Kill School: Slice

by Karen Carr

  “Not now, Lily. Let’s go.” Demi waves us on. “We have to catch a train. Those kids are going to get our seats.” She motions to a few kids who have entered the first compartment.

  “Not if we can help it.” I jog toward the train.

  “Race you,” Demi says as she passes my side.

  I follow the red stripe down the side of the train, watching the head of Demi in front of me. Her long hair lashes behind her like a horse’s mane. Her stride is long and easy. I come up next to her and match her step. We are equal in height and stride and smile at each other as if we both recognize this.

  A man’s voice comes over a speaker to tell us to slow down, to behave like good little girls and boys should. The voice is crackly but human, not like the automated voices over the usual public address systems. He sounds mean and nice at the same time.

  The voice continues to drone out orders, do not pass the red line, and step across the threshold with care, no hitting, kicking, or pushing.

  Finally, with a sprint, we reach the door to the Vactrain.

  Jack leads us into the front car and up the spiral stairs to the double decker top. I can see now why they wanted these seats. The front of the car is a bubble of glass. The tube glows with a milky white light. We’ll be able to see everything from these seats.

  We run through the aisle with rows of four seats on either side. The train car is long. A trail of kids follows us in the mad scramble to the front of the train car. Some of the seats are taken, but not the best—the ones in front.

  I want to be in the best seat more than ever. Jack and his brother lead the way followed by Lily, Demi and then me. We don’t stop until we reach the front row of seats. Jack files in to the far seat, and we follow in order. I get the aisle seat. The tremendous window in front of us makes it easy to see everything.

  The quads congratulate one another with their victory as kids file in all around us. The atmosphere is exciting, as if we are all taking a great adventure together. It lifts my spirits and for a moment, I can ignore the reason that we are all here.

  “Get out of my seat,” a gruff voice says from behind.

  I turn to see the same boy who tripped me in the seat right behind me. I am in no mood.

  “No,” I say.

  The boy grasps my shirt. Jack stands up from the window seat, grabs his wrist, and twists his arm. Jack is fast and strong. It surprises me because he’s such a thin and gangly boy. I catch myself smiling as I watch the boy’s face contort in pain.

  “You heard the girl,” Jack says. “Sit down and shup up.”

  “Jack, really,” Lily says from the seat next to him. “Don’t be so rude.” She smiles politely at the boy and then takes out a small spray canister.

  “Lily, don’t.” Jack’s eyes widen.

  “Why not Jack?” Lily asks. “Pests are meant to be sprayed.” She changes her mind, puts the spray canister away, and gestures to the boy. “Do sit down, will you?”

  The boy reluctantly obeys.

  A feminine voice crackles across the speakers. This voice is definitely not human and by her word choices, I guess that we are listening to a very old recording. The voice sends a wave of laughter through the compartment with her antiquated speech and crackly tone. Her voice reminds me that the Vactrain is very old.

  The voice gives us instructions about safety, including oxygen masks and evacuation procedures. She then tells us where the puke bags are as well as when lunch will be served. We will spend the first part of the trip travelling at high speed underground. The last half of the trip, we will travel at a slower pace against the mountain. I have been waiting for this ride. My brother told me it was one if his favorite things about camp.

  As per the instructions, I strap the belt over my left hip and another one over my right, clicking them both in place. The seat forms around my body in a well-worn hug, as if many have sat in it before me. A red light flashes and the whole row of seats tip backwards so that if I look straight ahead, I am staring at the ceiling.

  The lights blink on and off several times and then remain off. The voice tells us to hold on for countdown and then begins counting backwards from ten. Someone whimpers, and someone answers by a giggle. The train lurches forward and more people yelp in the dark.

  The voice reaches one and then zero and the train moves forward at a crawl.

  “This isn’t so bad,” someone says. It’s hard to tell whom in the dark.

