Apollyon : An Extract

 

Julian's new school wasn't that far from his house. He could walk it everyday. The suburb he lived in, on the outskirts of York, was leafy and pleasant. The school, St. Dominic's, was situated on the road leaving south out of town. It was almost the last building on the road. He had often seen it as a younger child, passing it in the car when the family had travelled south. His first school had been a state school. This was a step up. He expected to meet posher boys. After all the fees were not small. It was Coral that had first suggested St. Dominic's. She always felt it was such a classy place, and, believing in education, wanted the best for Julian. Lisette had not had private education. After her state school she had attended a two-year course at a library college in Edinburgh. Coral had approved of her daughter's choice but she wanted something else for a boy, possibly a doctor's job, or something like an architect. She was unaware that the managerial positions in librarianship were quite remunerative.

 

Julian's pace slowed as he neared the school. In truth he was somewhat recalcitrant to enter its academic portals. If all went well he would be here until he was eighteen years of age. Would the bigger boys bother him ? He felt so small and vulnerable, and now for the first time, as the imposing building loomed before him, he felt a kind of fear, and all sorts of doubts and questionings troubled his young mind. He knew which part of the school was for juniors, boys like himself; he had been shown this at his interview, but really he did not know where his class would be located. He did know however, who his form master would be. He knew he would have to ask someone.

 

The building was very old. Julian thought it must be sixteenth or seventeenth century. As he passed the camellias on either side of the drive he wondered if the architecture was Jacobean, but wasn'that earlier than the sixteenth century. Certainly the old leaded windows and the general ambience of the place suggested great age. It was a sandstone building and today, with the last of the summer sun shining down on it, it exuded a warm glow; its golden yellow patina attractive and mellow. This gave Julian some hope. The modern excrescences, which had been built on later, such as the new science block, did not look quite as friendly. He hoped his class would be in the old building; he would feel more at home. It looked more human and welcoming than the stark modernity of some of the appendages. Under the old windows there grew some flowers. They were wild geranium and cabbage roses. Julian did not know the names of the flowers but thought that they were attractive. Not so attractive was a figure looming in the doorway of the old school. Julian did not like the look of him. He hadn't been very keen when he had met him at his interview. It was the Headmaster. Boys were milling all around Julian, now he was in the grounds of the school, so he thought he would ask one of them if he knew where Brother Xavier's class could be found. The boy he asked must have been ten or eleven; a bit older than Julian. Anyway it turned out he did not know but suggested he ask 'that duffer in the doorway', pointing to the Headmaster. Julian, slightly taken aback by such lack of respect, moved over to where the Headmaster was standing. William Renfrew scowled sourly on seeing a minor approach. He must have been about sixty years of age, a short but stout little man who tended towards fat. "And who are you then ?" the Head asked imperiously, looking over his small and defenceless subject.

"Me Sir, I'm Julian Farnham. Can you tell me where Brother Xavier's class is ?"

"Brother Xavier, yes, the new intake is assembling down this corridor in Columbus room."

William Renfrew retreated into the doorway so Julian could pass through and find the right room. He remembered from his interview that all the rooms in the old building had been named after famous explorers. There was a Livingstone room, a Marco Polo room and somebody called Younghusband had had a room named after him. Julian thought he would probably learn who Younghusband was at some date in the future.

 

Julian sauntered down the corridor noticing the sound that came from walking on these bare boards. The dark oak floor boards had been stained with varnish but did not possess much of a polish. The cold stone walls would make this a cold place in winter thought Julian and he slowly acquired a sense of quiet dread. Ahead of him was a Brother outside Columbus room. It was Brother Xavier.

"Name," he said quickly and flatly, as Julian approached.

"Julian Farnham Sir."

"I'm not a Sir. You address me as Brother Xavier. Have you got that ? We are teaching Brothers of the Order of San Paolo of Padua."

"Oh," replied Julian. "I didn't know you weren't called Sir."

"Some of the teachers here are Brothers like myself, others are ordinary lay teachers. As you can see we wear cassocks and I hope that that isn't something to snigger at Julian."

"Oh no Sir, I mean Brother Xavier, not at all."

"Good, we have got that sorted out. Join the other boys in the class. There will be eight boys in this class. I am waiting for two more and then we can begin."

Julian entered the classroom amidst the peering stares of the other boys. They all looked a bit afraid. Julian was reassured. He thought they are all like me. They must be wondering what they are in for. A fair-haired boy, who really needed a haircut, spoke first.

"So you are Julian."

"Yes that's right", replied Julian."Who are you ?"

"I'm Fabbrio."

The other boys then spoke up with their names.

"Did you want to come ?" said Fabbrio.

"Not really," replied Julian. "My mother was keen on it."

"That's like me," said Fabbrio. "It's supposed to be special when you pay."

"I liked the state school," replied Julian.

Some of the other boys pulled a face to hear such heresy. Only Fabbrio seemed to understand. It was this boy Julian would latch onto and try to make a friend of. Brother Xavier then entered the classroom with the two latecomers.

"Right everybody, we are all here. Now we can begin. I will tell you a little bit about the history of St. Dominic's school and also something on our aims and aspirations. Does anybody know our motto before I go any further ?"

Julian knew it but did not want to look like a smart arse the first day. Fabbrio knew, so piped up, "Uberrima Fides."

"And in English, Fabbrio ?"

"Utmost good faith."

"Yes, that is right. What we must all have at St. Dominic's is utmost good faith."

