Chapter 4

Um....yeah, this is chapter 4! If you've read this far then yay!

 

Chapter 4

 

The next morning, Jonah Silvas found his sister up bright and early already preparing the lunch which the two of them would take for their part of the picnic. Fortunately the meal planned for today was one consisting of cold meat, salad and brown rolls; a perfect concoction for a day out. Netti was fishing some low fat butter out of the fridge and spreading a thin layer on two of the rolls.

 

“Mornin’” Jonah yawned.

“Good morning to you too, sleepyhead,” Netti countered good-naturedly. “Mum says we should leave in about half an hour so as to get to the woods for around eleven.”

“What time is it now?” Jonah frowned.

“Five to ten.”

“What? I slept that late?”

“Yup, now come and pack these sandwiches into a rucksack,” Netti directed her brother to the ready made bread rolls and then moved on to preparing the salad.

“Can’t I have breakfast first?”

“No.”
“Okay,” Jonah shook his head knowing there was little point in arguing when his sibling got into her bossy, mum-like mood.

 

Ten minutes later the pair were tugging their bikes out of the shed and donning their hard helmets. In the woods you could never be sure how many low overhanging branches there would be so it was best to wear protection. They both had backpacks containing lunch, water bottles, sun hats and sun cream for it was proving to be a fine day.

 

At around quarter past ten they set of to collect first Colin, then Rory and then Netti’s best friend Kailyn who lived very close to the Wood anyway.

Cycling along at this time of day there were only a few other bikers about. Most people were on foot either heading into the city centre to do some clothes shopping or off to meet friends. In the middle of the street was the cycle path whilst the majority of the rest of the street was taken up by the pedestrian walkway. Considering that was the main method of transport the uneven split was not at all surprising.

 

On the way they caught sight of a couple of friends from school heading out for a shopping spree and just after they had collected both Colin and Rory they spotted Ophelia Simpson with a few of her girlfriends on a communal jog which must be no doubt part of their fitness regime. In passing she offered a serene wave to Jonah who returned it quite eagerly with only one hand on the handle of his bike leading to a near collision with the back of Rory who stared at him with disdain.

 

The last house they visited was Kailyn’s and it differed from all of their almost uniform modern abodes quite significantly. Being much nearer the edge of London the house was in a more rural setting and had more space in general unlike their terraced homes. It was a red brick cottage-like house, with a very old fashioned thatched roof, that must date back at least a thousand years. The building had a quaint little garden not dissimilar to one straight out of a fairytale with roses and honeysuckle and other wonderfully pretty and nice smelling plants. There was even a little vegetable garden.

 

Only Netti had ever been there before so the others were not surprisingly astonished by the beautiful house. In the garden was a bike laying prone of the grass and a small figure sprawled beside it. She sat up as she heard them coming and smiled widely, a pair of black sunglasses shielding her from the rays of sunlight.

 

“Hi! What took you so long? I’ve been here ages.” She greeted them with a rich Scottish accent which threw all the boys for a moment. True, there were a variety of accents in London including Welsh, Yorkshire, Brummie lilts. But never had they heard seen someone nor heard someone from so far up north. In fact, Rory and Colin didn’t even know where she was from. Jonah had however met her before considering she was Netti’s best friend so was less shocked but he’d rarely heard her speak.

“Hello, Kailyn! Sorry we’re late. Blame my annoying brother for sleeping in. This is Rory and this is Colin by the way,” Netti introduced the two stunned boys, “You’ve met Jonah before.”

“Aye,” Kailyn grinned, “So what are we waiting for? Let’s get pedalling!”

 

How Kailyn had come to be in London from Scotland would be a reason of great pondering for all three boys considering they’d never had the story explained to them by Netti and were too embarrassed to ask feeling the notion of singling her background out impolite. Fortunately, she saved them all from suffering any longer by mentioning her past herself.

 

“This place reminds me of home. I mean up in Scotland, where I used to live,” Kailyn commented, gesturing to the tall trees in the surrounding woodland as they cycled down the path towards the Wood. “Not quite as hilly mind, but still, lots of trees.”

