by Alan Early
The girl, on the other hand, could easily be summed up as petite. Standing at just over four feet tall, her slim frame was a twig compared to the trunk that was the gargantuan boy behind her. Her straight black hair was pulled back from her face by a light-blue hairband and hung in a bob just above her neckline. Her deep brown eyes popped out from her sallow skin; they were watchful, studying each face in the class. When they landed on Arthur they stopped and he couldn’t help but look away, discomfited. It felt as if the eyes were looking into his soul. Unlike the boy’s, her uniform fit her perfectly. However, the coat she wore over the uniform was far too large for her and bunched at the elbows. It was an adult-sized trench coat and it trailed along the ground by her feet, only serving to add to the illusion of her littleness. Instead of a backpack, she held a cracked leather attaché case in her right hand. She smiled a toothy grin at them all, clearly pleased and excited to be there.
‘Class,’ said Miss Keegan, ‘this is Ellie and Xander Lavender. They’ll be joining us for the rest of the term.’
‘Ex,’ said the boy Xander. His voice was a deep baritone rumble, certainly more grown-up sounding than anyone else in the class.
‘I’m sorry, Xander, what was that?’ Miss Keegan asked.
‘I prefer to be called Ex, Miss Keegan.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ She turned back to her pupils. ‘Ellie and Ex Lavender.’
The boy nodded his head slightly while the girl waved.
‘Maybe you’d like to tell the class a little about yourselves?’ Miss Keegan suggested. ‘Ex?’
‘No, thank you.’
‘I’ll do it!’ Ellie said eagerly. She put her case carefully on Miss Keegan’s overflowing desk and took a step towards the class. ‘As Miss Keegan said, I’m Ellie Lavender and this is my brother, Ex. He’s thirteen, nearly fourteen. And I’m eleven, just gone. Usually, we’re home schooled although I’ve been in five real schools in the past. But our parents are archaeologists, you see, so they’re pretty intelligent. And they’ve gone on a dig in Greece for a few months, so here we are! Speaking of which,’ she turned to Caroline Cusick in the front row, ‘I see that you have just come back from Greece.’
‘How did you–’ started Caroline.
‘Thank you, Ellie.’ Miss Keegan cut her off mid-sentence. ‘If you’d like to take a seat, we’ll begin the class.’
Two vacant chairs sat right in front of Arthur and Ash, which the Lavender siblings went straight for. Ex sat right down while Ellie busily took off her massive coat. She hung it on the back of her seat and put her hand out to Arthur.
‘Hi,’ she said. ‘I’m Ellie. What’s your name?’
‘Ellie,’ Miss Keegan said, turning away from the blackboard she’d been writing on. ‘Maybe you could make time for introductions during break? We have work to get on with.’
‘Of course, Miss Keegan. Sorry, Miss Keegan.’ Ellie sat down and faced the teacher studiously.
Arthur looked at Ash. She swirled her index finger in little circles at her temple and crossed her eyes, indicating that Ellie was nuts. She was right, Arthur reflected. Whoever this pair were, they definitely weren’t like Will. Despite that, he still felt wary of them. He suspected that any new classmates would take a long time to earn his trust nowadays.
When the bell for break rang, the fifth- and sixth-class pupils trooped out to the all-weather pitch at the back of the school. The pitch had been the last piece of construction work to be completed when the new school was being built and it was a much appreciated addition for the majority of the pupils.
Rob Tynan, who liked to consider himself the best sportsman in the school, tossed a rugby ball from one hand to the other.
‘How about some rugby?’ he asked loudly. The ball fell between his arms and bounced unevenly away. He stretched to catch it, then nonchalantly rubbed his hand through his hair as if nothing had happened. ‘Rugby, yeah?’
‘Can the girls play too?’ Tara Egan asked, taking a step forward and grabbing the ball from him. Rob wasn’t a fan of letting the girls join in and often suggested rougher sports for lunch break to put them off.
Rob gave her a pitying look. ‘Really? Ha!’
With that, Tara threw the ball. It soared far and wide across the pitch and Megan Gallagher caught it mid-air. She held it above her head triumphantly.
