The Lights Under the Lake

Cassandra giggled, as if she’d been terribly funny. I wanted to give her a smack myself, but it would have been a lot harder, and probably round the face area.

“Right,” I said. “Will you lot get out of our way so we can get to class?” I wasn’t particularly in a rush to learn, but I was fed up with being taunted.

The other prefect, who had dark hair and a horse-riding rosette pinned to her uniform, spread her arms out wide. “Is that any way to talk to your betters?”

“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” I said. I wasn’t about to let them walk all over us. I pushed the horsey girl out of the way and stomped into the aisle. Ivy and Ariadne darted behind me.

“Watch it, Grey,” Elsie hissed, as her friend dusted herself off in mock horror. “We’ll be keeping an eye on your little friend on the trip, and you wouldn’t want her to get into trouble, would you?” She glanced pointedly at Ariadne, who gulped.

At that moment, Mrs Knight headed across the quickly emptying hall towards us. “Problem, girls?” she asked.

“Oh, none at all, Miss,” said Elsie, pulling out her cheerful sucking-up-to-teachers voice. “We were simply telling these little ones how excited we are about the trip. It’s going to be so wonderful!”

Mrs Knight beamed. I clenched my fists to prevent myself from punching anyone.

“How lovely to see some school spirit again,” the headmistress said happily. “Right then, off to lessons with you all.”

I wasn’t about to be told twice, so I grabbed Ivy and Ariadne’s hands and we hurried away from the prefects.

“I can’t believe Mrs Knight is putting those smarmy slugs in charge,” I muttered as we walked through the corridors.

“Me neither,” said Ivy. It had been bad enough going for a short bus ride with Elsie last term, let alone having to suffer a whole week of her bossing us about.

Ariadne had gone a bit pale. “Please don’t leave me alone with them,” she said.

“We won’t,” I promised. “We’ll find a way.”

But at that moment, I had to admit – I was out of ideas.

Chapter Three

IVY

was afraid of going on the trip, I had to admit. I felt sure something was going to go wrong, just as it always did.

But what I was even more worried about was leaving Ariadne in the company of unscrupulous prefects for a week. Scarlet was right. We had to get permission. But how?

“We could forge a letter from our parents!” Scarlet suggested as we walked to ballet that afternoon.

“That’s just a recipe for trouble if we get found out,” I said. “Not to mention that they don’t just have to say we can go, someone has to actually pay for both of us.”

“Hmmph,” my twin folded her arms. “You haven’t made any suggestions so far.”

“I’m thinking about it,” I insisted.

Ballet was a little different these days. Our teacher, Miss Finch, had been struggling for some time with her injured leg. Then last term the strange Madame Zelda had arrived when Miss Finch disappeared – just a coincidence, it turned out, as Zelda had actually turned up hoping to apologise for being the one to cause the injury.

They must have had a long talk, because now they seemed happy to be in the same room as one another – or at the very least, they accepted it. Mrs Knight had decided that it would be best for them to share the job of teaching ballet in order to give Miss Finch a bit of a rest now and then.

We descended the steps into the chilly basement ballet studio, where Miss Finch and Madame Zelda were waiting. Miss Finch sat at the piano, while Zelda stood staring into the mirror. They weren’t talking, but the atmosphere didn’t seem too unfriendly.

“Ah, girls,” said Madame Zelda as we walked in. “Begin your warm-up, please.”

We started lacing on our shoes, never quite sure whether we had to remain silent as Madame Zelda usually insisted, or whether we could talk more freely as Miss Finch had let us in the past. I watched as Nadia and another girl came down the stairs into the room.

“I’m just so excited for the trip,” Nadia was saying. “A whole week away from school!”

Madame Zelda looked at her sharply. “I hope you will be practising extra hard this week, then, Miss Sayani. You don’t want to get behind with your ballet.”

Nadia straightened up. “No, Miss!” she said.

The new teacher seemed pleased with her answer. “Good. And you two? Will you be leaving us as well?” she asked, looking down at me and Scarlet.

