Part II: The Foundling House
Carter awoke to the sound of a bell, the first thing he saw when his eyes opened was the blinding light of the morning sun shining through the half-frosted window at the end of the room. The loud and unbearable sound of metal clashing continued as he pushed his blanket aside and sat up on his bed, his mind still dizzy and half-asleep. He rubbed his eyes as the sound of the Wing Bell, as it was called, slowly faded away and was swiftly replaced by the sound of every boy in the Boys Wing of St Annalise’s House all talking and moving at once. Even inside his own living quarters, which he shared with seven other children, the sound of footsteps and cloth ruffling filled the air like a deeply unappealing symphony.
Carter slowly put his feet on the ground and stood up from his bed and stretched his arms, which made a wave of relief run down his spine. In front of him, he could see the face of the wooden wall clock that hung above the dormitory entrance, its hour hand pointing at the number six and its minute hand, the number twelve. His drowsiness slowly faded away as he then straightened his light blue and white stripped nightgown. His mornings were always started slow, no matter how much energy he tried to muster upon waking up, he was never the type to jump out of bed.
Once he had fully regained some of his mental clarity, he looked at the bed directly next to his one, only to find it empty with its sheets neatly folded and placed next to a thoroughly fluffed pillow. The sight of such a perfectly tidy bed made Carter roll his eyes as he turned around and began folding his own sheets, for in his opinions after a certain point tidiness became less about etiquette and more about frivolous vanity. He had expressed this viewpoint to his neighbor many times, and many times he had been completely ignored.
Just as he was about to finish his folding, the door at the front of the room burst open, and in walked his overly tidy neighbor, a thin freckle-ridden boy with curly ginger hair. A cloud of steam trailed behind him has he walked towards the center of the room, for in his hands was a tray of eight cups, each filled with a scalding hot tea.
The other boys in the room all gathered around the tray, each one taking a cup whilst the ginger haired boy tried his best to hold the tray firmly without letting it fall. Soon only three cups remained on the tray, the boy then turned and walked towards Carter before placing the tray on top of a small wooden drawer next to the perfectly organized bed. He then turned to Carter before taking one of the remaining teacups for himself, however Carter didn’t turn around to face him and continued to fold his sheets.
“Good morning, Carter” He greeted; however his face had a frown, and his voice was blunt and cold, which made Carter feel nervous.
“Good morning, Percy” he replied cheerfully as he grabbed his pillow and began to fluff it. “On the morning shift I see.”
“Yes, it’s odd, given that it wasn’t my turn.” He said snidely before sipping his tea. Carter paused, realizing the reason behind Percy’s unusually hostile attitude. Feelings of shame and embarrassment ran down his body as he awkwardly placed his pillow on his bed and slowly turned around to face his friend.
“Sleep well, Shift-Skipper?” Percy asked rhetorically with a malicious grin.
“I am so sorry,” Carter replied with utmost sincerity. Percy replied with a dissatisfied huff whilst looking down at his cup. His disappointed expression only made Carter feel worse.
“It’s easy to apologize when people have already done your work for you, isn’t it?”
Carter sighed, he didn’t want to go about his day thinking he had upset his friend, he simply couldn’t bear the thought. Thus, he was willing to do anything to make it right in his mind. “Fine then, I’ll take your next shift! That ought to even us out, right?”
Percy placed his fist on his chin and did a dramatic pondering pose, only to stop within a few seconds and shake his head in disagreement. “If I recall correctly, I had to do one of your shifts two days, and another one four days before that! You have yet to repay me for those as well!”
“O Saints forgive me for expecting a little altruism from my friends!” he exclaimed.
“May the saints forgive you indeed,” Percy taunted before taking another sip of his tea. “Though even if they did, you’d still owe me.”
Carter frowned, for now even he was starting to get frustrated. Percy gave him a dull stare, clearly unwilling to let of the past. Carter knew that the longer they argued, the more likely it was that their argument would devolve into a long and childish game, one which he was unwilling to play. And despite his desire to retain what little companionship he had; his pride wouldn’t let him sink so low as to grovel at Percy’s feet.
“What then? Two shifts? Three? What about my afternoon dessert? Would all that settle it?” he asked with both anger and sarcasm.
“Nope.” Percy replied swiftly. However, the sound of Carter’s annoyed groaning finally seemed to make him snap. For his sour frown slowly began to fracture and turn into amused grin as he began sniggering uncontrollably. It was then that Carter began to realize that he had just fallen for a rouse, and just as his face began to display his rightfully annoyed reaction, Percy began to chuckle.
“Are you kidding me?” Carter asked, his eye twitching in frustration. To which Percy nodded cheerfully whilst holding back his laughter. Carter rolled his eyes as he sat down on his bed. “We should make a rule not to play tricks on each other before breakfast.”
“Like that would last a more than a week!” Percy mocked. Carter let out a deep breath as he grabbed his teacup and held it up to his lips. “Was it even my shift?” he asked before taking a large sip. He then leaned back and let out a relieved sigh as the hot tea warmed his insides and quashed the last remnants of his early morning haze.
“Oh, it was.” Percy replied in a dead serious tone, which made Carter look at him with his eyebrow raised. Percy gave him a side-eyed glance and grinned. “But don’t worry, you don’t owe me anything. I know you like your beauty sleep, and I managed to reap some sweet benefits.”
He then rummaged through one of the pockets of his nightgown and took out a brown biscuit as large as his palm, it’s top stamped with an ornate flower. Carter, ignoring the comment about beauty sleep, felt his heart burn with desire, for he knew only the staff were allowed to have such treats.
“The cooks were none the wiser.” He boasted whilst holding the treat between two of his fingers. Carter chuckled as his mind made up an image of Percy’s daring exploit. However, whilst they were laughing together, a hand appeared from behind Percy and snatched the biscuit off his hand. Percy was so startled that he nearly fell off his bed as he turned his head to the side angrily to face the thief bold enough to steal from him. What he found was a dark blonde-haired boy in a stripped nightgown gleefully holding the stolen biscuit with a look a victory on his face.
“HEY!” he shouted as he lunged towards the boy and frantically reached is arms out in order to retrieve his hard-won prize. However, the other boy was taller than him, so he simply walked backwards and held his hand above his hand, keeping the biscuit out of reach whilst grinning maniacally.
“Give it back, you prick! You cannot fathom how difficult it was to steal that!” Percy demanded, his swift and chaotic movements making his old bedframe creak. Meanwhile, Carter simply watched, tittering in amused at the scene unfolding in front of him, for part of him felt that Percy’s misfortune was well deserved.
“Good morning to you too!” The other boy exclaimed, smiling confidently. “And there’s no need to shout like a preacher, seeing as claiming ownership of a stolen biscuit is not exactly a righteous cause.”
Percy grunted angrily as he got up on his feet. “Don’t you start your sly-talk with me, Fin! This isn’t up for debate!”
“I’m not wrong though, am I?” Fin retorted whilst holding back Percy’s head with his other hand as Percy kept pushing against him with both his arms outstretched. “All is fair in love and snatching stolen food from the hands of unsuspecting orphans!”
Fin then swiftly took his hand off his victim’s face and, using his shoulder, pushed Percy back onto his bed before taking large bite out of the biscuit whilst Percy watched, seething with rage. Fin then sat next to Percy and wrapped his arm around his shoulders cheerfully. “Oh, cheer up, Pers! You still get credit for gulling those ladle-lickers! Besides, think of this as a thank you gift in advance for yours truly!”
Percy slowly turned to Fin with a look of outrage and disbelief as he shoved the last remnants of the biscuit into his mouth. “Thank you? For what?”
“For what I’m going to do next week!” Fin exclaimed with great enthusiasm. “It’s not every day that one of your closest friends and confidants turns seventeen!”
Those words made Percy’s anger disappear almost immediately, but instead of being replaced by curiosity or happiness, it was a replaced by a look of repressed yet deep sadness. He then took Fin’s arm off his shoulder and rolled his eyes before looking down at the ground with a tight-lipped frown.
“Thank you for reminding me.” He said in a cold and sarcastic voice. Fin’s expression then changed from one of overexaggerated arrogance to one of sympathy. Carter then walked to the edge of the bed and sat down next to Percy. He had seen this reaction many times, for years he, Percy and Fin had watched as the older children of Dormitory Fourteen all faced the same fate, one by one they had all succumbed to the mysterious workings of the system they all live under, and now it had come for Percy.
