Ascension

by Christopher De Sousa

She watched as students shuffled about inside the corridor, fetching all they needed from their lockers for the day’s first period. But then her attention fixed on those whom remained to loiter, and on those who were huddled about within a circle. For a young man weaved his way through the surrounding group with an attractive blonde woman draped on one arm. Consumed with a hot flush of rage, Katherine rigorously ground her teeth from left to right. With eyes locked upon the young man as if he were her prey, she lurched forward and strode toward him.

  “He really should try to distance himself from Sadie Cassell,” said Naomi, placing a comforting palm upon Katherine’s shoulder. “His problem is he’s too nice to tell her to leave him alone.”

  Katherine snarled at Sadie as this blonde young woman shot her an insincere grin. “Sure, that’s his problem.”

  “Sadie, let go of my arm,” she heard the young man say, as he appeared to tug himself free. “You know I’m seeing somebody…”

  “Justin, I hope that somebody you are referring to is me,” she said.

  Justin mumbled with an awkward smile. “Hey Kat, I’ve been meaning to catch up with you before class.”

  As Justin slowly approached, Katherine glared back at Sadie. Sadie merely wrinkled her nose in response, and returned to the circle of girls while she brushed away her long locks of thick blonde hair. Katherine also couldn’t help but notice that all Sadie’s friends were staring at Justin as though they were somehow caught within a trance.

  “Katherine, you need to relax,” said Naomi. “There is no reason for you to be jealous.”

  “Jealous” Katherine was swift to respond. “We’ve been only dating for a couple of months now, and here he is openly flirting with Sadie Cassell of all people.”

  She shifted her attention back to Justin. The young man was rubbing at his neck and gazing back at her as if he awaited an imminent scolding. She could also sense that Naomi too was now ogling him, attentive to his well-toned and muscular physique, and to his long and impressive mane of fair hair. Even this was enough to make her feel uncomfortable and insecure. For as soon as he’d arrived at Anabasis High, Justin seemed to have gathered an entire contingent of admirers. When looking at Sadie, Katherine saw a shapely blonde bombshell who would often court the drooled gawking of many an adolescent male. As for Naomi, she was a young and athletic oriental woman with the most smooth and silky skin. When compared with these two, Katherine couldn’t help but feel it was impossible for her to compete, let alone to trust that Justin would not cave and give in to temptation.

  “Only after one day of try outs he made the guy’s first team. Let’s just say that Albert was not pleased with the news,” Naomi had said.

  “That good huh?” she had questioned, less interested in Naomi’s information about his basket balling ability, and more so in her unwavering eye contract.

  “Couldn’t miss a shot, I reckon he’ll be starting as the team’s point guard come the beginning of the season.”

  “Well that explains why Albert has been giving me such a tough time of late,” said Katherine, her eyes narrowed. “All these songs and snide remarks… he’s just bitter that Justin has taken his position, and is using me to get back at him.”

  They soon heard the rumbling footsteps from a group of boys come up behind them. “Hey Albert, catch it.” Albert soared past, landing with a jarring clang up against a nearby locker and grasping at a football.

  “That’s what I’m talking about,” Albert cheered, who in turn received a plethora of fist bumps and chest pumps from his teammates as they helped him to his feet.

  Albert trucked over to Katherine, brushing her aside, and wrapping his arm around Naomi’s shoulder. “Hey pretty lady, any further thoughts on Saturday night? What time do you reckon I should rock my chariot by your palace?”

  Katherine could sense herself starting to feel nauseous upon hearing such a masterfully cheesy line. For the life of her, she could not understand what Naomi saw in him. She played over in her mind what was likely to transpire: she projected that at first Albert would be rejected, and then later Naomi would experience a change of heart, and accept his invitation. As she’d often witnessed, this was par for the course.

  Naomi frowned at him. “I’m not sure Albie, perhaps when your mental maturity meets the date your licence suspension is lifted. I vaguely remember you telling me it was on the twelfth?”

