The Glass Dagger (Afterlife Chronicles Book 1)

by Stephanie Hudson

  “October 1st, 1971 was opening day…” The Albino raised an eyebrow in question, so the Japanese guy shrugged his shoulders and finished with,

  “What can I say, the Imp made me go.” Hearing this the Albino mimicked his movements with a shrug of his own and said,

  “Makes sense.”

  “Oh, I think I am gonna like those guys.” Zane said looking to the odd three by the door.

  “So, is that it, is it over?” Janie asked ignoring Zane’s comment, taking a step closer to Theo. He watched the door swing shut behind the man in the beige suit as he walked away, leaving Theo with nothing left to do but speak his mind and in doing so, answering his friend’s fears…

  “No, Janie…not by a long shot.”

  12

  Meet the Family

  After all that had happened you would have thought that giving a bunch of teenagers time to process the last twelve hours would have been the best plan of action but no, not in this school. No, their new headmaster simply clapped his hands once and said,

  “Right, now that’s all settled, time for introductions I think.” Zane looked as though he was about to say something sarcastic so both Ena and Theo gave him a look from either side of him and shook their heads, telling him ‘no’. Thankfully he took the hint.

  “Ragnar, call in the others.” Mr Draven ordered in a way that told you he was not only the man in charge but, as Carrick had called him, Lord of the Manor. Which begged the question for each of the teens stood there waiting for the unknown…

  ‘Who was this guy?’

  Ragnar nodded as if he was used to doing anything that was asked of him, obviously having great respect for the man giving the command. Once the door closed behind him Mr Draven motioned for the other two men to step forward to stand beside him.

  “I understand that each of you must have lots of questions and have no fear, for these will all be answered in time, but first I would like to introduce you to your new tutors, who will each help you as you walk the steps of your unknown journey ahead,” Mr Draven said and as if by magic the door opened and others entered and took their places next to one another.

  Some they recognised, like Miss Pip and the crazy bus driver, Rue. But then there was another man and a woman they hadn’t seen before. The man looked to be the only one who could pass as anything close to a teacher out of the whole lot of them as he was already dressed like some professor. This was thanks to the tweed blazer worn over a knitted sweater, the highly-polished shoes and the black rimmed glasses he wore, a pair which he kept pushing up his nose.

  The woman on the other hand looked as if she had just stepped out of a glossy fashion magazine, one doing a feature on the most beautiful women in the world. It could almost be believed that she wasn’t real, like a living doll of Snow White. With her porcelain skin and dark luscious curls that bounced around her shoulders when she walked into the room, it could have been believed that she was royalty.

  “First I would like to introduce you to…”

  “Ooo, pick me, pick me! Oh, please pick me first!” shouted out the smallest member of the group and definitely the most colourful. Mr Draven briefly closed his eyes and groaned at the interruption, almost as if he had half been expecting it. The man in glasses, who was stood next to her, placed a gentle hand on her arm and whispered,

  “Patience Winnie, your turn will come soon enough.”

  “Oh, but that’s not…” she started to say, ready to complain about how unfair it was, when one raised eyebrow from the man next to her stopped her in her tracks.

  When he was satisfied she wasn’t going to interrupt again he gave her a little smile, mouthed the words, ‘good girl’ and then looked back up to Mr Draven and said,

  “My apologies, my Lord.” This of course left the group of teens even more confused as to why he would be apologising for her but then he added the reason, shocking them all by saying,

  “My wife will behave from now on.” Hearing this was what made Janie and Ena both face each other and mouth the word ‘Wife?’ together, obviously surprised. I don’t think anyone would have guessed that these two were an item, let alone married. Forget chalk and cheese, these two were like ice cream and hot sauce!

  “It’s quite alright Adam, introducing your wife first is fine,” Mr Draven said causing Miss Pip to squeal and jump up and down, turning as she did this and firing pretend guns at her husband with her hands.

