Animal

by G S Banks

  ‘What on earth am I supposed to wear?’ I almost scream. ‘All my outfits are in those bags.’

  The woman smiles at me, showing four or five long, protruding teeth at the front of her mouth. Her eyes are aged yet lively. She fiddles with the large bloodstone ring that sits on her right middle finger. I can’t figure out which of the Twelve Anitars this woman is. There isn’t such a thing as Rats. Artemiz lets out a stifled laugh.

  ‘Audrey is a Snake,’ she says.

  ‘Yes, and don’t you forget it young ‘un!’

  She points her finger at my face.

  ‘I’ve been here since before you were born. In fact I remember your mother. Stella Smythe she was back then. What a feisty little number that girl was! Married that lovely Luke Gregory and now… You.’

  She eyes me up and down.

  ‘Yes. Me,’ I say.

  ‘No need for cheek, little lady.’

  I feel the right hand of Artemiz on my shoulder.

  ‘Let’s get on with this shall we? She should be at induction right now.’

  Audrey shakes her head, puffing, and looks down at her clipboard.

  ‘Fine. Down to business. What you will wear,’ she says. ‘Is this.’

  She reaches underneath her desk and whips out a pile of grim looking navy blue clothing and slaps it down. Said clothes are made of thick, uncomfortable looking material, the likes of which have never touched my skin before. I reluctantly pull out the garment on top and am dismayed to see it unfold into a long sleeved top with two depressing looking pockets on the chest. The trousers are even worse, shudderingly manly in style. To top it all off Audrey reaches under her desk again and bangs down a dark pair of trainers. I try to explain that I can’t be seen dead in such a drab ensemble but Artemiz is already leading me out of the room. The last I see, Audrey has a toothy grin spreading across her face.

  ________

  Artemiz takes us down a flight of stairs that are so steep I constantly feel like I am going to fall. We then walk along cramped corridors with small lights fixed to the walls. The whole place has a distinct dungeon-like feel to it. I cling to my one bag as if it is my last possession in this world, which by the looks of things isn’t too far off the mark. We’re well below ground now. Oh dear. This is playing havoc with my claustrophobia, so I take deep breaths. Finally we end up at another door, old and battered. Artemiz whispers to me that this is where I will sleep and I hear a booming voice coming from inside. Just as I am about to ask Artemiz where I should get the refreshments she opens the door, which creaks loudly, and she forcefully guides me into the room.

  She’s so forceful in fact, it makes me sort of teeter on my heels as I enter. The room has low ceilings and seems to be a continuation of the dungeon theme. It feels like people may have died in here at some point. I clutch the navy blue clothes under my arm. I stand there as a small crowd of people, all about my age, turn to face me. I sense Artemiz leaving, closing the door on her way out. They all stare at me. About thirty of them. I look down at my orange, pink and white dress and suddenly feel very bright in this dim room. I hide my gulp. I clasp my clammy hands. I look around the room to see rows of tiny bunk beds. Ugh.

  ‘Hello, everybody,’ I say, my voice much louder than I would’ve wished.

  There’s a kind of intense air in the room and the group nods in return then shuffles apart to reveal a woman standing in their midst. She is swathed in mounds of rich velvet, a luxurious purple colour with an enormous amethyst around her neck. She has silver hair styled back from her majestic face. A large wolf-like dog sits at her heels, its sloping nose turned up towards her, its massive grey tail coiled around its feet. The woman’s hands are wrinkled but graceful and covered in gold rings. Her brown eyes look straight in my direction, and at the exact same moment, so do the silver eyes of the dog.

  ‘Ah,’ she says. ‘Miss Nina Gregory I believe, a little late but I suppose we shall forgive you. I am Lady Muldoon, the Principal of Muldoon Academy and the last living member of the Muldoon Family.’

  The woman Mum wanted me to send her love to. She gestures to the dog, touching it lightly between the ears.

  ‘This is Shadow, my guardian. Many Deer have such guardians, to provide protection when necessary. And these fine young people are your team for the next 21 days.’

  Everyone is still staring at me.

  ‘Pleased to meet you,’ I say.

  I cough politely, covering my mouth with my hand.