Julian wondered if this faith was in God, or in the Brothers, or in the school as a whole. He was not that keen on Xavier. He'd decided that the minute he'd asked his name. That particular demand had come out like a bullet. He did not know if he was going to like it here. He knew he liked Fabbrio, and hopefully Fabbrio would like him, but as for the rest, would it all go as swimmingly as his father had promised. He wondered. Xavier would actually be teaching French to the boys but as their form master was a shoulder to cry on and there to help if they had any problems. Julian was not convinced. Much as he disliked William Renfrew he could at least detect a hint of a smile on the man's fat and rubicund face. Brother Xavier was a very serious type. He was one of those university academics who is very aware of his own importance and never seem to be able to laugh. Julian knew Xavier would never crack a joke. At his last school Mrs. Jenkinson was always laughing. She was cheerful and happy. Julian thought these Brother types do not look happy at all. They are all rather saturnine. He was too young, however, to consider the possibility that celibacy sours, possibly even twists the personality, making it hard and unbending, rather than soft and kindly. Julian knew nothing of such things. He only knew he was going to be in the hands of someone who didn't look too friendly. Brother Xavier left the classroom briefly for a cigarette. Mrs. Jenkinson did not smoke. What were these Brothers like? thought Julian. How many of them were there, and why did they want to wear dresses when no other men ever did, unless they were on television or in a pantomime or something? Julian thought of the priest at his local church. When he came to see them at home he always wore trousers. Yes he wore a cassock on the altar but never to do business outside. These teaching Brothers were distinctly strange. They seemed to come from somwhere foreign too. Where was Padua and why weren't they English? They seemed English, they spoke English, but to Julian they were from another world.

 

 

CHAPTER THREE: Julian and the Fellings

 

Julian was the first one back home. He knew he was what they call a latch-key kid. Both of his parents worked and he got back home to an empty house. Coral would be back in half an hour; she did not think half an hour was leaving him on his own, that would have been illegal, but just a short gap before total care was put back into operation again. Coral wondered if she should ask Dianne Felling to look in for half an hour. Dianne worked as a part-time teaching assistant at Julian's old school and she would probably have been willing. Better still she thought ask Kevin, Dianne's son, to meet Julian from school so they could play together before she arrived back from the chemist's.

 

Julian poured himself a glass of orange juice from the refrigerator. It was quite hot for September so he thought he would have an ice lolly as well. He crunched into the lolly sucking all that lovely cold ice till it tingled in his mouth and slipped down his throat quite deliciously. After a day of lessons in Columbus room Julian was ready for refreshment. He had not minded the dinner though. It had been steak tartare and cabbage and then rhubarb and custard. It had made him feel quite full. In fact he was still quite full now. He would not have much tea; he didn't want to get fat. There were some huge boys in the school but he knew he wouldn't come into contact with them. His class of minors were just that - small boys of small proportions and moderate appetites. He had no intention of growing up too fast; it would mean exams apart from anything else. He was not interested. Julian was quite content to be a boy and do boy things.

 

Julian had just finished his orange juice when the doorbell rang. He wondered if it was Kevin; he sometimes played after school or maybe it was another of the neighbours calling on Coral. On answering the door Julian found it was the Fellings. Dianne and Kevin stood on the doorstep looking quite concerned.

"I saw you coming down the street, Julian. I know your Mum isn't back yet. Do you want us to stay with you for a bit ?"

Dianne Felling was probably too caring. She cared for her old disabled father. He was a man suffering from MS and was now confined to a wheelchair. A very sensible girl, now in her early thirties, Dianne had made a very unsensible mistake in her twenties and been left to bring up a young boy by herself. She doted on Kevin and did all she could for him. Her job at his school suited everybody as it meant she was there when he was and could bring him back from school at the end of the day. In the evening she prepared a meal for her father and then put him to bed. Dianne Felling liked the Farnhams: they did not judge her. Coral paid Dianne a small amount for getting her the weekly shopping in. Dianne had the shopping with her today.

 

"I'll just wait for your Mum to go over the shopping list, Julian. I've got most things." In reality Dianne wanted his Mum's payment. It was a struggle for her living in a road like Chesterbury Avenue and every little bit helped.

"Why don't you and Kevin go out and play football. It is a nice day. September will be over soon and so will the summer." With that, Julian grabbed his football from out of the hall cupboard and disappeared from the house and into the road. It was a quiet road - a cul-de-sac in fact so there was no through traffic. You could play football here free from any worry about cars. Both Kevin, who was the same age as Julian, and Julian himself, liked the road. They liked to knock the conkers off the trees that grew in front of the houses. There was a mix of limes and chestnuts and also some cherry trees along Chesterbury Avenue. Estate agents considered it desirable. So did Coral Farnham or she never would have lived there in the first place. It was all part of her self image. A professional woman must have a suitable address - it was as essential as Bal de Versailles perfume and the fact that the Farnhams hired a gardener. Geoffrey had liked Chesterbury Avenue because it didn't seem too pretentious. Coral liked it because she believed the estate agent's spiel. Whatever the truth, it was home and to all intents and purposes had been a happy one for both the Farnhams and indeed the Fellings.

 

Most of the houses were detached except for the Fellings' and a few others. Julian's house was detached and had four bedrooms. The windows were cottage style and it had a rounded oak door which had recently been revarnished. At the side of the door winter jasmine grew up a piece of trellis and in the summer a lilac-blue clematis took over. The clematis was in flower now but would not last much longer. At the back of the house conifers grew in the garden together with apple and pear trees and there was a small pool, though the goldfish had long since disappeared. Coral said next door's cat had got them. The shed was in use but the small greenhouse was in a state of disrepair and Geoffrey had no time to see to it. Once he had grown tomatoes in it in the summer. Now, with all his professional commitments, it was impossible to do any gardening.