Guess who went to see 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at Tolthorpe Hall! I finally feel fit to write about Neil's production now that I've seen the play performed by the Shakespeare Company!
Anyway, this chapter is extremely long in comparison to the rest but I didn't want to cut anything...
As always, please tell me all of your thoughts and theories.
Chapter twenty-three - Storms are brewing
Kathleen awoke to the familiar sound of a clanging alarm clock, in an unfamiliar room. Sunlight poured through the open window, illuminating the pale pink walls and soft furnishings which surrounded her. She stretched and winced as she realised that one of her rollers had come loose and subsequently tangled in her hair at some point during in the night.
"Nancy" she poked the sleeping girl lying next to her, "Nancy get up and help me." The blonde muffled a yawn in the duvet and shuffled down.
"I'm up, I swear!" she said as her eyelids fluttered closed, "give me two minutes."
"Do you want me to cold throw water on her?" Came a voice from across the room. Kat looked up to see Ginny stood in the open doorway with a breakfast tray in her arms, "I have no reservations about it."
"Oooh! You made pancakes" grinned Chris from her bed, "you're an absolute angel, Gin."
"We have to leave in half an hour" she replied placing the tray on Chris' bed, "and we need to eat something before school." The four girls gathered on the bed and ate in relative silence before dividing the remaining twenty minutes between getting ready for the day and frantically packing. Miraculously, they were out the door on time. Nancy off to her fitness class, Kathleen to meet Mr Keating who was picking her up while Chris and Ginny set off to school.
It was only once Kat had stepped into Keating's comfortable little car that she realised the rogue roller was still tangled in the back of her hair, hidden amongst the voluminous curls.
"Sir" she said, flushing red at her forgetfulness, "I don't suppose you're any good at untangling things. I seem to have gotten myself into a bit of a predicament..."
"I was wondering when you would notice" Keating chuckled, "don't worry Kat, it happens to my wife all the time. We'll sort it before class."
"Thank you."
xxx
Mr Keating kept his word and soon enough Kat was sat at her desk - tangle free - with only her pride sustaining any damage. But she could live with that. She didn't have much time to dwell on it as the bell sounded and hordes of boys came flooding through the door, noisily scraping their chairs along the wooden floor and calling out to each other. Kathleen tuned out and focused her attention on the blurred colours of the leaves falling from the woodland trees, visible from her seat. Interrupted only by a paper plane which landed on her desk as Keating called for the class to settle down.
She unfolded the paper to see Knox's script spelling, 'How is she?' Kat's laughing eyes caught his anxious ones from across the room, 'good' she mouthed as Keating began to address his students.
"In continuation of our Shakespeare unit, today we are studying his most famous sonnet." He announced over the groans of his students "Mr Cameron, are you able to name it?"
"That would be sonnet 116, Sir."
"Excellent" praised Keating much to Cameron's pleasure. "Mr Perry would you be so kind as to read that for us. Page 45."
Neil nodded and slipped his glasses on,
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd."
"Thank you. Now what is the message of the Poem. The big picture?" Asked Mr Keating pacing around his desk.
Knox raised his hand. "He's saying that true love is strong and constant." Keating nodded scribbling the words onto the board.
"Mr Dalton, how does he show this?" Called Keating tapping his chalk.
"He calls is 'an ever-fixed mark'" he replied from the back, "unmoved by storms. Almost like a lighthouse, I think. Which would fit with the metaphor of a 'star' guiding ships."
"Good! Now Mr Hopkins, can you see anything else?"
"Uh- it doesn't alter with time."
"See, it's easier than you think. No rocket science or geometry here," smiled Keating enthusiastically. "Don't be scared to really go for it with your interpretations. Give me more, anyone!"
"Circumstances" called out Neil, " like societal expectations or opinions are irrelevant to the love Shakespeare is talking about. A true, pure, soulmate kind of love."
Keating beamed, "As shown in Romeo and Juliet! Any more ideas?"