“Don’t worry, Pers!” Fin said upliftingly. “Think of the great big world you’ll get to see! It’s got be better than this leaky old shack!” To which Percy replied with a grumble.
“What was that about next week?” asked Carter, swiftly changing the topic of the conversation whist gesturing towards Fin with his eyebrow, to which Fin immediately took the hint. He the hastily stood up from the bed and spread his arms as though he were praising the heavens.
“It’s good that you asked, my friend!” he announced boldly. “For you see, I have been secretly preparing what will be perhaps the greatest celebration this House shall ever bear witness to!”
His enthusiasm was met by a rather anticlimactic response, Carter tried to smile with excitement though it was undermined by his nervous eyes as he failed to hide his well-founded wariness. Meanwhile Percy raised his eyebrow, his mood unimproved and his expression riddled with skepticism.
“You’ve been planning this in secret, you say?” he asked, looking up at Fin blankly.
“Indeed, I have.” Fin replied though with less enthusiasm and with his arms crossed. Percy then stood up and began to slowly circle Fin like a vulture with his arms behind his back.
“That implies that you wanted to surprise me, so why are you revealing it to me now? You already know my birthday isn’t for another week.” Percy inquired, seemingly taking amusement in prying open what he saw as a contradiction in Fin’s otherwise indestructible story. Fin rolled his eyes and made an exaggerated expression, playing along and feigning defeat.
“You’re right! It’s because I need you to do me a favor.” He admitted humbly.
Percy paused, slightly taken aback by his answer, for it was seemingly not the one he was expecting. “A favor? What kind of favor?”
“My evening shift…next week.” He answered with a bit of hesitation, knowing that Percy would immediately realize the true implications of his request, and he was right. For Percy’s eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly out of disbelief.
“You want me to work your shift, on my birthday?”
“I would ask Cart over there but, judging from your previous bout, he has some dues to pay.” He said, gesturing towards Carter, who looked down at the ground with a grimace, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
“And is there no one else in this dorm?” Asked Percy pointing towards all the younger children who were all running about, frolicking and sipping tea, oblivious to their conversation.
Fin shook his head. “Impossible, the Minders will have my head on a spike if they catch me pawning off work to the juniors again.” He explained with a side eyed glance. Carter had the unfortunate knowledge of knowing what Fin was referring to, for it involved three younger children, a row of dusty bookcases and a small brass chandelier. He also remembered everyone in the Boys Wing laughing for several days after it happened.
Percy huffed, seemingly seeing no viable excuse he could use to refuse Fin’s request. He then sighed in acceptance, smiled and held his hand out to Fin. “Alright, I’ll do it. Though this party better be as good as your making it out to be!”
“Oh, mark my words, it’ll be like no other!” Fin boasted confidently as he shook Percy’s hand. “First, we’ll gather the Digger’s Club and where you’ll relinquish your title as Lord of the Tunnel, then we’ll come back here and celebrate like princes! And don’t worry, it’ll still be a surprise! Cause what I just told you is all you will ever know until then!” He said giddily as he reached out to the drawer next to his own bed, grabbed his empty teacup and placed it on the tray.
He then patted his nightgown and hastily turned back to his bed. “Now then, I best be going before the lavatory lines become too long, and you best be getting these back to the kitchen.”
He then knelt next to his bed before reaching under it and pulling out a large brown suitcase bound by leather straps and a brass buckle, its lid stamped with the symbol of St Annalise House. He then reached out and opened one of his drawers, and from inside the drawer he took a key, which he then used to open the suitcase, revealing it to be full clothes and all his other personal possessions. He then took out a pair of clothes and slight worn towel, which he then rolled up under his arm before he closed the suitcase and shoved it back under his bed.
He then stood up and smiled at Percy and Carter. “Good day to you both!” he exclaimed before marching away towards the dormitory exit.
Percy then took the partially filled tray into his hands. “Well at least I have something to look forward to now.” He sighed dully. “One last revel before I go away forever.”
“Oh, you’re being dramatic!” Carter said optimistically. “The outside can’t be that bad. Besides, you’ll only have to be alone for a few months, then you’ll have Fin and I to keep you company!”
“Hopefully.” Percy replied with a little more enthusiasm. “If I don’t get carted off to the Big Boiler or the Bird House before that.”
Carter chuckled, for years the children had theorized about where they would end up once they left St Annalise House. They had conjured stories about the Big Boiler, a massive furnace, similar to ones in the House itself, hidden somewhere beneath the city whose fires kept the city warm. The older children would always scare the younger children by uttering warnings about how they’d were destined to spend their lives feeding the enormous furnaces. The Minders eventually took notice of this and, sensing opportunity, began weaving their own tales. But, instead of the Big Boiler, they made up the Bird House, an old and rickety tower where all the messenger birds of the city nested. They would warn all the boys that if the contents if their folders reflected poorly on them, they would be sentenced to sweep the tower’s filth for the rest of their days. Unfortunately for the Minders, many of the older children were quick to see through their lies, and their story failed to improve them in any meaningful way.
Carter then patted Percy’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine, Pers! Once we’re all out we’ll finally get to live our however we want! We’ll go that drinking place on the corner, the one everyone in the Minders go to!”
“The Drinker’s Port?”
“Yes, that one! We’ll go there like we always said we would, you, Fin and I, and we’ll drink all the wine and whiskey in the world!”
Percy smiled and rolled his eyes, for he was now thoroughly cheered up. He then balanced the tea tray on one hand and used his other hand to reach down inside his nightgown, where he had sown a secret pocket out of some spare yarn and patch of cloth. From within his attire, he took out another brown biscuit.
“But until then these will have to do.” he sighed before pressing his thumb against the cold confectionary, breaking it into two and handing one half to Carter. Percy then put his half inside his mouth, gave Carter a polite head bow and walked away, leaving Carter to watch as the other children all ran up to him and gave him their empty cups.
Carter took a bite of his biscuit, wondering whether Percy would’ve shared it to him had he not cheered him up. As he sat peacefully on Percy’s bed, he could see some of the other children grabbing their clothes and running out into the corridor, where even more children in nightgowns from all the other dormitories in the Boys Wing were slowly accumulating. Through experience he knew that he had about five minutes before every lavatory line in the Wing became indescribably unbearable to wait in. However, he did not panic or rush, instead he swallowed the rest of his treat before slowly opening Percy’s top drawer and taking out a book he had borrowed from the library, a book titled The Canterberg Tales by a man named Jeffrey Chance. He then laid on friend’s stiff yet tidy mattress and began reading, for he also knew that in about an hour’s time the lines would diminish, and then he could have all the time and privacy he wanted at the cost of somewhat battered facilities. Yet, contrary to Fin’s very vocal opinions, it was a trade he was willing to make.
Once all the children were out of their nightgowns and dressed in their house mandated uniform, which for Carter usually consisted of an old lightly tattered navy-blue waistcoat and coat alongside an equally weathered white shirt and flat cap, they were given a small yet cherished leisure time. Time that Carter spent helping the small children with little things like tying shoes laces and listening to Fin concoct a brilliant plan to vandalize the door of the neighboring dorm with stolen paint from the painting room whilst Percy sat next to him, scolding him and critiquing his plan’s every flaw.
Then, once the dorm clock struck eight, the Wing Bell rang once again, signaling the call to Morning Assembly. Soon Minders dressed in dark blue uniforms arrived at the door of every dormitory in the House. Carter couldn’t help but glance nervously at the polished wooden rods hanging from their brown belts as they instructed the children to form orderly lines and led them outside the House to the Warden’s Yard, a courtyard that laid directly beyond the House’s front gate.
“Gosh I wonder what Mr. Wardy will complain about today!” Fin whispered sarcastically into Carter’s ear as he walked behind him, his disdain towards the idea of standing out in cold winter weather being apparent in his tone. “My guess is that it’ll be like yesterday, or the day before! He’ll go on and on again about how half the staff went home for the winter and how we aren’t helping enough around here, all while we stand there freezing to death!”
“Well, hopefully he won’t keep us outside for too long.” Carter replied optimistically, for he too shared in Fin’s contempt, especially knowing that their winter coats were far from the best quality.