  “Yay! Boom, boom, bang, bang! Told ya the Big Boss man wouldn’t mind…in your face hubba bubba!” She said walking backwards before spinning round on one foot and coming to stand next to whom she referred to as ‘Big Boss man’. Adam, her husband, just shook his head as if he had to deal with this on a daily basis and was used to her flamboyant and manic ways.

  The teens all looked at each other and Zane whispered,

  “Is she for real?”

  “As real as a pink fairy armadillo.” Pip said answering him with a wink and a sparkling grin thanks to her blue glitter coated lips. Zane gave her a look of disbelief prompting her to say,

  “Shizzle be real dog…google it.”

  “Ooookay.” Zane said dragging out the word before leaning into Theo and whispering,

  “She does know I’m like a skinny white guy right, not a gangster rapper.” Theo looked him up and down over the side of his shoulder and said,

  “Oh, yeah man, she knows.” This was when Mr Draven thought it best to clear his throat and get back on track, something that could be a challenge with Pip in the room.

  “Before we begin with the introductions I want you all to know that this place isn’t just a school for you to learn how to be one of us. It’s a new beginning. It’s a new Afterlife for each of you but above all, I want you to feel that this is your safe haven…your home.” Their headmaster’s words brought not only comfort to each of them but something far greater because for the first time they all felt as though they finally belonged and as Mr Draven had said…

  They had finally made it home.

  “So, with this being said, it is the reason I now introduce you to not only your tutors but to your new family, starting with your mentor Pip, who you no doubt remember meeting when you first arrived.” Well that sounded like the understatement of the year as it was very doubtful that anyone would forget meeting such a character as Pip.

  “Hello again, my pretty little young guns,” Pip said giving them each a little wave. In turn, each of the bewildered teens gave their own versions of awkward waves back, all except Ivan, who decided a wave wasn’t enough. He stepped towards Pip and held out his massive hand waiting for her to accept the gesture.

  “I be happier in our meeting you,” he said, as usual getting his words mixed up. The tiny girl barely looked older than the teens themselves, thanks to her small frame, baby face and unique sense of style. She looked up and up and up some more until reaching his face and when she found his kind eyes looking back down at her, she gave him a beaming grin. It took her no time at all to place her small hand in his, filling only a quarter of what looked like a bear’s paw in comparison.

  “Aww shucks handsome, I am happy to meet you too!” she said in return shaking his hand with vigour making it hard to believe someone so little had more than enough strength to do so. Ivan’s eyes grew wide showing his own surprise at how strong she was and it was only when Mr Draven cleared his voice did she finally let go. Theo had to hold back a smile when he saw Ivan stretch out his hand in and out of a fist as he himself had done when they first shook hands back on the bus. It also warned him not to fall victim to one of Pip’s handshakes and being fooled into believing that in this world, power was also linked to one’s size.

  She strutted back to the rest of the waiting adults and the other woman in the group laughed before commenting,

  “Making friends again, squeak?” Pip’s response to this was to pinch her white zombie t shirt with both hands, like she was snapping imaginary trouser braces and reply,

  “What can I s
ay, the big demons just love me.” Then she winked at her husband, surprisingly making him blush.

  “Yeah and don’t we all hear about it,” the Albino muttered under his breath, making the others chuckle. Mr Draven rolled his eyes before motioning him forward.

  “This is Zagan. He is my lieutenant and thus being so makes him more than qualified to be your new weapons instructor. Takeshi will also work alongside him in these lessons as your personal trainer in hand to hand combat.” The Japanese man also took this as his cue to step forward and bow at the waist in respect towards the teens he was soon to teach.

  “Uh…our what now?” This time the comment came from Ena not Zane, however he wasn’t without a response.

  “I am not dreaming am I, he did just say ‘weapons instructor’…right?”