“Couldn’t get permission,” said Scarlet, glaring at the floor. “Awful parents.”

“I can sympathise,” called Miss Finch from the piano.

I got to my feet, and Madame Zelda placed a thin hand lightly on my shoulder. “Then we shall enjoy having you both in class,” she said, and winked at me.

I tried to smile, but Scarlet looked so miserable that I couldn’t quite manage it.

Penny walked in then, and Madame Zelda turned to her. “What about you, Miss Winchester? Will you be going on this trip?”

Penny’s expression turned thunderous. “No,” she said.

“And why’s that?” asked Madame Zelda, her face inquisitive and open.

To my surprise, Penny actually answered her honestly. “My parents haven’t replied to the letter. And I don’t think they’re going to. I thought of writing to my uncle to see if he might pay for me to go, but …” She trailed off, and looked around at us. “It’s none of your business, anyway,” she finished.

“Careful,” Madame Zelda said, waving her finger. “We must have the composure of a ballet dancer, mustn’t we?”

Penny sighed and slumped down to lace her shoes on. “Yes, Miss. Sorry, Miss.”

Scarlet rolled her eyes, but something Penny had said stuck in my mind as we began doing our stretches. I thought of writing to my uncle. The thought grew bigger and bigger. We had two aunts now, aunts who were both kind and generous. If we wrote to them …

At the end of the lesson, I grabbed Scarlet. “I think we should write to Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Sara about the trip!”

“Why?” My twin wrinkled her nose. “To tell them our stepmother is the spawn of the devil? I think they already know that.”

“No,” I said. “To ask them for permission. They might be able to pay the fees for us.”

Scarlet’s eyes widened. “Is that allowed?”

“I have no idea.” I thought about it for a moment. “I’m hoping Aunt Phoebe might have been listed as a guardian on our records.”

Scarlet started to grin. “You’re a genius. Let’s try it!”

We composed the letters that night. We wrote to both Aunt Sara and Aunt Phoebe, telling them all about the trip and asking if we could go.

“We’ll go to the village first thing tomorrow and post them,” said Scarlet. “They won’t take long to get there.”

I crossed my fingers. Ariadne was sitting on my bed and nervously knitting. “I hope they say yes,” she said, twirling the wool round her fingers.

“Me too,” I said. “If we don’t get permission by Friday, then we’ll be taken off the list.”

We had to do it. I didn’t want our stepmother to win again.

Friday dawned, and I was desperate for assembly to start – because Friday’s assembly meant letters.

I ran into Rose in the corridor as I headed for the lavatories, feeling chilly in my nightgown. She was leaving the room she had shared with Violet, her face forlorn as she slowly pulled the door closed. Violet and Rose had been inseparable after meeting in the asylum. She must miss her.

Rose was unusual to say the least – she was an enigma, and rumours abounded throughout the school. We knew very little about her. She wasn’t one to talk, usually, and when she did, she spoke so softly that you had to strain to hear her.

“Good morning, Rose,” I said brightly.

She smiled at me.

“Did you hear about the trip?” I asked, carrying on walking as she came up beside me.

She nodded.

“Our stepmother wouldn’t give us permission,” I explained, “but we’re going to ask our aunts. I hope we’ll be able to go. Well, I was worried about going at first, but I think Ariadne needs us.”

As we reached the lavatories, I started to worry that we were having a bit of a one-sided conversation. At least, more one-sided than usual. “Do you think you’d like to go?”

Rose looked back in the direction of her room. “I would,” she whispered. “Very much. Only …”

She trailed off, but I could fill in the gaps. She didn’t have Violet any more, and she wasn’t a proper student. Even more than that, there was no one who could give her permission.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t think. It’s not long, though. Only a week.” We went inside, and I washed my face with the freezing-cold water from the sink.

She smiled again, but she seemed sad. If only there was something we could do. But if we couldn’t get on the trip ourselves, I didn’t see how we’d be able to take Rose.

