Two Tribes, page 2
part #1 of Young Atlanteans Series
‘No, you’ll live here. Your father gave strict orders you’re not to be coddled and it’s simply not practical to do this journey every morning. This arrangement is much more time efficient and safe.’
‘He doesn’t expect us to board with the locals, does he?’ Alexia said, pulling a face at the dirty shop fronts and grimy bricked buildings passing by.
‘This isn’t a boarding school,’ Max said without elaborating.
Xavier watched the shock seep into his sister’s face. It would be funny if he wasn’t as alarmed as her.
‘What, a state school that we have to drive to every day?’ she said in absolute horror.
‘Walk,’ Dr Brunswick corrected, flatly. ‘You will walk there and home again every day.’
Xavier and JJ had Googled the school straight after the meeting with their fathers. It was a regular everyday secondary school, ethnically diverse, and about second to last in the league tables for the whole of England. He and JJ had both agreed their father was simply trying to teach them a lesson to be grateful. They would go through this charade, spend the day roughing it, and then pitch up in front of the posh boarding school, in keeping with their royal status. Now, the closer they got, the more nervous Xavier became that that wasn’t the case at all.
JJ looked across their sister at him, obviously thinking the same thing. ‘Where are we staying, then?’
‘With a local family, just a ten-minute walk from the school. Your father has arranged everything. Your bags will be taken there while you are at school, then, when your day finishes you will go back there, OK?’
‘Oh no!’ Alexia whispered, as if she’d just heard someone had died. ‘Surely we’ll get lost or kidnapped in the ghetto.’
Xavier laughed and JJ shook his head. Their sister was so dramatic. She would make sure she was treated like a princess wherever they ended up.
‘Don’t worry unduly, Alexia. The kind lady you will be lodging with has three children at the school. They’ll be able to act as guides and show you about the place.’
They all looked at each other, more uneasy by the minute. The whole thing was fast becoming a nightmare. Their old school in New Hampshire didn’t seem such a bad place after all.
‘What’s her name – this woman looking after us?’ Alexia asked on the verge of tears. ‘I guess she must have a big house with the three of us and three kids of her own,’ she said.
‘Her name is Valarie Johnson. She is a nurse and has two smaller children too.’ He ominously left out the size of the house.
‘And the kids?’ Xavier said, watching Max’s discomfort closely.
‘Erm…’ Max opened his briefcase and sifted through some papers. ‘Ah, here it is. Richard, Latitia and Dwayne… Erm, the ones under five: Joseph and Marcus.’
Xavier and JJ exchanged another concerned look. Surely this must be some kind of joke.
Xavier sat back in his seat. This wouldn’t be for long. He knew his father. This was just a ploy to teach them a lesson. It was all to make them appreciate their old school when they were sent back. ‘Chill out, Lexie. We’ll be out of here in no time.’ Yeah, two weeks – a month, tops.
* * *
JJ was seething. Not because all this was beneath them – far from it, but from embarrassment. If they wanted them to immerse, why stick a beacon on their heads? Their motorcade was waved into the staff car park by the police, as if they were visiting foreign dignitaries. It was so conspicuous that peopled were stopping in the street to check out who it was. They came to a halt, right in front of the steps to the main doors of the old red-brick building, where they got out hurriedly and were ushered in by their guards, forming a shield from the onlookers and talking into headsets.
A small stocky man with a huge moustache and wearing a tweed jacket met them and introduced himself as Mr Lingham, Deputy Headmaster and Head of English. He led the way down the old parquet-floored corridors that smelled of boiled cabbage and sick.
JJ bit down his hatred for the place already. It wasn’t that he was a snob and wanted a better school; he didn’t want any school. He knew who he was and what he was meant to become and didn’t need all this bollocks. There were easier ways of bringing him down a peg or two that didn’t drag his brother and sister down with him. This whole exercise was a waste of everyone’s time. To hell with it.
