SEVEN BUNTING AND THE BEAST
SEVEN
BUNTING AND THE BEAST
I mop the thin layer of sweat on my forehead with my sleeve as I step through the college’s automatic entrance.
The bus ride to this side of town was uneventful, but as soon as I got off, I sprinted the rest of the way.
The Dark Friars may not be able to track me now with my pendant on, and Tariq said they’re not active during the day, but I’m not taking any chances.
I get this unsettling feeling that they might still be lurking around the college, waiting for an opportunity.
In the middle of the reception, Lily is perched at the top of a stepladder, pinning green and yellow bunting to the ceiling.
She’s not alone. Beneath her, Becky Whittaker, the student council queen, stands with arms folded across a clipboard, her expression sour.
Sensing tension, I keep my distance and observe.
‘That’s the wrong colour!’ Becky sirens.
‘No, it’s not,’ Lily says.
‘The green and yellow bunting is for the hall. We’re using pink and purple for the reception.’
‘Pink and purple? That’s not even college brand colours!’ says Lily, dropping the unpinned bunting, letting it fall to the floor.
‘Well, I thought we’d change it up a bit.’ Becky smirks.
Lily’s right eye is twitching.
She and Becky fought to be chair of the student council when we started college back in September. Becky won by a small margin of votes. Things between them have been bitter ever since.
‘You don’t just “change it up”, Becky; it’s a brand. So, unless you’re planning to rebrand the entire college, we should stick to the college colours. Besides, we don’t have any pink and purple bunting.’
I fiddle with the tassels on my hoodie, staying hidden from their line of sight. Neither Lily nor Becky have noticed me since I walked in.
‘Amy ordered some pink and purple last week; it’s in the storeroom. Didn’t you see my message on the group chat?’ Becky pulls out her phone and waves it in Lily’s face.
‘You want me to take all this down, that I’ve just spent thirty minutes putting up, and replace it with the other colours?’ says Lily.
‘That’d be great. Thanks, babe.’ Becky shoots her a fake smile before turning to see me. ‘Oh, Liam, I didn’t know you’d be here. Can you give Lily a hand? I think she needs it.’ She taps her clipboard on my arm before striding off down the corridor.
I try to suppress a smirk.
‘What a bitch,’ Lily says.
‘Are you sure you’re not just annoyed because she’s in charge of open day and you, Miss Control-Freak, are not?’ I say.
‘No!’ Lily’s eyes narrow. ‘Okay, maybe a little. But she’s always got to change something. I mean, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Anyway, who puts pink and purple together?’
My eyes fall to Lily’s jumper, which is predominantly white, but with a purple and pink geometric pattern on the front. She follows my gaze.
‘Okay, I definitely forgot I was wearing this.’
I chuckle, then give her a hug. ‘Sorry I’m late, I…’
‘Tired from all the sex you had last night?’
‘Lily!’ I spin around to see if anyone else heard her.
‘So, spill, who is he?’ She nudges me before picking up the bunting from the floor.
I can’t lie to her, but at the same time, I can’t reveal the truth about my encounter with Tariq. Avoiding the topic is my only option.
‘Do we have to talk about this now?’
‘You’re right, let’s save it for lunch. I’ve been craving a milkshake all morning.’
Well, at least that buys me some time to think of something better other than ‘yes, I didn’t become a man-whore overnight’.
I help Lily pick up the remaining bunting, folding it neatly into the box before Becky comes back to tell us to refold it again.
‘How are you feeling about the whole Katie thing?’ Lily says.
What can I say? Yeah, so turns out my dream was completely true, and Katie is dead.
The guys who killed her are also willing to kill me.
Oh, and I spent last night at the Seven Angels learning I’m a Keeper who has some sort of power and that I’m part of something so much bigger than myself.
Yeah, no. ‘Okay, I guess. I’m sorry I got you guys wrapped up in it. ’
‘Vivid dreams suck,’ Lily begins, stepping back up the ladder to reach for more bunting.
‘I had this dream once where Harry Styles strolled into school, whisked me away in the middle of class, and flew us off in his private helicopter. Next thing I know we’re living in some penthouse in LA, we’re in bed, and he’s whispering that I taste like strawberries on a summer’s evening. ’
I laugh. Lily was crushing on Harry long before it was cool.
‘Needless to say,’ she continues, ‘I was heartbroken when I woke up. I spent all the next day checking his grid just to see if I featured.’
‘He doesn’t have a private helicopter, but I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind sweeping you off your feet,’ I tease as Lily begins climbing back up the ladder.
She shoots me a look, and I hold up my hands in surrender.
