Mount Asteria

Chapter Nineteen

It was the second of October, a Friday. Classes had finished at lunchtime as they always did on that day. It was a dull and overcast afternoon, and an assembly had been called for four o'clock – an unsual occurance to have one outside school hours – so most of the girls opted to stay on the grounds. Alexandra had decided to work on a history essay about the economic implications of the Troubles, but found she had lost the template. She knew who would have a copy.

"Ebony?" Alexandra knocked tentatively on the door.

"Come in."

She entered the room, which was very much like her own apart from a large black cat sitting on the window sill, his green eyes boring into her. Alexandra stopped short. "Is - is he yours?"

Ebony, sitting over her desk, murmured her confirmation, scarcely glancing up from whatever it was she was doing.

"Oh," Alexandra said, inching cautiously over towards the other girl. "I didn't know you had a cat."

She'd seen a few wandering around the grounds. She was not overly fond of animals, but was happy to live within a reasonable distance of them. However, she had not been aware that they were permitted inside the school.

"So, um, I was just wondering if - What are you doing?"

At least ten newspapers were spread across Ebony's desk. As Alexandra scanned them she saw that they ranged from conservative broadsheets to bright, gaudy tabloids. Everything featured, from the latest celebrity scandals to reports on the changes in the stock market.

"Just keeping up to date."

"With all of these?" Alexandra help up one of the tabloids with the caption Brad Sinks into a Pitt. She grimaced at the dreadful pun. "You don't actually read this?"

Ebony shrugged. "It's important to see the news from all points of view."

"Why's it so important?"

She sighed and, for the first time, looked up. "I make it my business to keep up to date with what's going on in the world."

Alexandra smirked. "Don't you have, like, I don't know, some way of hacking into something or other to get all the latest news as it happens?"

"Like I said, it's important to see the news from different points of view," Ebony said, becoming impatient.

"Okay, okay! I was just asking."

"And I was just answering," she murmured, getting up from her desk. "Oh, God." Ebony stopped, looking out the window, down towards the main entrance.

"What is it?" Alexandra asked, casting a wary glance at the cat.

"We've got visitors."

"Who?" Alexandra said, moving towards the window. She craned her neck. A large coach had pulled up parallel to the steps in front of the main doors. A crest was printed on the side. She squinted, trying to read words underneath. "What does it say? K - N - I ... or is that an L? Knife bill or something?"

Ebony shook her head. "Knightsbridge."