  Following on from Naomi’s response, she remembered being told that during the last evening the pair spent together, Albert had totalled his truck and was escorted off in the back of a police car. As far as she was concerned, this too seemed a regular occurrence, and further begged the question as to why Naomi continued to put up with his antics.

  “Cute, you’ll change your tune when you see my new wheels,” Albert had said, before rushing after his teammates.

  Her gaze lingered upon Albert as he approached Justin, deliberately nudging him to one side, before he engaged Sadie and her group of friends with vulgar banter.

  “My Albie may be easy on the eyes…but there is precious little between his ears,” Naomi said through a scowl.

  The bell had finally rung, and the two girls slowly trudged off to class. History was first up, something that Katherine could not find herself less enthused. She believed there was little need to learn history as it belonged in the past, and had no real bearing upon the present. She believed this was particularly true with respect to their current module of study: the histories and origins of the ancient world.

  Once she entered the classroom, she quickly looked toward the back for a free seat. Having claimed one of the few that remained, she decided to delve within the depths of her sketching pad.

  The history teacher soon after arrived, and surprisingly later than usual, but immediately commenced the lesson once she’d found a piece of chalk.

  “Ms Hawthorne, might I remind you that I have to leave at a moment’s notice…as we discussed earlier,” said a young man toward the front of the class.

  “Yes Mr Mathieson, I hadn’t forgotten,” Ms Hawthorne replied, whilst writing on the blackboard. “Now, may I proceed with my lesson?”

  While glancing up from her sketching pad, Katherine scrutinised the back of the young man’s head as if she were trying to pierce open his skull. Blake Mathieson was someone that both she and her father knew all too well, and she had often wished that it wasn’t so. She saw him as the direct antithesis of Justin Ellis: where Justin was tall, fair, and sociable, Blake Mathieson was short, dark featured, and an introvert.

  She wasn’t particularly fond of Ms Hawthorne either; although this was mainly because she’d often find herself singled out as the one not concentrating in class. It didn’t help when Naomi would often tease her over some very obvious similarities she shared with Ms Hawthorne. Physically, they were both tall, and slender, with blue eyes and long black hair. But what really bothered her, was how her father would frequently liken her to Ms Hawthorne when voicing his opinion over their supposed stubbornness.

  Rather than waste any further attention on Blake, or upon Ms Hawthorne’s lesson for that matter, Katherine drew in her sketching pad. She drew very carefully the arch of a wing, and took the time to perfectly shape a sharp beak toward the front of a feathered head. But her pencil swiftly slid along the page and ruined her efforts, for the classroom floor had suddenly started to shake. Columns of books fell from off the shelves, the contents of a few desktops crashed to the floor, and a number of unoccupied chairs rattled across the classroom. In an organised fashion, the students quickly dove beneath their desks upon the first sign of the tremor, and she looked on as Ms Hawthorne braced herself between her desk and the blackboard until it had ceased. Once the tremors were over, the students reclaimed of their seats, and Ms Hawthorne re-commenced the lesson as though nothing had happened.

  Katherine would often find herself, like many others, curious as to why these tremors were so frequent. What had made this even more perplexing was that Anabasis resided on
no clear fault lines; nor were any neighbouring areas affected in quite the same manner.

  With her sketch seemingly ruined, she squinted up at the blackboard at what Ms Hawthorne had written. There were three ancient civilisations she’d drawn up on the board in bold chalk: Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Atlantis.

  “The first civilisations of humankind are widely accepted to have originated within these three realms. But which one came first? Is there even an answer to such a question?” Ms Hawthorne asked, as she guided her finger from one word to the next. “As we discussed yesterday, there were spiritual leaders whom watched over the peaceful Lumerian populace before the great divide. Do we remember the title given to these divine protectors? Can we recall any of their individual names, and of the regions that they controlled? Miss Munroe?”

