Chapter Text
The day Simon arrived at the school was awfully windy. Dark clouds had covered the whole countryside, swallowing every sun ray left.
In the back of his father’s beaten-up Morris Minor, he watched the road disappear in the rear window. Every so often he could feel his father’s gaze land on him through the rear mirror, so he kept his eyes fixed to the left.
As they got closer to the destination, an enormous chapel with an old, prestigious-looking building rose from the mist. They were getting closer.
At a curve in the road, he made the mistake of looking down and was met with the bottom of a steep valley. The height made his mouth dry in seconds, so he turned his eyes back onto what was supposed to be his new home.
Every tower seemed to have at least one cross on it, and the red brick buildings looked dull, but still felt far above his place.
Simon wasn’t quite sure how his parents managed to get him here.
Did they cry and plead for the headmaster to save their boy from himself, or did they bleed their pockets dry?
Maybe it was because of his grades? That sounded more reasonable than them actually trying hard for him.
One way or another, this school was clearly beyond their income.
He had not been sent away like the others for a normal start of term. Nothing in Simon’s life was ever normal. Why couldn’t he have started a month ago like everyone else?
It was already October. Walking in like an outsider, someone who clearly didn’t belong among the rich kids, was already a target on his back, and stepping in four weeks late wasn’t going to help at all.
Next to the gate stood two people, both with their heads held up high.
“I suppose you should go now,” his father muttered.
Simon could only nod. There was clearly no intention of a proper goodbye from him. He grabbed his suitcase and stepped out, while his father drove away down the rocky road, probably relieved to finally have gotten rid of his odd son.
The boy approached the figures waiting ahead.
“Good afternoon, Ellwood,” the taller man said. “As you are most likely aware, I am the Headmaster. You may address me as Mr Hawthorne.”
The man’s gaze made Simon shake. It was his first time hearing about him, but he obviously couldn’t admit that now.
“I trust you will conduct yourself as a disciplined student. I would prefer not to have any unnecessary discussions regarding your behaviour.”
Simon felt his chest tighten. He tried his best to keep his eyes focused on the headmaster, but he was starting to feel like his eyes would pop out any second if this conversation carried on any longer.
“Since you are arriving mid-term, I will not be able to give you a full tour myself. This is Mr Ralph Beaumont,” he continued, turning slightly to his right. “He will help you get settled. With that, I’ll leave you two to it. I have more important matters to attend to.”
Having said that, the older man left with a nod.
Watching Mr Hawthorne’s retreating back, he could only let out a slight sigh of relief. The boy next to him chuckled quietly.
“He does have this terrifying presence, doesn’t he?”
Simon was slightly thrown off by the boy’s casual manner of speech.
“Oh, uhh… yeah,” he stuttered out, but Ralph ignored the tremble in his voice.
“You’re Ellwood… what?”
“Simon.”
“Nice to meet you, Simon.” There was a genuine smile on his face. His dark curly hair fell slightly over his eyes as he gestured toward the school. “I suppose I should show you to your dorm first and give you the rest of the tour after?” he suggested, glancing at the suitcase.
So they started walking side by side.
“Wait, I’m not sure which form you’re in… fourth or third?”
“Fifth. I’m turning sixteen in a couple of months,” Simon corrected.
“Oh, you’re quite lucky then — you’ll only have to share a dorm with one or two people.”
“What about you?” A part of him knew he wouldn’t get lucky enough to end up in the same room as this cheerful boy, but he still asked.
“Unfortunately, I’m one grade above you and I’m already partnered up…” Ralph replied with a kind smile.
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t come and hang out with me during free periods!”
“I’ll take you up on that offer.”
They began walking up the stairs leading to the grand entrance. Giant brown doors had religious symbols and saints carved onto them. With the first step through the door, the wind died down behind them.
The interior looked just as intimidating as the exterior. Instead of brick, the walls were now covered in grey stone. Oddly, it felt colder.
He looked up. The ceiling was the highest he had ever seen, with several chandeliers.
How did they even light the candles up there? Simon wondered.
“Come on! I know the first look is appalling, but don’t fall behind!” Ralph chirped, already a few feet away, climbing even more stairs. “Through here we’ll reach the wing where the older boys, including you, live” .
The corridors were just as impressive, with huge archways and intricate designs carved into the stone walls. By the time he caught up, his new friend had pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“This is your schedule for the next term. Try not to lose it!”
Simon nodded, stuffed it into his pocket, and kept following as Ralph moved toward a spiral staircase. He struggled with the suitcase, hauling it up step after step. It seemed as if it would never end. With each step, he cursed himself under his breath for not working out more. Each floor they covered seemed to reveal another.
At the final step, he let his arms drop to his sides, breathing heavily as he tried to recover.
“We’re done with stairs, don’t worry,” Ralph said with a reassuring smile. He didn’t seem nearly as exhausted and was clearly amused by Simon’s red face. “Right up ahead.”
In front of him were three doors marked “IV”, “V”, and “VI”. Ralph nudged him toward the middle one.
“Open it. Behind it, yours is the seventh on the left. I’m pretty sure. Set your things down and meet me back here in a couple of minutes, alright?”
“Yeah.”
Simon twisted the knob and pushed.
Behind the closed door was another corridor.
Just how big is this school?
His room was the last one.
As he stepped inside, Simon’s first thought was that it looked almost abandoned.
There were three beds. One had a note with his name on it, but the other two looked unused: one pushed far into the corner without even a mattress — clearly not needed. The second was put together so neatly you’d have to lean in just to see a single wrinkle.
The only sign that hinted at anyone actually living there was scattered books and music sheets on one of the two tables near the window.
Simon didn’t dwell on the emptiness too much.
To him, sharing a room with one person sounded better than two.
He quickly slid his suitcase under the bed and hurried back to meet Ralph.
“Shall we continue?”