  “Oh dear, I don’t think I will pass that class. I can’t even peel a potato,” Janie admitted looking forlorn and nervously scratching her shoulder with her only hand. Mr Draven gave her a kind warm smile and said,

  “Have no fear young one, as you will be surprised at just what you can do when given the right teacher. Takeshi will work with each of you, not only drawing out your individual strengths but will also be teaching you how to protect your weaknesses.”

  “Sounds good to me, where do I sign up?” Zane said probably just seeing himself stood like a gladiator in front of the mirror with a battle axe in one hand and a shield in the other. Ena rolled her eyes at the thought.

  “And this is my Captain of the Guard, Ragnar.” The giant stepped forward, towering above everyone else in the room.

  “I’m thinking battle studies.” Theo said leaning back a bit so that Zane could hear.

  “Nah, I reckon Viking demon slayer,” he said back making Ena scoff,

  “We are the demon’s genius and so are they,” she said nodding to the rest of them.

  “Oh yeah, well there goes my dreams of ever making it to second base with Buffy from good old Sunnydale,” Zane added making Ena shake her head and mutter ‘idiot’ under her breath.

  “Technically though, she did date Angel and Spike and both of them were Vampires,” Janie said making Zane raise an eyebrow and smile big time.

  “And here was me thinking the day couldn’t get any better! You a fan, shy girl?” Janie blushed and gave him a small head nod, making her hair fall in front of her face. She then jumped when Mr Draven once again cleared his throat and said,

  “Let’s proceed should we?” This left Ivan as the only teen not looking sheepish but mainly because he had no clue as to who Buffy the Vampire Slayer was and was left looking as puzzled as always. However, Zane couldn’t help but notice the small, kind smile Janie sent Ivan’s way.

  “To have a bright future in our world, you must first learn the shadows of our past and to help you shed light on our vast history is your new teacher on the subject, Ragnar.” For once there were no whispered comments from the group, only stunned silence as they all collectively looked up at their new intimidatingly large history teacher as he stepped forward closer to the group.

  “It will be my honour to teach you the history of our people and to learn of some of our greatest ancestors,” he said in his gruff, deep voice, one that matched the rough exterior of what looked like a scarred Viking warrior. None of the other teens seemed to know what to say in response to that, so it was left up to Theo to nod his head and say,

  “We uh… all look forward to it.” Mr Draven gave him a brief nod telling him without words that he had done well by stepping up, as it took a brave man indeed to do so in the face of Ragnar.

  “Next I introduce you to your Demonology teacher.” Mr Draven continued and Theo, along with the others all expected the man in glasses to step forward but each of them were yet again surprised when the beauty in the room stepped forward. It was obvious that in Afterlife nothing was as you expected, including what Mr Draven said next.

  “This is Sophia, my sister.” She gave them all a beaming smile, collectively making both Ivan and Zane blush, but Theo had a different reaction. He couldn’t help but feel as though he had met her before. Like a feeling from a past life or something, one that grew stronger when she winked at him.

  “I am pleased to meet you all,” she said before stepping back and letting another teacher step forward.

  “Rue, you already know from your journey here and I ask you not to hold a grudge towards her as she was only following my orders in bringing you here. As I said before, I know you must have many questions still, but please know that your encounter with Carrick was unplanned and out of our control.” Hearing this wasn’t easy for any of them but they also knew how Rue hadn’t willingly driven them into that lake but that she had no choice and was made to do so by Death himself.

  “Rue’s role in your development is the most vital out of all you will learn here. She, along with Pip, is not only to be your guide to your new home, but also to your new gifts as well. She has a unique skill set that enables her to help you find and draw out the powers bestowed upon you and in doing so will help you learn how to control them. She may be blind but trust me when I say that she sees more than most.” This certainly intrigued the group. However, Theo’s first thought was that he knew now that he was going to have to get used to be called ‘Kid’, a thought he didn’t relish.

  “Ooo, it’s your turn next, Hubba Bubba.” Pip said nudging her husband in obvious excitement. He straightened the tie he had tucked into his sweater and pushed his glasses further up his nose before stepping forward when Mr Draven introduced him.