As they went down endless poorly lit corridors, with shiny green paint to waist height and peeling magnolia to the ceiling, his morbid thoughts somehow went hand in hand with the place. It felt kind of homely. Flickering lights lit tatty noticeboards. Door signs that should have said Humanities Block, had the ‘ities’ scrubbed out and the BL scribbled over with a C. Ceiling tiles were missing, revealing the wiring running above and finally the library that had no more than about fifteen books in it. It really felt like a middle finger to the establishment. By the time they came to a stop outside a door with a crooked ‘Head’ sign on it with ‘gives’ diagonally scrawled across it, he decided he liked the place. He’d just go along with it and do his own thing anyway. If they wanted to waste their time trying to teach him what he already knew, then let them. It made no difference to who he was, anyway. He didn’t give a shit where he lived or who with. His life was preordained. In short, there was no point in getting involved, making connections, or weighing himself down.
Mr Lingham smiled and knocked on the shabby door.
‘Come in,’ a deep voice said.
Mr Lingham held open the door and they followed Max into the office. A huge, overweight, cheerful-looking black man stood up from behind his desk and couldn’t look more like Professor Clump if he tried. JJ flashed a look at Xavier, who gave a small smile of recognition back.
‘Please sit,’ the headmaster said, indicating three chairs opposite him. Another was brought in for Max. Mr Lingham perched on the edge of a sideboard and four of their guards stood, arms crossed, at the back of the room, which was ludicrous as they would leave them to fend for themselves when this meeting was over.
The headmaster smiled at each of them in turn. ‘Hello, I know who you all are. I am Dr Henry, your headteacher. Your fathers have explained everything, and I understand you will be staying with a local family, which I’m sure will be fabulous. I want you all to feel right at home here.’ His laugher boomed, even though there was nothing funny, after almost every sentence he said. But the guy seemed OK, upbeat and positive. Heaven knew why, in this shit hole.
JJ yawned.
The headmaster narrowed his eyes on him, not missing a thing. ‘I can see we have an active mind here. We’ll soon have that put to good use. Can’t have you getting bored now, can we?’
Alexia sniggered. Xavier hid a smile behind his hand. The guy was a smart aleck – so what.
‘Let me welcome you, and let you know how pleased we are to have you all here.’
‘Thank you, Dr Henry,’ Max said. ‘Here is the first donation to the school from the children’s father. I trust it’s in order?’ Max passed a small envelope to the headmaster, who took it with a smile. ‘There will be a similar donation each term.’
The room was silent while he took out his letter opener, slit it, and took out what looked like a cheque. His eyes went wide before he could school his features. ‘Bloody hell,’ he choked. Then rubbed his two chins. ‘Please pass on my sincerest gratitude. Every penny will be put to good use.’
‘His Highness thought it would go some way to help in refurbishing the sports facilities here?’
‘Of course,’ Dr Henry said, having to re-read the cheque again.
Xavier and JJ exchanged a worried look. Suddenly the move here wasn’t looking that temporary.
A knock at the door brought their eyes back to the headmaster. Max took it as his cue to leave and the guards stepped forward. ‘We will leave you to your day, Dr Henry,’ Max said.
‘Very good. That will be the children’s new brothers and sister,’ Dr Henry said, laughing.
JJ baulked. Not likely. This would be good. Time to suss out the opposition.
Max went out with the guards and JJ heard them come in, but didn’t turn round.
‘Come here where we can all see you?’ Dr Henry said. The three traipsed in and joined him next to the desk.
Both boys were black, with trendy faded haircuts and deep-brown eyes. They were big, good-looking guys and knew it. In a second, JJ had taken in the Beats earphones, looped around their neck, the black bomber jackets and navy-blue sweatshirts, at least three sizes too big, with the school logo in a semi-circle over their left breast. Their black trousers hung low and bunched over their beige Chelsea boots and were the final proof they conformed but pushed the uniform boundary to the edge of what was allowed. He locked eyes with each of them. Impressions would be formed and there was no point in giving any notion of weakness.
That was as far as his study of them went, before a bubble gum pop brought his eyes over to the girl a little out of view.