"He's certain, and the last two lines are powerful because of that" suggested Kat thoughtfully, "we can safely assume that writing was as important as breathing to Shakespeare. If he was willing to stake his writing on his views than he had no doubts whatsoever."
"But doesn't he contradict himself?" Asked Meeks, "he says the 'worth's unknown' yet admits the amount of love felt can be measured somewhat. It can't logically be measured without known value."
"But is love logical?" Interrupted Neil, "I don't think the abstract can be truly defined in concrete terms."
"Which explains the use of poetry as the form of expression" agreed Kat.
"And that excellent point will be the topic of your essays" Keating snapped his book shut, "on Monday you will each hand me an essay addressing the question, 'How does Shakespeare explore the theme of love in sonnet 116?' That little exercise was to give you some ideas to play with. Let's move on..."
xxxx
Before they knew it, lessons were over and the teens found time to breathe again. Well, some of them. Neil had dragged Todd off to practise lines for his rehearsal tomorrow while Meeks and Pitts went to detention as a punishment for the radio plans found in the back of Pitt's math book. Leaving Cameron, Knox, Charlie and Kat in the half-empty common room. The four were gathered around a table with their homework laid out, but only one member of the group had the motivation to do more than stare mournfully at the papers.
"We should swap parents, Knox. You be the boring banker and I'll be a lawyer" Charlie bounced a tennis ball at the wall, "that way I would get paid to object."
Kathleen bit back a smile.
"What?" he asked, upon seeing her expression. "You don't think I would be a good at arguing?"
"I think you're too good at arguing" she corrected, "more significantly, you're issues with authority would probably piss off the judge."
"Keating is a figure of authority" he countered, catching the ball once more.
"Yeah, but he's not exactly conventional" cut in Knox, ignoring Cameron who scolded him for getting distracted yet again.
Knox rolled his eyes but went back to work, listening to Cameron's explanations and improvement pointers.
"I'm so bored" Kat whined laying her head on the desk, "how can the common room be so empty?"
"Make it emptier" suggested Cameron, "or stop talking."
Charlie rolled his eyes, "you're always such a delight to be around, aren't you?"
Cameron didn't acknowledge him, so Charlie rolled his tennis ball across the table, knocking the boy's neat pile of papers off the edge, scattering them as they floated to the ground.
"HEY!"
"I was bored" he said pleasantly as Cameron's face slowly became tinged with splotches of red and purple.
"You shouldn't have done that "Kat whispered, pushing back her chair back slowly. Anticipating Cameron's reaction.
"It won't happen again" he held his hands up, "but I'm sure Knox wouldn't protest if it did."
Knox laughed, leaving ink blots strewn across his work in his state of distraction. Which caught Cameron's eye immediately.
He seethed, "you might not care about your grades but others do."
Charlie opened his mouth to retaliate but Kat laid a hand on his arm, "don't. It will only make things worse." He kept his mouth shut but hurled the tennis ball at the wall with a loud thud. Repeatedly.
Something inside of Richard Cameron snapped. He shot up from his seat and slammed his palms down on the table, upsetting the remaining papers and pens on the desk.
"Oh no, Cameron! You've distracted poor Knox from his work again" Charlie mocked, winking at Knox whose shoulders shook with the effort of suppressing his laughter, thankful for a break.
"GET OUT! GET OUT UNTIL YOU REGAIN YOUR SENSE OF DECORUM!" He snapped, pointing to the door.
Kathleen tried to remain composed but his words sounded so much like her grandfather's that she dissolved into giggles, infecting Knox who snorted.
"Stop giggling" Cameron's cheeks burned "and go!"
"Men" Charlie stated, his mouth twitching "don't giggle."
"I don't know..." Kat wheezed, glancing at Knox "I would call that a giggle." She stopped joking as she caught the sour expression on Cameron's face and added, "okay, we're leaving" pulling Charlie up with her.
"Good luck, Knoxy-boy!" He saluted, letting the brunette girl pull him away from the amusement.
