by Z. Fraillon
Stenka stopped at the door to her office. Jasper shuddered. He hated going into Stenka’s office. Terrifying, shadowy pictures were painted on the wall, accentuated by glistening, dark red curtains. Her desk had framed pictures of half-eaten body parts on it, and a bright light was perfectly positioned so that it blinded you as you stepped inside the room.
But what really got to Jasper today was the fact that there was something that looked like a computer in the room. It had been ages since Jasper had seen a computer – and here one was, right in front of him.
Jasper, Saffy and Felix all craned their necks to try to get a better look at the screen. Jasper saw it had a map on it, with dots that moved.
It’s some kind of GPS! thought Jasper.
In response, Stenka quickly tapped a key and the screen went blank.
‘Sit,’ she ordered.
They sat down in the seats in front of Stenka’s desk.
‘Did any of you bother to study for this exam at all?’ Stenka glowered, flicking through her notes. ‘I expected more from you.How is it possible that out of an entire year level, only Saffron and Callum knew not to assume that there would only be one monster in the room?’ Stenka stared pointedly at Jasper and Felix.
‘And then to allow direct access to an inlet? You must know by now that headphones are the second most common access route for Scramblers! The only more common way to let a Scrambler into your head is by washing your face in Scrambler-infested water, but we thought that would be too obvious a scenario.’
It had been a mistake to use the headphones in the test room.
‘We thought there might be instructions on the headphones,’ Felix mumbled.
Stenka turned to Felix. ‘You mean, instructions that somehow couldn’t be put over the intercom in the room?’ she fumed.
Felix looked away. ‘Oh yeah, right.’
‘And your fear-control was deplorable. I have spoken to Master Poon and arranged for you both to undergo intensive Rest and Relaxation sessions beginning tomorrow afternoon.’
Jasper groaned. Rest and Relaxation classes were by far the worst classes at Monstrum House. The students were told to relax by using fear-control exercises. Their teacher, Master Poon, spent the entire class terrifying them at the same time as yelling at them to relax. Master Poon was like some crazed superhuman army general. Jasper was not looking forward to extra classes.
‘And Ms Dominguez,’ Stenka turned towards Saffy. ‘Callum will take a while to recover. They aren’t called Hobblemorphs for nothing!’
No-one said a word. Jasper waited to hear what would happen to them now. He imagined their three heads mounted on Stenka’s wall like gruesome trophies.
‘Still,’ Stenka continued. ‘The other first years’ results were an utter disgrace. And of course we must consider your performance on the Task last term. But still, you had better prove yourselves in the Hunt if you want any hunt captain to choose you for their crew in the future.’
Jasper, Felix and Saffy sat up in their seats.
‘You performed poorly on the test, but you just managed to score enough points to scrape a pass. And we are running low on hunt crews right now. Any more questions?’
Jasper, Felix and Saffy all shook their heads.
‘Which bring us to … tags.’ Stenka reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a gun.
Felix instinctively put up both his hands in surrender. ‘It wasn’t us! We don’t have any tags!’ he yelped.
Stenka stared at him, the smallest hint of a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. ‘No, Felix,’ she said softly. ‘You need to get tagged.’
What did she mean, get tagged?
‘It’s a simple process,’ continued Stenka. ‘We just insert a tag into your neck and then we can keep track of where you are. It’s extremely painful, but we find it a very reliable way to trace our hunt crews. Now, who’s first?’
5
Stenka came closer with the gun. ‘You first, Mr Brown. Come here.’
Trembling, Felix went over to Stenka’s desk.
‘Stop shaking!’ Stenka said, and clicked the gun, loading a tag in readiness. She held it against the back of Felix’s neck. ‘If the tag doesn’t go in exactly the right spot, it could cause some damage. You have to stand perfectly still.’ Then she paused. ‘Now, I do have to inform you that if you don’t want to be tagged, that is completely up to you,’ she said sweetly.
‘But you can’t go on a Hunt without a tag.’
Felix’s eyes were darting all over the place.
‘It’s all for your own good,’ Stenka tutted.