After breakfast, we headed for assembly. Scarlet pretty much bounced into her seat, dropping her satchel on the floor and nudging it about with her foot. She was so jittery, waiting to see if we’d got a letter. I was too. I barely listened to what Mrs Knight was telling us.

“Now,” Mrs Knight said, “don’t forget that today is the deadline for your permission letters.” My ears pricked up, and Scarlet squeezed my knee. “On that note,” the headmistress said, “it’s post day.”

She began reading out names from the pile of letters in her hand. “Agatha Brown! Alice Carter-Jones!”

Scarlet squeezed my knee even harder as the alphabet got closer to our surname. I had to slap her hand away, because I didn’t want my leg to fall off.

“Scarlet and Ivy Grey!”

Scarlet leapt up and ran for the stage. She grabbed the letter from Mrs Knight’s hand and was back in her seat tearing open the envelope before I even had time to speak.

I read it over her shoulder. I didn’t recognise the beautiful looped handwriting, but I soon realised it must belong to our Aunt Sara.

Dear Scarlet and Ivy,

My darlings, I hope you are well. I received your letter about the school trip. I have managed to speak to your Aunt Phoebe (it wasn’t easy – I had to telephone someone named Philip?).

We have decided that you ought to be allowed to go on the trip. We’ll keep this quiet from Edith, shall we? I have enclosed a cheque for you, which should be more than enough to cover the trip, and a letter of permission.

Go forth, my darlings, and have a new adventure!

With love,

Sara Louise

Chapter Four

SCARLET

started bouncing up and down in the middle of the hall. I couldn’t believe it. We were going on the trip! Finally, a way out of Rookwood – even if it was only for a week.

“Aunt Sara is the best!” I said. I was so glad we’d found her. At least someone was on our side who could help us. Aunt Phoebe was lovely too, but she couldn’t be trusted to remember where she’d left her own head.

Ariadne was bouncing beside me. “It’s going to be brilliant!” she cried.

Ivy wasn’t quite bouncing, but she at least looked pleased. “We need to take this to Mrs Knight,” she said.

“No time like the present,” I said. I ran to the front of the hall, where Mrs Knight was just stepping down from the stage. “Miss! We can go on the trip!” I waved the letter and the cheque at her.

Mrs Knight held her hands out in front of her protectively. “Slow down a moment, Scarlet. Let me see.”

I handed the papers over, and she pulled her glasses up from the chain round her neck and put them on. I watched as her eyes slid along each line of the letter.

“Well,” she said after a moment. “This is a little irregular. I do recall your aunts, but …”

“Aunt Sara’s paid the fees!” I said, tapping the cheque repeatedly.

An expression I couldn’t quite read crossed Mrs Knight’s face. She took her glasses back off again. “Ah. Hmm. I suppose it’s all right …”

“Yes!” I punched the air.

Ivy came up beside me. “Thank you, Miss,” she said.

“Um, yes,” said Mrs Knight, taking the cheque from me and tucking it into her pocket. She patted it a few times, as if making sure it was still there. “Well done, girls. The bus leaves at four o’clock on Monday.” She wandered away, leaving us both to share an excited hug.

Ariadne had ceased bouncing by this point, and now she looked a little concerned. “I just remembered about Rose,” she said. “Do you think she stands any chance?”

I shrugged. “No idea. She doesn’t have parents who can give her permission …”

“… but she doesn’t have parents to deny her permission either,” Ivy finished. That was a good point. I wasn’t sure what Mrs Knight would say to that.

“But the trip is full anyway,” I said, picking up my satchel from the floor. “Miss Bowler made it very clear that your name has to be down. I don’t think there’s anything we can do.”

Ariadne sighed. “You’re probably right. Poor Rose.”

I felt sorry for her as well. Violet had been Rose’s best friend, and at the moment it didn’t look like Violet was coming back. And all right, I was a little pleased about that. She’d always wanted everything to go her way, and I wanted everything to go my way, and that was always going to be a recipe for disaster.