As they stepped out of their dorm buildings and into the cold and barren stone of the Warden’s Yard, a flat plain made entirely of stone with a mosaic of the sun in the center, surrounded on three sides by the towering three story building that made up the majority of St Annalise House. Carter felt the icy chill of the ground pierce through his shoes and relentlessly assault his feet. Such a feeling always reminded him to spare a moment of thought for the unfortunate young souls who had been tasked with clearing the courtyard. Given the sheer volume of snow that always accumulated in the yard every winter night, the job of shoveling it all was considered so arduous that it became a sentence the Minders only gave to the most mischievous offenders. It was truly the harshest atonement for one’s sins that they could suffer,
Once all the children had gathered in the yard in the form of one chaotic and disorderly crowd, the Minders proceeded to organize them into neat rows of fifteen whilst strongly urging all of them to stand as still as possible and not make a single sound. Then, once that was done and the courtyard was dead silent, the rest of the house staff entered the yard. This included the Warden of the House, a man who was rarely seen by the children, one whose real name no one seemed to remember or cared to utter, instead opting to call him Mr. Wardy. He was then followed shortly by the Head Minder, the Teachers of the School Wing, the Nurses of the Infirmary and all the other staff. Together they all sat in a row of chairs placed in front of the children, except for Mr. Wardy, who took a podium which had been placed in front of the chairs, and the Head Minder, who stood behind him, his hands carrying a long pole tied to the flag of Hatlynshire.
“Salute for the sacred vow!” he announced before stepping aside and letting the Head Minder walk in front of him. He then balled his left fist and placed it on his side before moving his right hand next to his head in a salute. As he did so, the rest of the staff all stood up from their seats and did the same. Then complete and utter silence followed as Mr. Wardy took a deep breath before bellowing as loudly as he could.
“Begin!”
Suddenly, within seconds, the Warden’s Yard erupted into a hypnotizing, synchronized chant as the hundreds of children gathered in the courtyard all began shouting at the top of their lungs.
“With saints as my witness, I vow to serve the Great City of Hatlynshire with my utmost loyalty! I vow to preserve the unity of the people, the might of industry and the integrity of state and crown! O long may the Grand-Prince reign, O long may the institutions stand and forever may the people prosper!”
Once that was over, the yard once again fell silent. Mr. Wardy moved back towards and the podium as the Head Minder stepped back and the rest of the staff all took their seats. He then cleared his throat and stared directly at his young audience.
“Good morning, my dear children!” he greeted with as much enthusiasm as a strict old man with a slow and raspy voice could muster.
“Good morning, sir!” the children all answered in unison.
And so, he began his speech, his voice sounding akin to an authoritarian, one who had an iron grip on his people. As to be expected, he complained about everything Fin said he would, mainly about the lack of funding. He thanked the state and their generous donors, whose names meant so little to Carter that he forgot them almost immediately after Mr. Wardy said them.
“It is of the utmost importance that we save every penny! That may like an impossible feat, given how much we have already sacrificed. But I know you all will do what is necessary in order to help us get through what remains of this hard winter.”
He then began lecturing the children about duty, discipline and what was expected of them. Yet, his words were so boring and repetitive that listening to them whilst standing in the cold felt like torture. However, Carter did find some entertainment in listening to discreet chattering of the children as they leaned over and whispered at each other’s ears in order to pass the time.
“I hear the boys in Dorm Seven are throwing a pillow brawl at midnight!” he heard one boy whisper to Fin.
“I heard Rupert Abby stole Humphrey Clipton’s looking glass!” whispered another.
“Did you know they had to take Rodney Jonson to the infirmary? I hear he got knocked out in a brawl with the Dorm Four boys!”
However, as Mr. Wardy dragged on with his words, Carter’s feet began to ache, and he clenched his fists tighter and tighter as he felt more and more impatient.
“I shall reiterate this one last time for anyone who finds it difficult to grasp. We expect that you all maintain good conduct and proper decency. Any acts of waste or miscreance shall be dealt with severely, understood?”
“Yes, sir!” they all shouted at once.
Mr. Wardy then nodded, seemingly satisfied by his message. “Right then, I think the time to conclude this assembly is at hand. I thank you for your presence this morning, and I hereby dismiss you all! Good day!”
Carter breathed a sigh of relief as he and the rest of the children all saluted and bowed their heads respectfully as Mr. Wardy walked down from the podium. Almost immediately after that the neat rows they stood in began to crumble as the children descended back into a disorganized mass before they all rushed into the warm interior of the house.
However, escaping the cold did not make Carter feel completely relieved, for what came after Morning Assembly was perhaps the only time of the day, he considered more torturous than Morning Assembly, for as soon the children of both wings got back to their dorms, they had to rummage through their drawers for their quills, slates and slate pencils before running off to the study halls of the School Wing. The House demanded that all children know how to read and write and do basic arithmetic, though at the same time, they did very little to make the children want to learn.
With his slate in hand, Carter approached the entrance of the School Wing, one which consisted of two large arched doors that led into a maze-like complex of corridors. However, instead of going straight in, the children first went to a large blackboard that hung next to the doors, for written on it in clear white chalk was both a directory for which students needed to be in which class during which time, with groups separated based on age. Carter glanced at the board just long enough to see where he had been summoned before running through the entrance and into a wide corridor with doors on either side. He reached a door bearing a plaque titled Writing Room B. And the moment he entered he was greeted by a bearded old man in a black waistcoat, who sat behind a desk full of books, blank paper, inkbottles and a wooden plaque with the word ‘Mr. Urstwell Hartfort’ etched on it, his face covered by a thin smoke cloud as his smoked a wooden pipe.
“Good morning, Mr. Carrington.” He said with a cough as he waved the smoke away from his face.
“Morning, sir.” Carter replied politely. To him, Mr. Hartfort was one of the nicer teachers, mainly due to the sheer simplicity of his subject.
“Copy work today, Mr. Carrington, forty fifth page.” He uttered plainly as he pointed to the books, papers and ink. “And be sure to use your best hand, this one will be going in your file.”
Carter replied with a nod before walking over to the table and taking one of each of the three items. He then sat down on a rickety bench behind a dark brown table long enough to seat seven children, covered in dents, scribbles and markings.
He then reached into one of his waistcoat pockets and took out his quill, a quill that was a third of his age with a feather that was nearly bent. The House could only afford to provide new quills every few years and so they were made to make do with whatever they had. This led to several children naming their quills, with Carter having named this particular one Quillbert.
In the succeeding few minutes, several of his peers trickled into the room, though their numbers weren’t nearly enough to fill every chair, and Mr. Hartfort greeted them the same way he greeted Carter. Meanwhile, Carter kept his head down as he opened the inkbottle, set it down beside him, opened the book, titled ‘The Chronicles of a Soldier’, and turned to the forty fifth page, dipped the tip of his quill in ink and carefully began writing down the text.
…And thus, I accompanied Saint George the Magnificent and his daughter, the Saint Annalise, as they marched from one end of what was then Bracksburg to the other and then back again, proclaiming to them that they had vanquished the wretched Peoples of the Arylmoor…
He could barely make it past the second sentence before he stopped paying attention to what the words said and instead tried his best to write down the letters as perfectly as he could, knowing full well that he wouldn’t be afforded another sheet of supposedly expensive paper if he made a mistake. He kept an even pace as he tried to fit as many words into the page as he could, only stopping to dip Quillbert in ink every few words.
The schoolroom fell into a deep silence once all of Carter’s peers were seated and occupied with their own assignments, and not long after that Mr. Hartfort began to drift into a delicate slumber. Once he was fully asleep, the room became noticeably less civil as the children became chattering and whispering amongst each other, the volumes of their voices fine-tuned as to not wake up their old educator.
“The air in this room is unbearable!” Fin murmured from beside Carter as he switched been scribbling down the words of the book and glaring their slumbering tutor. “I swear to the saints, old Heart-Wart’s going to smoke himself to the grave by dusk!”
“It’s not that bad.” Carter responded, making excuses for Mr. Hartfort for seemingly no reason, even though he too had noticed that the smell of pipe tobacco in the air was stronger than usual, causing the class to smell absolutely horrid. “And don’t call him that while he’s in the room, he might hear you.”
“I mean, I imagine the name isn’t too inaccurate.” Fin retorted in his defense. “And what do you mean not that bad?” he asked rhetorically before derailing himself immediately afterwards. “What are you? Some kind of…uh…what do you call them, the ones who can’t smell…umm.”
“Anosmic?” suggested Percy, who sat next to Fin with his eyes pointed firmly on his paper. Carter couldn’t help but smile and be amused by Fin’s intentionally ineffective insult.