‘Yeah,’ Tara said, as the other girls giggled, ‘really.’
‘OK,’ Rob agreed reluctantly. ‘But I bags captain!’
‘Bags!’ Tara said quickly before anyone else could claim the second captaincy.
They picked teams. Almost the entire class agreed to play, so the pitch was quite cramped. Rob picked first and went for the new boy, Ex Lavender. They didn’t know what he was like on the pitch so it was a gamble, but judging by the new boy’s powerful physique, Rob guessed the gamble would pay off. Tara’s first choice was Megan, followed by Arthur. While Tara’s team was quite evenly mixed, Rob didn’t want to pick any girls. He eventually had to take one – Ash, the last one standing. Just once, Ash thought, just once I want to be picked first. Ciara O’Connor and Caroline Cusick were both too precious about their hair and nails to join in, so they sat on the sidelines with a couple of like-minded fifth classers and the new girl, Ellie.
Although Arthur had been Tara’s second choice, he thought that her faith in him was misplaced. He loved basketball, and had even won medals for his efforts back in Kerry, but rugby was one sport he had never excelled at. His uncle in Kerry, who was a huge rugby fan, boasted that the sport was more ingrained in his blood than any other, including Gaelic. (This, of course, was considered blasphemy by the GAA supporters in their town, but it always made Arthur laugh to hear his uncle wind them up on purpose.) Coming from Munster, Arthur naturally enjoyed watching rugby. But playing it was out of the question. He had a light, slim frame – perfect for basketball, not for rugby.
This game, however, was getting off to a flying start and Rob’s team had already scored one try, partly thanks to a vital pass from Ash. Arthur’s team now had the ball. Niall Fitzgerald passed it to Mark Curtis, who passed it to Brian Savage who passed it to Robyn Power who passed it to–
‘Arthur!’ she shouted as the ball bounced feebly off his chest and onto the ground. Arthur had drifted away, not really paying attention. He looked down at the ball by his feet, rocking over and back.
‘Pick it up!’ someone shouted at him.
He did as they said, grabbing the ball and clutching it tight to his chest, then he ran in the direction of Rob’s goal line. His heart was thumping as his legs pounded off the rubbery all-weather surface. Since it was still freezing, they were all wearing coats, hats and scarves; a drop of sweat rolled into his eye, stinging it. But he ignored the discomfort and kept going. He hadn’t far to run now: he could see the line coming up before him and no one was in the way, just footsteps thundering after him.
Suddenly, something yanked him backwards. Whoever it was had grabbed the back of his coat, stopping him in his tracks and pulling him in the opposite direction through the air. He heard the hood of his coat, caught in the grip of his attacker, rip as easily as tearing toilet paper. The person let him go and he fell with a heavy thud onto his back. The ball flew out of his arms and straight into those of Ex Lavender, who was looming over him. That’s who had been pulling him backwards! Without even giving Arthur a second look, Ex kicked the ball back down the field to cheers from Rob’s team.
Arthur stood up, his back stiff and sore. He arched backwards and heard a loud crack, which actually helped relieve some of the pain.
‘You all right?’ asked Ash, who was standing nearby.
‘I will be. I’ll just sit out the rest of the game.’ He hobbled off the pitch and sat on one of the bleachers, making sure he wasn’t anywhere near Ciara and the other girls. He didn’t feel like listening to them prattle on about eyeliner and shades of nail polish, especially when he was already in pain. The game went on without him, everybody too engrossed to notice h
is absence and, as he grew bored of watching, Arthur’s thoughts once again drifted off.
‘Sorry about my brother.’ Slightly startled, Arthur looked up to find the source of the voice. Ellie Lavender had left the girls and was standing over him. Her too-big trench coat danced in the breeze.
‘It’s OK,’ he said. ‘Not your fault.’
Without asking if she could join him, she sat down.
‘Arthur, right?’ she said. ‘I’m Ellie. Nice to meet you.’ They shook hands.
‘Sorry again about Ex,’ she continued. ‘I got the brains in the family and he got the brawn. I like to think I got the best deal.’
‘He’s pretty strong,’ Arthur agreed.
‘He doesn’t know his own strength.’
