Pandora Jones: Deception

by Barry Jonsberg

  ‘Yeah,’ said Pan. She sighed. ‘Let’s hope he doesn’t blow us all up before we get out of here.’

  The next week passed uneventfully. Pan concentrated on her fitness and tried to put thoughts of hang-gliding out of her mind. She wanted Jen to teach her about techniques, at least give her a basic idea how to stay in the air, and steer, but as soon as she thought about jumping off the cliff, she was too terrified to ask. Jen would tell her when the time was right.

  But as time went on, she began to think that Jen had pushed back the date. She wouldn’t really expect Pan to be ready to go at a moment’s notice, would she? In some ways it was a relief as each day passed and Jen said nothing more about their escape. It meant the day of truth couldn’t be imminent.

  In the meantime, she built up her upper body strength by doing exercises under the guidance of Miss Kingston. Her times over the running distances had improved considerably and she could feel and see the muscle development in her thighs and shoulders. True, she was still a long way from Jen’s physique, but she could live with that.

  It was difficult to get any further handle on the new boy. He was unnaturally cheerful, as if the news of the world’s death didn’t bother him at all. Or didn’t come as a surprise, thought Pan. When she asked Wei-Lin, she simply shook her head and said he’d suffered emotional and psychological damage, that maybe in time he would show more normal reactions to things. Pan avoided Eric whenever she could. There was something disturbing about him.

  During the long nights she would sometimes think about Nate. Whenever she did, her heart would race as she remembered the way he used to look at her, the smile that would play on his lips, his little mannerisms. That he had betrayed her was a distinct possibility, but those memories were too painful and she shut them out.

  Trust me.

  The new boy might also not be what he appeared, though pretending to be a pyromaniac seemed extreme. Maybe The School had planted him in their group to destabilise it further. I need to get out of here. And soon, she thought.

  So, the days passed and she found comfort in routine. She rarely had nightmares anymore, though occasionally the image of the policeman with the gold tooth would intrude. More and more, she became convinced that what had seemed like dreams at first were actually true memories. If she managed to escape The School, then those questions would be resolved once and for all.

  Then, one night, Pan was awoken by a hand on her arm. She was alert instantly, having drifted only into a shallow sleep. She sat up in bed and stifled a cry. Immediately she made out Jen’s face in the darkness.

  ‘It’s time,’ Jen whispered.

  ‘Time for what?’ croaked Pan.

  Even in the dark, she could make out the whiteness of Jen’s smile.

  ‘Time to fly, Pandora.’

  Chapter 16

  Pan was surprised by the temperature. She had been expecting it to be cold, but the night was humid and the jacket she wore suddenly seemed far too warm. The girls stood outside the shower block. Pan had scrambled from her bed almost without thinking. Only now did the implications of Jen’s words hit home.

  ‘What do you mean, time to fly?’ she asked. ‘We’re not ready.’

  ‘Wrong, Pandora,’ said Jen. ‘We’re more than ready. I have the framework of the hang-glider. I’ve prepared the fabric. The night is warm and there’s a good breeze coming in off the sea. It doesn’t get any better than this in terms of conditions. We’re ready.’

  ‘But I have no idea how to fly a hang-glider,’ Pan protested. ‘You haven’t given me any practice. You haven’t even told me what I’m supposed to do. This is crazy, Jen. I’m not doing it.’

  ‘Jeez. Chill out, will ya? Nothing to worry about. You haven’t had any practice because you don’t need it. I’ve got it all worked out.’

  Pan glanced up at the night sky. The moon was quarter full, and there was a smattering of wispy cloud scudding across it, so she could only make out a faint dusting of stars. The shower block and the silhouettes of the dormitories were apparent, but it was dark enough to give them cover. She hugged herself. Despite the warmth she suddenly felt cold.

  ‘Explain, Jen, or I’m going back to bed, right now.’

  ‘You were never going to make a solo flight. Are you nuts? This is dangerous shit. Nah. I always knew we’d be doing a tandem flight.’

  ‘Tandem?’

  ‘Yeah. You’ll be strapped to me. I do all the steering. All you have to do is enjoy the ride. One hang-glider. Two people. C’mon, Pandora. It’s not difficult. People used to pay for this experience back in the day. They’d get videos and everything. Share it with their friends.’