“Yes, that!” Fin exclaimed with a grin before nudging Percy’s shoulder with his own. “Gosh where would I be without you!”
“Huffing dust I imagine, in a closet you locked yourself in.” Percy replied swiftly and mercilessly. “Now I’d appreciate it if you both stopped arguing. The sooner we finish this, the sooner we get to leave this smoke house.”
“I agree, but how can Heart-Wart expect us to work like this? Drowning in all this putrid smog!” he protested angrily, though Carter could tell that his fuss was partially exaggerated just for the sake of it.
“If you feel so strongly about it, you should make a formal complaint to Mr. Wardy” Carter joked as he wrote down the last few sentences of the forty fifth page. The mere suggestion of something so ludicrous almost made Percy laugh out loud whilst Fin shook his head in refusal.
“Upon further deliberation, perhaps the smoke isn’t that bad after all.”
They all chuckled amongst themselves whilst keeping their voices low. However, their fun was cut short by the sound of the Hall Bell ringing from the corridor, marking the end of the class. Mr. Hartfort startled awake just as the boys all got up from their seats and lined up to hand in their papers and other items. Mr. Hartfort glanced at each paper before placing them in a neat pile, only commenting on the few he thought were worth commenting on.
“Elegant as always, I see, Mr. Bodrick, very impressive indeed. Keep this up and I’d wager you’d be as proficient as a scribe.”
“Thank you, Mr. Hartfort.” Bodrick expressed graciously whilst bowing his head. After him came Fin, whose paper made Mr. Hartfort’s expression become noticeably less enthusiastic the moment he handed it over.
“Mr. Finnegan…” he began as he took a closer look at the words. Fin looked down at him with a polite smile on his face, Carter had glimpsed the handwriting on his friend’s paper, and even by his low standards it wasn’t the best. However, part of him couldn’t help but assume that he had intentionally made his handwriting appear worse as a way of protesting against Mr. Hartfort’s excessive pipe use, files be damned, knowing that relative to much of the other staff, Mr. Hartfort was soft and lenient with his criticism.
“I see your penmanship lies at the border between satisfactory and irredeemable, do try and better yourself.” He judged with a disappointed frown, which was about as much scrutiny as he could’ve given.
“Thank you, Mr. Heart-Wart.” said Fin, feigning gratefulness. Mr. Hartfort’s eyebrow immediately rose up and his expression darkened.
“What did you call me?” he asked, his voice sounding leagues more serious and intimidating. Fin’s eyes widened and his smile turned to a frightened frown as he straightened himself. The words had seemingly flowed out of his mouth with such ease that he had barely noticed them. Several children on either side of him then began making exaggerated expressions of curiosity as they waited for his response.
“Umm…nothing, sir! I just misspoke, that’s all!” he explained frantically whilst trying his best to look as though he was perfectly calm.
“Misspoke, did you?” Mr. Hartfort huffed. “That is excusable, yes. Tell me, how often do you misspeak, Mr. Finnegan?”
Fin flinched, taken off guard by the question and seemingly unable to come up with a good answer. “Sir?” he stuttered weakly.
“My ears are not to be underestimated, boy, and they tell me you misspeak quite often with your fellow peers.” He explained as he gestured towards Carter and Percy with his lightly wrinkled hand. “Especially when you think I’m asleep.”
Fin’s face went red, and Carter saw Percy place his palm on his face, and he too felt like doing the same. Mr. Hartfort then grinned whilst the rest of the boys started giggling, all the while Fin stayed quiet, unable to find a way to escape his predicament.
“I apologize, sir.” He muttered timidly.
Mr. Hartfort huffed. “Your words impress me not, Mr. Finnegan. Perhaps you can express your regrets next class, with your quill.”
Fin agreed and nodded to every word the old man said, desperate to finish the lecture and leave the room. Carter found the scene increasingly painful to watch the longer it lasted. Finally, Mr. Hartfort glanced at the other boys before turning to Fin and giving him a nod of satisfaction.
“You may go now, Mr. Finnegan. Young ones like you may have a right to your quips and your japes, but I advise that you refrain from saying them in front of those you offend. Next time I shall bring my grievances straight to the Minders.”
Fin nodded and bowed his head once again just to make sure that Mr. Hartfort didn’t question his sincerity. Mr. Hartfort then puffed his pipe and waved him away before gesturing the next boy to hand over his paper. Fin then kept his head down and obscured as he walked past the out of the classroom through the thoroughly amused crowd and into the corridor. Once they were out of Mr. Hartfort’s sight, Carter slowly made his way towards Fin and patted him on the shoulder.
“Well, I feel as though that could’ve gone worse.” He said, assuming Fin was feeling upset and embarrassed and wanting to cheer him up. “At least you don’t have lose your toes shoveling snow tomorrow.”
However, he soon realized that his assumptions were wrong, for Fin then turned towards him with a smirk on his face. “I know, I know. Bless the merciful heart of that old toad!” he exclaimed sarcastically. To which Carter chuckled and shrugged.
“In all fairness, I did warn you! Now you’re going to have to be extra careful around old Hartfort.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about him.” Fin then argued. “You heard what he said, we young people have a right to our quips. I just need to be quieter next time.”
Carter sighed and shook his head, utterly impressed by Fin’s refusal to learn a lesson. Fin then glanced back at the crowd behind them before swiftly turning back with a look of deep fear.
“I don’t like the way Pers is looking at me, I might have to find some dark secluded corner to sit in next class.”
The lessons went on for several more hours until the final Hall Bell rung at midday, and as soon as it did all order within the School Wing broke down as the boys all rushed into the corridors at once and hurriedly made their way back to their dormitories so they could put away their slates and quills. The halls filled chaotic noise of footsteps and gibberish as the Minders tried their best to control the hungry juvenile horde as they all ran to the Mess Hall, a large white room with an arched ceiling and towering windows that protruded outwards from the eastward wall of the building that separated the dormitories from the School Wing. Inside the hall were ten rows of long tables arranged into two columns with a narrow aisle in between, and the boys pushed, pulled and trampled over each other as they fiercely competed for the best seats.
Once the dust had settled, Carter found himself sitting in the middle of the sixth row, with Percy beside him and Fin across from him. The sound of chatter filled the room as the hundreds of boys engaged in hundreds of small conversations, some fiddled with the plates and bowls they each were given whilst others etched various words and symbols onto the desks with their pewter cutlery. Sometime later, a procession of Minders appeared from a side door carrying a few trays of bread and a pot of porridge, which they would then distribute among the vast crowd whilst making sure that no boy dare tries and steal from them.
“I see I got the Bookkeeping Office today...how boring.” Fin huffed angrily, ripping piece of his bread and stuffing it his mouth whilst his eyes remained fixed towards something at the back of the room. “All they do is make you move around their stupid ledgers from one creaky desk to another! Why do they even need us for that?”
“Maybe it’s because we can’t decline. I hear Mr. Murton and his lot are all penny pinchers, so why would they say no to free work?” Carter suggested, eating his porridge with a spoon. Fin nodded in agreement before turning to Percy.
“So Pers what did you get?”
Percy responded with a frown as he took a bite out of his bread, for he had clearly not forgiven his friend for spoiling his name in front of Mr. Hartfort. Fin frowned back before looking over Carter’s shoulder towards the back of the room with narrow eyes.
“The Painting Room with Bods, huh? Well, that’s fortunate!” he exclaimed with a menacing smile. He then leaned over towards Percy. “I don’t suppose you both would mind doing me a favor while you’re there, would you?”
“I’m not stealing anything for you, and neither will Bods.” Percy replied bluntly, remembering Fin’s plot to vandalize their neighboring dorm. “I already told you that was an idiotic idea.”
“Oh, for Saint’s sake, don’t be like that!” Fin attempted to persuade. “If you’re too much of a coward to do it at least trade shifts with me! The bookkeepers, they’re number people, right? And so are you! You were both made for each other!”
“What? And risk getting a stain on my file?” Percy fired back loudly. “I’m afraid I must politely decline such an imbecilic offer!”
“Keep your voices down!” Carter warned, looking at the Minders who were seated in a small table in the corner of room, worried that they might attract their hawk-like gaze. Both Fin and Percy paused and stared at each other for a moment before returning to their meals.
“I just thought you’d want to have fun while you’re still here, for all we know those damned files aren’t even real.” Fin grumbled, to which Percy did not respond. Realizing that this conversation was going nowhere, Fin then turned to Carter.
