Underworld (3 page)

One of the teachers, Mr Yates, barred her way. ‘And where do you think you're going, Duncan?'

‘Lavvy, sir.' She said it boldly. After all, he was a man. He wouldn't question a girl going to the toilet.

However, she forgot one thing. He wasn't a man. He was a teacher.

‘Assembly, Duncan!' he commanded, pointing her back inside the hall.

She turned reluctantly. And found herself face to
face with Angie.

‘Hello Fiona,' she said. ‘Did you forget something?'

Fiona didn't have time to comment. Mr Yates pushed them both on, together, as if they were meant to be together: friends.

‘Come on, girls, aren't you dying to know who's been picked for the school trip?'

The atmosphere in the hall was tense. Fiona couldn't understand why. Just for names to be announced for some zonking school trip? To a Scottish island of all places! Big wow! It would be freezing there, and boring. Walks in the wild, and camp songs around the fire! Whose idea of a school trip was that?

Her gaze moved along the platform where the teachers had lined up, and came to rest on the PE teacher, Mr Marks. Of course, he was the man who climbed Munros for charity in his spare time. She had thought for a while that a Munro was one of the unruly pupils in the school, until she was told it was a mountain that had to be over a certain number of feet. Too much information, she thought. Who else would think of this as a great idea for a school trip? You would think, however, that he might look happier about his dream coming true. Then she remembered his slashed tyres. It seemed
to Fiona as she watched him that he looked really angry now.

‘It would be lovely to be picked, wouldn't it?' Angie said, her voice full of enthusiasm. She was shaking her head with excitement and her shiny fair hair moved like something out of a shampoo ad. ‘Don't suppose I stand a chance, just being new and everything. But I put my name down anyway. Maybe you'll get picked, Fiona.'

Fiona looked at her as if she was mad. ‘Me? On a school trip? Come on, Angie, one of the Famous Five I ain't. I never put my name down for anything. So I'm safe.'

Angie looked disappointed. Zonks! She really does think we're friends.

‘Aw, I thought it would have been so much fun. You and I, together, like.' Angie shrugged. ‘Oh well, I hope I don't get picked now either.'

Fiona almost screamed. She sent out a silent prayer. Not a thing she did very often. In fact, there was a good chance that God had forgotten who she was.

Please. Let her get picked for one of these trips, she prayed. It's the only way I'm going to get rid of her for a while.

On the platform the headmaster called for quiet. No
one listened to him for a moment. No change there. It took the Maths teacher, who was built like a wrestler, to calm them down. Finally, the headmaster got his chance to speak.

‘You all know why we're here. There have been two school trips planned this year. One is going to Paris, a beautiful city of culture and legend.' He went on about the beauties of Paris for about ten minutes. Shut up about Paris, Fiona wanted to shout at him. But he wittered on. Then, he called out the names of the twenty pupils who had been chosen for this trip. There were no surprises. The usual suspects had been picked. The good, well-behaved and favoured pupils in the school.

There were whoops of delight, and moans of disappointment. Fiona hardly listened. She had just noticed that she had a broken nail. And she was dying for a fag.

‘I'd love to be going to Paris again,' Angie said. ‘I love it.'

‘You've been there?' Fiona asked her, though she was hardly interested.

‘At my last school. Turned out to be a bit of a disaster right enough.'

‘How? What happened?'

But Angie didn't have time to tell her. The
headmaster called them all to attention again. The noise quelled. The shuffling stopped. He began calling out the names of those pupils who had been chosen for the island trip.

‘Zeshan Ahmed.' The first name he called out. Fiona's eyes found Zesh, looking pretty pleased with himself, but not surprised. He'd expected to go. Arrogant zonker, she thought. His equally arrogant mate, Rick, patted him on the back. She saw him cross his fingers in an exaggerated gesture, as if he needed to. His name would probably be the next one called out.

But it wasn't. There was a list of names mentioned, and Rick's wasn't one of them.

‘Angela Ward.'

Angie jumped in the air, screamed, and came down with such a thud she almost went through the floor. She clung on to Fiona. Fiona tried to disentangle herself but Angie was too excited. ‘I'm going. I've been picked. I can't believe it!'