‘If you become separated from your crew, then we need some way of finding you. Or what’s left of you.’
Felix’s legs wobbled.
‘But if you don’t want to be tagged, just say the word.’
Felix fainted.
Stenka stared at the gun. ‘I haven’t even tagged him yet. But given he didn’t say no …’ She reached down and pulled the trigger of the gun. There was a sharp crack as Stenka shot a small capsule into the back of Felix’s neck.
Felix woke up with a yell, then fainted again.
‘Unbelievable. And to think he really is a Brown Brother.’ Stenka shook her head in disgust as she wrenched Felix out of the way.
Felix came from a family of monster-hunters. His brothers had a reputation as some of the best and bravest monster-hunters to come out of Monstrum House. But Felix didn’t always seem to follow in their footsteps.
‘Saffron,’ Stenka ordered. ‘Stand here. Completely still.’
Saffy stood up and walked to the desk.
‘Haven’t you ever heard of a tracking bracelet?’ she growled.
Saffy’s jaw clenched, but she didn’t even cry out as the tag was inserted into her neck.
‘Yes,’ Stenka replied as she lovingly reloaded the gun, ‘but you can take those off. Now, Mr McPhee …’
Jasper noticed Stenka’s computer screen had come back to life, and two flashing dots had appeared. Those dots must be signals from Saffy’s and Felix’s tags, thought Jasper.
Jasper looked at the others. It looked like all the blood had been drained from their faces.
Felix was still out cold.
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ muttered Stenka, putting down the gun. Then she did something Jasper never thought Stenka would do. She reached into her desk drawer and pulled out some chocolate. ‘Eat,’ she said to Saffy. ‘You will need the sugar hit if you want to walk any further than my office door.’
Felix woke up at the mention of sugar, and dragged himself to the table. ‘Why didn’t you say so?’ he said, shoving a big piece of chocolate into his mouth. ‘This almost makes it worthwhile!’
‘Hardly,’ said Saffy, scowling, as she ate her chocolate. But the way the scowl fell from her face reminded Jasper of just how good chocolate could be.
‘Come on, then,’ said Jasper.
He tried not to move a muscle as Stenka loaded the gun again.
‘I should just say that tagging brings with it the possibility of some … side-effects,’ Stenka hissed into his ear.
Then there was a sharp crack, and the air around him seemed to shatter.
‘You’re done,’ Jasper heard Stenka say, but her voice sounded a long way away. It felt as though he had just been whacked on the back of his neck with a hammer. A burning sensation started to spread up his neck and along his shoulders. He could make out three dots flashing on the computer screen in front of him, before everything went black.
Then the whispering started. The spooky, strange whispering that no-one else could hear.
Kom ...
Jasper tried to open his eyes, but it was as though they were cemented shut. He wanted the whispering to stop, but the harder he tried to block it out, the louder it became.
Hyrem klepspar ... Jasp ...
Jasper put his hands over his ears. He could feel a cry growing up from deep inside his chest. What do you want? Leave me alone! Jasper scream
ed inside his head.
NAO JASP ... KOM NAO.
There was another crack and Jasper felt his cheek begin to burn. His eyes snapped open. Stenka stood in front of him, her hand raised. Saffy and Felix both had their mouths hanging open in astonishment.
Jasper put a hand gingerly to his cheek, and he realised that Stenka had just slapped him.
Stenka frogmarched Jasper out of her office.
‘Walk,’ she commanded. She steered him around the corridors until they were standing in front of a black door.
Stenka passed her beady black eyes over Jasper. ‘I had hoped you weren’t so far into the first stage. But a reaction like that to tagging can only mean that you are more affected than we thought. You have had more exposure to wild monsters than most first-year students. Let’s just hope it isn’t too late,’ she said.
Jasper had no idea what she was talking about, but he didn’t like the sound of it. ‘It’s not too late. Really, I –’
‘Well,’ Stenka cut him off, ‘there’s only one way for us to find out.’