“So, Cart, what did you get?” he asked with diminished enthusiasm.
Carter put down his spoon and looked over his shoulder towards the back of the room, for there, covering most of the back wall, hung a large blackboard with the names of every child over the age of eight, for whilst the morning shifts were often assigned via lists in the Dormitories, the evening shifts were assigned via the great blackboard in the Mess Hall. Carter read through the board until he found his name, for next to it was his assigned shift.
“The Music Hall with Nettles.” He answered as he turned back to the table.
“Oh, interesting!” Fin then exclaimed. “You might get to hear to the song choir! Nettles told me they have practice today!”
“Maybe, if they don’t shove me out the door once work time is over.” Carter pointed out. To which Fin shrugged confidently.
“True, but you can always sneak back in when no one’s looking! Who knows, maybe Pers and I will join you once our shifts are over!”
He and Carter then once again looked at Percy, to which he initially responded with a frown, however their hopeful stares persisted until he finally rolled his eyes and sighed.
“So be it.” He uttered in defeat as his angry mood fell apart under the amusement caused by the sheer might of their persistence. Fin and Carter both smiled victoriously.
After some time, the Hall Bell rung once more, marking the end of their lunch. All the boys, except those whose shift was to clean the Mess Hall, then made their way out of the Mess Hall in an orderly fashion whilst the Minder watched them, determined to catch anyone trying to sneak food outside the hall. Those who were old enough to work made their way to their shifts whilst the younger boys pursued whatever leisure activity suited them. Carter had always felt like he had wasted his younger years, and now that he was forced work the shifts, he felt quite a bit of jealousy towards his carefree juniors.
Fortunately for him, the Music Hall was only two hallways and a handful of doors away from the Mess Hall. Once Carter found the door and pushed it open, he was met with a large rectangular room with three walls lined with a balcony, filled with enough chairs to seat the entirety of St Annalise House, arranged in rows and covered in cloth, all while the back of the room was occupied by a red curtain and a stage full of instruments and music stands. Carter’s eyes searched the room, looking for convenient hiding places, for he knew the music teacher well enough to know that he was a man who hate distractions and adored silent privacy, so if he and friends were to listen their music, they had to be sneaky about it.
A slow yet pleasant melody entered his ears as he stepped inside the room, he looked for the source of the rhythm as he walked down the center aisle between the rows until his eyes fell upon a man sitting near the middle of the stage with his hands gliding over the keys of a very old and worn piano. However, the moment Carter closed the door behind him, the music stopped, and the man got up from his seat and began straightening his attire.
“Mr. Carrington.” He greeted from atop the stage. “Don’t tell me you were the only one they could afford to send?”
“Good afternoon, Mr. Welf.” Carter replied polite. “And no, sir, they assigned two of us to the Music Hall.”
Similar to Mr. Hartfort, Mr. Welf was an old man, yet he still had some blackness in his well-kept hair. He wore a deep purple waistcoat, a set of pince-nez glasses and always kept had his hands covered by silk gloves.
“Only two, eh?” he sighed with a frustrated frown as he looked around the room. “Hmm, that won’t do! It simply won’t.”
He then turned to Carrington. “Who’s the other boy who’s supposed to be here?” he then pressed further.
“Frank Nettles, sir.” Carter replied. Mr. Welf then placed his arm below his chin and pondered for a few seconds, he then reached into his waistcoat pocket and took out a pocket watched and glanced down at it.
“Well hopefully Mr. Nettles gets here soon, because at this rate you both will have to work without respite in order to get this place in order before my students get here.”
Just then, Carter heard the door to the Music Hall open behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw a short, thin boy with messy black hair come running down the center aisle towards them before halting next to him. He then gave a Mr. Welf a swift head bow. “Apologies for my lateness, sir.”
“Apologies can wait, Mr. Nettles, for you both have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it.” Mr. Welf replied before turning around walking to the back of the stage.
Carter and Nettles nodded obediently as they followed Mr. Welf onto the stage. He then guided them behind the curtains into a small hidden space filled with a treasure trove of props and decorations both new and ancient. There, tucked away in cramped corner was a pile of rags, brooms and buckets. Mr. Welf then grabbed a couple of rags and brooms and handed them to the boys.
“I need this hall free of dust and cobwebs before the end of the next hour!” he commanded before reaching into a nearby shelf and taking out a sandglass with the number one hundred and twenty written on it before walking back onto the stage.
“I have an important meeting with the rest of the staff.” He explained as he flipped the sandglass and placed it on his piano. “You may leave once this runs out. But if you fail to finish before then, I shall have you brought back here tomorrow.”
Mr. Welf climbed down from the stage and went through a door near one of the corners of the room, a door that led into his office, only to come back out a few moments later wearing a coat and cap whilst holding a deep green file in his hand. He then marched out of the hall without even giving the boys a glance.
“I say we do the balcony first; it’s bound to be the messiest.” Carter suggested, to which Nettles, who nodded in agreement. He then took one more look at the sandglass before he and Nettles got to work.
“Who would want to come here at this time of year?” Nettles then pondered as he and Carter made their way up the creaky wooden staircase that led up into the balcony.
“What do you mean?” asked Carter, intrigued, for he knew that cleaning was a dullest of jobs, and so conversations were the more effective method of keeping away the maddening boredom.
“Well usually they only tidy up this hall when they plan on putting on a show.” Nettles explained, playing with his broom as they got to the top of the stairs and walked to the end of the balcony. “And they don’t put on a show unless there’s a special holiday or someone from the outside is coming to visit, but since there are no upcoming holidays, the question is, who’d want to visit here in the dead of winter?”
“Perhaps they recently invented a new holiday, and you just don’t know about it.” Carter joked. “For all you know we might be celebrating the Grand-Prince’s dog’s birthday in a few days!”
Nettles let out a loud laugh, which Carter found quite adorable, given that Nettles was more than four years his junior. His voice and carefree mannerisms reminded him of simpler times. “It must be someone looking to feel good about themselves.” He then added sincerely. “Hopefully someone with deep enough pockets to satisfy Mr. Wardy.”
Nettles chuckled and nodded in agreement as they swept the balcony floor from one end to the other. Once they were done with the floor, they turned to the walls and began wiping away the cobwebs that had formed between the columns and along the corner where the wall met the ceiling.
“Fin told me he was planning a great party over at your dorm!” he mentioned offhandedly as he jumped and wacked a web with his broom.
“Yes, it’s Percy’s last birthday, the adults may not think it a special occasion, but Fin has vowed to make it one.” Carter explained, straining himself as he stretched his arm as far as it could go.
“Well, from the way he describes it, it will be the most special of occasions! ‘Like nothing this decrepit house has ever seen!’ were his exact words if I remember correctly.”
“Well that certainly sounds like him.” Carter sighed with a smile as he took a step back and leaned on his broom, his arm now thoroughly aching.
“Say, you don’t suppose he plans on inviting boys from the other dorms, do you?” he asked with a look of restlessness. “I think it would be unfair if he didn’t.”
“I suppose you’re right, but I doubt even Fin is brilliant enough to organize a party for five hundred guests.” Carter replied regretfully whilst he sat in a chair near the front of the balcony and let out a deep breath. An expression of disappointment appeared on Nettles’ face as sat on the chair next to him, looking equally exhausted. Seeing that made Carter frown, for it made him feel as though he had cruelly dashed his dreams.
“Well, I suppose you could get him to invite you specifically.” He then added whilst grinning and rolling his eyes. Those words made Nettles’ face light up with joy and hope.
“You really think he’d do that?”
“I’m sure he would!” Carter exclaimed with half-hearted enthusiasm, trying his best to hide his lack of sureness. “Though knowing him, he’ll make you earn it. Although I could put in a good word you if you want.”
“How kind of you, though that won’t be necessary.” Nettles declined politely. “If Fin wants to make me earn it, then so be it. I’d much rather you sing my praises to Percy.”
Carter raised his eyebrows out of curiosity. “Really? For what?”
“The Digger’s Club! He’s going to have to step down as the Tunnel Lord, is he not?”
“And you want to take his place?” Carter inquired, feeling genuinely surprised.
Nettles looked off into the distanced and shrugged. “Well, seeing as you and Fin are too old to take it. And only a few people have been in the Club as long as me, so I cannot help but feel as though it is my destiny.”