  I can tell the train is picking up speed by the way my body presses back into my seat. I move my chin down so that I can see out the bubble window in front. The headlights of the Vactrain highlight the dark tunnel. I see nothing except smooth walls and occasional graffiti. I smile at the thought of someone sneaking into the Vactube and wonder how he or she did it—especially with the lack of air. The same graffiti-scrawled symbol appears repeatedly, so much that I convince myself that I have seen it before.

  The train moves faster, making it impossible to keep my chin up. I hear nothing except the howl of the wind. It screams with anguish, as if the Vactrain is pulverizing it out of existence. I wonder why my brother enjoyed this ride. I hate it. I clench my teeth and try to forget the fact that I have to go pee.

  I now understand why they provided us with headphones. It takes all my strength to dislodge them from their compartment and to place them on my ears. Soothing music replaces the screaming wind. Classical. Dad would like it. I do not, but it is better than listening to the tortured wind.

  I feel sick to my stomach. Sometimes I don’t know which way is up and which way is down. The train shoots through the mountain in a powerful assent and then back down again. When it begins to accelerate in a gravity-filled drop, all the kids scream. I hear a faint snicker from the boy behind me, but it turns into a howling scream louder than the rest.

  When I think I’ve had enough, and that I can’t take it anymore, Demi grabs my headphones.

  “Light,” Demi says into my ear.

  I crane my head up. She’s right. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I take my headphones off and realize the wind isn’t howling as much anymore. We are slowing down and our seats swivel upward again.

  “Here comes the fun part,” Lily says. “Brace yourself.”

  We break out of the mountain and through a waterfall. The water rains on the Vactube, making the whole thing light up with colors of the rainbow. Everyone inhales as the water thunders on top of the tube. The Vactrain then dives under the water again. We are moving through a clear Vactube in the water.

  My mouth gapes open as I watch the water around the tube. The train moves too fast for me to focus on any one thing. I’m sure I see huge fish swimming, with fins, long tails, and wide mouths.

  We pass through a forest of underwater plants that have grown around the Vactube. The plants are truly stunning in color and character. They are fun to watch as they ebb and flow in the water.

  We still travel at a high rate of speed but my stomach no longer feels queasy. The sunlight glistening at the top of the lake, which is coming nearer. We’re going to surface soon. I hold my breath as if I am underwater and brace myself for leaving the lake.

  The Vactrain shoots up and out of the water with a hum. Bright sunlight shines through the Vactube. I find myself cheering with the rest of the kids. We made it out of the lake.

  On either side of us is a toothy rimmed mountain range. We are in the middle of a valley, deep and wide and filled with water. We travel along the edge of the mountain higher and higher until we are about halfway up the mountain.

  The mountains are sheer and the long, narrow canyon has steep sides. Without the aid of the Vactrain, we would never be able to reach this place. It makes me wonder how the ancient ones built the tube. I feel a chill as we travel along the mountain’s edge high above the ground. All of the settlements are in the south part of Greenland. We are going to the very tip of the northern part through this long, deep valley filled with water.

  “Earth to Aria,” Demi says
.

  I turn to her and notice she has a lunch tray.

  “Where did you get that?” I ask.

  She points up. A food symbol flashes above my head and a small compartment is slightly open.

  “Pull the handle,” Demi says.

  I pull the handle of the compartment and find my food tray inside.

  “Thanks,” I say as I pull down my tray. “I’m starving.”

  The tray houses a sealed bag of grapes, peanut butter sandwich, a bag of chips and a bottle of water. I open the grapes first. They are cold and delicious.

  “My favorite, too.” Demi holds her empty bag of grapes. “Trade you some chips for yours.” She shakes her bag of chips.

  I shake my head and decide to change the subject before she asks again. “You’re in our region, aren’t you?” Demi nods. “How come I’ve never seen you in school?”

  Lily leans over her sister. “Don’t you know?” Lily asks. “We’re Regulator Azarian’s children.”

  Demi lowers her eyes. “We’re tutored privately. No need to go to school. What’s it like?” She looks at me with raised eyebrows and a hopeful smile.

