Especially Fiona. She’s all right. She’s one of us.’

  Fiona rebelled. Fiona didn’t toe the line. Fiona was always in trouble. One of us.

  Axel sat back, still angry with her. She had spoiled the moment, spitting on the fat girl. Fiona had a habit of doing that. Spoiling things. One day he was going to make her really sorry. He was going to say the right thing at the right time, just like Fiona. He was going to make her cringe. She was always too clever with that mouth of hers. And if he couldn’t say the right thing … then he’d put her windows in instead.

  He didn’t like Fiona, but not half as much as he didn’t like the two boys who rushed into the cafeteria now.

  The little darlings of the teaching staff. They never did anything wrong. Now, if he could find a way to get them, Axel O’Rourke would be one happy boy. He caught one of those boys glancing over in his direction. Rick Glancy, blond, good-looking, fancied by half the girls in the school. His hair colour was natural, not dyed yellow like Axel’s. His skin was smooth. No wonder Axel hated him.

  ‘What are you looking at, Glancy!’ he yelled.

  He imagined him answering him back, giving Axel an excuse to thump him – but he didn’t. His mate Zeshan held him back. ‘Don’t rise to his bait, Rick,’ he said. ‘Ignore him. He can’t stand that.’

  With a smirk they bot
h did just that. Turning their backs on Axel as if he wasn’t there. As if he was nothing.

  One day, Axel thought, I’m going to make them sorry. I’m going to make them all sorry.

  Chapter 2

  ‘Zesh and Rick, they really think they are something, don’t they?’ Liam edged closer to Axel.

  Axel didn’t answer him. His eyes were still following the Asian boy and his ice-cool blond companion as they sauntered out of the cafeteria.

  ‘I don’t know why you let them bother you, big guy. You move in different worlds.’

  Suddenly, Axel turned on Liam with such venom that he almost leaped back on his seat. ‘They don’t bother me at the moment. You and your brown nosing, that’s what bothers me at the moment. Where have you been anyway?’

  Liam grinned. He had no intention of telling Axel where he’d been. He glanced, for a fearful second, at the entrance to the boys’ toilets, expecting any minute for Tony Manza to emerge. Wondering if Manza realised it had been Liam who had chucked the bowl of water into his cubicle. He probably didn’t. No one ever suspected Liam. Liam was funny. Liam was a hanger-on. But Liam wouldn’t have the guts to confront anyone.

  Not to your face anyway, Tony boy, Liam thought, remembering how Tony had humiliated him in the playground earlier. Pulling his jumper over his head, pushing him inside one of the wheelie bins. Liam had pretended it had been so funny. He’d made a joke of it.

  But it wasn’t funny.

  Suddenly, Tony did explode out of the door, swearing loudly. ‘Who did that!’ he was yelling, and he was dripping wet.

  Axel looked up, laughed so much at the soaking Tony, that soon everyone joined in. Casually, Liam looked over. He smiled. Tony’s angry eyes darted everywhere searching for a culprit, didn’t even look his way. Liam turned away, uninterested now. He was satisfied. No one ever messed with Liam and got away with it.

  ‘What on earth makes Liam and Axel friends, do you think?’ Zesh asked Rick as they leaned over the walkway watching what was happening in the cafeteria below. ‘They’ve got nothing in common.’

  Rick glanced at Zesh. ‘They could say that about us.’

  Zesh shrugged. ‘My parents are Pakistani, yours are originally Danish. We’re both British. I would say we’ve got a lot in common.’

  There was certainly a touch of the Viking about Rick, something noted by lots of the girls in their year.

  ‘I think we’re a good match.’ Zesh said it with assurance, but then he said everything with assurance. Don’t argue. I’m always right. It was the one thing that annoyed Rick about his friend and Zesh knew it. He knew it got everybody’s back up, but he didn’t care. He was his father’s son and his father had always taught him to know what you want out of life and go out and get it.

  Zesh turned his eyes back to Axel and Liam. They had started throwing chips and food at each other, at other people. ‘But Axel’s a thug,’ he went on. ‘There’s no other word for him. Liam could be OK, if he ever thought for himself that is. I just don’t understand –’

  Rick interrupted him. ‘Safety in numbers. Safety for somebody like Liam. Who’ll go for him when he’s with Axel O’Rourke?’

  They watched as Axel picked up a pie and squashed it into Liam’s face. He was laughing. So was Liam. So were most of the pupils watching.

  But not Zesh. He only turned to Rick and said, ‘And who protects Liam from Axel?’

  Mr Marks grabbed the pie from Axel’s hands, and threw it on the table. He glared at Liam in disgust. ‘Is this what you call a friend? Making a fool of you in front of the whole school?’

  Liam wiped the pie from his face. He could feel himself go red. He looked around, and sure enough everyone in the cafeteria was having a good laugh at him. He was angry at himself for allowing it, but angrier still at the teacher. Why was he the one getting into trouble? Why not Axel?

  ‘Do you enjoy being a wimp, Liam? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have somebody actually admire you?’

  Liam wanted to yell at his teacher to shut up. But he couldn’t find his voice.

  The teacher turned from him in disgust. ‘Get yourself cleaned up. Or don’t bother. There’s probably somebody else wants to stick a pie in your face anyway.’

  Mr Marks turned his attention to Axel. He grabbed him by the collar. ‘You’ll be sorry, boy.’

