by Raine, Eliza
I punched him the arm as we went through the door into the classroom, before he could come up with anything rude.
‘Dora will do fine,’ I told him. Saying Dora out loud sparked a painful vision of my dad and my smile slipped slightly as I took a seat next to Tak. I must have been getting used to the academy though, because I only gave a small, startled intake of breath when Professor Fantasma shuffled through the solid classroom wall and came to a stop at the front of the class.
‘Good day, class. Pair up please, and come and collect your incense,’ she said.
Telepathy involved sitting still, closing your eyes, smelling burning incense sticks and trying to guess what your partner was thinking about. I couldn’t concentrate on anything except the hidden box though, the treasure hunt still whizzing around in my brain.
‘Err, Dora, it’s just a statue,’ said Tak. My eyes flew open.
‘You can see what I’m thinking about?’
‘There’s no need to look so surprised, that is kinda the point of this class,’ he said, putting his hands up defensively.
‘Yeah but… it actually works?’
‘Of course it does. I can only get snippets, like you were just thinking about the Atlas statue. Mellony, over there, can see into the future.’ He pointed to a dark skinned girl with long silky hair, sitting a few rows away from us.
‘Can she see into my head?’
‘Only if you let her.’
‘How do I know if I’m letting her?’ Panic was creeping over me. The idea of someone being able to read my thoughts was horrific. It as so invasive, so… unfair.
‘You have to be in a meditative state or unconscious for it to work,’ he said. ‘That’s what the incense and the relaxing is all about.’
‘Oh. So if you could see the statue in my thoughts… I must have been in a meditative state? I didn’t think I could do that,’ I said.
‘Course you can. If you’re concentrating all of your energy on one thing, then you’re there.’
‘Oh.’ I had been focusing quite intently on what could be wrong with the Atlas statue. ‘Let me try on you,’ I said. I was able to get fleeting images of dice from Tak, and I was delighted. Other than the slight reaction from the water, it was the first time I’d been able to do anything with even a little bit of magic.
I positively bounced out of the classroom, excited to tell Zali at lunch, when suddenly there was a pain in my shin and I was flying forwards. I threw my hands out to try and break my fall too late, and my chin smashed hard against the marble floor. I heard cries as black spots pinged in and out of my vision, dimly aware that my knee was throbbing. I slowly pushed myself up onto my hands and knees, blinking my eyes to try to clear them, and realized I could taste the salty, metallic tang of blood in my mouth.
‘Oops,’ I heard a girly voice say above me. ‘It wasn’t my fault, she must have tripped over my foot.’ Then I heard laughing. Not just the girl’s voice, but all around me. Anger flushed through my body, the excitement I felt moments before morphing quickly. I leapt to my feet, unsurprised to see Arketa standing in front of me. Her laugh faltered as she saw my face.
‘What’s your problem?’ I yelled at her. Blood sprayed from my mouth as I shouted and she leapt backwards, away from me, disgust on her face.
‘Gods, you look like a vampire,’ she sneered. Filis and Kiko snickered behind her. I realized there was a crowd around us, and all the faces I could see echoed Arketa’s disgust. ‘Clean yourself up, Titan girl,’ she said, flicking her hair and striding off. I let out a snarl of anger and the others around me began hurrying away too.
‘Gods, are you OK?’ Zali hurried over to me. ‘I can’t believe she tripped you like that. That’s quite a lot of blood you know, you’d better come with me,’ she said. My jaw was throbbing and I said nothing as I let Zali lead me to the front temple, to a little infirmary. She rang a small bell and Professor Fantasma appeared out of nowhere. She didn’t ask what had happened, just set about cleaning up my face.
The blood in my mouth had come from biting my tongue when I fell, and it stopped quickly, though my tongue was left swollen. There was a bruise coloring my chin where I’d hit the marble, but no more damage than that, Professor Fantasma assured me.
‘Why does Arketa hate me?’ I asked Zali quietly.
‘I don’t know Pandora,’ she said, looking at me sorrowfully.
I sighed.
‘Thanks for taking care of me,’ I said. ‘And call me Dora.’
