Chapter Two – The First Acquaintance
Unnerving as it was to be aware of the unlocked door behind him, Lawrence took off his undershirt and started washing it at the sink. The soap smelled more of real roses – a strange choice for an all-boys academy – than the usual chemicals, and fresh towels had already been provided, along with other necessities such as a complete shaving kit. Was that how they treated all the students attending Veridien, or did they think he was too poor to afford spending money on basic items?
Lunch, presumably, was still hours away, but Lawrence intended to be his most presentable self when meeting his fellow students and at least part of the faculty.
That gave him enough time to examine his surroundings and decide where to start. His uncle had insisted that he was at Veridien only to observe, but Lawrence wasn’t particular about sticking to the rules when they didn’t serve his purpose.
Herr Becker most likely believed that he was humiliating the new transfer by putting him in this room. But the so-called common items and amenities included with Lawrence’s new headquarters were much nicer than people used in the real world, beyond the gates of this academy.
Small pink roses had been meticulously carved into the ceramic sink, surrounding it like a belt. The leg underneath, made from the same material, showed no cracks or other signs of age. Even the mirror above the sink came with embellishments such as flowers and leaves that guarded its inverted pyramid shape. It occurred to Lawrence that odd design choice would serve him well when shaving.
The tall mullioned window must have been enlarged previously. Or maybe it hadn’t been there at all. That only went to prove his theory that this room had served – in the past – as a place of imprisonment.
As for the bed, it was narrow like a cot in a prison cell, but the bedding was comfortable and the mattress – the next thing he examined – came from a luxury brand catering only to high-end hotels and similar establishments.
Too bad the room didn’t offer too much of a distraction from the thoughts that kept on returning to pester him. In hindsight, his earlier intervention had been a bad decision. Bastien and Anton could very well be gossiping about him, making his job of passing undetected harder than necessary.
Or, and that gave him some peace of mind, the incident from this morning was already forgotten. People like his future fellow students wouldn’t give someone like him the time of day, which was exactly what Lawrence wanted.
Too often, his mind went off on different tangents to evaluate the possibility of an event. It took him precious time, but whenever his uncle told him about gut instinct, and how good cops had it, Lawrence had to admit – albeit silently – he valued logic more. Though it was time-consuming, indeed.
An insistent, hurried knock on the door interrupted his musings.
“Just a moment,” he said out loud, grabbing a white t-shirt.
He didn’t have time to get dressed. The door opened, admitting a short young man with a pair of headphones slung around his neck. His boyish features suggested that he was a first-year, at best, since he wore the dark navy with crimson red and black tie Veridien uniform. The cable from the headphones disappeared into one of his pockets.
Lawrence frowned and opened his mouth to berate the intruder. He’d have to be careful about the words he chose, however. Who knew who this guy was? One new enemy a day was enough.
“Wait,” the stranger said, putting one hand up. He gave Lawrence a small sly smile. “Don’t you know how to knock? I bet that’s the first thing that came to your mind to say. But, you see,” he added, knocking again on the door for no reason at all, “I do know, and I did knock.”
“Who are you?” Lawrence asked, taken aback by the quirkiness of his unexpected visitor.
“You’ll find out,” the boy waved and took another step into the room. “The question is: who are you?”
He moved slowly, like a cautious cat, and even had eyes like one, almond-shaped and green, glinting with mischief. Lawrence had to turn slowly to keep his eyes on the intruder because he appeared bent on examining him from all angles.
“A true man among men,” the young man drawled. He inhaled and exhaled, fanning himself and pretending to be flustered. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
Lawrence was speechless for the second time today, only this time the reason differed a great deal. “Definitely not sweetheart,” he snapped, taking too long to reply.
“Oh.” The strange character pulled back and pouted. “I can see that.”
Lawrence shook his head, blinked one time and put his t-shirt on. “Is this the sort of manners they teach here?” he asked, turning slightly away from his unwanted guest.
“No, and I’m an incorrigible truant,” the stranger said. Without ceremony, he plopped down on Lawrence’s bed. He took a moment to take in Lawrence then abruptly stretched out his hand. “I’m Ali.”
Lawrence grimaced to show his displeasure at having his private space invaded, but he did have questions Herr Becker should have answered even without being asked. He took Ali’s hand and shook it. “Lawrence.”
“So Larry?”
“No. Just Lawrence.”