“Well, if it’s your destiny then you don’t need me, do you?” Carter retorted whilst raising his eyebrow. Nettles paused and stuttered, seemingly taken aback by such a swift remark.
“Even destiny could use a little help, could it not?” he replied, lifting his shoulders and smiling hopefully.
Carter tried his best to hold in his true reaction by feigning a smile, but unfortunately, he lacked the strength to maintain the façade, for almost immediately his smile broke and he began bellowing giddy laughter, which made Nettles’ face go red with embarrassment.
“Why are you laughing? He asked in a confused and annoyed voice. “You don’t think I should get the Bucket Crown?”
“No of course I do!” Carter reassured as he calmed himself. He felt as though he had rested enough and so he got back on his feet, let out a deep breath and grabbed his broom. Seeing this, Nettles did the same. But before they returned to work Carter placed his hand on Nettles’ shoulder and shook him gently.
“Worry not, I’ll be sure to place good words in Percy’s ear before the club convenes again, assuming of course he hasn’t already chosen someone else.”
Once again, his words made Nettles’ face beam with excitement as he clenched his fists restlessly, which in turn made Carter happy. “Gosh, thank you ever so much! I swear, once I have the title, you shall have my eternal gratitude!”
“I suppose I could always use another lord on my side.” Carter chuckled, shaking Nettles again before patting his back.
Returning to their work, they slowly made their way down from the balcony and onto the main audience floor of the hall, with neither of them stopping till the last grains of sand inside the sandglass fell. By the time Carter peered over at the piano and saw the empty sandglass, they had done what he considered to be a spectacular job, for the once messy Music Hall now appeared almost completely spotless. Feeling thoroughly thirsty and exhausted with their clothes lightly stained with sweat, they both then sat at the edge of the stage and waited for Mr. Welf to return. Fortunately, they did not have to wait long, for less than ten minutes after the sandglass had run out, he came bursting through the door, his hand still holding the green file.
“Welcome back, sir.” Carter greeted cheerfully as he and Nettles stood up and displayed proud postures. Mr. Welf’s mind appeared to be preoccupied with some other matter, for it was only after Carter had spoken did, he take notice of him and Nettles.
“Oh, you two are still here?” Mr. Welf replied half-heartedly. “I thought I told you to leave once your time was up.”
Carter and Nettles both exchanged glances, for they could both sense an undertone of annoyance in both Mr. Welf’s voice and expression, which was not the response they were expecting. Yet, they both tried to appear unfazed by his hostile demeanor.
“Well, sir, we thought it would be a little rude to dash away undismissed.” Carter said nervously. Fortunately, his answer seemed to satisfy Mr. Welf.
“Fair enough, I suppose. I hereby dismiss you both, now go.” He sighed impatiently, to which Carter and Nettles then bowed their heads graciously. Mr. Welf then looked around the room, examining the walls and floor with narrow eyes. Instead of simply walking away, Carter stood in place, hoping to see his reaction to their splendid work. He expected him to be impressed, however he was met with only a disappointed frown. “It appears even with two hours at your disposal, you both failed to bring this place to a presentable standard.”
Carter eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly as he felt overwhelmed by confusion. “Pardon?” Nettles gasped with an insulted look, a look he then sorely regretted making when Mr. Welf replied to his question with a glare.
“I’m sorry, do you disagree with what I just stated, Mr. Nettles?” he asked in a slow, intimidating voice as he used his superior height to loom over the boy. In response, Nettles immediately recoiled in fear as he moved closer to Carter, who knew that Mr. Welf was far less merciful that Mr. Hartfort.
“No, sir. I think he simply misunderstood you.” He interjected with an innocent smile whilst stepping between Nettles and Mr. Welf. “It’s just that he and I did all we could to tidy up this room and…”
“Well, from what I can see, your efforts were clearing not enough, Mr. Carrington.” Mr. Welf stated bluntly. “This house shall be hosting a very special guest in the coming days, and in order to meet their standards this hall must be spotless!”
He then took a step forward and groaned whilst rubbing the gap between his eyes with his fingers as he kept taking deep breaths, which made Carter realize just how stressed he really was. “I told them to send me all they could spare, and they respond by playing ridiculous games just to spite me over my principles!” he cursed and mumbled to himself, much to the confusion Carter and Nettles.
He seemed to notice their perplexed expression, for soon after he then paused and stared at them awkwardly. “I dismissed you both, did I not?” he asked calmly, visibly suppressing his inner resentments.
Both boys, unable to think of a proper way to respond, nodded in response. However, even that seemed to frustrate him even more. “Then leave.” He ordered, waving his hand at them as he began walking to his office. “I shall have you both back here tomorrow, hopefully with a few more sets of hands to aid you for at this state, this hall sits far below the standards of the guest.”
“If I may sir!” Nettles then chimed, which prompted Mr. Welf to stop walking and look over his shoulder. “Who this is guest going to be? Are they someone important?”
Carter felt the urge to place his palm on his face, for he felt as though Nettles was poking a sleeping bear. Fortunately, Mr. Welf’s patience had not yet been broken.
“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that at the moment.” Mr. Welf replied hastily. “I suspect you’ll hear it from the warden in the coming days. Now go, my students will be here any minute.”
Both boys then bowed their heads before turning around walking towards the door. Carter was eager to leave the room, fearing that at any moment, Nettles would turn around and ask another unnecessary question. Once they were outside, they closed the door and stood beside it, waiting for the choir boys to the arrive.
“What was that thing Mr. Welf babbled about in there?” Nettles asked, both out of curiosity and as a way of passing the time, for neither he nor Carter was certain about how long they would be forced to wait. “It sounds like he and Mr. Wardy are having some sort of spat.”
“Perhaps, but whatever the case may be, Mr. Welf doesn’t want us know about it.” Carter answered casually, feigning disinterest for he knew that prying into staff affairs was a tempting yet dangerous game. “And in truth, it should not concern us, who are we to do anything about it?”
Nettles nodded in agreement though it was clear his mind was still pondering possibilities. “Still, it must be a quite a big disagreement if Mr. Wardy is willing to risk disappointing a guest over it.”
“From what I hear, Mr. Wardy isn’t particularly patient with those beneath him, children and staff alike, so I doubt it would take a particularly brazen act of defiance to set him off.” Carter argued, taking an opportunity to subtly express his personal opinions about Mr. Wardy. Nettles gave him a look of amusement and nodded along to his words, for it seemed as though he too thought the same way.
Not long afterwards, a procession consisting of boys clad in navy blue robes entered the hallway and began approaching them. The group was composed of boys from a wide range of ages, though sadly none of them belonged to Carter’s dorm. He knew them to be a rather tight knit and untrusting group, though he did not blame them for it. For he had lived with his peers long enough that other boys could be harsh and judgmental towards those who are considered unusual. Yet despite his sympathy, when they came, he did not converse with them, though the same couldn’t be said for Nettles, who greeted them and in turn was rewarded by a bombardment of wary questions.
Whilst that occurred, Carter turned around and looked to the nearest adjacent hallway, which happened to be the one that led to the Administrative Wing. The mere sight of the entrance made him feel uneasy, for it reminded him of the fate that awaited him, Percy and every other boy who roamed this house. Feeling a little curious, he walked over and peeked his head over the corner. He was met with blue walls that led to a large and ominous door, guarded by a man in a grey uniform. He could feel the grey guard’s gaze weigh down on him the moment his head appeared within view, and so he stared back, feeling awkward, yet unwilling to look away.
“Cart, you coming?” he then heard Nettles call, which made his mind remember the task at hand. He looked away from the guard and made his way back to Nettles, who stood with his hand holding the door half open.
“I say we move quick and hide under the balcony; surely he won’t notice us from under there.” Nettles suggested.
“Not now, we still have to wait for Fin and Pers first. Besides, when the singing starts everyone will be too distracted to look our way, so it’s better to go in then.” Carter retorted.
And so, they waited. Soon the sweet sound of music began emanating from the door, followed by the haunting synchronized harmony of the choir boys and their accompanying instruments as they began reciting their well-rehearsed lyrics. Carter and Nettles listened whilst keeping the door slightly open, a position Carter found to be quite awkward, and nowhere near ideal for listening to music. Fortunately, they did not have to wait for long, for not long after the singing started, Carter saw two people enter the hallway from the corner of his eyes. As they got closer, he recognized Percy, however he realized that the boy walking next to him wasn’t Fin.