Stenka turned the door handle. It was inky black inside the room. ‘I’ll be back to check on you,’ she said, and pushed Jasper inside.
6
The room was dark. Jasper heard the wind howl outside, whipping snow against the window panes. Inside, the room was deathly still. Anyone would think it was empty. But Jasper knew there were no empty rooms at Monstrum House.
Jasper waited for the cold chill to run down his spine, the signal that a monster was there, about to attack. But there was no cold chill. Strange, he thought. There mustn’t be a monster. Jasper sighed in relief. I’m safe! But if there’s no monster, what’s in this room? Why did Stenka bring me here?
He didn’t have to wonder for long. His elbow was clamped tightly and he was pulled off his feet. Jasper tried to hit out at whatever had him, but his arm was pulled painfully behind his back.
‘One more move and the bone will snap,’ a soft voice warned.
OK! OK!’ ‘
‘No,’ the voice replied. ‘It’s not OK. You assumed you were safe. And you weren’t.’
Jasper’s arm was jerked back again, and he winced in pain. ‘OK, I’ll never assume anything again,’ he moaned. The voice chuckled softly, and then his arm was released.
Jasper slumped onto the floor, and waited for the pain in his shoulder to let up. The lights in the room came on. Jasper took a deep breath and turned around.
A small, thin man with a curly handlebar moustache sat cross-legged on the floor. He was nibbling at a peanut butter and jam sandwich.
‘Señor Hermes,’ the man introduced himself, holding out his hand for Jasper to shake.
‘Um. Jasper. Jasper McPhee.’ Jasper leant forward and shook the man’s hand. The moment they shook hands Señor Hermes had Jasper pinned down flat on his stomach, his arm twisted behind his back again.
‘I see you are a slow learner,’ Señor Hermes sighed. ‘What was the first thing I said?’
‘Um. One more move and the bone will snap,’ Jasper replied.
‘No, no. After that. The bit about never assuming.’
Jasper’s muscles felt as though they were being torn from his body. ‘Never assume I’m safe. Got it,’ he wheezed.
‘Are you sure? Because I can hold your arm longer if you need some more time to think.’ Señor Hermes took another bite of his sandwich and waited for Jasper to nod, before releasing his arm.
‘OK,’ said Hermes. ‘Now sit.’
Jasper stepped backwards until he was sure he had left enough space between him and Hermes. He squatted down, ready to jump at the slightest movement.
Hermes chuckled. ‘No, really. Sit. Cross-legged. And close your eyes.’ Jasper shook his head.
‘Never assume I’m safe,’ Jasper replied. ‘I’m not that stupid.’
Señor Hermes looked Jasper in the eyes.
‘That is the first rule,’ he said seriously. ‘But the second rule in my class is that you must do as I tell you.’
Your class? Jasper thought.
‘Yes, this is a private class. Now close your eyes.’
Jasper’s arm was still aching. He rubbed his shoulder and sighed. He sat down in front of Hermes, and closed his eyes.
He felt Señor Hermes’ fingers brush across his eyelids. Jasper began to shake. He couldn’t help it. His whole body was shaking as though he had been shoved into a freezer.
‘The whispering will come,’ Señor Hermes explained quietly. ‘It will come, and you will control it. You have a strong brain, but it needs to be taught how to understand the whispering.’
Jasper opened his eyes. ‘Hang on. The whispering? You can hear the whispering too?’
Hermes cocked his head to one side. ‘I’m sorry, Jasper. Most of my students are older than you. I can see I am going too quickly. Whispering doesn’t usually develop until students are at least in their second year and have a better understanding of monsters. Let me explain a little before we begin. Yes, I can hear the whispering, but I can’t hear what you can. I can hear whispering of my own. All the Whispered can. There are quite a few of us, you know.’
Jasper’s jaw fell open. ‘The Whispered?’
‘That’s the name for people who have been bitten by a monster,’ Hermes said simply. ‘Like you.’
7
Jasper couldn’t believe what he was hearing. ‘I haven’t been bitten by a monster! I mean I've been Monstered here at school but –’
‘No, no. A monster bite is different,’ said Señor Hermes. ‘You were bitten by a Scrambler, species Vernonvex, I believe. It happened when you were a small child.’