‘Want me to help take this bunting down?’
‘Nah, I got it, thanks. Would you grab the other bunting from the storeroom?’
I salute her.
The storeroom is on the other side of the college from reception.
I’ve always thought it was strange for such an old building to be relatively easy to navigate.
Long wide halls lead to various department blocks, and large doorways give ample space for students to move in and out of classrooms. It being a Saturday, the building is unsettlingly quiet.
The student council is probably concentrating their efforts on the refectory, which will act as the main hub for the open day on Monday.
The corridor is dimly lit, and it definitely doesn’t feel like it’s almost midday.
Mr Webb, the college’s site manager, is all about being green and insists the college only use its minimal emergency lights on weekends as fewer people are in the building.
There’s probably a health and safety issue there somewhere, but hey.
I head through the science block, the thick smell of bleach filling my nose. The cleaners have clearly gone to town on those lab worktops. I continue down the main hallway, finally gazing at a more familiar environment – the Humanities Department.
‘Liam, is that you?’ a voice calls out as I pass by my history classroom.
I back up, coming into view of the doorway. Miss Williams is at her desk, her laptop screen lighting up her face in the gloom of the windowless room.
‘Miss Williams. You’re in today?’
‘We’re not just Monday to Friday, us teachers, you know? Lesson planning takes every ounce of free time we have,’ she replies, sitting back in her chair.
‘Sorry to hear that.’ I step into the room. It’s strange seeing the space so empty of students.
‘Oh, don’t trouble yourself with my woes. Besides, I’m planning an evening of red wine and carbs before drunk-texting my ex-husband, so…’
That’s more information than I needed about Miss Williams’ life. ‘Did you want to speak to me?’ I ask, quickly.
‘Yes.’ Miss Williams gets out of her seat and perches on the end of her desk. ‘It’s about your tardiness.’
I had a feeling this might be it.
‘You’re nearly three months into your first year of college, Liam, and you’re arriving late.’
‘I haven’t been sleeping well recently.’ Which isn’t really lying.
Something flickers behind Miss Williams’ eyes.
‘Is there something troubling you?’ she says.
I shake my head. ‘I’ll make sure to be bright and early for Monday morning’s class.’
Miss Williams raises an eyebrow, as if she wants to probe further.
‘Monday’s the open day, Liam. So, make it bright and early for Tuesday’s class, please,’ she says, returning to her chair.
I hesitate. Being a teacher of history, and a Sarumbourne resident, Miss Williams might be clued up on local history. I could talk to Lily about it, but she may get suspicious about my sudden interest.
‘Miss Williams, have you heard of the Crossing?’
Miss Williams’ head shoots up, and she stares at me with an intensity as if she’s seeing me for the first time.
‘The one that’s supposed to be based at Old Sarum,’ I continue.
‘Uh… yes,’ she stumbles. ‘It’s one of Sarumbourne’s long lost pieces of history. It’s been a while since I’ve heard the term, and my knowledge of it is sparse, to say the least. Why do you want to know?’
‘Oh… er… curiosity, I guess?’ Swift but poor excuse, Liam. Well done.
‘I see. Well, as you probably know, Old Sarum was the original Sarumbourne settlement until around 1220, around the time the cathedral began construction. But Old Sarum began life much earlier, some say in the Neolithic age, over 4,000 years ago.’
Wow. That’s mega old. I guess the clue is in the name though.
‘The common truth is that it was chosen as a settlement based on its location, the high vantage point, and its proximity to the nearby rivers. However, there is a tall tale that some believe Old Sarum’s site was chosen due to its mystical energy.’
This sounds more like it. ‘Mystical energy?’
Miss Williams considers me for a moment.
‘Do you know what ley lines are?’ she says, as she begins fumbling in her desk drawer.
I shake my head. She pulls out a blank notepad and draws a circle in the middle of a page.
‘There are those who believe our world is made up of ley lines, paths of energy that crisscross all over our landscape. Some cultures refer to them as spirit lines.’
She draws various lines over the circle, creating a neat spider’s web.
‘These lines are made up of positive energy. However, when two lines cross, some think this can cause negative energy, and can be the reason for “paranormal activity” to manifest.’
Miss Williams’ attempt at air quotes is mildly amusing.
‘So, let me guess, Old Sarum is a point where two lines crossed?’
She smiles, pointing her pen in the air. ‘Not quite. You see, a two-way crossing is fairly common, as you can imagine, but Old Sarum is said to be the point where many lines meet.’
‘Many lines? But that would mean the negative energy would be…’
‘Astronomical,’ she says.