“We made it!” Percy panted as he and the other boy jogged up to the door.
“Where’s Fin?” asked Carter, looking at the boy accompanying Percy. He was a younger boy, a few inches shorter than both Percy and Carter, with dark brown and a face sprinkled with freckles. He was also fat, which was his most defining feature, for even his wide silhouette was all that Carter needed to recognize him.
“Fin couldn’t make it; told me he angered the bookkeepers and they’re making him run a late shift as revenge. So, I brought Bods along instead!”
Carter sigh in frustration, though he wasn’t entirely surprised, for this was far from the first time Fin had received such a punishment. “Well, I suppose we better get going then, yes?” Bodrick chimed, to which others agreed unanimously. They then slowly opened the door and tip toed their way into the room. The moment they passed through the door. Carter’s ears were overwhelmed by the sound of a piano melody and a dozen merry voices. He and the others stayed close to the wall as they moved under the shade of the balcony. Carter felt their caution was unwarranted, for like he had said, Mr. Welf had his eyes fixed on his piano whilst the choir and fiddle players had their faces buried in their songbooks and sheet music.
The group made their way to the corner of one of the back rows and selected four seats situated at the edge of the balcony’s shade. The boys swiftly dusted the cloth covering the chairs with their hands and sat down just as the choir ended their current song and Mr. Welf began playing the tune of another one.
“Walking on in the reddened grass! With the weight of iron on our backs! Marching to an anthem, under a flag! A great ways away from home!”
“Oh, I know this one!” Bodrick exclaimed before the choir finished their first sentence, keeping his voice to a near whisper. “It’s the March of the Sun Soldiers! I saw it once in a songbook my friend Humphrey lent me!”
“Your friends with one of the choir boys?” Nettles then asked, his curiosity piqued by Bods casual statement. Bodrick gave him a sideways glance, for he had clearly not intended to start a conversation in the middle of a song, however at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to deny Nettles an answer to his question.
“Sort of, there used to be two choir boys in my dorm, but one of them got summoned last month, now Humphrey’s the only one left. He had no one else to talk to and we both shared a common enemy; thus, we became allies.”
“Fascinating!” Nettles exclaimed. “He sounds like someone I’d very much like you meet some time!”
Bodrick shook his head and waved his hand, much to Nettles’ disappointment. “Sorry, but he’s rather shy about talking to anyone outside the choir. The only reason he talks to me it’s because I share his disdain for Rupert Abbey.”
Nettles’ eyes widened in shock. “Rupert Abbey? So, the Humphrey you speak of must be Humphrey Clipton then, wasn’t he the one who lost his looking glass?”
“He didn’t lose it. It was stolen.” Bodrick corrected, raising his voice. “And Humphrey and I both know that Abbey was the one who took it, that no-good wretch!”
“I would appreciate it if both of you could quiet down, please!” Percy then interrupted as he shushed the both of them with his finger, which made both Bodrick and Nettles close their mouths and awkwardly stared back at the stage just as the choir began the second verse.
“We siege the moon in the sea of stars! It's protector's spears pierce our hearts! And yet we march, oh come what may! Knowing that the sun will dawn one day!”
“So, does your friend talk to you tell you about the choir?” Carter then asked as an idea entered his mind. Bodrick immediately open his mouth to answer, only to shut it out of fear when he glanced to his side and was met by Percy’s disapproving frown. Yet, eager for a response, Carter gestured towards Bodrick with his hands and reassured him of his safety, which convinced him to reluctantly overlook Percy.
“He doesn’t tell me much, just odd pieces of gossip here and there.” He answered whilst Percy grumbled at him in frustration.
“And would he tell you about them if you asked him?” Carter pressed on, though his questions lacked the subtlety to not arouse Bodrick’s suspicions.
“I don’t know, why do you ask?” he replied with his eyebrow raised.
“Because Nettles and I think Mr. Welf is having a spat with the rest of the staff.” Carter explained, leaning closer to Bodrick and speaking in a secretive tone.
“What?” bellowed both Percy and Bodrick at the same time with expressions of shock on their faces. Carter then glanced briefly at Nettles and lightly nudged his shoulder.
“Indeed!” He then chimed in. “We overheard him in private scolding Mr. Wardy and the other staff. He seemed convinced that sending only two of us to clean up the whole Music Hall before the arrival of the guest was the staff’s way of spiting him!”
Bodrick blinked several times as his mind absorbed what Nettles had just uttered. “Well, given what Mr. Wardy’s supposedly like, that certainly doesn’t sound entirely unplausible, but what does any of this have to do with Humphrey?”
“Well, perhaps he knows the reason behind their quarrel.” Carter answered confidently, thinking back to the moment Mr. Welf mentioned his principles. “Whatever disagreements Mr. Welf has with the staff must involve the choir, so surely he must’ve heard something!”
“That is quite the assumption.” Bodrick remarked. “But even if you’re right, and he does know something, I doubt I could get him to tell me about it. And besides, why would you even want to know something like that?”
“Because knowledge is power.” Percy interjected impatiently, seemingly intent on bringing their conversation to a swift conclusion. “Cart wants to know because knowing means he can potentially play the adults off each other in case he ever needs to get out of trouble, just like the older boys in our dorm used to do whenever they invoked the ire of the staff.”
Once again, Bodrick appeared taken by surprise as he then turned to Carter and looked at him as though he was looking at a nefarious finger tenting schemer, an imagine that Carter knew would not get him what he wanted.
“Or I’m simply too curious for my own good!” he countered. “Either way, you wouldn’t mind doing a friend a favor now, would you Bods?”
Bodrick paused for a moment before reluctantly nodding his head, much to Carter’s joy. “Alright!” he sighed. “I suppose it’s worth a shot. Frankly, now you’ve got me all curious about this whole affair. But if Humphrey doesn’t want to tell me, I won’t pester him, you got that?”
Carter nodded in agreement. “Fair enough!”
“Fantastic! Now will all of you quiet down and let me listen?” Percy pleaded. “Because unlike all of you, soon I may never get to listen to another song in this hall!”
Unwilling to risk Percy’s wrath, all of them then went silent as they tucked themselves into their seats and faced the choir silently. However, by that point, only the last verse of the song remained.
“Wet with the blood of Men and Folk! Marching to a storm with an oath to hold! To defend our home, O come what may! With a dream to see the sun dawn there one day!”
The choir would continue to sing for a several more hours, however the four of them did not stay long enough to hear all of it, for they knew that the longer they stayed, the more they risked being seen by Mr. Welf. So, after about a half a dozen more songs they collectively decided to take their leave. They then got up from their chairs and spread some dust onto the cloth covering they had previously wiped before, thus making it seem as though they had never been in the first place. They then slowly sneaked out of the hall before parting ways as Carter and Percy made their way back to Dormitory Fourteen and Nettles and Bodrick made returned to their own dorms.
Soon, as dusk descended upon the streets of Renanberg, Carter found himself in the kitchens, with a tray full of teacups in his arms and a goal to deliver them to his dormitory, similar to how Percy had done in the morning. Though he often loathed working even after his usual shift had been completed, the kitchens were perhaps the most pleasant area in the entirety of Saint Annalise House, for they were always filled with the sweetest and most hunger inducing aromas which emanated from all the foods they prepared, most of which were reserved for the staff. The smells were so strong that they spread to the nearby hallways and acted as sort of guide for any who wished to find the source of their origin.
But though the surroundings were warm and pleasant, the people who actually worked in the kitchen were anything but. Even as one of the cooks handed Carter the tea tray, he saw him along with several other people stare at him with suspicious looks as they deliberately made sure that he couldn’t go near anything edible, which was a reasonable measure given the Carter wouldn’t hesitate to grab what he could.
Carter silently the tray and made his way back to his dormitory, challenging himself to not a spill a single drop until he reached his destination. He could feel the steam from the cups warm up his chin as his ears began to pick up the sounds of children chattering and arguing with each other as they echoed through the hallway that led into the Boy’s Wing. Finally, once he reached the entrance to Dormitory Fourteen, he carefully shifted the tray into one hand before using his other hand to open the door. He then stepped inside the dorm, only to be met with a mob of his juniors, all ravenously reaching towards their cups. Fortunately, he managed to hold the tray steady as the boys all snatched their cups without so much as a thank you.
Once they were done, Carter was left with only three cups. He then made his way to his bed and placed the tray on top of his drawer. On the bed next to his was Percy, with his head resting on his pillow and his shoeless feet hanging over edge of the bedframe, his eyes staring into his copy of the Canterberg Tales, which he then politely put down the moment Carter arrived.