‘But … what?’ asked Jasper. He’d never felt more confused.
Señor Hermes looked at Jasper and sighed. ‘Let me start from the beginning,’ he said, settling into his seat. ‘You see, monsters are full of monsterness.’
‘Monsterness?’
‘Yes. Monsterness is what makes a monster a monster. When monsters hatch, they are like relatively normal creatures. They might look like a spider, for example, or an octopus. But monsterness causes them to mutate and form monster characteristics.’
‘OK,’ said Jasper, trying not to look surprised to hear that monsters hatched. Right now, there were more important things to find out. ‘But what has this got to do with the whispering?’
‘Ah, well, the thing about monsterness is that it can be transferred,’ said Hermes.
Jasper didn’t like the sound of that.
‘You see, when a monster bites someone,’ Hermes continued, ‘some of this monsterness is transferred to its victim. A bit like the way germs might be transferred from an animal bite. You are infected, in a way. It’s a very slow process, but the whispering you hear is essentially the start of ... How can I put this? … It’s the start of you becoming a monster.’
‘I am be-be-becoming a monster?’ Jasper stuttered.
‘Precisely!’ said Señor Hermes. ‘And you have started to hear the whispering because your monsterness is excited by the environment here at Monstrum House. Anywhere cold, dark and scary will cause it to grow inside you. Any negative experience – such as the painful tagging you just had – will make it stronger.’
‘I am a monster?’ asked Jasper again.
‘Well, a part-monster at most, I should think,’ said Hermes. ‘But it’s not all bad – it can even be used to your advantage. Whispering is the first monster characteristic to develop. It is like an antenna into the monster world. For a monster-hunter, that can be an invaluable tool.’
Jasper shook his head. He didn’t really get how it could be an ‘invaluable tool’. He felt like he was hyperventilating. He wished he had Felix’s asthma puffer with him. ‘Wolfman, I’m like Wolfman,’ he mumbled, ‘or a vampire, or a ... a ...’
‘Keep calm,’ said Hermes. ‘Let me finish, and then you can decide whether you need to panic.’
‘Need to panic?! Are you mad? You just said I’m becoming a MONSTER!’
&nbs
p; Jasper was feeling giddy. He didn’t want to become a monster. Surely the teachers would have some medicine, some antidote?
‘I’m sorry, Jasper. This isn’t a mistake and there isn’t any antidote.’ Hermes looked Jasper in the eye. ‘The harder you try to block out the whispering, the louder it becomes, yes?’
Jasper nodded.
‘What you hear is the voice of the monster you could become. It’s not a real monster. It’s your own monster side trying to speak to you and guide you into the path of monsters. It’s a whisper now, but ignoring it will make it shout to be heard.’
He paused. ‘You already feel excited when you are around monsters, don’t you?’
‘I feel a kind of … buzz,’ said Jasper. ‘I get excited. Something clicks. One minute I’m scared and the next, I kind of just know what to do.’
‘You see – that is your monster side becoming excited. But you can use that on a Hunt!’
Jasper was shocked. If the reason he got a buzz hunting monsters was because his monster side was developing, was it really a good idea to be going on a Hunt?
Señor Hermes continued. ‘Left untreated, you will gain more monster characteristics and, eventually, become more monster than human. But if you learn how to understand the whispering, you can use it. I will guide you through the principles of doing so.’
‘Now, when the whispering comes,’ said Señor Hermes calmly, ‘I want you to see the words you hear in your mind. Then I want you to look at each word carefully, and try to make sense of it.’
Jasper felt uncertain, but he closed his eyes and let Señor Hermes’ fingers brush over his eyelids again. The whispering rose up inside his body. It was strong, and kept getting louder.
JAAA … SPEER! NAAOO. KOOMM FREEE ...
‘What is it saying?’ Hermes’ voice broke through the whispering, and a blank piece of paper appeared in Jasper’s mind.
