The Split

by Hannah Hopkins

  “Okay,” he shrugged, handing her the rocket.

  Shocked by his positive response, she began to examine the toy, noticing the chipped, red paint on its body and the white scuffs on its wings that indicated how well-loved it was. In one swift movement, she threw the rocket to the ground and stamped on it as hard as she could, driving her shiny, black shoes into it repeatedly until it was completely obliterated. She looked up at Will, her nose scrunched up in rage and her eyes full of tears. His mouth was hanging open in shock as he gazed forlorn at the remains of the toy. His bottom lip trembled and he looked to his mother, who placed a firm hand on his shoulders.

  “It’s okay Will,” she soothed him. “We’ll go down to the lobby after this and get you a new one. There’s no problem.”

  Will considered this for a moment then nodded, taking his mother’s hand and squeezing it tightly.

  “Thank you mummy,” he smiled and Lois felt as though her body was going to burst from hatred. She hated Will for being happy and she hated his mother for being alive and she hated her mother for being dead. Most of all, she hated her father for thinking that this cheerful little boy could possibly understand the magnitude of pain that had been weighing on her for every minute of every day since her mother had gone.

  Ever since the funeral, Lois had tried her best to ignore Will, but it had become increasingly difficult after they joined the school, with him constantly seeming to draw attention to himself. She was sure, however, that she could have successfully continued pretending he didn’t exist, had she not personally seen him exhibit a series of odd behaviours over the past few weeks that had began to intrigue her.

  The first strange occurrence had been on a night in half- term, when some boys from the third-year had thrown a party in their dorms. Some of the older girls who had befriended Lois invited her and her friends to come along. They had been stood in the hallway, ready to leave, when Lois had caught sight of Will, decked head to foot in black clothing, ducking into the lift on his own. Thinking it strange, she had looked for him at the party, but had failed to see him mingling amongst the guests. A few days later, she had found him standing alone in the corridor, staring transfixed at the school map. She had hung back and watched as he began tracing over pathways with his finger, as though planning a very elaborate journey around the school. Following this, she had watched him closely, observing him in the Dining Hall on several occasions, each time staring into space and looking uncharacteristically troubled. She had the distinct feeling that something strange was going on and was determined to find out what.

  Her thoughts about Will had carried her successfully through Ms. Dido’s lecture and she came back to reality just in time to start the practical segment of the lesson. She followed the other students out of the classroom and congregated with them around the entrance to the Resources Biodome, managing to find Florence and Penelope in the process.

  “That was so boring,” Florence complained with a sigh, the other girls murmuring in agreement.

  “You two looked like you were laughing about something,” Lois said to Florence and Penelope. They exchanged a knowing look and burst out into giggles.

  “What was the joke?” Lois pressed them.

  “Oh, you wouldn’t understand, Lois,” Florence said. “It was something that happened in our Rocket Control lesson but you’re not in our class.”

  Lois sighed and turned her attention to Ms. Dido, who had begun booming her instructions.

  “We will shortly be going into the Biodome to practise the skills we discussed in our lesson,” she announced. “Your task will be to find a suitable drinking source in the Forest terrain within an hour. You will each take a flask from me and fill it with the water that you find. The group who finds the cleanest and freshest water will receive the highest grade. I must remind you as always, to abide by the rules of the Biodome, which means staying firmly in groups and not wandering off alone. No one is to leave until a proper headcount has been performed at the end of the class.”

  Following her address, she opened the doors to the Biodome and let the students into the simulated forest. Despite the fact Lois knew it wasn’t real, she enjoyed the experience of being “outdoors” nonetheless. Often, she would ignore the tasks Ms. Dido had set, focussing instead on the feel of earth and leaves crunching beneath her feet as the birds sang overhead. She would sometimes imagine that she was walking through the forest on Earth, or some other planet, passing the time before she would go home to her family, which in her fantasies featured a mother who was still alive and a father who wasn’t a celebrity.

  As they roamed the Biodome that morning, searching for the damp ground and green vegetation that would signal a water source nearby, Lois found she couldn’t focus. Even listening to Florence and Penelope as they gossiped and giggled was proving more of a challenge than usual. She hung back a few paces, trailing after them as they weaved around the trees in deep conversation. Suddenly, she was distracted by the sound of a familiar voice carrying from behind some bushes and shrubbery. Ducking under the cover of a nearby tree, she paused to eavesdrop.

  “We won’t get in trouble, I’m telling you,” she heard Will insist from out of sight. “I’ve studied a route that can get us from our dorms to the Ivory Tower in a matter of five minutes. We’re not going to get caught.”

  “I don’t know,” Emily replied. “I don’t understand why we have to sneak out after curfew. What’s in Krecher’s office that’s so important?”

  “I can’t explain it, I just need to show you. Both of you,” Will answered.

  “I’m in,” she heard another boy say.

  “Finley!” Emily exclaimed. “You don’t even know what you’re agreeing to. Will hasn’t told us anything.”

  “I trust him,” Finley replied.

  “Thank you,” Will said triumphantly.