  ‘But you told me I’d have to fly.’

  ‘Hey, you assumed that. I needed to know whether you had the balls to give it a go, so I didn’t contradict you. Apparently you do have the balls. That was good enough for me.’ She slapped Pan on the back. ‘Think about it. Why make two hang-gliders when I only have to build one? Why take the chance of you killing yourself? This way, I’m in control and that’s the way I like it. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.’

  Pan was torn. On the one hand she was relieved she wouldn’t have to launch from the cliff with only flimsy fabric between herself and certain death. No, more than relieved. The thought had terrified her. The crunch of body against unyielding rock. Would there be time to feel pain? Or would there be no time between flight and death to even be aware her life had ended?

  ‘I’ll be strapped to you?’ she said eventually.

  ‘Yeah. You lie on my back. Good news for you, Pandora. If something goes wrong, my body will cushion your fall. Then again, if we fall from the top of the Infirmary, it won’t do you a great deal of good, I reckon.’ Jen laughed. ‘I’m kiddin’. Nothing’ll go wrong. Tonight’s the night we get outta here. Are you ready?’

  Pan shivered. ‘No,’ she said.

  ‘Tough,’ said Jen. ‘’Cos I’m going and I’m going now. Your choice.’

  ‘Where’s the hang-glider?’

  ‘In bits,’ said Jen. ‘Here, I’ll show you.’ She unhitched a backpack from her shoulders and opened it. It was difficult to see in the dark, but Pan could tell Jen was unravelling something. ‘The fabric,’ Jen explained. ‘Hey, Pandora. I tellya. Miss Potter had craploads of stuff stashed away in her store cupboard. All kinds of material. Bolts and bolts of it. I found some perfect fabric, almost parachute quality. Makes you wonder why they have that kinda thing when we can’t get a freakin’ piece of chicken for lunch. Still.’

  ‘And you’ve cut that to shape?’

  ‘Stole it, cut it, sewed it. I’m a woman of many talents.’

  ‘And the frame?’

  ‘Ah.’ Jen put the backpack down and moved over to the shower building. She stood on a large rock and put her hand onto the roof, rummaged around for a moment or two.

  ‘I hid it up here,’ she said. ‘Here ya go.’ She held out her hands and Pan moved closer. A whole series of thin metal tubes, seven or eight in all, wrapped in webbing and tightened with buckles. ‘This was trickier,’ Jen admitted. ‘It’s kinda hard to walk out of a workshop with stolen metal. Had to do it over a few days.’

  ‘So how did you do it?’

  ‘Tucked each piece down my pants leg,’ Jen chuckled. ‘Made it difficult to walk naturally, but I did it. So whaddaya reckon, Pandora? Ready to rock and roll?’

  What Pan wanted more than anything was to visit the toilet, but she didn’t think this was the time to suggest it.

  ‘Why don’t we go tomorrow night? Give me time to get used to the idea.’

  ‘What’s wrong with tonight?’

  Pan moved from foot to foot. She wasn’t like Jen, she realised. Jen thrived on adrenaline. The thought of death didn’t faze her. In fact, it was only when she was facing danger that she seemed properly alive. Pan didn’t need the adrenaline rush. The trip to the island, her adventures on the other side of the wall and the close call in the Infirmary had been enough excitement to last a l
ifetime. But then again . . . what was she going to do if she chickened out now? I can do this, she thought.

  ‘How are we going to carry all that up the cliff?’ she said. ‘It must be heavy.’

  ‘We’re not. I am. And it’s not that heavy. I’ll have the backpack and I’ll strap the pipes together and sling the bundle over one shoulder.’

  ‘What if we’re seen?’

  Jen put one hand on a hip, but said nothing. Instead she just fixed Pan with a gaze.

  ‘Okay,’ said Pan, her voice barely above a whisper.

  Jen laughed. ‘Then let’s do it.’

  Pan grabbed her arm. ‘Give me a minute,’ she said.

  Jen snorted.

  ‘I swear,’ Pan continued. ‘A minute, that’s all. There’s something I need to do first.’

  Pan didn’t wait for a reply. She opened the door to the dormitory and moved back towards her bed. A couple of girls stirred in their sleep, but no one woke.