  Axel tried to struggle free. ‘No, you’re the one who’ll be sorry, sir. I’ll no’ forget this.’

  Liam was shaking with anger as Marks dragged Axel off to see the headmaster. People around were still sniggering at him.

  He had no intention of forgetting this either.

  Liam never forgot anything.

  Zesh and Rick walked home together, laughing about the school trip that was planned to one of the wild islands off the west coast of Scotland. Mr Marks would be in charge and both boys were looking forward to it.

  ‘If we get picked,’ Rick reminded him. ‘They did warn us the numbers were limited.’

  ‘If we get picked? Are you joking? We’ll get. No problem about that. It’ll be great to get away from this place. This school, some of the scum here.’

  Rick gave him a punch. ‘Honest, Zesh, sometimes you talk like such a snob.’

  ‘I am a snob. I admit it.’

  ‘And don’t we all know it,’ someone drawled from a doorway as they passed. It was the unmistakable voice of Fiona Duncan, trying to light a cigarette. ‘You two really think you are something. Know what I think? You act like that because deep down you’ve got an inferiority complex. I read about it in a magazine.’ She spat out her chewing gum and held out her cigarette. ‘Any of you two got a light?’

  Zesh shook his head. ‘No, we don’t have a light, and we don’t approve of smoking.’

  ‘Oh, I might have known. Friends of the Earth here don’t approve.’

  ‘You’ll end up with lines on your face, black teeth and a deadly disease. Do you know that?’

  Fiona laughed loudly. ‘So will you, Zesh pal. It’s called old age. But I intend to enjoy myself till that time comes. OK? You two are so boring. You never do anything wrong.’

  ‘You make up for us.’

  ‘Somebody has to,’ she called after them as they hurried off.

  She put the cigarette back in the packet. She didn’t want to go home. Didn’t want to face the music. Mr Marks would have contacted her mum by now. She would have to handle the overreaction, the screaming, the shouting, the threats … at least till her mum’s favourite soap came on.

  But, look on the bright side, at least she would get a light off her mother.

  Chapter 3

  Axel shuffled into the school next morning. This wasn’t where he wanted to be – in fact, he’d prefer to be anywhere but here. He swung his bag and aimed it at Liam’s head. Liam ducked just in time. He swung round and grinned. ‘How are you, big guy?’

  ‘Sick,’ Axel said. ‘Sick of this dump. Hey, here comes the fat bird.’

  Angie saw them, looked around for an escape, but there was nowhere else to go. Axel spread himself in front of her like Jabba the Hutt and barred her way. ‘You give whales a bad name, know that?’ he said, ignoring her blush.

  She tried to sidestep him but he moved to stop her.

  ‘Oh come on, Angie, I just want to chew the fat with you.’ He glanced at Liam and laughed. ‘And there’s sure a lot of fat on you to chew.’

  ‘I’ll tell on you,’ Angie said, her voice trembling.

  That made Axel laugh even louder. ‘Oh, I am so scared. Hear that, Liam? The fat bird’s going to tell on me.’

  Liam didn’t say anything. He grinned back, but he looked uncomfortable. Axel darted to the side to stop Angie trying to pass him. She looked scared now. Her puffy cheeks were red and there was sweat breaking out on her upper lip.

  ‘Just let me go,’ she said.

  ‘Just let me go …’ Axel mimicked her voice, tremor and all.

  Suddenly, there was another voice behind him.

 
‘Let her pass.’

  Axel spun round. Zesh stood there, his face grim. Angie smiled at him gratefully, then she was past Axel and bouncing off down the corridor.

  ‘Oh look, it’s the knight in shining armour – well, in spotless school uniform anyway.’

  ‘Why are you always such a moron, O’Rourke?’

  Axel stood straight. ‘What did you call me?’

  ‘You heard,’ Zesh said. He didn’t want a confrontation. He had done what he set out to do, help the new girl. He was a prefect, and anyway, no one else was going to do it. Now, he just wanted to move on to his class.

  Axel was having none of that. He stood in front of Zesh, defiant, challenging. The last thing Zesh wanted was a fight. He didn’t fight, not ever.

  He made a move to step away from Axel, didn’t see him swing his bag and bring it down on his head. Zesh’s legs buckled under him. Axel didn’t give him a second to recover. He threw himself on top of him and Zesh went down. Axel grabbed his hair and pulled his head back so roughly that Zesh let out a cry. Axel was ready to squash his face on the floor. Zesh struggled, managed to grab Axel’s hand and bit his fingers into his flesh. Axel relaxed his grip, just enough for Zesh to squirm free and turn himself round, bringing his fist up and into Axel’s face.

  Liam was trying to step back, wanting none of this. A crowd was gathering, cheering them on. Some for one, some for the other. In spite of Axel’s reputation hardly anyone wanted to see Zesh win. Zesh won at everything. Always. Saw it as his right.

  The two boys rolled together along the corridor. Their grunts were the only sound they made. It was the others cheering that alerted the teacher. Mr Marks suddenly burst round the corner. So angry his eyes were wide. ‘Stop this! Stop this right now!’

  The crowd scattered. Liam stepped quietly into the boys’ toilet, unnoticed. The two boys, still locked together, ignored the teacher. He dragged them to their feet by the collar.

  ‘I will not put up with this. Both of you are on a reprimand.’

  He let Zesh go, but kept a firm hold of Axel’s shirt. Zesh looked pale and his voice was husky and breathless. ‘That’s not fair, sir. He started it.’