15
Professor Fantasma insisted that I sit out the rest of the afternoon, and if it hadn’t been for Flying class I wouldn’t have argued with her. My head was pounding, and I had no desire to stand and stare at a plant or a metal ball, trying to make elements obey my commands. But boy did I want to ride a pegasus. The old teacher was having none of my protestations though.
‘You are to rest for the remainder of the afternoon. You’ve had a head injury and should definitely not be trying to fly for the first time,’ she said firmly.
Back in my dorm room, I slumped onto my bed. Disappointed as I was about flying class, I was relieved not to have to face any of the students who had stared at me like I was some sort of monster. I tried to imagine what I had looked like, red and angry with blood dripping down my chin. I groaned and buried my face in my pillow, wincing a little at the pain. What a nightmare first impression I was making. And it was all Arketa’s fault. What had I done to deserve her hatred? It couldn’t just be because I was a Titan, could it? Maybe she was just one of those girls who got a kick from putting others down.
I sat back up, and pulled the anagram out of my bag. I couldn’t just sit here, moping. Maybe I would head to the statue, and see if the puzzle made any more sense if I could see it. I stuffed the paper in my pocket, along with a pen, and headed out, walking lightly as I crossed the main temple and entered the smaller front one. I stopped in surprise as I reached the statue. Icarus was there, sitting on the marble floor with his knees up and staring up the rings on the Titans back.
‘How come you’re not in elemental class?’ I asked him.
‘Dasko cancelled it when he heard you weren’t well.’
‘Oh. Sorry,’ I said. He shrugged.
‘Don’t care. What’s the point in standing staring at stuff when nothing happens,’ he grumbled.
‘That’s how I feel,’ I said. ‘Are the other students better at elemental classes?’
‘Most of them,’ he said shortly.
‘Why is everyone so scared of Titans if we’re so rubbish?’ I asked, quietly. He turned and looked at me through his floppy hair.
‘Have you solved the anagram yet?’ he asked, changing the subject. I sighed. There was no point worrying about sucking in class if we were booted out by Zeus.
‘No. Have you?’
‘As it happens, yeah, I think I have,’ he said.
‘What? Really?’ I hurried towards him.
‘Yeah. Want me to tell you the answer, new girl?’
I didn’t like the smugness in his voice one bit, and the competitive streak in me warred with the desire to know what the answer was.
‘No. I’ll work it out myself, thank you,’ I snapped, pride winning out. I unfolded the paper from my pocket and looked between the words and the statue. I filled in the words that I thought I knew underneath with my pen.
ctompeel teh girns htiw eht sgisnmi gsme to unlokc het sartsi
———— the ——- with the ———- —— to unlock the ———
What was distinctive about the statue that might be in the puzzle? The rings… I looked back at the anagram, trying to see if any of the words could be rings. The third word! I scribbled it down, then looked up at the rings. There were eight of them, and where-ever they met each other, a shining gem was embedded in the stone. I squinted up at the gem closest to me, trying to work out what color it was, but it changed in the light as I looked. Gems fit in the puzzle, I realized, looking back at the words. I read the words
I knew out loud, slowly, and the other words clicked into place.
‘Complete the rings with the missing gems to unlock the…’ What was the last word?
‘I think it’s stairs,’ said Icarus.
‘Stairs?’
He shrugged.
‘If we find the missing gems then I guess we’ll find out.’
‘How many are missing?’ I asked, walking quickly around the statue, looking for places where the rings met with no gem.
‘I’ve counted two,’ he said. I checked three times, and decided I agreed with him.
‘How do we find them? And what are they?’
‘They’re Iris stones. Named after the goddess of rainbows. They change color,’ he answered, irritation and impatience clear in his voice.
‘Look, it’s not my fault I don’t know any of this stuff,’ I said defensively.