Fiona pulled at the fingers clinging round her neck. ‘You're strangling me, Angie.'

‘Oh, sorry. I am just so excited.'

Fiona took a step away from her, but Angie followed. Well, at least my prayers have been answered, Fiona
thought, impressed by the speed of the response. She would have to pray more often, she decided.

They had almost come to the end of the list, and still Rick's name hadn't been called. Zesh patted him as if to say, ‘Any moment now, pal.'

But the next name that was called out made the whole school gasp.

‘Axel O'Rourke.'

Even Axel looked surprised. Shocked. He looked around as if there might be another Axel O'Rourke here in the hall. Then his face clouded over.

‘Me? No way!'

Fiona couldn't hear him, but she saw the gesture he made. She could read his lips. Her eyes darted back to the platform. Mr Marks was watching him with his jaw set firm, and barely holding in his anger. Now she knew why he had looked so angry. He had known that Axel had been picked, and hadn't liked it one bit. She couldn't blame him. Axel O'Rourke on the school trip? The mind boggled. She was so engrossed in her thoughts and there was still such a murmuring in the hall that she almost didn't hear the next name to be called.

‘Fiona Duncan.'

We are being attacked. The submarine shudders with every explosion. I have never been so afraid. I do not like tight places and now I am going to die in a coffin of steel.

We are all running, in every direction. Panic has set in. It is clear that we are going down, and I do not want to die this way. I must escape. At least in the water, I might be able to swim to safety, to land. Any land. I must escape.

* * *

Zesh still hadn't come to terms with Axel's name being called. Some mistake, he thought, someone's idea of a joke. He was going to see someone about it. Protest. It wasn't fair if Axel, of all people in the school, got to go on this trip.

‘Fiona Duncan?' It was Rick's incredulous voice, repeating the last name called, which brought Zesh back to what was happening. He looked across the hall to where an astounded Fiona was standing, her
mouth open, as shocked as Rick was to hear her name called.

‘Fiona Duncan!' she bawled at the top of her voice, pointing at herself dramatically. ‘This Fiona Duncan?'

Always over the top, always loud, always in trouble. Why was she getting the chance to go? The idea she was going too appalled him. Another loser picked, Zesh thought, pushing out another, worthier pupil.

‘And those are the final choices for the two school trips this year. I know many of you are disappointed – but you will be the first choices for the next trip. You have my word on that. But for those of you who have been chosen, I hope you will appreciate and enjoy this wonderful opportunity to broaden your horizons, to widen your knowledge of the world. Who knows what people you will meet, what adventures you will have. This school trip could change your life.'

Zesh hardly listened to the headmaster. He was looking at Rick. Rick, whose name hadn't been called. Rick, who hadn't been chosen.

‘I don't believe it,' Rick gasped.

Zesh pulled at his jacket. ‘Neither do I. Come on, we're not letting this go!'

Mr Marks, his face grim – Zesh had never seen him look so grim – was striding towards them. He held out his hands in a gesture of anger. ‘Don't even say it, boys. I have fought and argued this decision all morning. I'm afraid I was outvoted.'

‘But why, sir?' Zesh couldn't keep the anger out of his voice. ‘Axel O'Rourke. He didn't even want to go.'

Mr Marks shook his head. ‘I hate to say it, but I gave them the ammunition that lost me the battle.' He laughed bitterly. ‘How often have I said, “Take a boy for a day in the mountains, and I will bring you back a man”.'

What rot! Zesh thought. Axel O'Rourke? You'd only take him into the mountains to assassinate him and bring back his body. He bet that was what Mr Marks was thinking right this minute too.

‘So,' the teacher said, ‘I've to make a man of Axel O'Rourke.'

‘First you'd have to make a human being of him, sir.'

Mr Marks looked at Zesh as if he wanted to agree with him – but felt already he had said too much. He turned to Rick. ‘I really fought for you to go.' He patted him on the back. ‘Next time, I promise.'

Rick pulled away from his touch. ‘Next time
nothing!' And he hurried from the hall, ignoring Zesh's shout after him.

‘We were looking forward to going together, sir. We're best pals. We go everywhere together.'

