Love and Leviticus

A/N All of my knowledge of boarding schools comes from my mother, who attended a boarding school in the 70's-80's, so I apologise if some aspects are not authentic to any boarding students reading.

Chapter One: Lonely Sits The City.

(Lamentations 1:1)

It was days before the doctors stated that the carbon monoxide in his blood had been completely replaced with oxygen. In those days, if it weren’t for Cindy Brocklehurst, Tobiah couldn’t have imagined staying sane. Though he would never admit it to her, hearing her voice and knowing that she was taking care of things were the only factors that allowed him to relax.

A neighbour, thanks to Cindy’s doing, was feeding Australopithecus, and she had found him his last remaining relative. Her name was Gwyneth Connolly. She had even returned the night before he was released to say that she’d driven down to meet her and thought that the boarding school was a good place for a teenager.

He’d not actually been interesting in staying on to Sixth Form, but at that point in time didn’t particularly care as long as he wasn’t alone.

“You have nothing to worry about, sweetheart,” Cindy said, glancing across at him as he traced the gentle pitter-patter of raindrops on the window with his fingertips. “The place looks lovely. I’m sure you’ll like it there. And—oh my God, you should have seen the fields. I bet the kids just hang out there every moment they can. There’s these trees…” This was the good thing about Cindy; she had no issue with continuing a conversation by herself and acting as if it weren’t awkward.

Tobiah continued to trace the raindrops, not focusing on the gradually changing scenery behind the glass. “You all right there?”

“Fine,” Tobiah replied. Australopithecus moved her head on his lap to press against his stomach, and stretched her front legs out slightly. “Shh,” he said, moving his left hand down to stroke the soft fur on the back of her neck.

Cindy glanced over at him again, her brown eyes shielded with sunglasses. “Feeling okay physically? No headaches, dizziness?”

“Cind,” Tobiah replied, “I’ve got none left in my blood. They let me go. Quit it.”

He could see her smile through the reflection in the glass. The rain was becoming even quieter against the outside of the car.

She tucked some light hair behind her ear, and Tobiah was kind of unnerved by the way that she kept looking at him instead of the road. “Tell you what,” she said her voice losing some of its playful tone. “I’m going to miss you, kid.”

Tobiah’s fingers curled in Australopithecus’ fur, then relaxed to brush it back into place before she could complain of discomfort. “You’ve not even known me for a week.”

“So?” she made a left turn into some tall, spiraling gates. “You’ve got my number. You call me if anything’s wrong here, I’ll find somewhere else for you, all right?”

“All right,” Tobiah replied, feeling a little warmed. Cindy was the first person that had displayed interest in his life in a long time; he just had to keep reminding himself that she was paid to do it. “So… this is it?”

Cindy parked the car rather hastily (like she did most everything) and turned to him with a bright smile. “This is it. D’you want me to come in with you?”

Tobiah stared through the glass for a long moment, taking in the large buildings and loitering students. “I—I think I’ll be all right.”

“I’m sure,” she replied, paused, and then unclipped her seatbelt. “I’ll just carry Autra in for you, then.”

Tobiah rolled his eyes as she lifted Australopithecus from his lap and opened her door. As much as he may have wanted to call her a friend after the last few days, every now and then she reminded him rather blatantly of what she was: a social worker.

He glanced across the buildings once again before unclipping his own seatbelt and entering the light rain. Cindy was already humming and unloading his suitcases onto the pavement next to the car. Slowly, he moved toward them, reaching out one hand to pet the top of Australopithecus’ head.

Because he was facing Cindy and Australopithecus rather than the buildings, Tobiah failed to notice the woman and boy walking toward him until they were directly behind him.

“You’ll be Tobiah Isaacs, then?” a forceful voice asked, causing Tobiah to jump. “Come along,” she said, and Tobiah turned slowly. “I’ve not got all day.”

The woman – his great aunt, he supposed – was not what one would expect in a woman her age. She must have been—oh, late fifties to early sixties, but her hair was dead black and tied back into an elegant twist. If it weren’t for the lines around the corners of her mouth and eyes, her age may have been a mystery.

Cindy grinned; it wasn’t the kind of smile that Tobiah was used to receiving from her. It was almost… warning. “Headmistress Connolly,” she greeted. “How nice it is to see you again. I’ll just stay for a cup of tea, hm?”

Headmistress Connolly just looked back at her for a long moment, eyes dark but shining like hematite. “Of course,” she replied. “Mr. Blake, take Tobiah’s bags up to the room.”

“Of course, ma’am.” The boy behind the Headmistress smiled warmly at Tobiah; he was relieved to see that he was black. The presence of ethnic minorities meant that he was less likely to be singled out for being Jewish. “Nice to meet you. I’ll just take these—should I take the—?” He looked curiously at Australopithecus. “You know we’re not allowed pets, right?”

“It’s fine,” the Headmistress replied. “Miss Brocklehurst and I have already arranged to have Australo—” She paused; it didn’t look as if she was unable to say the cat’s name, but rather that she was displeased by it, “the cat stay with me.”