  When I don’t answer right away, Demi’s cheeks flush as if she’s embarrassed over not having been to school. Regulator Azarian, six foot, dark brown eyes, and silver streaked hair. He has a scar across his cheek that he refuses to regenerate away. I know him well having read about him the night before.

  “School is fun,” I say. I don’t know what else to add. I’m still stuck on the fact that her father is a Regulator. Living in a white house three stories high. Hundreds of years old, no doubt. I don’t want her to feel like she missed anything, so I add that school is mostly boring. After all, nothing can compare to living in Clarkhaven house.

  “Are you feeling sick?” Demi asks. “You look a little green.”

  Being Regulator’s children, I expect them to be snobs, but they seem to be genuine. I make a mental note not to kill Demi’s father. I like her and she would never forgive me.

  “These help.” I drop the last grape in my mouth. “Why do you have to go to training camp? I thought all of the Regulator kids hired stunts.”

  “Stunts.” Lilly curls her lip in a frown. I notice a small tattoo of a crescent moon and a star above her eyebrow. “You know they are illegal.” She glares at me. I get the feeling that I have to be very careful about what I say around her or else I’ll end up with a black eye.

  I nod. Stunts are illegal, but Regulators can do what they want.

  Demi gives her sister a sweet glance, which breaks Lily’s tough stare.

  “Dad was going to hire stunts for us,” Demi says.

  “It doesn’t seem right. You know?” Lily says. “Having someone kill for you. I prefer to do it myself.” The glint in Lily’s eyes gives me the chills.

  Rich people hired stunts to kill for their children. Most stunts don’t last more than two or three kills before the police catch them and send them to control for their crimes. If I had a choice, if my family could afford one, I would hire one. Blood on someone else’s hands, not mine.

  “We still can hire one,” Demi says. “We’ll go to school and try it out. If it’s too much for us, we’ll quit. Quads stick together.” Demi taps Lily’s knee and looks on to her brothers, Matthew and Jack.

  “Aren’t you afraid someone will terminate you?” I ask.

  Demi and Lily both nod, but I don’t think they really understand what it all means. I’ve seen people killed. I’ve felt my brother’s pain after he comes back from an overnight raid.

  “That makes it more exciting,” Lily says.

  “No one would really chose us,” Demi says. “With my dad in charge. Imagine what he would do to the family.”

  She is right. No one would want to kill a Regulator’s kid.

  While we are talking, the Vactrain carries us through mountains and forests. We shoot through a grassy field speckled with cows and sheep, all of us looking out the large window, before the conversation picks up again. We talk about our families, comparing mothers and fathers. The conversation turns back to Kill School.

  “Your dad let you go?” I ask. I can’t imagine any parent wanting their kids to go to Kill School if they had a choice.

  Demi shrugs her shoulders.

  “He sorta doesn’t know we’re here,” Demi says. “We snuck out after he left for morning debriefings. Those things take up so much time. I wish he’d delegate more to the other Regulators.”

  “He sure will be surprised when he sees us,” Lily says.

  “Who was that woman with you?” I ask. “I thought she was your mother.”

  “Our nanny,” Demi says with a sly smile. “She’ll do anything for more credits in her account. What do your parents do?”

  “My mom is an obstetrician and my dad is a music teacher.” Mentioning their names makes their loss fresh in my mind. Sure, I’ll see them in a few weeks, but I miss them dearly already.

  “Wow,” Demi says.

  We are back in the woods. The trees are taller here than any other place I’ve ever been. We pass over and then under a wide and deep river. I get chills thinking of how wild the land is way up here.

  “My mom told me we were all in the same hospital together,” I say.

  Demi and Lily look at me, puzzled.

  “How can that be?” Demi asks. “We were born in Clarkhaven House.”

  The train slows as we approach a tunnel. I catch my breath as the dark surrounds us again. My answer is lost in the sound of the train. By the time we reach the other side, we are all agape at the building before us. We have arrived in training camp. All other thoughts leave my mind.