  Katherine had only been half listening at this point, and remained immersed in her own sketching. Ms Hawthorne promptly wandered over to where she was seated, and confiscated the sketching pad out from beneath her palm.

  “You can have this back after class Miss Munroe, but while we are here you must pay attention.”

  As she groaned at Ms Hawthorne in protest, she heard a light beeping pulse coming from toward the front of the classroom. It came from where Blake was seated; she observed the young man prod away at what appeared to be a wristwatch.

  Blake rose from his chair and headed for the door. “To answer your question Ms Hawthorne, there were numerous divine leaders who existed during this ancient era of history. But the three names you expected to hear from us are those of the sun god Ra, the moon god Thoth, and the sky god Anu. And now Ms Hawthorne, I have to be elsewhere.”

  “Very well Blake. At least some of you were paying attention,” said Ms Hawthorne, sharing a disgruntled glare with Katherine.

  “Not all students are made equal,” Blake proclaimed, as if it were a penultimate truth. “In fact, some are simply incapable of producing anything of worth.”

  Chapter 5

  With the day’s first period having ended, Katherine stormed down the hallway and toward her locker. She could sense her temper starting to seethe from deep within, and she sought to hide her emotions by bowing her head, sustaining prolonged eye contact with the gold and red chequered vinyl floor that ran along the school’s corridor.

  “Hey Kat, wait up,” shouted Naomi, as she hustled after her.

  “What’s his problem?” Katherine questioned, her fists tightly clenched. “It seems as though he’s had it in for me since the first day we were unfortunate enough to meet.”

  Naomi rubbed at her forehead. “Blake clearly has some kind of superiority complex. I don’t believe he can really help himself.”

  “But what is it that makes him think he’s any better than the rest of us?” She asked, upon reaching her locker and working away to unlock its combination. “He’s short, looks as though he’s never heard of a good skin moisturiser, or of an acceptable hairstyle for that matter, and what’s worse is that there’s nobody in the school who likes him. The guy is nothing more than a loser.”

  She glanced back at Naomi, hoping that she’d laugh along with her at such a brash description of Blake. But Naomi only looked back with her eyes narrowed and with a shake of the head.

  “Don’t give me that look,” Katherine snapped. “It’s not like he’s ever had any problem calling me stupid or lazy.”

  Naomi bit at her thumbnail. “What I don’t understand is why he’s allowed to come and go as he so often pleases. It wouldn’t hurt though if you paid more attention in class.”

  “You sound like my father,” she responded. “Besides, it’s only history. When will I ever find a practical use for knowing about ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia…let alone Atlantis?”

  Before Naomi could provide her an answer, Katherine wandered back along the corridor and spotted Justin emerge from the Principal’s office. She watched as Justin weaved his way between groups of students, handing out a copious amount of flyers as he went.

  “I forgot to mention, apparently Justin is throwing a party on Saturday night,” said Naomi.

  Upon hearing Naomi’s words, Katherine ground her teeth.

  “If you keep doing that, you won’t have any teeth left,” Naomi mumbled, trying to avoid Katherine’s gaze.

  Katherine stood there in silence, straining to figure out why Justin had not told her before advertising this supposed party. In her mind, she should have been the first one invited. Yet here she was, seemingly the last person to find out about it. She wondered whether she’d done something to have upset him. But before she could give it any further consideration, Justin swiftly approached and wrapped his arms around her in a tight, and yet awkward embrace.

  “Why am I the last one to know about your party?”

  “I was saving it as part of a bigger surprise,” whispered Justin in her ear, releasing her from his arms and greeting Naomi with a handshake.

  “Congratulations on making the team,” said Naomi, and with a warm smile. “I’ve heard so many positive things about you at practice, and from Katherine of course.”

  Katherine bit at her lower lip. “Naomi, please…you’re embarrassing me.”

  “How’s the progress coming along with finding the school’s new mascot?” Justin asked, smiling back at her.