  ‘This will be your bunk,’ says Lady Muldoon, pointing to a top bed in the middle of the right hand row.

  Despite the staring faces I feel it would be best to set things straight right away.

  ‘Yes, about that,’ I say. ‘I was wondering if it might be possible for me to arrange a room above ground? I really can’t stand being underground, I’m claustrophobic actually – I’m sure you understand. My parents, well my Dad, I’m sure won’t mind if there’s any extra cost, he knows how I feel about being underground.’

  I see a guy, just to my left, roll his eyes. Is he rolling them at me? I throw him a look but he steadies those eyes and turns back to Lady Muldoon. Dark eyes, with thick black lashes. Lady Muldoon steps forward and ends up close to me surprisingly fast.

  ‘Your parents, my dear, stayed in these same dorms exactly twenty-five years ago. You wouldn’t think so, but I remember it like yesterday. Your mother slept in that very bunk, right there by the door. There are no rooms for Trainees above ground, only Apprentices. We find that a few weeks down here provides just the distraction-free environment necessary for what we hope to accomplish.’

  I can hardly picture my mother in a place like this.

  ‘They could just be a bit bigger, couldn’t they?’

  Lady Muldoon’s expression turns indignant. She widens her eyes and puckers her lips. Mum and Dad didn’t mention any of this. Of course they didn’t. I can’t get over the fact that it has been the same beds for the last twenty-five years… Lady Muldoon sweeps away from me, her nose held high in the air, Shadow sloping gracefully at her side, his grey coat shining. The group’s gaze follows her as she goes.

  Meanwhile I am left to place my bag on the ground in silence and edge towards the group. A girl, strikingly pretty with delicate, elfin features and a wide, mischievous grin, makes space for me to stand next to her. I shuffle my way in. She has short, messy hair which spikes out all over the place, dyed blonde with dark roots. She looks younger than me, quite a bit younger – perhaps more like Kelci’s age. Her skin is radiant, the colour of buttercream. She turns to me suddenly, and I feel like she’s caught me staring at her. She looks at me through her wide-spaced eyes, and before I have a chance to react, she winks at me. I’m not sure what to do until she sticks out her hand and whispers:

  ‘I’m Lucy.’

  I reach for her hand, which is cool to the touch.

  ‘I’m Nina. Pleased to meet you, Lucy.’

  With that, she whips her hand away and turns back to Lady Muldoon, bouncing on her toes like an excited pixie. I try to concentrate on Lady Muldoon’s uppity voice. She tells us how privileged we should all feel to be here and how this program is the best in the world. She tells us how this is proven to be the fastest, most efficient route to manifestation. My ears perk up when I hear this and I squeeze forward, raising my hand.

  ‘How long does it usually take?’ I say.

  ‘How long does what usually take?’ replies Lady Muldoon, her eyes widening again.

  ‘Manifestation. Only, I’ve got to be quick about it.’

  ‘Really? Shall we all just stop right now and concentrate on getting you through, Nina?’

  I hear a muffled laugh from somewhere in the crowd.

  ‘If you want.’

  Her eyebrows shoot up.

  ‘It’s just, I have to find my sister,’ I say. ‘She’s been kidnapped and I have to get her back. Pretty much now.’

  ‘I am aware of what has happened to your sister, Kelci Gregory. However, I would sugg
est that we discuss that later.’

  ‘You know about Kelci? All right. So you know how serious it is. We need to all be on the same page right away – I have to go and find her as soon as I can.’

  I give an appealing glance to the whole group but it seems to be met by blank stares. Lady Muldoon’s expression turns to thunder. Her voice rises.

  ‘From this moment onwards and for the next three weeks – no less – the only “page” you will be on is mine.’

  She gives me a withering look.

  ‘Oh.’

  She swivels away from me. As I am letting out a breath through my nose I notice the same guy who rolled his eyes, raising an eyebrow. Is that on my account? All these facial manoeuvres? I force myself to turn away from him to look at Lady Muldoon who continues to tell us about carefully worked out challenges and tests and how fantastic it all is. I shuffle uncomfortably in my muddy heels. She is keen to tell us that those of us who manifest will spend three days at the end of the program in the House of their Animal, receiving specialised, intensive training.