“Cool,” the boy replied, and slung one of Tobiah’s bags over his shoulder. “Anything else, ma’am, or should I just take the bags?”

Headmistress Connolly glanced at Tobiah once again, then shook her head. “Just take the bags, Mr. Blake. And about the Physics test,” Mr. Blake’s eyes lit up in sudden hopefulness, “for the love of God, would you please tell Mr. Sartorius that the prisoner was hanged in the end of the paradox and that it’s not a good enough reason to not partake in studying.”

Mr. Blake was still smiling, but this time he was cringing slightly. “Will do, ma’am. See you, mate.” He nodded and Tobiah and then walked off, both arms carrying suitcases and the rucksack hanging from one shoulder.

Cindy watched him go, then, smile renewed, said, “Tea, then?”

The Headmistress cast one more disproving look at Australopithecus. “Follow me.”

Cindy made sure to walk next to Tobiah as they were led away from the larger buildings. “She’s a little tough,” she admitted, “but I think you’ll like it here. You’ll make friends. And if you don’t like it—”

Tobiah nodded. “I know, Cind. I have your number.”

“Don’t let her change Austra’s name,” Cindy ordered, petting the cat. “I like it too much.”

Tobiah, whose mother had laughed and hugged him when he’d suggested the name (inadvertent to the humour – it was simply the longest word he could say), smiled down at the cat. Australopithecus shook her head, trying to shake off the gently falling droplets of water.

The Headmistress was leading them to near the entrance, where a smaller building was situated. Her back was to them for the entire walk, her back too perfectly straight to be comfortable. “She’s kind of—” His voice cut off then, not wanting to insult his only relative outright.

Cindy’s mouth curled into a wider smile. “I know, right? But you’ll be getting a great education here.”

“How do you take your tea?” the Headmistress asked in a raised voice as she unlocked the door.

Cindy shifted the cat in her arms. “I take mine with milk and one sugar, and Tobiah can’t have any milk in his. Two sugars, though, isn’t it?”

Tobiah nodded, looking around as they entered the building. It appeared to be a house; whether it was for all staff or just for the Headmistress was difficult to tell.

He sat next to Cindy on one of the couches and Australopithecus placed herself once again on his lap, nudging at his hand with the top of her head. The silence between them was not awkward, but was of a different type than the silences Tobiah had experienced with her before.

It was not long before the Headmistress entered the main room again, carrying a tray with three cups of tea on it. She placed it down and sat on a separate chair. “I’ve looked over your GCSE grades,” she told Tobiah, completely ignoring Cindy’s presense, “and depending on your—reasonable passes and our class sizes, there are only four AS level classes that you can take here. Because of the certainty, I have already bought your books.”

Cindy glanced at Tobiah, then back to Headmistress Connolly. “And these four subjects are…?”

“Biology, History, Religious Studies and Ethics,” she said. None of them had touched their tea. “I trust that is satisfactory?”

Tobiah shrugged. “Sure, whatever,” he replied, petting Australopithecus absently and wondering how he was going to live in a separate place to her. With both parents now gone, taking his cat away would have been the very last straw.

The Headmistress stood again and walked to the opposite side of the room, picking up a bag filled with books. “These are your text books,” she said, dropping the bag at his feet. “I’ve put some pads of paper and pens in there, too. You’ll need new clothes, of course.”

Tobiah, surprised, looked down at his faded jeans and t-shirt. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”

Cindy grinned at him (then again, she rarely stopped), and the Headmistress replied, “We have a code of appearance in the Sixth Form. The younger students wear uniform, and though you’re excused for this, all trousers must be smart and of proper material, and you should wear proper shirts. All colours are up to you, considering that they are not garish or stand out too much. Absolutely no piercings, and any tattoos must be covered at all times.” She paused briefly. “On weekends you may choose to dress down, but tattoos must still be covered, and there is a limit to what we will accept.”

“What about leaving grounds?” Cindy asked politely.

“Not on weekdays, under no circumstances,” Headmistress Connolly explained. “You may go onto the fields or into the rooms of other male students until half past ten, when you must be in your own rooms. This only applies to the Sixth Form, so under no circumstances are you to be in a fifth year room after ten, a third or fourth year room after quarter past nine, or a first or second year room after quarter to nine. Lights out at a quarter to eleven.”

Cindy then asked, “Weekends?”

“You may leave grounds all day Saturday and Sunday, but the younger students are only allowed out in the afternoons. Sign in and out every time. You must be in your room by quarter to eleven, and lights out at eleven.” She paused again, as if waiting for any questions or misunderstandings, then went on. “There are a series of bells throughout the day. The rising bell, which is at seven twenty, followed by another bell at seven thirty to make sure that you are out of bed. Breakfast bell at seven fifty, which ends with the morning inspection bell at eight thirty. Between then and eight forty-five one of the teachers on duty will come to your room for inspection, in which you will get points out of five. This happens again before lights out, and if you have ten points every day for a week, your curfew will be extended by fifteen minutes that weekend.”