Still, Rose didn’t deserve to lose her friend. She was so shy and quiet and kind, completely the opposite of Vile Violet. She’d been through the same asylum hell that I’d been through. But most people still thought she was strange and avoided her, or at worst, picked on her. I didn’t want to abandon her at school with only the horses to talk to.

“We can get someone nice to keep an eye on her,” I suggested. “But right now we have more important things to do.”

“Oh?” Ivy said with a curious smile.

“Like PACKING!”

“We have lessons,” Ariadne pointed out.

“I know,” I said. “But after that, we can start packing. Because WE’RE GOING ON THE TRIP!”

I raced through Rookwood’s traditional stew dinner that night. As soon as we were back in room thirteen, I pulled my old battered suitcase out from under the bed. I tossed it on to the blankets and opened it wide, taking a moment to appreciate the possibilities.

Ivy was looking at me funny.

“What?” I asked.

“What are we supposed to pack?” she said. She waved a list that we’d been given of things we were meant to bring. “We can’t wear uniform, but we don’t have most of these things. Hiking clothes?”

Ugh. She was right. We’d picked up a few things when we’d briefly returned home, but the sad truth was that most of my clothes had been taken away when they’d thought I was dead. And our parents had never provided us with much in the first place.

“We’ll just have to take what we have. Can I borrow some of yours?” I asked. That was one advantage of being a twin. We both wore the same size.

She sighed. “All right. Let’s have a look.” She went over to the wardrobe and pulled it open.

I followed and peered over her shoulder. It contained our ballet outfits, a few plain dresses and skirts that belonged to Ivy, and one that belonged to me. Oh, and the embarrassing costumes that Ariadne had made us, but I wasn’t planning on ever wearing one of those again.

I moved Ivy out of the way and grabbed my dress and a couple of hers. “Scarlet!” she moaned.

“What?” I said. “I’m only borrowing them.” I made a show of folding them as neatly as possible and placing them gently in the suitcase.

There was a knock at the door and Ariadne bounded in. She was clutching the camera again.

“I’ve been asked to take photographs!” she said, grinning with excitement.

“Oh no,” I said, putting my hands up to protect myself. “No more posing!”

“No, silly, not of you. Of everyone. On the trip.” She made a sweeping gesture at the window, as if that conveyed everything.

“Really?” Ivy asked. “I thought the teachers didn’t like you using the camera?”

“Mrs Knight asked me personally,” Ariadne said, her chest swelling with pride. “She wants to take lots of pictures for the school newsletter, and they might put some in the local paper as well.”

The local paper? “Goodness,” said Ivy, sitting down at the desk. “She really is determined to promote the school with this, isn’t she?”

“Well, make sure you get my good side,” I said.

“You have a good side?” Ivy asked, puzzled. And then added after a moment, “but we’re mirror twins. Does that mean it’s my bad side?”

To be honest, I didn’t have a clue. It was just something that I’d heard people say. I changed the subject. “What are you going to bring, Ariadne?”

“Oh, all sorts,” said Ariadne, and she winked at me. It was a bit strange seeing her attempt to wink. What was that all about? I’d have to ask her later.

I went over to our desk drawer, which now contained various school books and ink pens alongside Ivy’s pearl necklace and my hairbrush – the only heirlooms we’d inherited from our mother. I’d always thought they were a strange choice, but they’d actually helped us crack the mystery of her true identity and discover Aunt Sara. I stroked the necklace gently. “You should bring this along,” I said to Ivy, pulling it out. “Maybe we’ll get to have a grand dinner in the hotel.” It was usually against the rules to wear jewellery at Rookwood, but if we weren’t at Rookwood then I didn’t think the rules applied.

Ivy smiled and took it from me. “Maybe,” she said. “I’ll have to be careful with it, though.” She pulled out her own carpet bag from the bottom of the wardrobe and gently lowered the necklace in.

I packed the hairbrush, along with the Rookwood regulation toothbrush and threadbare towel we were all given. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to take those away (or even if the hotel would have their own – we’d never been to a hotel before) but they were the only ones I had, so they were going in.