Xavier and Alexia were saying hello. She nodded back and shook both their hands. JJ was too busy taking in her long cane-rowed hair and hooped earnings the size of saucers. When her eyes finally rested on him for his introduction, they were a lighter shade of brown and her heart-shaped face had smooth skin the colour of caramel. His eyes dropped; he couldn’t help it. Her waist was cinched in with a large belt to emphasize her perfect hips and her white shirt was knotted just above it. Her black trousers were rolled to halfway up her shin to reveal a black boot far chunkier than her brothers’.
She looked him up down, moodily, as if to ask what the hell he was looking at, blew another bubble and raised an eyebrow.
A small smile crept over his face. Well, hello beautiful …
CHAPTER 2
The rest of the morning went by like a bad dream for Alexia. Their host brothers and sister had been excused and gone off to their classes, and they were all subdued. The headmaster insisted on showing them around the school himself, making them stand out even more than they did already. She was sure it was for their father’s benefit and wasn’t the norm.
They started their tour in the large reception area. Kids of all ages, colours and nationalities streamed through in two lines through two metal arches. ‘Oh look, airport thingies!’ she said laughing. ‘Why do they need those?’
‘Concealed weapons,’ Xavier said in her ear.
Shocked, she looked at JJ for confirmation. He just raised his eyebrows without answering. She took that as a yes. ‘Shit!’ she said, a little too loudly.
A boy was pulled to the side, patted down and something confiscated. ‘We have to ensure pupil safety,’ the headmaster said.
Suddenly, their old school seemed a much better place, even though they’d been in a rush to leave it. Here, the kids seemed louder and more boisterous. Their uniform looked drab and ill-fitting, the girls’ bags cheap and their coats, if they had one, tatty.
Xavier was grinning at her. He always took great enjoyment in annoying her. JJ was bored as usual.
Then followed endless departments – English, Maths, Art, etc. Everywhere looked dilapidated, needed fixing and a new coat of paint.
Eventually, their depressing tour came to an end. The head needn’t have bothered; one shabby classroom looked pretty much like another and the teachers reminded her of aging hippies. He explained that science was their next class before lunch and gave them instructions on where they needed to go.
A bell rang signifying the end of the period and the corridor suddenly swarmed with so many kids they found it difficult to move. As obvious newbies, they were pushed all over the place. Xavier grabbed her arm, so they weren’t separated. JJ shoved a few people back and got into some minor scuffles. Thankfully they were herded along until they reached a staircase. They made their way up to the second floor, along the corridor, to the classroom marked ‘Science 3’. Another bell sounded, the door opened and the kids behind them pushed them into the room.
Inside, the desks were long wooden benches, carved with names and initials all over them by some sort of sharp implement. A compass, she guessed. They were arranged in four rows, with an aisle down the middle. Xavier pulled her along with him and they sat together by the window. He was always protective of her. It felt more like possessiveness – especially around other boys. She had actually been closer to JJ growing up, but they had grown apart lately. He sat behind them.
A balding man in glasses, wearing a brown tweed jacket and corduroy elbow patches, briskly entered the classroom and slapped his worn satchel onto the desk. Then he issued orders to open the windows even though the room was freezing.
Alexia sunk down in her chair when she saw his eyes rest on her and then check in his folder. He closed it and perched on the edge of the desk. ‘Don’t get too comfortable, you lot, I want you to stand up.’
Everyone groaned and their stools scraped as the whole class slowly stood. She noticed several kids still on their phones. ‘Phones off and away or lose them till the end of the day,’ the teacher said with a no-nonsense look over his glasses. Then he smiled and surveyed the class. ‘Hello. For those who don’t know me, my name is Mr Benson. I’m going to take the register and where I point to is where I want you to sit. That is where you will sit every time you come to my class. You’re going to have to humour me, it helps me learn your names. There will be no chatting, no turning around to the person behind you and absolutely no checking your social media profile while in my class. Is that clear? You aren’t that popular.’