  “Fine,” Emily hissed. “I’ll come. But if we get caught- “

  “Then I give you express permission to be angry at me for the rest of our natural lives,” Will interrupted her. “Just meet me outside my room at half ten. I promise you won’t regret it.”

  Lois lost her footing and slipped, snapping a twig loudly as her foot skidded across the ground. The noise seemed to startle Will and his friends and Lois heard them move off quickly into the clearing. Not wanting to be caught spying, she hastily ran to catch up with Florence and Penelope and joined in with their conversation enthusiastically, pretending she had been investigating a potential river.

  Eventually, the girls found a freshwater stream, bending down on its bank to collect a sample in their flasks. Having completed their requirement for the lesson, they followed the trail back to the Biodome’s entrance to hand their findings into Ms. Dido. Lois turned her face towards the roof on the way back, letting the UV light warm her skin. Overhearing Will’s conversation had made her feel like she had been let in on a special secret and her mind was racing with all the possibilities of what to do with the information she had gained.

  The thrill of the private knowledge carried her happily through the rest of the afternoon and into dinner, where she sat around the table with the Floor One gang, laughing at Spencer’s jokes and listening to Alasdair explain his views on the corruption of the Roman Empire, which they were learning about in Civilisations. She couldn’t help but indulge herself with daydreams of dinner the following night, where she would captivate them all with her tale of how she had followed Will and his two friends and uncovered whatever banned activity they were participating in after dark. She held back from telling any of them of her plans just yet, in case they went wrong or, worse still, in case any of them decided to turn up and share in her glory. She was determined that she alone would be responsible for the invaluable piece of gossip.

  After dinner, she headed to her room to unwind, as was normal for her daily routine. She changed out of her school uniform, hanging the navy jumper in her wardrobe and folding the black trousers neatly over the back of her chair. Once she had ch
anged and prepared her things for the following morning, she curled up on top of her bed and turned on the large television set her father had sent her from home. After browsing for several minutes, she finally settled upon the classic films channel, the 3D projection turning into a 2D picture before her eyes.

  Watching old films reminded her greatly of her mother, who had spent many Sunday afternoons encouraging Lois to appreciate the century-old art form. She felt herself pulled under by the familiar stinging sadness she felt whenever her mother entered her mind. Deciding it was due, she allowed herself a passionate cry as an expression of her continuing greif. Once she had run out of tears, she got up from her bed and walked calmly into the bathroom, washing her face and taking a deep breath to bring herself back to normal. After looking in the mirror to examine how puffy her eyes were, she checked the time on her Personal Device, startling herself when she realised it was already twenty-past-ten.

  Leaping across the room, she made the distance to her bedroom door in five seconds flat, opening it slowly and peering into the corridor to make sure Ms. Everly was nowhere to be seen. Seeing that the coast was clear, she moved into the hallway, immediately stopped in her tracks by the realisation that something wasn’t right. All the lights in the corridor had been switched off, except for one at the end, which had been smashed and was flickering on and off intermittently. Lois’ heart raced as she crept down the hallway, keeping her back close to the wall in case she encountered whoever was responsible for the damaged light. Her hands felt their way across the tile, bumping over the bedroom doors as she passed them. As she neared the elevator, her hand snagged on something sharp and she drew it back sharply, feeling the hot sting of blood trickle across her palm. She looked around to check where the injury had come from and saw through the flashing light that the door in question had been slashed in three places, causing it to splinter and break.

  Fear closed around her throat and she began to run towards Will’s room. She didn’t know whether she intended to warn him or to accuse him, but she was certain that being in his company would be better than being alone in this terrifying scenario. As she got closer, she began to hear voices coming from outside Will’s door and, losing her nerve, she dived into the shadows and waited, straining her ears to listen to the conversation.

  “Seriously Will get out here,” she heard Emily hiss, knocking persistently on his door. “Something really weird is going on!”

  “I’m just coming!” came Will’s muffled reply from inside.

  “Do you think this has anything to do with what he wants to show us?” Finley asked Emily.

  “I don’t know,” Emily answered. “But I’m starting to get scared. Why are all the lights off?”

  “Maybe somebody knows we’re out here,” Finley swallowed.

  “Don’t say that!” Emily scolded him. “I’ve got the creeps as it is.”

  There was the sound of hinges creaking as Will opened his door and came outside, shining the torch on his Personal Device at his surroundings.

  “Woah,” he said. “What happened out here?”

  “I was about to ask you the same question!” Emily replied. “Are you trying to play a trick on us or something? Because it’s not funny!”

  “Calm down, this isn’t me,” Will defended himself.

  “Shine your light down there, see if you can see anything,” Emily instructed him. Lois panicked, realising her hiding place was about to be discovered. Unsure what to do and unwilling to be caught standing silently in the hallway, she stepped forwards, revealing herself in the torch light. Emily, Will and Finley screamed, jumping backwards and grabbing each other in fear.

  “Lois?” Will said incredulously when he saw her. “What are you doing here?”

  “I… er…” Lois trailed off, unable to come up with a convincing excuse for being outside Will’s bedroom in the middle of the night.

  “Are you spying on us?” Emily snapped.

  “Well, not exactly,” Lois replied.

  “’Not exactly?’” Emily repeated. “What does that mean?”