“Really? So how come you left Scotland?” Rory immediately jumped in to grab the olive branch that had been extended to him.

“My dad lost his job and my mum was in a state so they decided they wanted a fresh start. Don’t really know why that led to us ending up down here in London but what do I know, eh?” Kailyn smiled again, her sunglasses still obscuring her eyes and hiding the emotions in them, “Five years ago, Dad sold the house and used his savings to buy us three a ticket on the bus all the way down here. Cost a fortune! Then he got a job and we ended up here.”

“Right,” Rory nodded just before ducking to avoid being speared in the eye with a nasty looking branch, “Nice house he chose though.”
“Yeah, he was determined to return some of our Scottish heritage and didn’t want to end up in the main part of the city. Who can blame him? It’s much nicer out here.”

“I agree.”

 

After a few sparks of conversation the group lapsed into silence and continued to cycle over the humps and bumps that littered the leafy floor of the Wood. The quiet was both awkward and somewhat peaceful at the same time. Each felt they should say something but then discovered it was so much easier and relaxing to remain silent.

 

Eventually they reach a suitable spot for lunch beside a gently flowing stream in which they paddled their hot feet which had been cooped up inside trainers all morning. Then the group lounged around both in and out of the shade munching on sandwiches and fruit.

 

A light conversation was struck up again and Kailyn found herself being talked to perfectly amiably by the older boys despite how shy a couple seemed to be especially the one with the longish brown hair which gave him quite a roguish look along with a tatty checked shirt and jeans. He reminded her of someone she knew in Scotland. No, don’t think about that, Kailyn scolded her inner self.

 

She tried to coax him into having a say in their banter, drawing him into the middle of a debate with her and Rory who seemed to be quite confident in talking to anyone new about pretty much anything - which was both good and bad. He wouldn’t bite though. Even Jonah had gotten over his previous reticence and was enjoying the deepening discussion, especially the part where he got to wind up Netti.

 

“So, do you get Trolls in Scotland?” Jonah broke into a new subject entirely. At this, Colin’s ears pricked up.

“Oh sure, you get Trolls everywhere. I hate ‘em though. In fact, they scare the living daylights out of me. Every time I see one I seize up and someone has to drag me bodily away,” Kailyn confessed.

“We make a right pair whenever we go to the park or shopping if there is a Troll about,” Netti smirked, “She freezes, literally, its like she thinks if she stays absolutely still it won’t see her and I hide behind her.”

“Col hates Trolls too, don’t you Col?” Jonah stated off-handedly looking towards his friend. The other boy flushed, he felt his face heat up as several pairs of eyes turned to look at him. He wanted to punch Jonah for bringing that up in front of everyone. Rory knew of course but the girls didn’t and what if they went around telling their friends? He’d be stamped a coward for the rest of his life.

“Yeah,” Colin muttered hotly before climbing to his feet in a hurry, “I think we should start riding again. Who’s up for a race?”

 

                                   ***

 

Colin felt like he was flying, the wind whipping through his hair as he sped passed Jonah down the dirt track, his tires spinning wildly on the uneven ground. He didn’t even think about the fact that he might be going too fast and that at any moment he could crash into a tree. He was just enjoying the feeling of absolute freedom and elation. That was until something gave.

 

The ground beneath the rolling bike suddenly shifted quite violently, seeming to fall in on itself, taking Colin and his bicycle with it. All the others were left to hear as their friend vanished from sight was a sickening crunch as bone hit metal.

 

Netti let out an involuntary scream of horror and leapt off her bike closely followed by the rest. She hurried over to the hole through which Colin had vanished so suddenly and looked over the edge. The pit was about two metres deep and at the bottom lay the said boy in what looked to be a very awkward position, his bike frame twisted around him.

 

“Col? Col! Are you alright?” She asked, her eyes scanning the earthy wall, searching for a way down. He groaned in reply. Jonah joined her and looked anxiously down at his best friend.

“I’ll go.” Jonah said, holding out an arm to halt Netti in her planned descent. “It’s less for me to fall.” Swiftly he sat on the edge of the hole and then, aiming for a space where he wouldn’t land on Colin, dropped down. There was a surprising clang when he hit the bottom, not dissimilar to the one they heard when Colin had his fall.