The class grumbled a less-than-enthusiastic ‘Yes sir’ when he finished speaking. He was about to open his mouth to begin when the door opened and one of the boys they were staying with came in. ‘Dwayne Johnson, you’re late! You’re here,’ he said, pointing at a desk just in front of Alexia. Then he pointed at her. ‘You are?’
‘Alexia,’ she said, blasting red with the spotlight on her.
He rolled his eyes. ‘Alexia, who?’
‘Dubonnetti,’ she said, looking at Xavier to save her.
‘You’re next to him.’ He pointed to the vacant chair next to Dwayne.
She looked at Xavier imploringly.
‘Excuse me,’ Xavier said, partially raising his hand. ‘I am also a Dubonnetti, shouldn’t I be next to her?’
‘No, you will sit behind her.’ Mr Benson flashed his eyes at him and went back to his register.
Someone sniggered.
Alexia moved slowly into the seat next to Dwayne and looked at him warily as she sat. He gave her a friendly smile, but she averted her eyes. He seemed OK, but she’d never been around ordinary humans before. The ones in New Hampshire were pampered and spoiled and predominantly white. She swivelled in her chair to look for JJ and saw he was now near the back of the room. He chose to use his father’s name of Gardiner and not any of his royal names of Dubonnetti, Santalini, Bonaci or Florianna. He was stubborn like that.
‘Right, open your exercise books to page thirty.’
Alexia looked around her; they hadn’t been given exercise books yet.
‘Here ... you can share mine,’ Dwayne said, scratching his head awkwardly. His stool scraped as he moved in closer. Her eyes caught his and held them for a long moment. They were very dark brown and seemed honest. They reminded her a lot of her cousins’ eyes; Keefa and Dannon. All the Murrs from the Borge family had eyes so black you couldn’t distinguish a pupil. He gave a small smile, which she returned shyly.
The door to the classroom opened and closed, breaking the spell.
Dwayne looked over his shoulder at who’d come in and tutted. It was his sister Latitia.
‘Sit!’ the teacher said and pointed to the chair next to JJ. She groaned and he smirked.
Alexia didn’t miss that look – she knew it well. She glanced at Dwayne, who’d clocked the same thing. ‘How come you and your sister are in the same class?’ she said, to get his attention.
‘I could ask you the same thing.’
He was right. All three of them were exactly the same age. It happened a lot with the royal children of Sirens. But he wasn’t to know that. For a moment she was lost for words.
‘Twins,’ he said, answering her question with a smile.
She smiled awkwardly back. ‘Same.’ This was going to be harder than she thought. He seemed quite nice, but she had no idea what he knew and she was sure she knew even less about him.
* * *
Xavier sat at the bench behind his sister, in a science lab last refitted in the 1950s, and watched what was fast becoming flirtation between her and their new foster brother and he didn’t like it one bit. He wasn’t sure what was bothering him exactly – probably that she had never really been interested in anyone before. This new school was unnerving. The building seemed to function on a wing and a prayer and its pupils were from a corner of society they had absolutely no training or experience with. He’d never felt so far out of his comfort zone.
A boy was sat next to him and he’d forgotten his name already. He needed to get out of there fast. His father already had the headmaster in his pocket. If they left it much longer it would be impossible to get expelled.
He turned in his seat to communicate with JJ, only to see him getting all gooey-eyed over the girl, Latitia. He’d seen it a hundred times at their old school and turned back to face the front in disgust. Was everyone taking leave of their senses? It was the look that got them into fights time and time again. Then he narrowed his eyes on his sister; looking coyly at that boy again. Perhaps that was their ticket out of there.
* * *
JJ sat back in his chair and openly appraised Latitia. She was something he’d never come across in his life before. All he’d ever mixed with growing up were other Atlanteans and they were invariably rich, royal or both and at the last school, they were their human counterparts. Spoiled little rich girls whose Daddy brought them everything and would save their pretty little arses should they waste their expensive education. All they did was parade around in designer clothes and bitch about their friends. The minute they opened their mouths, he was bored.