  Wei-Lin twitched as she slept, her hair falling across her face. Pan sat on the edge of her bed and looked down at her friend. I shouldn’t just go like this, she thought. Not without saying goodbye. What were the chances they would ever see each other again? Remote at best. But now she was here, Pan didn’t know what to do. Wake her? What was the point, and what could she say? Write her a letter? She had too much to say and, at the same time, not enough. In the end, she simply brushed Wei-Lin’s hair from her face and bent down to her ear. She had her plugs in, which made it seem all the more absurd.

  ‘I’m sorry, Wei-Lin,’ she whispered.

  Wei-Lin groaned and turned over. Pan stood and moved to her own bedside table, opened the drawer and removed the note. The one from Nate. She took it over to Wei-Lin’s bed and unfolded it, placed it on the bare surface.

  ‘Trust me,’ she said.

  Pan left without looking back. Jen was pacing back and forth outside.

  ‘Let’s go,’ said Pan.

  They walked slowly to the Infirmary, keeping alert for anyone who might be patrolling the grounds. They saw no one. Far away, a sole flame flickered in the sky, like a firefly against the vastness of the night. The guard at the top of the stairs. Pan wanted to ask Jen how they would manage to get onto the Garden without alerting him, but she was too scared, even of her own voice. Anyway, her mind was filled with all that could go wrong. Alerting a guard might prove to be a blessing in disguise. Given the choice between spending the night in that cell or falling to her death . . . After about ten minutes of feeding her fear, Pan concentrated on keeping her mind as blank as possible.

  She knew they were approaching the base of the cliff when the spark of light far above them disappeared. The overhang had hidden it from sight. Jen moved to her left, skirting the base of the cliff, and Pan understood she was planning to climb as far away from the steps as possible. Neither girl said anything. All Pan could hear was the sound of their breath, exhaling and inhaling.

  Finally, Jen stopped and placed both hands against the cliff face. Pan moved closer.

  ‘Okay,’ Jen whispered. ‘Listen closely, Pandora. This is the trickiest part for someone scared of heights, so pay attention. I have examined this cliff face very carefully over the last few days, and I can tell you it is an easy climb, even at night. Do you believe me?’

  ‘No,’ Pan whispered back.

  ‘Doesn’t matter. It’s the truth. All you need to do is take your time. And keep moving upwards. You should remember that from when we went up the mountain in search of Cara. You did that no problem, right? This is a thousand times easier.’

  ‘We had ropes then,’ Pan pointed out.

  ‘Yeah, and we didn’t rely on them once. Did we?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘No. So, this is the routine. You reach up with your hand, doesn’t matter which. Whatever’s most comfortable. You find a hold – a rock sticking out, a crack in the cliff face. Somewhere you can get a good grip. With me so far?’

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘Only when you’re certain it’ll hold your weight, do you find a foothold. Same deal. A ledge is best, but a small knob will be fine. As long as it takes your weight. Then move your other hand, then your other foot. Slow, Pandora. Real slow. When you have two hands and two feet secure, you push up and find a higher handhold. Secure yourself, then your foot, hand and the other foot. At all times you have three points anchored before you let go with one. All right?’

  ‘It’ll take me forever.’

  ‘It won’t. And anyway, we have time. I’ll go first, okay? You keep on my heels. If I go too fast, I’ll wait for you. We can do this.’

  ‘Why are you going first? When I went up that mountain, Nate insisted I go first. There had to be a reason for that.’

  ‘There was. Like there’s a reason for me going first now.’

  ‘That is?’

  ‘If you fall, you won’t take me with you. I guess Nate reckoned it’d be romantic to plunge to his death wrapped in your arms, Pandora. Funny, but I don’t feel that way. Hey, I like you. Don’t get me wrong. But Romeo and Juliet we ain’t.’

  Pan looked up at the cliff face, but there wasn’t enough light to make out any details. The moonlight coated the cliff in shadows and she understood she would have to use her sense of touch only. Jen slipped the bundle of pipes over her shoulder and moved in front of Pan. She reached up with her left hand and jammed her fingers into a narrow crack in the rock. Pan saw her test the strength of the handhold. Then she lifted her right leg and stepped onto a tiny outcrop in the cliff face. Once again, she rocked her weight slightly to ensure the stone would hold. It did. Within two minutes, Jen was a couple of metres up. Pan took a deep breath and stepped up to the cliff.