 

By the time Jonah had reached the injured boy, the teenager had shaken himself out of his painful stupor and shifted the bicycle from his body. He looked pale but other than that the initial crash seemed worse than it actually was and had done more damage to the bike than the rider. There was an ugly bruise swelling on his cheek and a couple of grazes up his arms and legs but they were minor ailments.

“Colin? Are you okay, Col?” Jonah queried, helping the boy to his feet.

“I’m fine. I’m dandy,” Colin replied, attempting to shake off the taller boy.

“Damn, Col, you scared the **** out of me!”

“I think I scared myself a little bit too.”

“Your bike is mashed up, mate. I’ll pass it up to the others,” Jonah stated, lifting the mutated framework up to the waiting hands of Rory.

 

Once the space was cleared of the cycle, Colin noticed something shiny beneath the layer of soil under their feet and bent down to dust off some dirt. He revealed a silvery surface that could no doubt be metal. That’s why it had hurt so much to land!

 

“What are you doing now, Col? I need to help you out.” Jonah looked impatient. Now all the tension and worry had dissipated it was replaced with irritation quite like how a parent feels after losing their child and finding them again.

“Jonah, shut up and move,” Colin ordered, ignoring his friend’s annoyed tone.

 

Jonah complied though unwillingly, watching as his friend scattered some more soil to reveal some more of the metal and…..a handle. It was a hatch. The tall teenager’s widened with astonishment. All he could do was gawp as Colin frantically scrabbled at the handle and managed to turn it despite how stiff it seemed. There was an ominous creak as the hatch was opened to reveal a dark abyss below.

 

“So, what do reckon is down there?” Colin turned his dirt streaked, battered face up to Jonah with a triumphant if slightly smug grin gracing his face.

“I…I…I….” Jonah was speechless.

“Guys, what is going on down there?” Netti yelled, “Is Colin okay?”
“Yeah, we’ve just found this….thing….”
“What thing?”

“A hole in the ground.”
“There are quite a few of them if you hadn’t noticed.”
“I mean a hatch. A metal hatch!”

“Okay, that’s odd. What are you going to do?”

“I’m going down,” Colin supplied.

“Colin’s going down…wait…what?!” Jonah yelped as Colin disappeared into the darkness.

 

The ladder was old and battered which suggested years of use in a previous time. However, there were cobwebs tangled across the metal work which showed no had used it recently.

 

As Colin descended farther into the cavern he pondered on whether maybe he should have thought this through. IT was usually Jonah that was the impulsive one not him. He was too sensible. The crack to the head earlier must have addled his brains. There was no point going back now though because A) he wanted to know what on earth was down here and B) he could hear the heavy, clanging footfalls of Jonah above who was obviously following him down.

 

It seemed like an age before Colin found his feet, landing on solid ground, and to his surprise it felt spongy beneath his shoes. Bending cautiously down, the boy felt the floor with his fingers very delicately. The texture on his skin was surprising, sort of a cross between a hair brush and a hedgehog. What was it? Suddenly it clicked, it was a doormat. That was weird, Colin thought. And oddly homely.

 

“Colin?!” He heard an anxious, slightly fearful, voice yell from above and the teen smirked. It was a rare thing to hear Jonah upset and yet here he, Colin, was being all courageous and probably, he added in his mind, foolhardy.

 

Deciding not to reply, and hold his friend in suspense, Colin explored the dark area further. He found himself shuffling curiously down a narrow corridor. Eventually he reached a door. It was a huge structure built with what seemed to be reinforced steel. Not very welcoming compared to the doormat earlier. Someone obviously didn’t want just anyone coming in. Still, summoning all his newfound bravery and strength, the boy grabbed the handle and yanked the heavy door. Fortunately, it was unlocked and swung open.

 

Colin felt his heartbeat up a notch and with tense, guarded steps he tiptoed into whatever was on the other side of the door. He couldn’t see a thing and kept his hands outstretched before him in the hope of avoiding bashing face first into anything.