No one called him Larry or any other endearing nickname. His mom had never been the doting kind, and his uncle didn’t believe in babying him, which was precisely the way Lawrence liked it.
“Okay, but Just Lawrence is a bit too long,” Ali teased him. His mouth was too big for his face but that didn’t make him less attractive. However, it did appear ready to break into a smile or a Cheshire grin at any moment. Lawrence hoped he hadn’t just encountered the local prankster. “I’ll call you Larry.”
“Do you usually decide things on your own when they concern others?”
Ali pondered his question as if it required prolonged mental weighing. “Yes. So, how do you find Veridien so far? Boring, right?”
Lawrence threw a look at the open door. “Not so boring when you can’t lock your own door.”
Ali burst into laughter, taking him by surprise. He jumped to his feet, walked to the door, closed it and then lifted himself up on his toes and pushed the sliding bolt Lawrence had missed until now.
“There. No one will bother you while you’re here, admiring your handsome body in the mirror.” Ali seemed satisfied with his demonstration.
“I was not doing that,” Lawrence protested. Ali had to be at least the local eccentric, if he wasn’t the prankster.
“Too bad, you should.”
Just great. He’d stand out despite any initial hopes he might have nurtured; since Lawrence didn’t know who his father was, he had no one he could blame for his large, clumsy stature that made him such a bad choice for going undercover.
“Listen to this,” Ali said abruptly, as it seemed to be his manner. He took off his headphones and gestured for Lawrence to come near.
Ali had already proven useful by pointing out the sliding bolt on the door. Until he had other sources he could use for information, Lawrence decided to play along. He accepted the headphones and waited for Ali to rewind the tape.
Electronic beats and wailing echoes filled his ears. Definitely not the kind of music he would expect the fine young men at Veridien to listen to.
Ali stood so he could lean in and catch some of the sound, obviously showing no interest in personal space and why it was important to respect it. Lawrence could smell a faint scent of bubblegum, something that had to be pink and disgustingly sweet.
Briefly, he made eye contact with Ali, who was swaying his head to the music, his eyelids dropped. Despite his projected aloofness, Ali was examining him closely. Lawrence didn’t waver; he did the same.
It qualified as a battle of wills, without a doubt – what they were doing. But Lawrence waited patiently for the song to be over and handed Ali his headphones back.
“Well?” Ali asked.
“It’s interesting,” Lawrence offered his most honest verdict.
Ali rolled his eyes and groaned. “You’re a little bit boring, aren’t you?”
“I suppose,” Lawrence agreed. He was still on the fence whether he wanted Ali too close and up in his business or not.
“Picture this,” Ali said, opening his arms wide. “You’re at the disco, and this comes on. Wouldn’t you feel like dancing?” He made a weird impersonation of someone dancing while flailing his arms, which did bring a small smile to Lawrence’s lips. “Or maybe just consider how miserable you feel.”
To his own surprise, Lawrence agreed with the last part. There was something in that kind of music that had always irked him despite being popular among young people his age – a nostalgia over things that had never happened. It made no sense.
“What year are you in, Ali?” Lawrence asked.
“Fourth,” came the prompt reply. “Yes, don’t let my youthful appearance fool you,” Ali added. “I’m actually all withered and dry on the inside. Like an old hag.”
“Now you’re bragging,” Lawrence teased him.
Ali made a face, letting his jaw drop. “No way. You can actually tell a joke.”
“I haven’t come here from space. I’m the new transfer.” He was fishing for info now, to see if his arrival had been announced, one way or another, to the student body.
“Figures. I saw you with the gatekeeper.”
“Gatekeeper?”
“Becker,” Ali supplied. He searched his pockets and produced a pack of chewing gum in pink wrap, as expected. “Want some?”
“No, thanks. I thought lesson attendance was mandatory at Veridien.”
“It is,” Ali said. “But I want to see what it takes for them to become fed up with me.”
Lawrence frowned in confusion. “Do you want to be expelled?”
Ali shrugged. “It wouldn’t be the end of the world. Everyone and everything has just become so damn weird since Lukas took that final dive.”
Lawrence hadn’t expected to be presented with an opportunity to talk about the matter that interested him the most so soon. However, he needed to dress his interest as natural for someone only having read about the incident or watched related reports on TV.
“That guy,” he said, nodding once. “It’s been all over the news. Are you saying he killed himself? The papers didn’t say that.”