‘Whatever. I think I’ve seen one in the Magical Objects classroom. I’m going to get it,’ he said, standing and picking up his bag. I clenched my teeth as he strode off. I hated feeling useless. And that’s how he was making me feel, every time I saw him. I’d find the other one if it killed me, just to prove I could do something useful. Resolve hardened in me, and then I felt something else. A pull at my gut that moved all the way down to my feet, and I took a step towards the stairs without even meaning to. I frowned, and stepped back again and was immediately engulfed by a feeling of cold despair. I took a few steps towards the stairs, and the feeling lessened, a warm happy emotion replacing it. I kept going, the feeling increasing as I started to make my way up the stairs. When I reached the top I turned both ways, testing the feeling. One way was cold and miserable and empty, the other light and bright and welcoming. The suspicious part of my brain cautioned me as I followed the happy feeling. This could be a trap. But my feet didn’t slow. I needed to find out what was waiting for me.
I got an inexplicable burst of happiness when I reached Chiron’s office and I paused. I knocked on the door hesitantly but there was no response, so I turned the handle and crept inside. Standing in the middle of the room, I turned slowly in a circle, paying attention to the dips and spikes in the tugging emotion. It wanted me to go towards the far wall, lined with shelves. I followed the feeling, walking past Chiron’s huge wooden desk and scanning the shelves. I was being drawn to the right hand side. I started lifting things, moving them, searching. I picked up a small wooden chest and stopped, surprised at how heavy it was. As I flipped open the lid, a burst of happiness so strong I laughed out loud overcame me. There was an Iris stone inside. I plucked the gem from the little cushion it was sat on and turned it over in my hand. All at once the elation left me, and I took a deep breath as my own excited emotions replaced the intense tugging feeling. What had caused that? Was it Titan powers? Or somebody or something I didn’t know about? It didn’t matter right now though, what was important was the fact that I had one of the two missing gems. I closed the little chest carefully, then span and headed quickly for the door. But as I walked past Chiron’s desk a file laying open caught my eye. I paused. The file said ‘Icarus’ at the top. I reached my hand out for the papers, knowing as I did it that it was wrong. What if he was reading a file with my name on it? I’d hate him for prying. But I couldn’t stop. I wanted to know what it said. I started to read, scanning the words quickly.
…rescued by Hermes… father performed strange experiments…. imprisoned in labyrinth…
A clopping sound snapped my attention back to the door. Was that Chiron? I dropped the file, shoved the gem in my pocket and raced around the desk, sitting down in the chair just as Chiron pushed open the door.
‘Pandora!’ he said in surprise.
‘Hello, headmaster,’ I said, as casually as I could manage, heart racing.
‘What can I do for you?’
‘I, err…’ I stammered, grasping at something I might want from him. ‘I wanted to know if I could have my flying class at the weekend, instead of waiting until next Friday.’ I hadn’t given any thought to the question before I said it, but now the words had left my lips, I desperately wanted him to say yes. He considered me a moment as he came round the other side of his desk.
‘I’ll talk to Miss Alma and see if she would be willing to do a weekend class,’ he said eventually.
‘Thank you, Chiron,’ I beamed, and jumped out of the chair.
‘You should be resting. Professor Fantasma told me what happened.’
‘Oh, it’s nothing. I’m fine,’ I said, not turning as I reached the door.
‘Glad to hear it,’ he said, as I raced from the room.
The words I’d seen in the file swam round my head as I jogged down the staircase. I wished I’d had time to read slowly, to piece together the bits of information I’d gleaned. Guilt hammered at my curiosity. Icarus’s past was none of my business. I had no right delving into private files about him. I tried again to think about how I would feel if it was the other way around. There was no doubt I’d be furious. I needed to leave it alone, I told myself sternly.
‘I got it.’ Icarus’s voice made me jump as I slowed to walk when I reached the ground floor. He appeared from behind the statue and held up a shining gem.
‘I got one too,’ I panted, and pulled the Iris stone from my pocket. A wave of satisfaction hit me as I saw the surprise on his face.
‘Where…’ he trailed off.
‘Something drew me to it,’ I admitted. ‘It made me happy if I went in a particular direction, and sad if I went the wrong way.’
Icarus stiffened and I studied his face under his floppy hair.
‘That happened to you too, didn’t it?’ I asked him.
He paused, then nodded.
‘Two weeks ago, in the Magical Objects room. That’s how I knew it was there.’
‘Do you think it’s a Titan thing?’