  She also says that out of those who do manifest two will be chosen to stay on at Muldoon to become Apprentices for a five-year duration. The remainder of those who manifest will go to another one of the Academies that are on each of the seven continents, aside from Antarctica. Mine would probably be in Canada, the North American one, not that I have any intention whatsoever of going on to become an Apprentice. Lady Muldoon continues and it is made abundantly clear that only the very best are given this opportunity and that we all ought to be extremely grateful for the chance.

  My gaze wanders back to the guy. He looks like he is about to go into battle or something. Looking at his face from this angle reminds me of one of those Grecian statues, all sculpted lines and curves, with dark hair and smooth skin. I pull my attention back to Lady Muldoon who goes on to remind us that should we fail to manifest, we will be sent home with our memories of the entire thing erased. Great. As she tells us we can manifest at any moment during the next three weeks, I become increasingly desperate to ask her if she knows where my sister could be. I don’t care what anyone says. Why else am I here?

  I begin to raise my hand again but before it rises more than a few inches I feel Lucy’s hand pushing it gently back downwards. I frown at her.

  ‘Later,’ she mouths quietly.

  She’s smiling at me and the moment has passed. I suppose this isn’t the best time. Finally Lady Muldoon wraps up her speech by belabouring the point that ‘teamwork is key’ and telling us that ‘our adventure starts here.’ I sigh as a ripple of anticipation buzzes around the group. Not one person seems to realise that my sister’s safety is way more important than any of this could ever be.

  ‘Boys,’ bellows Lady Muldoon. ‘Return to your dorm. You all have exactly eleven minutes before dinner. Before that time you need to be fully unpacked. Do not be late.’

  ‘Eleven minutes?’

  Lady Muldoon shoots me another pointed look, then leaves the room.

  ‘How can I unpack and be ready for dinner within that sort of time scale?’ I mutter to myself.

  The group scatters and I sidle over to the pitiful object that is my new bed.

  ‘This place looks like a prison,’ I say, shaking my head.

  ‘Believe me,’ says a voice behind me, smooth and sultry. ‘This is a holiday camp compared to prison.’

  I whip my head around. There stands a girl who looks like a beauty queen on her day off – luscious red hair, plump pink lips and large hazel eyes that are staring right at me.

  ‘Oh,’ I say. ‘And you would know?’

  ‘Let’s just say I’m grateful for the opportunity to be here. But clearly not everyone feels that way.’

  Her words flow like velvet. She places her hands on her slender hips. There’s a silence that I can’t help but fill.

  ‘And you are?’

  ‘My name – Miss Nina Gregory,’ she says, doing a passable impression of Lady Muldoon, ‘is Heather Jackson.’

  There’s an edge to her voice that you’d have to be a complete idiot to miss. She curls a strand of hair with her right middle finger and I notice there’s a delicate tattoo on it, a leafy coil that travels right up to her knuckle. She looks me up and down.

  ‘Your dress,’ she says, raising her right eyebrow. ‘Interesting choice.’

  ‘Yes, my dress,’ I say, struggling to stay calm.

  I look her up and down in return, but there’s no denying it. She’s gorgeous. And she’s the kind of gorgeous you can’t help looking at. Some of the other girls are watching her too. It just sort of draws you in.

  ‘T-shirt and shorts,’ I say. ‘Both of which are two sizes too small. Also an interesting choice!’

  She crosses her arms over her chest. She wears a pair of red socks too, pulled right up to her knees.

  ‘Good luck in the program,’ she says. ‘Miss Nina.’

  With that she flings her hair over her shoulder and walks off, hips sashaying as she goes.

  9. This Is Ridiculous

  Two days since Kelci was taken, Trainee Canteen

  I am the last person to enter the canteen, which is crammed full of Trainees all bumbling along with their trays of food, sitting down, chatting. I’m not sure if it’s my imagination but the room seems to hush a little when I enter. After I get myself a pile of mince and potatoes from the food counter I look around the room and catch sight of the guy who rolled his eyes at me. He’s hard to miss. He sits sandwiched between two girls, one of whom is the impish girl, Lucy, who chats wildly and the other one is Heather who leans in ever so slightly towards him. Lucy catches sight of me and waves enthusiastically, making the other two turn their heads in my direction. I politely return the wave.