The door was slammed shut behind them and they found themselves in the dull, empty, second floor corridor. Suddenly aware that they had nothing to do.
"We could go outside?" Suggested Charlie.
"To the lake or the woods?" She asked as the made their way through the stately hall, down to the grounds.
"Tree line?" He thought about the box of cigarettes in his pocket, "that would be ideal, actually."
"You're an addict" she sang. Making light of her well-known disapproval.
"You sound like my Mother" he muttered. Thinking about how little the two women had in common.
"And Camron sounds like my grandfather" she retorted, "although he would take that as a compliment...should I?"
"Maybe" he shrugged, opening the cloakroom door and handing Kathleen her coat before pulling on his own. She thanked him and pushed open the side door, striding out into the chilly autumn afternoon. They went across the lawn, leaves crunching under their feet as they approached the woods. A few paces into the dense woodland was a small clearing with a fallen log by the foliage. The location was concealed enough for Charlie to risk smoking but still open and airy, with a clear view of the lake and grounds through the branches. Gratefully, he lit up his cigarette. Careful to exhale away from the girl sat next to him on the log, only inches away.
"It's so pretty" she breathed, staring out at the sparkling water with a dreamy expression. "That's probably why I like it here. For all its faults, the school is physically stunning."
"And here I was, thinking you stayed for my dazzling company" he teased. Drinking in the details of her face unabashedly while she was distracted. She didn't reply, feigning interest in the rippling water, but took note of his eyes on her. She had felt his stare more often in the last week but had dismissed it every time. She swallowed and forced herself to slip back into her admiration of the exquisite scenery again, it wasn't sensible to dwell on theories. No matter what the girls seemed to believe.
Suddenly, a large grey bird swooped down from the tree tops with a loud 'squawk', gliding over the surface of the water. Yanking Kathleen out of her reverie with a start.
"It's just a bird."
"I know" she turned to glare playfully at him, "I just wasn't expecting it."
"Shame, for moment I thought you may be scared of birds. That could have been a lot of fun."
"Not birds" she mused, "toads."
He accidently inhaled and began to cough. "You're scared of toads!?"
"When I was younger" she explained in a grave tone, "my brother put one in my bath and I was stuck in the tub with this devil toad jumping around like it was possessed."
He burst out laughing. "I'm sorry" he breathed, struggling to speak "but oh my God."
"I hate them."
"I can imagine" he sobered up but his lips twitched, betraying the extent of his amusement.
"Your turn" she said, "tell me something embarrassing about yourself, and then we never have to mention this conversation again."
"Hmmm" he blew out a cloud of smoke. "If I tell you this, you have to swear not to repeat it. To anyone. Ever."
"I swear" she looked up at him, her eyes dancing.
"A few years ago, the school organised a charity fundraiser. Neil and I were snuck into the kitchens that morning and stole some of the cakes, but on our way out we slipped, fell down face first into mop buckets and by that evening our faces were covered in bruises. We had a black eye each and we were so embarrassed that we told everyone we had gotten into a fist fight" He confessed, "we were banned from the event but our reputations were saved."
"You tripped and told everybody you were in a fight?" Her eyes widened, "how old were you?"
"Fourteen. I know it's such a cliché."
"You two didn't tell anybody?"
He shook his head.
She grinned, "have you ever been in a real fight?"
"A few" he shrugged, "I tried to get expelled for the first two years but the school wouldn't expel me."
"Ah, your parents are on the board, aren't they?"
"Oh yes, and they make sizable donations to keep me here on top of the fees" he smiled bitterly, "they have too much money." He paused and looked at the sky, "it looks like it's going to rain."
Kathleen looked at him. Had he really spent two years trying to get expelled, only for his parents to fork out more than the thousands of dollars already paid in fees to keep him here? It was then that she realised how little she knew about his home life.
"I don't mind a little rain" she replied, letting him change the subject.
"Even if it ruins those curls" he gestured to her hair, the curls had held wonderfully and they looked almost exactly like they had this morning.