  Think only of each movement, she thought. One at a time. Don’t think about the distance to travel. Above all, don’t think about the distance below. She started to climb.

  At first it was relatively easy. She followed Jen’s instructions exactly and found, to her relief, plenty of footholds and handholds. Only once was she in danger of slipping, when her right foot broke off a piece of rock that crumbled as she placed weight on it. She heard the fragments of stone fall, clattering against the cliff and she froze. The sound seemed unnaturally loud, guaranteed to alert anyone within listening distance, but the moment passed and nothing happened. That was your fault, she thought. You didn’t test the strength of the foothold properly. Do not let that happen again. She moved with exaggerated care. After a while she wasn’t even aware of Jen above her. Maybe Jen had already reached the summit and was waiting. Pan reminded herself that the only thing of importance was the rock against her body and the next movement upwards.

  At one point Pan tried to calculate how far she had come. She’d climbed the steps of the Infirmary countless times and had an instinctive understanding of the cliff’s height. But it was difficult to convert the experience of walking up steps to her current squirming progress. The two didn’t correlate. She could be nearly at the top or she could be ten metres from the base. But as soon as the thought came to her, she froze. Her only chance of success was to block everything out. But now the thought was there it couldn’t be ignored. Pan tried to move her right hand from a crack in the rock and stretch upwards, but her muscles refused to obey. She took a deep breath and tried again, but her fingers still clung desperately to their place of safety. Her right leg trembled and she felt the stirrings of panic. Pan attempted to still her leg by force of will, but the trembling got worse. She would fall. She knew it. It was only a matter of time before her body gave up. She pressed her face against the rock and squeezed her eyes shut. Beads of tears forced themselves through her lashes.

  Pan thought about the times she had given herself up to her instincts. The fight with Jen. The flight with the falcon. Existing in a void, all conscious thought gone. How could she harness that power? Her left leg started to tremble as well. Or was that her imagination? Her fingers were numb, all blood forced from them by the desperate quality of her grip. Panic nibble
d at her. Soon it would consume her. She wanted to call out to Jen, but doubted she could find the willpower to even do that. She was pinned to the rock face, powerless to move up or down.

  Pan tried to make her mind go blank, but there was too much fear whirling around. She was dimly aware of movement above her head, but that caused her only to tighten her grip. She couldn’t even open her eyes.

  ‘Pandora,’ Jen whispered. ‘Keep climbing. You can do it.’

  Pan was terrified. Her right arm shook. She tried to speak, but managed only a thin whine. The seconds ticked by and each one took a small portion of her power with it. She felt herself surrendering to despair.

  Later, Pan wondered whether that sense of surrender was key to what happened next. Maybe her gift needed emotional extremity to function; like those reports of people suddenly finding superhuman strength to lift a car in order to free a trapped child. Or people who, facing certain death, suddenly find a calmness and acceptance of their fate. Whatever the cause, Pan’s mind cleared and a stillness came over her. Not paralysis, but the peace that comes with acceptance. She occupied a space in which fear became irrelevant. The trembling in her limbs stopped and she opened her eyes. Her breathing slowed. Her body was no longer a non-functioning element of mind, but outside of herself, in control of its own destiny and subject to its own laws. She unwound her right hand from the fissure in the rock and pushed up with her left foot, found another handhold, tightened her grip. She allowed her fingers and feet to find their own way, her mind floating in a sea of certainty. I can do this, she thought.

  Pan scrambled over the edge of the cliff and flopped on the rocky ground of the Garden on Top of the World. She had no idea how much time had elapsed since they had started their ascent, but it didn’t matter. She felt good. No, she felt fantastic, more alive than she had ever felt before. She had to stop herself from laughing out loud. Jen squatted next to her and put her mouth to Pan’s ear.

  ‘How ya doin’, Pandora?’ she whispered.

  Pan’s shoulders shook and Jen put an arm around them. She thinks I’m scared, thought Pan, and that idea made her want to laugh even more. It was too difficult to explain and too dangerous, given that a few hundred metres away a guard was on the lookout for intruders. But Pan couldn’t get a new idea out of her mind. We have climbed so far up this cliff, risking death with every movement. And for what? So we can throw ourselves off it again. She had to bite her bottom lip to stop the laughter erupting.