Mr Marks nodded. ‘I know, Zesh.'

There was a sudden commotion from the other side of the hall. Two teachers were trying to control a struggling Axel.

Mr Marks's face clouded over. ‘He's obviously overcome with the excitement of being picked,' he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm. Then he turned away from Zesh and hurried over to help the teachers.

Zesh looked around for Rick, but he'd gone. He felt sick inside. He'd been looking forward to this trip so much. Now, he didn't care if he went or not.

Liam watched thoughtfully. Zesh was angry, but held in his anger. Typical. Never let himself go. Not really. Not until this morning with Axel. He hadn't wanted to fight. Come to think of it, it wasn't much of a fight. Axel had had the better of Zesh from the beginning. Maybe now that Liam knew about the inhaler, he could understand why. He came across as a cold fish, did Zesh. Above such things as fear, never scared. Even now, when his
best friend had lost a place on the trip, he was still calm, still in control.

Rick wasn't. Liam had been pushed aside as Rick strode from the hall, fuming. He looked ready to cry. Liam could see he was shaking with anger. And had Zesh run after him? No, he had stood with Mr Marks, probably chatting about the trip and how he would be a willing helper to the teacher. Foregone conclusion that he would be in charge. Some friend.

Well, he wouldn't be looking forward to it so much now that Axel was going.

Axel.

Liam hadn't expected that either. He had put his name down for the trip in the hope of getting away from Axel, though he'd hardly thought he would be picked. No one seemed to have noticed his name being called out. Liam, the invisible man.

But he
was
going, and now, so was Axel. Maybe he shouldn't be looking forward to the trip either. If Axel ever found out it was Liam who slashed the tyres, what would he do? What would he say if he knew that Liam had meant for Axel to get the blame? He'd got back at both the teacher and Axel, with that one action. Two birds with one stone. If only they knew just how smart
Liam Corrigan could be, he thought, they wouldn't think he was such a wimp. They would start to sit up and take notice of him.

‘If you think I'm going on your crappy school trip you're up a gum tree.' Axel was breathless with fury. On a school trip? He'd run away first. He shook the teachers' hands from his shoulders as he saw Mr Marks striding toward him. This was all his fault. He had probably insisted on his least favourite pupil coming along, just so he could keep his eye on him.

‘This is all because of your blinkin' tyres, in't it?' He saw the teacher's eyes flash when he said that.

Mr Marks would get him back for that, and something in Axel's belly froze up. On a school trip, anything could happen with a teacher who didn't like him, who hated him, in fact. And Marks hated him.

Was that cold feeling fear? As Marks came close Axel saw what a big man he was, muscled, with his kung fu and the martial arts he taught out of school. Not a man to be trifled with. Away from school, Axel would be at his mercy. Anything could happen.

‘I didn't touch your tyres!' He yelled it so loud he took even himself by surprise.

Marks didn't believe him, ignored that protest, came so close to Axel that without realising it Axel took a step back.

‘I didn't want you to come. I fought it. But you're coming, O'Rourke, even though you don't deserve it and won't appreciate it.'

‘My mother'll have something to say about this.'

Marks's face spread in a slow smile. ‘She already has. Her and her … partner – they think it's a great idea.'

That was like a slap in the face. The boyfriend had a say in it, and whatever the boyfriend, any of her boyfriends wanted, she agreed to. And it would suit this one to be rid of Axel.

‘We can't afford it!' he shouted.

‘That's where you're lucky too. People like you … are getting this trip for nothing. The others have to pay, but the powers that be think you deserve to go so much they're willing to fork out public money to get you there.'

‘Don't want charity!' Axel yelled again. ‘I won't go!'

‘That would suit me,' Marks shrugged. ‘That would make my year.' Then he leaned even closer. So close no one could hear what he was saying. ‘Just remember, O'Rourke, out there … you're on my territory, in my control. You'll do what I say … or else!'

Zesh finally caught up with Rick in the English corridor. ‘I've had a word with Mr Marks,' Zesh told him. ‘It's all to do with so called “political correctness”.' He put the inverted commas in with his fingers. He mimicked a plummy voice. ‘We have to give the poor deprived kids a chance, haven't we?'