  “I’m getting there,” said Katherine, feeling rather weak in the knees. “But I’m still searching for that spark of inspiration.”

  He affectionately stroked his hand up against her cheek. “Perhaps I can help you find it. I’m having a party on Saturday night, and it would be great if you both came.”

  “We’ll be there,” Naomi hastily replied.

  He soon left the pair, progressing back along the corridor and continuing to advertise about his upcoming party.

  Naomi sneered at her, covered her mouth and pretended to be sick “Well, that was both sickening and sweet.”

  “Oh please...you and Albert are like an old married couple. One minute you’re at each other’s throats, and then the next you’re back to renewing your vows.”

  “The party should be worth it,” said Naomi, not hiding her desire to focus the subject of conversation upon the party. “I’d wager that most of the boys’ basketball team will be there as well.

  Katherine groaned, she gazed upward at the ceiling as though she half hoped something would swoop down and swallow her whole. “Wait a second…,” she said. “He said Saturday. There is no way dad will let me go, not with our history test coming up next week.”

  “It’s only Saturday night. You will have all day Saturday, and all of Sunday for that matter, to hit the books,” said Naomi.

  “That won’t fly with him, not with my grades.”

  The bell for next period rang, the two hustled toward their lockers and collected what they needed for English. They then hurried off to class and claimed a pair of seats set toward the room’s front. As Katherine withdrew her textbook, she remembered that she was supposed to have prepared a piece for recital today. But with no time left, and with class about to begin, she sat there, reserved to her fate.

  For Katherine, the lesson began as it normally would, with Mr Dreyfuss hunched over in his chair while rubbing away at a grimy pair of spectacles, and calling on students at random to present any set homework. She fidgeted with a pencil in her fingers, trying to calm herself as each student’s name was called, and secretly hoping that they’d somehow run out of time to have everyone present. She glanced up toward the front, her heart beating frantically upon Justin’s name being called. Justin rose from his desk, and he headed toward the whiteboard without once showing any sign of being nervous. He quickly flicked through the pages of his textbook for guidance, and recited a Shakespearean passage from Romeo and Juliet without once looking down for a point of reference.

  “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? Is it the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

  During his reading, Katherine scanned the room as the other girls in class atten
tively listened and swooned over each word that passed his lips. She also noticed the boys, who for the most part yawned, groaned, and restlessly writhed about in their seats as if each word was an act of torture. Her stare soon came to rest on Blake; she watched as he rolled his eyes, and pressed his forehead with open palms.

  “Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief that thou, her maid, art far more fair than she.”

  With this final reading, Justin cemented his stare upon Katherine, and they each shared in the moment.

  Mr Dreyfuss yawned, retrieving a handkerchief from his pocket. “Most impressive Mr Ellis, well read. Miss Munroe, have you prepared your piece?”

  With lips crinkled and her legs shaking from beneath the desk, she glanced back and forth between Mr Dreyfuss and her textbook. Still trembling, she slowly raised herself up from her seat and traipsed toward the whiteboard. She tried to brace herself up against it for support, for she was perspiring and her breathing had grown more frantic. The longer she stalled, the more a sense of panic swelled, and the more she felt judged by so many merciless eyes.

  How can anyone expect me follow that, she thought to herself, Justin’s wondrous delivery circulating about in her mind.

  Her eyes wandered about the room, searching for some sort of assurance from her peers. But with none forthcoming, her gaze drifted toward the window. She imagined herself transform into a bird, and watched as she flew out the window to her freedom. The very thought brought a smile to her face, and the shaking of her body momentarily ceased. But as her eyes continued to linger upon the window, she felt her mouth fall wide open and her body to once again tense. For there she saw the gryphon; hovering before the window frame, and staring back at her.

  “Why is she stalling, it’s obvious to us all she didn’t do the set homework,” she heard a familiar voice moan from within the classroom. “She never does.”

  Katherine promptly glanced about the room, and then to Sadie Cassell.

  “Why is she looking at me like that?”