Ivy pulled out a pen and paper. “We must write to our aunts and thank them,” she said. “I still can’t believe they’ve sent us the money to go.”

I nodded. “I can’t believe we’re going,” I said. I slammed the suitcase shut and started jumping up and down on it. “This is going to be the best week ever!”

Chapter Five

IVY

he day of the trip arrived, and Scarlet was awake even before the morning bell had rung. As my eyes creaked open, I watched her leap out of bed and pull her suitcase from beneath it.

“Scarlet,” I managed, half asleep. “We’re not leaving until this afternoon.”

“So?” she said with a mischievous grin. “Our motto is ‘be prepared’, is it not?”

I pushed myself up and threw my pillow at her. “You’re thinking of the Scouts. The Rookwood motto is ‘Nothing is heavy for those who have wings’.”

She tossed the pillow back at me and tried to pick up her suitcase. “Ouch. Whoever came up with that obviously never tried to lift this.”

I blinked sleepily. “I thought you had barely anything to pack? How did it get so heavy?”

She bent down, undid the metal catches and flipped the leather lid open. The suitcase had acquired several jars of sweets.

“Ariadne gave me some of her stash,” Scarlet said. “For emergencies. She said she didn’t have room for all of it.”

I didn’t think anyone had ever had to have an emergency midnight feast, but I wouldn’t put it past Ariadne.

We got dressed and headed down for breakfast. We still had a morning of lessons to get through, but even that couldn’t put the brakes on Scarlet’s excitement. “Only eight hours to go!” she said as she collected her porridge in the dining hall. “Then it’s goodbye porridge and goodbye Rookwood!”

I grinned at her. “We’re coming back, though,” I pointed out.

“I can pretend that we aren’t,” she retorted.

Scarlet’s enthusiasm was catching. It really would be great to get away from Rookwood for a little while, and to see somewhere new.

At midday, Scarlet grabbed my arm. “It’s midday!” she whispered.

“What does that mean?” I shot back.

“It means there’s only four hours to go!”

I laughed. I hoped this trip could live up to her expectations.

Finally, finally, it was time for us to head out to the front of the school and watch for the bus. In fact we were rather early, but I thought that if we waited any longer Scarlet would burst.

We sat on the steps with our luggage. The sun was bright and warm where it spilt on to the stone, and the air was filled with the cawing of the rooks. One of them darted to the ground and tipped its head to the side, inspecting us. Another hopped down next to it.

I’d read about them in a book on birds once. It said that one of the names for a group of rooks was a parliament. I told Scarlet this.

She pointed at one and said: “Is that a Member of Parliament, then?”

The rook didn’t look pleased. It squawked at her and then took flight, its wings beating patterns in the warm air.

We stared at the rooks for a while longer before I heard the school’s enormous doors being pulled open, and Ariadne appeared at the top of the steps. She was dragging two large suitcases that seemed to match the little convoy she’d brought on the very first day of school. She left them propping open the door and came down to us.

I looked up at her, putting my hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun. “That can’t all be sweets in there?” I asked, baffled.

She blinked at me. “Oh! No! This is mostly my camera equipment. I’m hoping there might be somewhere dark I can develop the photographs while we’re there.”

I had no idea whether hotels usually had a darkroom, but it seemed unlikely.

She stepped down on to the drive, took the camera out of the case round her neck and pointed it at us. “Smile!”

I smiled as the lens clicked and whirred. I think Scarlet pulled a face.

“Oh, hello, Rose,” Ariadne said. “I think you got in the picture.”

I twisted round and saw Rose standing behind us.

“Where did you come from?” Scarlet asked. Rose just smiled knowingly.

Talking to Rose was often a bit of a guessing game. “Did you come to say goodbye to us?” Ariadne asked.

She nodded and smiled, but her smile seemed sad. I watched her twisting the chain of her golden locket round her fingers, as she often seemed to do as a nervous habit. “I wish I could go,” she said quietly.