  “This is Adam and as you now know, Pip’s husband. He will be your teacher in Human studies.”

  “Oh, look Zane, someone that can finally help you out in acting more normal,” Ena commented drily making Janie giggle.

  “Ha, ha, at least I have a chance at passing that class, Blue Streaks,” Zane retorted back giving her a new nickname.

  “Can I ask, what exactly do we need Human Studies for?” Theo said, being the only one bold enough to ask what all the others were thinking.

  “You may no longer be human but that doesn’t mean you don’t still live in the human world. And like Sir Francis Bacon once said ‘Knowledge is Power', a phrase that couldn’t be truer now than when it was first published back in 1597, in his book ‘Meditationes Sacrae and Human Philosophy'.” Mr Draven said and Zane couldn’t help himself when he muttered,

  “Sounds like a real page turner.”

  “It is but one human view of God and Man, something that is read in a very different light when you’re one of us. Personally, I find it all a bit preachy but what can I say, I am half Demon,” Mr Draven said with a smirk and it was the first hint the teens got that their new Headmaster had a humorous side.

  “I guess it’s just like the phrase, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’,” Zane said and the rest of the group groaned, with Ena actually slapping her forehead, a habit that was quickly forming around Zane. Of course, there was one member of the group, Ivan who like the other adults in the room, had no clue where Zane had just got that phrase from.

  “I am afraid I am not familiar with the origins of who said that,” Mr Draven said shaking his head slightly as if trying to remember it for himself. Zane suddenly looked sheepish before telling the rest of them,

  “It was Uncle…”

  “Ben! Of course, I knew I’d heard that before…it’s from Spiderman, Big Boss man.” Pip added, shouting out the answer in her excitement. Mr Draven hid the hint of a smirk behind the fisted hand he held to his lips as he took in the boy’s obvious embarrassment.

  “Well it may have originated from a comic book, but it is insightful and worthy of a mention as its principles are primarily the same…good thinking Zane,” he praised, easing Zane’s shame at speaking out, something Mr Draven wanted to encourage. Zane’s eyes widened in surprise and upon hearing this he nudged Ena’s shoulder from behind and said,

  “See, totally nailed it with the superhero quote.” Ena may h
ave rolled her eyes in response to this but deep down she was secretly happy that Zane wasn’t made to look foolish by the adults in the room. Coming from her it was something different, mainly done so in jest or friendly banter but by someone older, it would have just been another blow for an already vulnerable teen.

  “And you, do we call you ‘My Lord’ or Mr Draven?” Theo asked folding his arms and making it clear that the group hadn’t all missed the part in the conversation when Carrick had called him this. Mr Draven raised an eyebrow at him before saying,

  “Calling me Draven will be just fine,” he said which prompted his sister, Sophia to speak up.

  “Yeah, he’s used to being called by his last name, aren’t you brother?” she said nudging his arm playfully and receiving a wry look in return, one that told Theo and the rest of them that they were missing the inside joke here.

  “Aww poor Toots, she so wanted to be here,” Pip said cryptically, making them wonder who ‘Toots’ was, especially when she received a pointed look from her husband. Adam gave her a silent shake of his head, obviously telling her without words not to go there. Of course, this just made Theo and his friends even more curious and he made a mental note to try and get it out of Pip when given the chance. Which looked as if it was going to be sooner than he thought.

  “I think now that all the introductions are out of the way, it’s time we let the group get settled in. Mrs Ambrogetti would you be so kind as to show them around their new home?” Draven said looking to Pip, who suddenly started rocking back and forth from her toes to her heels and clapping her hands she was so excited.

  “Does a Gorgon Leech like bloody flesh fresh off the bone?!” Janie and Ena looked at each other and made ‘eww’ faces, whilst Zane looked to Theo and whispered,

  “I’m lost, does this means she wants to show us around or feed us to a pet demon?”