“He was in a state, what can I say? But we all are that way here. This fucking school can drive you to despair,” Ali said matter-of-factly.
“Was he failing his exams?”
The victim had been an exemplary student, and Lawrence knew it.
“Lukas?” Ali pinched the bridge of his nose and grimaced. It looked to Lawrence like his eyes had turned glassy for a moment. “No, he was great at everything. Better than anyone else, actually.”
The mood had shifted. Ali chewed his gum absent-mindedly while he looked around as if his gaze couldn’t stop at anything in particular.
“Since you don’t seem keen on returning to your lessons, how about you show me around?” Lawrence suggested.
Ali’s face regained color. “Why not? But put a sweater on. The heaters are only for the rooms, so the common areas are bound to make you catch pneumonia. I swear, with so many rich people’s offspring around, you’d think they’d be more generous. By the way, they should’ve brought one up here.”
There was no sign of a heater in Lawrence’s monk cell.
“It’s all right. I don’t mind the cold.”
“You’ll mind,” Ali said with conviction. “You might be strong as a bear, but all that thick nice chest hair won’t be enough to keep you warm.”
It was unnerving to hear Ali talk like that. Lawrence had seen enough naked males in his life and considered nudity, the accidental kind, to be par for the course in an institution that only educated young men. However, the way Ali talked and looked at him made him feel overly conscious of his body.
“I will ask Herr Becker about it,” he said.
“Yeah, pester him. That man is an animal. He smells weakness and treats you as prey if you’re too nice. And I can tell you’re the kind that feels tempted to be too nice,” Ali concluded.
“What gave you that idea?” Lawrence grinned as he searched his things for a warm sweater.
“For starters, you didn’t put a foot in my ass and send me down the stairs for barging in on you.”
“Ah, I see. What if it crossed my mind, though?” Lawrence didn’t usually feel at ease with strangers, but Ali seemed harmless enough to avoid acting too obviously wary of him.
“It doesn’t matter. You didn’t act on it. Ready for the big tour?”
Lawrence looked around the room. As uneasy as it made him feel to leave his belongings behind a door he couldn’t lock from the outside, there was nothing incriminating in his luggage, so he needed to adapt to new rules as he went.
“Sure, why not?” he said.
***
The Commons lay ahead, with their dark oak tables and solitary chairs. Lawrence followed Ali, taking in everything with curiosity that hopefully made him look like a tourist, not an investigator.
“Hush, quiet,” Ali hissed at him, making him flinch. The boy elbowed him playfully. “Just joking. For your size, you’re as quiet as a mouse.”
That was hardly the truth. Lawrence was well aware of the sounds his boots were making on the polished floor.
“This is where everything happens,” Ali explained, his voice low and conspiratorial. “It is said that kingdoms rose to greatness and fell to ruin, products of whatever was said in this very room. Or between these walls. Make of it what you want.”
“Kingdoms are a vestige of the past,” Lawrence commented. They were alone, indeed, but the solemnity of the place imposed hushed conversation.
Ali gave him a look as if he pitied him. “Poor middle-class fellow,” he drawled, “who do you think calls the shots? They might not all be ‘vons’ around here, but aristocracy is alive and well. Especially at Veridien. I thought you’d know as much.”
“One can only hope society can change,” Lawrence offered in his most diplomatic tone.
“An idealist. You’re a dangerous man, Larry boy.” Ali walked quickly, forcing Lawrence to pick up the pace. “Just warn me in case you’re planning a revolt. The whole ‘off with their heads’ thing is not exactly my style.”
“You have nothing to worry about,” Lawrence said. “I don’t plan anything like a revolt.”
“What are you planning, though?”
The question caught him unawares, and it took him a second to realize Ali was continuing to tease him.
“Just to hone my dead language skills,” he said.
Ali seemed to be ignoring him already. “Through there,” he pointed at a dark door at the end of the common area, “you’ll reach the library. Now let’s take a stroll through our beautiful cloistered garden.”
The castle had a labyrinthine design, so Lawrence struggled to keep up with the intricacies of the layout. And this was only the ground floor, but Ali found his way around with ease.
At the end of a long hallway, which Ali appeared keen on avoiding, a pair of tall doors stood closed. What caught Lawrence’s eye was the decoration on the doors: someone had adorned them with a beautiful white oak. From afar, it seemed to have been carved out of marble.