‘He’s older than the rest of us. What’s he doing in sixth class?’ Arthur instantly regretted such a straightforward question, but when he looked at Ellie she didn’t seem to mind. She seemed pretty straightforward herself, he supposed.
‘Like I said, I got the brains and he got the brawn. He’s always struggled at schoolwork. Any time we’re in a school, teachers like to keep him a year behind.’
‘And they put you a year ahead?’ Arthur asked.
‘Sometimes two years!’ Ellie said proudly. ‘Home schooling is better for Ex. He doesn’t feel as out of place there.’
‘Neither do you, I bet.’
‘I can talk to anyone. About anything.’
‘Really?’ He nodded to Ciara, Caroline and the other girls, who were staring at her out of the sides of their eyes and whispering frantically. ‘Even them?’
‘I don’t think they like me very much …’
‘How did you guess about Caroline’s holiday in Greece?’
‘Oh, that was easy. I spotted the tan lines on her face as soon as I came into the class.’
‘What tan lines?’ Arthur looked over at the girl in question.
‘See how her face is tanned but there are whitish patches around her eyes?’ Arthur did notice them now that she’d pointed them out. Ellie continued, ‘That told me that she was recently somewhere hot and sunny – she needed to wear sunglasses. And then I noticed the airport tag that was still stuck on her backpack. The letters on it were ATH – the code for Athens. I just put two and two together.’
‘Wow!’ exclaimed Arthur, genuinely impressed. ‘You got all that so quickly?’
‘It’s a game I like to play, although sometimes I think it scares people. I shouldn’t have said it in class. Those girls don’t really like me now.’
‘I’m sure they’ll come around.’
‘Maybe.’ She looked at the game and watched as her brother scored yet another try to great applause. ‘Like I said, I’m not afraid to talk to anyone but … well … I’m not very good at making friends. People don’t seem to get me.’
Before Arthur could comment, she turned back to him. ‘So, Arthur, tell me about your adventure.’
He was taken aback and rendered momentarily speechless. ‘Uh, adventure?’
‘You did nearly drown a few days ago, right? You and Ash? Ciara and Caroline were talking about it and I may have eavesdropped.’
‘Oh!’ He breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Yeah. Quite the adventure, all right.’
Just then, the school-bell rang, announcing the end of break-time.
‘So?’ Ellie urged. ‘Tell me what happened.’
‘That’s the bell, though,’ he said. ‘We need to go back to class.’
‘Oh, yeah.’ She seemed disappointed. ‘It always takes me a while to get used to following the school-bell routine.’
Ellie had got the hang of the school-bells by the time the last one of the day rang, and she rushed from the classroom as eagerly as the rest of her classmates. Before they went, the teacher reminded them that the annual parent–teacher meeting would take place in a couple of weeks’ time and gave them all flyers to take home. Arthur and Ash walked silently together to their bus stop just outside the school, the air between them still not clear. They stood in silence, neither quite knowing what to say to the other.
‘Oh, hi guys!’ Ellie said, catching up with them. Ex was standing behind her; he just nodded at them and grunted.
‘Hi, Ellie,’ Arthur said. ‘Have you met Ash yet?’
The two girls shook hands.
‘This is Ex,’ Ellie said, reaching up to lay her tiny hand on her huge brother’s shoulder. ‘Say “hello” Ex.’
‘Hello Ex,’ said the older Lavender sibling as Arthur and Ash’s bus pulled up.
‘Ooh!’ said Ellie, as Arthur and Ash started to board. ‘The number 11 bus! Eleven’s a good number. It’s lucky.’
‘Really?’ Arthur asked, stepping onto the bus.
‘Yup! Well, goodbye, Arthur! Goodbye, Ash! See you tomorr–!’
The bus door whooshed shut, cutting off the end of the word.
‘What a pair of weirdos,’ Ash said, walking up to the second deck of the bus and finding a seat near the back. Arthur sat next to her.
‘I like them,’ he said.
‘Even Ex? After what he did?’
‘He was only playing the game. Maybe he doesn’t realise his own strength. I kind of feel sorry for him.’ He took this as his opportunity to make up with Ash. ‘Actually, speaking of which …’
‘Yeah?’