 

CLUNK. A fiery agony seared through his knee as it connected with something hard and solid. Letting out a yelp of pain and shock, Colin bright his leg back instinctively and hopped around in a feeble attempt to shake away the hurt.

 

To add even more chaos to Colin’s already muddled brain the world suddenly lit up in a dazzling sea of bright, white light that sent the boy reeling. He blinked rapidly, multi-coloured spits dancing before his stinging eyes in a kaleidoscope of patterns before he collapsed, dazed and confused on the floor.

 

“What the hell is this place? And what are you doing on the floor?” Jonah’s somewhat shocked but still faintly amused voice broke the silence.

 

Colin sat up gingerly having gained control of his body once more and looked around. Jonah was standing in the doorway like some gangly monster, one long finger still on the switch that had bathed the room in a strong glow.

 

And what a room it was. Considering the entire space was underground it was massive. The walls were painted white, maybe in an attempt to lighten the window-less place. But on these walls were mounted several large colourful photos which were so old they looked flat. However, they did add a bit of vibrancy to the otherwise plain paintwork. But they weren’t the main thing that caught Colin’s attention.

 

No, that had to be the large, ornate, velvet curtained stage which took up almost the entire far wall. The deep scarlet curtains were open, drawn back with rich golden cords, and the back drop of the stage was just one colour – black – no scenery or anything. At the top of the stage was an overhang of wood on which was carved an intricate symbol. The symbol consisted of a face with mad eyes, an open mouth that was stretched in an unnatural grin and a three-point hat.

 

Laid out before the stage were rows and rows of wooden chairs padded out with red cushions. Colin realised that it was one of these pieces of furniture that had caused him so much pain earlier. He seemed to be making a habit out of hurting his knee with chairs. It seemed like the entire hall was made up especially for a performance yet there were no performers and there was no audience and by the looks of it there hadn’t been in years.

“What is this place?” Jonah repeated his question from before, his brow knitting in bewilderment.

“A theatre?” Colin suggested weakly.

“Could be,” Jonah muttered and slipped swiftly past some of the wooden chairs to view the photos lining the room to see if he could understand better. Colin followed.

 

The taller boy scrutinised the picture before him, taking in every detail and committing it to memory. He could tell immediately that the camera had taken the picture right here in this underground bunker. However, in the picture the seats were full and the stage alive with the faces of actors. Four in total. Each had a large smile on their face and one even had her mouth open in what could only be described, even in Jonah’s ill-informed mind, as a laugh.

 

The other photographs contained similar scenes with often the same performers doing different actions on stage. The postures in the images were quite difficult to decipher but Jonah could definitely interpret one thing: the actors were having fun. Something stirred inside the boy, excited by whatever these strangers were doing.

 

“Hey, were you guys planning on coming back up out of this place?” A loud voice interrupted the boys’ fascinated study of every picture.

 

The pair turned to face the speaker and found the annoyed expression of Netti and the others. The small, dark haired, fierce-faced girl stood, arms cross, near the entrance not even bothering to take in her abnormal surroundings. Her piercing eyes were narrowed on her brother. Rory and Kailyn on the other hand were a little less concerned about Colin and Jonah’s desertion of them. Eager eyes scanned the room and looks of astonishment graced their features.

 

Netti was infuriated; she had been terribly worried when Colin had fallen down that hole but that fear had only increased as she saw both him and her brother vanish into the unknown. As she made the spontaneous decision to scramble down after them she couldn’t help it when that worry turned abruptly to anger. Anger that they had made her frightened for them when they were completely fine and oblivious.

 

“Net, look at this place! Isn’t it amazing?” Jonah moved forward trying to muster his best apologetic puppy look. Hopefully she wouldn’t mind so much then. You never knew with Netti though, she was very unpredictable as to which way her mood would swing and when it did go the wrong way it was lethal. Unfortunately she seemed to have gone the opposite way to which he had hoped, cerulean eyes burning with cold fury.

“I don’t care,” she snapped. Somewhere in the back of her mind Netti knew that she was overreacting but she ignored that preferring to torment her brother for the misery he’d caused her.