"They'll be ruined at some point today."
"A relic from the sleepover?"
"How did you guess?" she laughed "it was a fun night, we even managed to have a food fight."
"You had more fun than we did" he raised an eyebrow, "how on earth did you end up in a food fight?"
"Baking and revenge."
"You girls are dangerous, remind me not to cross you" he joked as the first droplets of rain began to fall.
"That reminds me" the smile dropped from her face, "I need some advice on something."
"What's up?" he stubbed out his cigarette on the damp log and twisted around to face her, his legs on either side of the log. She turned to face him properly too, but managed to maintain a lady-like posture with her skirt fanned out over the log.
"Nancy and I were ambushed with some...arrangements...made for the party" she began, "one of those is a blind date set up for Knox with one of Chris' school friends."
"And you don't know how to tell him" he guessed.
"Exactly."
"Why did they do that?"
"They don't know he's in love with her" she sighed, "they thought they were helping. We couldn't exactly turn them down."
"Hold on, who's we?" He asked tensely.
"Knox, Nancy and I" she avoided his gaze, "they set up dates for all three of us."
"What did you say?"
"Initially, I said no but they convinced me" she pulled at the sleeves of her jumper as she spoke, "besides it's a party. There'll be loads of other people to talk to, so if he's awful I can find a friend, but I'm sure he won't be terrible. I mean, I trust Ginny's judgement even if Chris chose Chet for herself."
His relaxed his countenance back into his usual state of interested amusement as she rambled, and when she trailed off, he said "tell Knox and ask him to stay with you if you're worried. I bet he'll be happy to." He advised with an uneasy feeling in his stomach, "I'm sure it won't be too bad."
She shrugged, droplets of water ran down her face and soaked her hair as the rain increased. She brushed the damp strands out of her eyes, "I don't know why I feel so weird about it. Maybe it's on Knox's behalf. It can't be pleasant to be invited to a party by the girl you're in love with and have to date her friend because she asks you to. I don't know how to tell him."
"You have to tell him tonight."
She nodded, "after dinner?", but the rest of her sentence was drowned out by a rumble of thunder. The pair looked up at the sky just in time to see a bright yellow light flash through the sky.
"Run for it?""
"Run for it" he agreed, and they sped out of the trees, running across the lawn shouting and shrieking as they got splattered with the mud they slid through, cold water soaking through their clothing while the thunder rolled aggressively overhead. Kathleen threw open the side door and they tumbled inside breathing sighs of relief. They peeled off their sodden coats and jumpers, shivering as they walked through the halls, leaving a trail of water and muddy footprints behind them.
A trail which led Dr Hager directly to the culprits who besmirched the pristine halls of Welton.
The students were half-way up the staircase when he caught them.
"YOU TWO! STOP THIS INSANT" shouted Hager, walking briskly up to the pair. "What on earth do you think that you are doing?"
"Walking" stated Charlie, leaning back on the banister, "What are you doing, Sir?"
"That was a rhetorical question, Mr Dalton. It wasn't meant to be answered."
He felt Kathleen poke his arm to communicate that he should pipe down. He almost stayed silent but the thought of the party tomorrow stopped him. Knox was being screwed over and she was spending the evening with some guy that she clearly did not want to go with. He opened his mouth, "That was a rhetorical answer, Sir" he said with false cheer, "it wasn't meant to be questioned."
"One week of detention, Mr Dalton for wreaking havoc on school property and insolence."
"Sir-"
"Miss Murray, you would be wise to stay silent" interrupted Hager, "one week of detention for your lack of respect for the building and possibly it's authority. I expected better from you, young lady. I want to see you both on Monday evening. Now, get yourselves properly presented for dinner or you will be spending more time with me after class."
"Yes, Sir."
"Of course, Sir."
They moved quickly up the stairs and split off to their separate dorms, not willing to risk further communication in front of Hager. Too busy anticipating the next day to think about detention.