  “I overheard you talking in Resources,” Lois confessed. “I knew you were planning to sneak out tonight and I wanted to find out what was going on.”

  “So, you were spying on us,” Emily concluded.

  “Why did you turn all the lights off though? Are you trying to scare us?” Will frowned.

  “No, it wasn’t me. I came out of my room and it was pitch dark. I thought you might know what was going on,” she replied.

  “Lois…” said Will, his body suddenly tense and stiffer than a statue. “Who else did you tell that you were coming?”

  “No one,” Lois replied with confusion. “I didn’t tell anybody anything.”

  “Then,” Will swallowed, raising a shaking hand to point to the corridor behind her, “who’s that?”

  Lois whipped her head around to see what he was talking about. Standing in the hallway, just a few feet away from them, was the silhouette of a man, so unnaturally tall that the top of his head was brushing the ceiling.

  “Who’s there?” Emily called towards the figure. He did not reply, but continued to stand motionless. Lois began to back away carefully, able to see, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness, that the silhouette didn’t belong to a man at all. The head was far too big and misshapen to be human, the body elongated and spindly.

  “I hate to say this,” Finley said as Lois reached the group, “but I don’t think that’s a person.”

  There was a hideous noise that sounded like a scream mixed with a high-pitched roar as the figure moved into the light of Will’s torch. The four of them froze as their eyes fell upon its hideous appearance. Its skin was white and sallow, and hung loosely from its bones as though it were too big for its skeleton. Its head was bulbous, the top half twice the width of the bottom. Its hands were made up entirely of claws, steely and sharp as knives. The most horrifying thing of all, though, was the creature’s face. Its mouth was a huge pit, displaying six, pointed teeth within its depths, spittle dripping uncontrollably from each one. Its nose was an ugly slit in the centre of its head. Its eyes were awful, black, gaping holes. In all her life, Lois had never seen an alien like this. The thing resembled evil itself. All the while she looked at it, she could not move. She couldn’t breathe. Time itself seemed to have been immobilised with fear. Feeling utterly powerless, she awaited her demise, certain that the creature would come for her at any moment. It was only when Will tugged on her arm and shouted in her ear that the numbness of her body subsided, causing her to spring back to life.

  “Run!” Will yelled.

  The four of them tore into his room as fast as their legs would carry them, Finley slamming the door shut behind them as they crashed into safety, throwing his weight against it to stop the alien creature from entering.

  “Will, help me move the bed,” Emily shouted and the two of them lifted the bedframe, placing it in front of the door as a barricade.

  Once they had blocked the door, they stepped back, gasping as they desperately tried to catch their breath.

  “What was that thing?” Emily cried.

  “I don’t know, I’ve never seen anything like it,” Lois said with horror.

  “What if it’s still out there?” Will asked, his voice shaking.

  The four of them stood in silence, listening for any sounds outside the doorway.

  “I can’t hear anything,” Finley said.

  “Did anyone see it move? Did it chase us?” Lois asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Finley swallowed.

  “We can’t just stand here!” Emily exclaimed. “We’ve got to check if it’s gone.”

  “Who’s going to do it?” Lois gulped.

  They looked at one and other, each hoping that somebody else would volunteer.

  “I’ll do it,” Finley declared.

  “No,” Will shook his head. “You don’t know why it’s out there. What if someone sent it after you?”

  “Why woul
d anyone do that?” Lois exclaimed, disgusted at the thought.

  “Don’t you remember our first Rocket Control lesson? Not everyone is happy about Finley being at the Space Academy,” Will reminded her bluntly.

  “What about your Floor One friends?” Emily scowled at her. “I know exactly what they think about Finley being here.”

  “No, they would never do that,” Lois protested. “Will you know they’re not capable of something that awful.”

  “Oh, come on,” Emily said before Will could reply. “Don’t you think it’s a bit strange that Lois just happened to be outside your room at the same time as that horrible creature!”

  “It is a bit of a co-incidence Lois,” Will frowned.

  “I had nothing to do with this!” Lois objected, her voice rising in panic. “I’m just as scared as you are!”

  “Alright, everyone calm down,” Finley interjected, raising his hands to quiet them. “Let’s be reasonable. I don’t think a thirteen-year-old student would be capable of controlling that thing. If Lois says she has nothing to do with this, then we should believe her. The longer we spend arguing, the longer that thing has to decide what it’s going to do next.”

  “You’re right,” Will agreed. “I’m going to see if its still there.”

  “Be careful,” Emily fretted, watching with wide eyes as Will slid the bed away from the door, pausing for a moment before opening it just a fraction. Lois held her breath as he looked into the corridor, withdrawing and shutting the door after a few seconds.

  “It’s not there” he announced with relief.

  “So, what do we do now?” Emily wondered aloud.

  “Let’s just try and figure this out,” Will said, clapping his hands together and pacing the width of his bedroom. “Supposing it wasn’t deliberate, is there any way that creature could have come here by accident?”

  “What do you mean?” Emily asked him.

  “Well, Krecher takes the aliens from the Ivory Tower out on the grounds at about this time of night. Maybe one of them escaped?” Will suggested.