  I look around the room but it is so full I don’t see anywhere to sit. I hope the three of them have taken their eyes off me as I look for a place to sit. Every table is full. I hold onto my plastic blue tray, gripping tighter as heads begin to turn towards me. There are no chairs left. My heart sinks. I feel like a shining beacon stood here in my muddy high heels. More heads are turning and my cheeks are getting hot… But then, I hear a deep, booming voice from somewhere within the crowd.

  ‘Hey. There’s a seat here.’

  There’s a hand waving. A big hand, attached to a big body. An enormous body, to be frank. It’s a guy, about the same age as me, possibly a little older, with a mop of long blonde hair that grows to just below his wide jaw. He has thick eyebrows and kindly eyes that crease at the sides and I’m glad to see those eyes because without them it seems like the size of him would just be too much. He gestures to the chair opposite him. I gulp, and begin to move towards it. As I get closer, squeezing through and holding the tray above people’s heads, I see that he is too huge for the plastic chair he sits on. I finally get to the empty spot, put my tray on the table and sit down, smoothing down my outfit.

  ‘Thank you,’ I say, reaching my hand out towards him. ‘I’m Nina. Pleased to meet you.’

  He looks at my hand for a moment, then grabs it, swamping it completely in his.

  ‘I’m Ben,’ he says. ‘Ben Hult.’

  I hear an accent as he speaks, European… As soon as my hand drops away, I feel it picked up by another, much smaller one.

  ‘He’s Swedish. And I’m James Johnson.’

  Ben nods his head.

  ‘This is my friend.’

  ‘Hi there,’ I say.

  James is sat next to Ben and he looks so small in comparison it’s slightly startling. A huge grin lights up his face, he shakes my hand with vigour and holds onto it a little too long, until I have to pull it away as gracefully as I can. He has ebony skin, lively brown eyes and black hair that sits tight against his head. He wears a shiny black bomber jacket over a white t-shirt, whilst Ben wears a bulky knitted jumper with elaborate patterns on it. I nod, amused by this odd pair. I arrange my knife, fork, glass and plate nice and neatly and place the napkin across my knees. I can’t hel
p but notice the piles of food sprawled in front of Ben. There’s so much of it you can’t see the plate. Then about ten slices of bread covered in butter, two bowls of soup, an orange, an apple, a banana and an enormous slice of sponge pudding, swimming in custard.

  ‘My compadre here,’ says James, leaning towards me, ‘likes food. And when I say he likes food, I mean he likes food.’

  He sits back then punches Ben against his arm, but it’s like his fist is hitting a brick wall.

  ‘Wow,’ he says, staring at his fist, then turning to me. ‘Look at the size of this guy. Do you know how much energy a body like this needs?’

  ‘I have no idea,’ I say, nibbling at my fork.

  Ben gives a sidelong look towards James.

  ‘It’s true,’ says Ben, giving a smile that reveals a dimple in his left cheek. ‘I eat like a donkey.’

  James turns his head towards him.

  ‘You mean, you eat like a horse.’

  Ben’s expression turns to a mixture of disgusted and insulted.

  ‘Eat like a horse?’ he says, pursing his lips. ‘Never.’

  James frowns.

  ‘Were you guys friends before you came here?’ I say, changing the subject.

  ‘No. We just met,’ says James. ‘But it’s a done deal. Sometimes you just know, right?’

  ‘Sure,’ I say.

  ‘I need all the friends I can get around here,’ he says. ‘I have no clue what’s going on. I mean, do you? Because I do not. Some lady walks into my home and tells my uncle Steve she wants me for some scholarship program and he’s like, what’s in it for me? And she tells him, you can get rid of your nephew for three weeks, at least. When she said that he was like, yeah, yeah, I’ll do it. And I was like, what? Is she reading his mind? Uncle Steve has been trying to get rid of me for years. This was Christmas come early for him, but he never said a word about it to her. Then she tells me, when we’re on our own, that I’ve got potential for some crazy powers. So I’m like YES. Finally. Thank you! Somebody out there is listening.’