The Daylighter Apprentice

Chapter 1 - The Trapdoor Spider

"Dude, sitting around doing nothing isn't going to pay your bills. You need to find a job." A newspaper lands on the table in front of me, narrowly missing my steaming mug of coffee. I look up to see Tom, my new housemate and landlord, now making his way to the coffee jug to pour himself a cup. I take a sip from my mug- the rubix cube one with chipped handle- and eye the paper nervously.

"Uh, Tom... I've been here 12 hours. Shouldn't I get to know the town first?" I ask, putting my mug down and watching as the other man comes and sits opposite me. Tom waves his hand in dismissal.

"Early bird catches the worm. And besides, you came with £5750. Rent's £25 a month. You need to buy food etc. for yourself. You have to pay tax... Man, that money's going to drain fast. I learnt the hard way." Tom takes a sip of his coffee and pushes the paper closer to me. I sigh in defeat and open the paper to the job vacancy section. I'd left school with pretty good GCSEs and my my A levels weren't bad so I knew I had a good chance of getting a decent job. But I would have preferred to get to know the town a bit better before throwing myself into the job market. But sometimes you have to take the cookie how it crumbles.

I scan down the various advertisements, scoring certain jobs off in my head. I watch Tom finish his drink and then get up to place it on the drainer.

"Chris! Morgan! Get your lazy asses downstairs! Breakfast in 10 minutes!" Tom bellows, flicking on the switch to the oven. He moves about the small kitchen, producing 2 packs of bacon from the fridge and a pack of fresh white rolls from the larder cupboard. I carry on looking down the jobs list, none of the jobs taking my fancy. There were the usual cleaner and plumber jobs but the cleaner only paid the bare minimum wage and I wasn't qualified to do plumbing. I sigh and flip over the page, figuring that maybe a part time job would be a better option until a more desirable full time job came up.

The sound of slow, thumping footsteps plodding down the stairs makes my head jerk up. Chris shuffles through the doorway, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning as he pours himself a mug of coffee.

"Jesus, Tom. Can you wake us up after 8 am? I work nights and 8 hours sleep isn't working for me mate." Chris mumbles, turning around and almost crashing straight into Morgan. Morgan jumps in surprise and throws his hands up.

"This kitchen is busier than the London Underground at peak. Can't we have rotating breakfasts in order to avoid collisions like that?" Morgan complains, sitting adjacent to me and peering over my shoulder. Chris sits on the other side of me, sipping his coffee as he too looks over my shoulder.

"Looking for a job already?" Chris asks, raising an eyebrow. I nod.

"Yeah, Tom said it was a good idea." I reply, sighing slightly when the first page of part time jobs holds no contenders. I turn to the second and final page and start to read.

"It is. What did you get at GCSE and A level?" Morgan asks.

"All my core subjects were B's, my sciences were A's and I got a C in French and an A in Art. At A level I got an A star in Physics and Chemistry and a D in French." I say absently, reaching the final column.

"Fair play to you. Not a bad set of results. I got all C's at GCSE and 2 A's and an C at A level." Morgan taps the wood of the table. "I didn't do too badly in getting a job though. I work at the local coffee shop in the afternoon and get a decent pay." He shrugs.

"I work nights at the supermarket but they didn't give a shit about the qualifications I have." Chris laughs and finishes his coffee with a final slurp. Tom brings our breakfast over and just as I take the first bite of my bacon roll, I see an entry.

Scientist's Apprentice Wanted.

Must be over 18, strong and committed.

No previous experience required.