‘I just want to say I’m sorry for arguing with you.’
‘I’m sorry too,’ she said.
‘I still think you should be careful around Ice, though.’
‘And I still think you’re wrong.’
‘I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree then,’ said Arthur.
Ash studied him for a moment then nodded. ‘Friends again?’
‘Friends!’ agreed Arthur.
Chapter Ten
The bright spell of weather had passed but the cold snap remained on the day Podge McGarry found the jar. The sky was overcast – yellow clouds threatening snow – as he made his way across the Usher’s Quay Metro site. The ground was hard and would have been slippery with ice if not for the uneven scattering of pebbles and rubble giving extra traction to his boots. He pushed a wheelbarrow over the bumpy ground. The heavy jackhammer in it bounced severely on every pothole.
Podge was in his mid-forties. The top of his head was completely bald, but he made up for it with a bushy grey moustache. A pot belly – the result of too many greasy breakfast rolls – hung precariously over his belt. He was wearing a padded bomber jacket, cargo work pants, a pair of steel-toed boots and a worn beanie embroidered with the Citi-Trak logo. He was also sporting a bright-yellow high-visibility jacket, as was compulsory on the worksite. He walked with a slight limp – the result of a teenage car accident.
There weren’t many people about on the main site today. Most of the excavators were down in the tunnel, operating the huge drill or building support systems. The engineers – the bossmen, as Podge liked to call them – were holed up inside the warm Citi-Trak on-site offices. These were essentially a pair of long and low prefab buildings full of computers, plans, paperwork and, most importantly, electric heaters, tea and biscuits. Lucky sods, Podge thought bitterly, heaving the wheelbarrow through a particularly troublesome pothole.
He didn’t mind working on his own, though. In fact, he enjoyed his own company far more than anyone else’s. He could drift off into his own thoughts, nothing to bother him except the droning sound of the jackhammer. His job today was a simple one. The icy weather had caused havoc with the water system all over the country of late. Water froze solid in the pipes, bursting them and creating leaks that wasted thousands of gallons of water. Old pipes lay under the site and Podge’s job was to find them so that the on-site plumbers could replace them. If one of the old clay pipes burst while excavation was ongoing, there’s no telling what damage it could do.
He turned a corner to the first spot he had to dig. A young engineer, whose name he thought was Ruairí, was spray-painting a large red X on the ground. As always, he was uns
haven, with tousled, unkempt hair. But, for a change, he didn’t have that other young engineer – Deirdre, Podge thought – with him. Since the pair had started going out a few months ago, they’d been inseparable.
‘Hi, Podge!’ Ruairí said pleasantly, putting the cap back on the paint can.
‘Hullo,’ grunted Podge, barely looking up. He put the wheelbarrow down and lifted the jackhammer out. It was so heavy he could only manage to shuffle it over to the spot the engineer had marked.
‘This should be where the first pipe is,’ Ruairí explained, indicating the X. ‘Need a hand with anything?’
‘No, it’s grand.’
‘OK. I’ll let you get on with it so.’ He walked off in the direction of the heated office. Lucky sod, Podge thought to himself again.
He put a hard hat on over his beanie, followed by plastic goggles and a pair of ear defenders that clung tightly to the side of his head, turning all outside sound into a distant echo. He positioned the chisel of the jackhammer right on the centre of the X, then switched on the pneumatics.
The internal hammer pounded up and down rapidly. He could feel each vibration juddering up his arms and even into his teeth as the chisel broke through the top crust of earth. He was so used to the machinery that he was able to drift away, humming a tune softly in his head, yet still instinctively know when he was coming close to the target. But he was shocked out of his thoughts when, suddenly, the chisel ground to a halt underneath him. The machinery screeched and spluttered. He could feel heat rising from it and saw a small trail of white smoke seeping through one of its vent holes. Before he did any real damage, he shut the jackhammer off. It wheezed to a stop and he laid it on the ground next to the shallow hole he’d made.
He knelt down and examined the hollow. It was only a few inches deep. He brushed aside the remnants of dust and earth and found the source of the problem. He’d hit rock.