“Look,” Colin found himself stepping up and was surprised at his own audacity, he knew how bad Netti’s temper was, why did he assume that he would succeed in calming her when her own brother could not? “Netti, we are truly sorry. It is my fault really. I got a bit carried away and Jonah only followed me down here because he was worried for my safety. Besides, if you look around you, I think you’ll find the result of our boldness was worth it.

 

The calm, reassuring voice of her brother’s best friend had an odd effect on Netti. Looking into his honest, honey coloured eyes with his russet hair framing his heart shaped face she felt her pulse quicken and her breath grow shallow. This only led to her being more irritated as she fought to control her body and its reactions. Her uncertainty and alarm at such a response was immediately translated into more resentment. She could not understand why she was acting in such a way when she never had before and disliked and mistrusted the boy who had provoked the foreign feelings.

 

Despite the fact that Netti was now even more furious with the two boys she had now finally been distracted by the room and its unique contents. Her anger slowly dissipated into curiosity as she wandered round the space deliberately walking as far away as possible from Jonah and Colin.

 

“I’ve found a door,” Kailyn shouted surprised as she pulled back a drape to reveal another metal door. Before the others could reach her she sucked in a deep breath and pushed it open to reveal….another corridor with several doors coming off it. Excitement brewing inside of her, Kailyn marched forward and stepped into another room. To her amazement it was a kitchen complete with beautiful wooden cabinets and granite surfaces. In the centre was an island equipped with bar stools and a large sink.

 

On the walls were more pictures, mainly of food. They were things she’d never seen in her life. Yes, there was a spaghetti Bolognese and a chicken curry but not only that but a plate of what looked like golden sticks alongside a brown, crispy looking lump and a brown mound of something that was oozing even more brown liquid surrounded by a sea of whitish, yellow blobs.

 

Backing slowly out of the kitchen Kailyn found herself almost bashing into Netti who was striding past her to reach the opposite door. In there was what seemed to be a dressing room and a costume department. Clothes of all different colours and varieties hung in rows of rainbows along the length of the space and Kailyn found she was itching to sift through them.

 

However, Netti had other plans and she dragged her into several more rooms including a large dining room, a bathroom, some offices and finally, what had to be the most interesting room of all, even above the main hall. This room was situated right at the end of the corridor and as the two girls pushed open the door and flicked the light switch they were overcome with awe.

 

It was like an Aladdin’s cave, a treasure trove of weird and wonderful things. There were shelves upon shelves stacked up to the ceiling and on these shelves were books, DVDs, videos, toys, packaged food, bottles and much more.

 

Netti took the first step into the glorious place and her eyes began to roam over everything from packets of cocoa, whatever that was, to strange stuffed toys that looked like people but had huge grinning mouths, white faces and red fuzzy hair. She felt like she was in a dream world as she walked through the aisles taking in everything.

 

Kailyn had followed almost immediately and had found a space at the back of the large room that was not filled with shelves but several comfy looking sofas and bean bags which surrounded a large television screen which look ridiculously old. On the floor were unbelievably fluffy looking rugs and plastered across the walls were thousands upon thousands of newspaper cuttings. They had faded over the years but as the young girl went to inspect them she could see they were still legible.

 

Extract from ‘FatBusters’

 

Don’t want to be a Mum with a Tum?

 

Are you fed up with seeing all those younger women around you with flat stomachs and toned arms? Is your excuse for your flabby bum and double chin the fact you have kids? Well it shouldn’t be!

 

It has been discovered that 1 in 4 mothers are overweight and 50% blame the problem on their offspring. They claim that they don’t have enough time to prepare healthy meals for themselves whilst dealing with their children’s demands. They believe that once you’ve been pregnant more than once your body will never be slim again. Well, they are wrong as proven by a group of pro-active mums in Sheffield who have comprised a method of keeping trim….

 

The end of the article was covered with another so Kailyn never found out what these pro-active Sheffield mums were doing but she didn’t really mind as her gaze flitted over several more headlines: ‘If You Don’t use it You Can’t Lose it!’ and ‘Worried about your Weight? Well you should be!’

 

“Kailyn? Seriously, what have we uncovered?”  

Author's Note

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