“What’s there?” he asked.
Ali shrugged but quickened his pace. “I have no clue. It’s always closed. But the way this place is built, I’d say it’s just another exit into the inner courtyard.”
Lawrence lingered, his eyes still drawn to the white oak, until Ali grabbed his hand and hurried him along.
“Come on, there’s so much to see.”
The inner courtyard had the layout of a cloistered garden, making Lawrence wonder about the renovation work that must have been put into creating it. From the outside, Veridien didn’t allow the impression that it sheltered such areas inside its hard, granite body.
The garden was complete with stone benches and manicured bushes. The two statues, guarding what counted as its main entrance was what Lawrence stopped to admire first. In the style of Ancient Greece, they were representations of two young warriors. The nudity didn’t come as a shock; Lawrence hadn’t been born yesterday. It was the expression on the statues’ faces that made him do a double take.
The two warriors appeared to be staring at each other from across the path. One wore a wreath of laurel leaves, while the other held in one hand a sword and in the other an olive branch. The first held a heavy scythe in his hands.
“The Lovers,” Ali commented. “They’re not their official names, mind you, but they’re our local Damon and Pythias.”
Lawrence followed Ali, since his companion was already two steps ahead, hands in his pockets, and walking with purpose. From Ali’s overall behavior and the details he’d gathered until now, Lawrence could only infer that homoeroticism was at home at Veridien. However, how much that was approved openly by the powers that be remained to be investigated.
According to Ali, Lukas had been troubled. There was always a possibility that his fall had been either a suicide or an accident. But Lawrence’s uncle didn’t believe so, and he was rarely wrong. Underneath the academy’s perfect façade, dark secrets lurked. Even without a gut instinct to guide him along, Lawrence knew as much.
Ali sat on a bench and shivered noisily. “I can’t believe it’s so cold already. It always takes me by surprise.”
“Why don’t you wear a coat?” Lawrence asked as he sat by Ali’s side. The garden was the perfect place for meditation, he remarked inwardly.
“We don’t mollycoddle ourselves at Veridien. That’s our unofficial motto. Not wearing an overcoat is the shortest way to build immunity. The air is so pure here that you can’t catch a cold.”
Coming from someone who had complained about the cold damp hallways being propitious for students catching pneumonia. Lawrence reminded himself that he needed to be wary of Ali, at least to a degree. For all he knew, his first acquaintance at Veridien was likely to feed him a steaming pile of bull just to amuse himself.
“What brings you to Veridien, Larry?” Ali’s question seemed innocuous enough, but the way the young man looked at him made Lawrence think that he was being interviewed.
“My undying love for dead languages, like I said. I’ll study Greek and Latin.”
“Greek is alive and well,” Ali pointed out.
“I’m only interested in it as it used to be spoken millennia ago,” Lawrence said. “The best professors teach here. It was an easy choice.”
Ali blew air through his mouth and enjoyed the mist he produced that way. “Are you going to teach? That’s your plan?”
“No. I’ll be working for the Foreign Service, the Cultural Department,” he said in his most official voice.
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” Lawrence confirmed. “What about you?” This interview could go both ways.
Ali shrugged. “Ministry of Defense, most likely. That’s where my entire family is. Now, sorry if I’m being blunt, but how can you afford studying here?”
The matter of class would follow him through these hallowed halls for the duration of his stay, without a doubt. “Someone close to my family put in a good word,” he replied. “And I won’t be here long. My education involves multiple specializations.”
Ali examined him slowly, his eyes half-closed. “Are you going to be a spy, Larry?”
Lawrence grinned and looked ahead. “A spy would never answer that.”
“Not even under torture?” Ali seemed to perk up again.
“I’ve learned techniques to resist even the harshest interrogation techniques,” he lied through his teeth.
“Ah, you’re just making fun of me right now.” Ali punched him in the shoulder. “Okay, Sleeper. Let’s say you’re that formidable. Ready for the upper floors?”
Whatever test Ali had run him through, it seemed to be finished. Lawrence followed, feeling relief wash over him.
He would still need to watch his step. Every step if he wanted to be thorough.
TBC
Thank you for reading!
@Derek - you're right about Herr Becker :) Lawrence will meet a lot of other people, and Bastien... won't leave him alone :D
@Geoffrey Fox - thank you so much!
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