  Chapter Eight

  We pull into a small station with a long, narrow platform. In the distance, I can see a building both more ancient and more modern than I have ever seen. Most structures in the city and surrounding area are slick, and practical—utilizing every square inch of space. This building takes up space like a sprawling lazy dog. It stretches outward and upward with turrets made of stone if it wants to fill up all the air and keep going to the heavens.

  The strangest thing about the place is the snow on the ground. Snow. White stuff. At least that’s what I think it is. Since I have never seen it before, except on the highest mountain ranges, I am in shock. The rest of the kids in the compartment all leave their seats and crowd around the front of the compartment.

  “What is it?” someone asks.

  “It is snow, you idiot,” someone else answers.

  I don’t have to turn around to know it’s the mean boy sitting behind me. I suppose it’s a good thing that I recognize his voice. He pounds on the back of my seat with his feet.

  Lily stands up and leans over the seat toward the mean boy.

  “Shove it, Erwin,” she says. “Or Demi will take you out.” She tries to swat him but he moves away.

  Demi gives her sister a dirty look.

  “I will not. I’m not going to waste my token on a silly little boy. Jack and Matthew will just have to beat him up if he gives us any more trouble.” She turns to her brothers. “Right, boys?”

  Jack and Mathew both nod eagerly.

  “Sure thing, sis,” Jack says. “My fists are yours.” He makes two fists and shows them to the mean boy, Erwin.

  The way the quads operate reminds me of the gears of an ancient clock. Someone winds up the clock with the butterfly wings attached to the back, putting the gears in motion. Lily is the winder. She seems to be the one that sets off the rest. I wouldn’t want to be on her bad side.

  While we wait for further instructions, the conversation turns back to our parents. I tell the quads about my mom, how she delivered a baby, and how the baby’s sister terminated her. The quads shocked faces makes me think I shouldn’t have told them that story.

  “I never want to have kids,” Demi says. She leans into my shoulder.

  “I do,” Lily says. “I’m going to run away and have a whole boatload of them.”

&
nbsp; “That’s impossible,” Demi snaps. “There is nowhere else to go.”

  “You’ll need the boat before you can load it.” Jack grins and taps his sister on the head.

  The fourth quad, Matthew, leans across his brother and sister to yank on Demi’s hair. She swats his hand away in a better mood.

  “What about you, Aria?” Demi asks.

  I can’t imagine having kids, or not having kids. I can’t imagine having anyone in my life to change my mind either way. However, I can imagine running away.

  “I wonder who tagged the Vactube,” is all I say. I want to be one of those kids, free enough and daring enough to venture down the airtight tube.

  “Whomever went in there is stupid,” Demi says. “There’s no exit except the one here and the one back at home. What’s the point?”

  I grimace. She’s right. Stupid.

  “Maybe there’s a secret tunnel.” Lily rubs her hands together in mock enthusiasm. “That leads straight through the earth’s core to the other side of the world.”

  Suddenly, the lights turn off and a red strobe flashes. Along with the strobe, a penetrating buzzing noise starts. This quiets everyone down long enough for me to hear an announcement. We are supposed to disembark and go to the auditorium for a welcome ceremony and assignments.

  I grab my totecase from above my seat and follow the crowd. In all the confusion, I lose the quads and end up surrounded by a bunch of rough looking kids. They all seem to know one another and glare at me as if I am not supposed to be with them. I shrug my shoulders and follow them out of the Vactrain.

  We trail past the rows of empty seats littered with garbage, down the spiral stairs, and into a burst of freezing cold air. The air catches in my throat and burns my eyes so much that I want to run. Instead, I keep my pace steady with the rest of the kids and look for someone familiar.

  We trudge toward the main building, an imposing structure with a glass and steel bridge leading out of it like a frost bitten tongue. We are the last group to make it across the campus, having been in the first compartment. Our feet crunch in the soggy snow. The dampness sinks into my shoes, making my socks wet. I wonder why my mom didn’t tell me to bring a warm coat and galoshes.