He shrugged.
‘Spose it must be,’ he said. ‘Shall we put these on the statue?’
‘Chiron is back in his office,’ I said, with a glance up at the mezzanine floor. ‘I think we should wait.’
‘Fine.’
‘Meet you back here at midnight?’ I asked.
‘Whatever,’ he said, then walked off, towards the main temple.
‘You could act a little more excited!’ I called after him. He ignored me.
16
Zali offered to bring some food up to my dorm room at dinner time so that I didn’t have to face all the kids who had seen me trip at lunch, but I politely refused. I didn’t want to look weak, and I definitely didn’t want to give Arketa the satisfaction of thinking she’d scared me off. I ignored the sideways looks and whispered mutterings as I entered the hall, hoping my face didn’t color as I strode to our usual seats at the table.
‘How’s your head?’ Tak asked me as I sat down.
‘OK, thanks. Are you sure you guys want to sit with me? You’re going to end up as unpopular as me,’ I said, meaning the words but praying they would ignore them and stay.
‘Don’t be so silly,’ said Zali. ‘They’ll get over it soon. They did the same when Icarus started.’ I looked doubtfully at her.
‘They’re still being horrible to Icarus.’
‘Well, yes, but he doesn’t help himself,’ she muttered. ‘He’s so moody.’
‘He’s had a rough start,’ I said, defending him before I realized the words were coming out of my mouth.
‘Really?’ asked Tak, interested.
‘That’s what Dasko told me,’ I said quickly, feeling the guilt about reading his file simmer up. The table shimmered, then food appeared before us and I grabbed my plate, changing the subject. ‘I saw an Iris stone for the first time today,’ I said, loading my plate with sticky curried rice. ‘They’re really beautiful.’
‘Where?’ said Zali.
‘They’re really rare,’ added Tak, his eyes gleaming.
‘In the Atlas statue,’ I said, frowning a little. They both paused and looked at me, brows creasing.
�
��There aren’t any Iris stones in the Atlas statue,’ said Tak, firmly. ‘Trust me, I would have tried to steal one already if there were.’
I opened my mouth to argue with him, but closed it again slowly, thinking. If Dasko was right then maybe the gems were only visible to Titans.
We played dice after dinner, and Gida the satyr joined us. He didn’t seem to care one bit that I was a Titan, asking me loads of questions about the technology I had back home. After a lengthy conversation about how telephones worked I excused myself and Zali and I headed to bed. When she called goodnight through the curtain I gave a sleepy reply, then listened for her breathing to slow. Once I was sure she was asleep, I got out of bed and pulled on my jeans and hoodie.
The ceilings in the main temple, and in the front temple when I reached it, were dimmed, but stars seemed to shine in the darkness, almost like a real night sky. They gave enough of a glow that it was easy to see where I was going, and easy to spot Icarus leaning casually against the statue of Atlas.
‘Ready?’ I asked him. He grunted and pushed himself up. I rolled my eyes and said, ‘do you want to climb up or shall I?’ He held out the shining gem to me.
‘You go,’ he said. I snatched it off him, and put it in my hoodie pocket with the other one. Then I carefully gripped Atlas’s knee and began to pull myself up the stone statue. There was plenty to grab onto and it wasn’t hard to get up to the place where the first gem was missing from the rings. Wrapping my legs tight around the statue I reached out with the gem. As my hand got close to the place it was supposed to be I felt a little pull, like a magnet, then the stone shot out of my hand, clicking into place. It shone bright for a second, then dimmed to the same brightness as the others.
‘One down,’ I whispered. Icarus didn’t reply. The other missing gem belonged near the top, where two rings met much higher up. Climbing up the rings was harder than the bulk of the statue, as they were thin and curved and harder to grip. But the rubber bottoms of my Converse helped and I was able to shuffle and shimmy my way to the top. I held the second gem over the intersection of the rings and the same sucking thing happened and it snapped into place. This time every gem on the globe shone brightly, phasing through all of the colors like a rainbow. I grinned as I watched the colored lights rippling around me. It was beautiful. Then there was a whirring sound from below me and I looked down.