“I don’t suppose you managed to swipe anything while they weren’t look, eh?” he asked as sat up on his bed and grabbed his teacup. Carter shook his head.
“You should’ve let me take this shift like I was supposed to.” Percy then sighed, lamenting the lack of ill-gotten treats.
“Well, I couldn’t let you do my shift for me and not repay it.” Carter retorted.
“But I didn’t even do it for you, I did it for the biscuits! That makes this feels like a punishment more than a favor!” Percy whined, to which Carter only smiled politely.
“Well, it doesn’t matter now, because I officially declare us even!”
Just then, the door to the dormitory burst open and in came Fin, who Carter hadn’t seen since lunch. He limped with exhaustion all the way to his bed before collapsing into his sheets so carelessly that I made his bed frame creak in agony. He then buried his face his pillow and groaned. Percy and Carter then exchanged glances before Percy grabbed the last remaining teacup and turned to Fin.
“Well, gosh, it seems those bookkeepers did quite number on you.” He chuckled whilst placing the teacup at the edge of Fin’s drawer.
“Oh saints, don’t remind me!” Fin moaned as he looked up from his pillow. “Don’t let their bookish looks fool you, those number-loving wretches will work you the bone if you anger them!”
“And I’m sure that is exactly what you did.” Percy stated. “Though I am curious to know exactly how you did it.”
Fin grumbled as he tossed his sheets aside and sat up on his bed before sighing and looking off into the distance, his mouth hesitating, seemingly out of embarrassment. “I… called Mr. Murton a pompous pig-faced prick and told him to sod off.”
His confession made both Percy and Carter pressed their teeth and recoil with expressions of pain on their faces. A reaction that only further soured Fin’s mood.
“Well, you had been there, you’d have agreed with me!” he bellowed in his defense before grabbing his teacup and drinking it all in one sip. “My words were entirely honest and accurate!”
“They probably were.” Percy agreed with a nod as he held in a laugh. “But I doubt Mr. Murton is ready to face such hard truth, so its best that we keep things to ourselves, eh?”
The frown on Fin’s face slowly faded away and was replaced by a smirk. He then suddenly grabbed the base of Percy’s neck and pulled him down before aggressively rubbing his friend’s hair with his fist.
“Oh, right as always!” he exclaimed cheerfully as Percy tried to free himself from his grasp whilst Carter watched on, chuckling in amusement. Fortunately for him, Fin let him go after a few seconds, leaving him looking dazed as his hair looking like a wild bush. Fin then fell back onto his bed.
“I think I’ll take a nap, can’t risk being too tired for the pillow brawl! Wake me up when its Changing Time!” he instructed before covering his head with his pillow. Percy rolled his eyes at him, but Carter knew that when the time comes, he’ll obliged Fin’s request. But for now, he too emptied his teacup and placed it back on the tea tray before returning to his book.
Seeing the empty teacup reminded Carter that he needed to return the tray to the kitchen, he looked around the dorm and saw that almost everyone else had finished their tea. So, he too then drained his own cup before taking the tray and collecting the other teacups from the boys in the dorm. He then walked over towards Fin’s bed to get his cup, but as he reached towards the drawer he gazed down at Fin’s body, only to noticed something rather peculiar. For, he noticed a small black on his neck, half hidden by his collar. He had never seen anything like it before, but seeing as Fin already appeared to be asleep, he decided not to bother him about it. Instead, he quietly took the cup before walking out of the dormitory and heading back to the kitchen.
Soon dusk was followed by the darkness of night, though even as the moon began to ascend the sky, the dormitories of Saint Annalise House remained loud and lively. However, once the dorm clock struck eight, they all lined up in front of the door and made their way to the lavatories. For there, piled up on tables near the entrance, were their nightgowns, which had been washed by the boys who had been given a laundry shift. Once they had changed into their gowns, they placed their day clothes on the table before returning to their beds, for by the time that every boy in house had changed, the dorm clock’s hand had almost reached ten. And once it did, the Wing Bell sounded one last time and the Minders once again descended into the dorms in order to put out every source of light in the entire building.
What they saw when peered into the dormitories were children sleeping neatly on their beds, however, about ten minutes after they had closed the doors and departed in order to rest their own heads, all the boys in all the dorms slowly arose from their sheets and grabbed their pillow as they readied themselves for battle. In Dormitory Fourteen, they took a candle lit with a match and handed it to Percy, who then slowly opened the dorm door and led them all to Dormitory Seven, where all several of the older dorms had gathered. Once they were all ready, one boy from Dormitory Four made the first strike and the entire group proceeded to descend into pandemonium as the dorms waged war against each other, using their pillows as their swords and their sheets as their armor. Yet even such a chaotic brawl was not without manners, for everyone who took part in it tried their best to be as quiet as possible in order to not attract the attention of the Minders.
Carter wasn’t the best pillow warrior, for despite all the advantages he had in terms of age and height, he could not match his junior’s zeal or determination, and was thus outmaneuvered easily. However, unlike him, both Fin and Percy showed far more skill and enthusiasm. Percy especially displayed an incredible amount of bravery and ferocity as he led several of the juniors in an all-out assault on the boys of Dormitory Five.
“To victory!” he cried as he drove the enemy to take cover behind one of the beds. However, their triumph was swiftly undone when the boys of Dormitory Seven attacked them from the side. They were caught utterly unprepared, and thus suffered major casualties. Percy found himself being bombarded from multiple sides, a situation he could only escape from when Carter and Fin engaged his attackers and came to his rescue. Together they dragged him back onto his feet before continuing their battle.
The brawl lasted until past midnight, after which point all the boys slowly left and returned to their own dorms. Unfortunately, Carter’s dorm did not walk away with victory, and Percy was left was so exhausted that he had to make his back whilst leaning on Carter’s shoulder. The three of them then collapsed onto their beds as soon as they reached them.
“What a night!” Fin exclaimed. “I swear on the saints those Dorm Seven boys had stones hidden inside those pillows! No other way they could hit that hard! They rigged their own game!”
“Well, I don’t it’s wise to jump to accusations just because we got pummeled.” Carter pointed out. “After all, we all still had fun, right Percy?”
Percy did not reply immediately, for his mind appeared to be preoccupied as he stared up at the ceiling, frowning with a somber expression, something which concerned both Carter and Fin.
“You alright, Pers?” Fin asked. His question made Percy snap back to reality as he let out a slight gasp and turned towards him.
“What? Oh, yes, of course I am!” he assured, yet his tone did little to convince either of them.
“If this is about the brawl then there’s no use being upset about it.” Fin uttered with a smile. “I’m quite sure even real generals would fold like cards if they were caught off guard like that, we’ll just have to take our revenge next time!”
Yet strangely, his encouraging words only seemed to make Percy’s feel more upset as he then returned to staring at the ceiling and let out a frustrated sigh.
“Well, that is the problem, is it not?” he asked rhetorically. “There will no next time, not for me at least.”
Fin and Carter looked at each other warily as they both contemplated the most appropriate to reply to Percy. “Well perhaps, but in that case Cart and I will avenge you, and then we can laugh about it later when we’re all out of here.”
That response seemed to improve Percy’s mood, though not entirely. “And what if we never meet again, hmm? What if these are our last few days seeing each other?”
“I find that highly unlikely.” Fin replied confidently. “After all, we have a plan, right? Cart and I will wait for you at that bar till we’re both wrinkly old grey beards! And you know you’d do the same for us!”
Percy smiled and nodded; his worries thoroughly eased. “Well, that seems enough middle of the night dreading, don’t you agree?” Carter then chimed in. “After all, you’re not out of here just yet! You still have some shifts to run!”
Percy and Fin chuckled and nodded as they all then covered themselves with their sheets and assumed their preferred sleeping positions. Carter usually slept facing the dorm window, which emitted an ethereal glow as moonlight reflected off the frost covered glass. Despite his positive view of things, the cold darkness made him think about his own future and his own upcoming summons, and how every second that passed only made the day draw closer and closer. However, he knew that he would never sleep if he let his heart sink into dread, so he instead filled his thought with as many good things as possible, mainly pleasant memories and all the things he was looking forward to knowing. And that helped him slowly drift away into a peaceful slumber under the glimmering Great Borough stars.
Next >
Comments
Post a Comment