Tobiah’s mind began to wander, but he forced himself to pay attention. “And the other bells?”

Headmistress Connolly did not look as if she bought Tobiah’s feigned interest. “At eight forty-five there will be a bell for you to leave the boarding house. You will be in your form room by eight fifty-five until ten past nine. Each lesson is an hour long. There is a break time of twenty minutes after your first two lessons, at ten past eleven until half past, two more lessons, and an hour and a half of lunch. After three you will have one more lesson. As you are in the Sixth Form you may not have every lesson allocated. Some of these hours will be private study, in which you will be either in the private study area, a computer room or the library. You will have a few hours every week of free time, in which you can be anywhere on grounds that you so choose. Apart from the girls’ block or somebody else’s classroom.”

Oh my God, Tobiah tried to tell Cindy through his eyes. Is she ever going to stop talking?

Cindy looked as if she were struggling not to laugh, and asked, “What about after school?”

“There is a bell at four o’clock to signify the end of school, and then another at four thirty for tea. First prep will begin at five fifteen and end at six fifteen. Dinner is served at six thirty. The fourth years and above go to second prep at seven fifteen which ends at eight fifteen for you, but quarter to eight for the fourth years. There is a hot drinks bell at eight thirty, which you have missed by about half an hour. I’m sure your new roommates will show you where to go until you get the hang of it.” She stopped talking for a long moment this time, looking thoughtful. “Well, Mr. Blake will, at any rate.”

“I should go soon,” Cindy admitted, “it’s getting late. But you,” she turned to Tobiah, “phone me if anything’s wrong, or even if you just want to chat, okay?”

Tobiah nodded at her, hugging Australopithecus to his chest. “Yeah. I will.”

She smiled and touched his shoulder before standing. “And you’ll take care of Austra, I trust,” she said to Headmistress Connolly. “And Tobiah, too. He’s not just a student, remember.” She smiled at Tobiah once more before leaving, and he watched her go with a slight ache in his chest. Since the day after his father’s—after the incident, Cindy had been sitting by his side every day, smiling and talking and acting as if nothing was wrong.

With her leaving for good and having to leave Australopithecus in somebody else’s home, Tobiah was suddenly very aware of how alone he was.

“How are you feeling?” Headmistress Connolly asked, in the same proper tone that she asked everything else.

Tobiah pulled himself out of his thoughts and gently extracted the cat from his lap. “Okay,” he answered, placing her on the floor. “I suppose it’s time to go to my room, then.”

The Headmistress nodded. “If you walk across where we came from, the large building on the left is the boarding house. You can follow the signs from there to your room. It’s number six-oh-nine, in the Lower Sixth. If you come down here after breakfast tomorrow, I’ll take you shopping for new clo—oh, what is it?”

He may or may not have acquired a deer-in-the-headlights look. “I—I can’t, tomorrow. It’s Saturday.”

“Why on Earth would that—oh, for goodness’ sake, you’re abiding by the Sabbath?” She didn’t wait for a response, but shook her head. “Sunday, then. Sunday after breakfast. And you’ll still be going to the dining room for meals, and if I hear a complaint about kosher—”

“It’s fine,” Tobiah interrupted, feeling embarrassed. “I’ll just be a vegetarian while I’m here.”

Headmistress Connolly stared at him for a long moment. “Fine. Sunday after breakfast, then, for clothing. If you are in need of anything like pens, paper, painkillers, toothpaste, etcetera, you can buy it from the morning shop. I’ll be giving you a week’s allowance of twenty pounds, but anything you buy from that shop goes on a bill that I will pay for you. Six-oh-nine in the Lower Sixth, Mr. Isaacs. Tobiah.” She looked uncomfortable as she corrected herself. “Apart from payment and allowing you into the school, I will not be giving you special treatment – if you’re failing, you’re failing. However, if you ever wish to come and see Autr—the cat,” she sighed, “then you may feel free to visit. But only when I am here; I am not giving you any time off.”

Tobiah nodded, and ignored Australopithecus’ request for attention. “She needs to be fed soon,” he said. “Three times a day. And she’s litter trained, but you can let her out if you want to. She’ll… come back.” He looked sadly down at her for a moment. “Er, I’ll—I’ll see you around, then.”

He didn’t want to leave Australopithecus there; his great aunt didn’t seem the type to give her the attention she required, but Tobiah knew that he would be spending a lot of time alone in which he could come to see her. It was time to… find out who his new roommates were.

The rain had almost stopped outside, now falling so lightly that when it landed on him it could barely be felt, but still left the impression of wetness. He gripped the handles of the book with his new bags in tightly in his fist as he walked, first on the concrete, then on the grass for the shortcut.

It was obvious immediately which building was the boarding house; the grounds consisted of the one great building to the left, then several smaller buildings to the right. The Headmistress was also right about the fact that, upon entering the boarding house, the signs made it clear where he should go. There were many stairs – so many that Tobiah wondered, irritated, why they didn’t install an elevator – and he had to go up six flights of stairs to find the Lower Sixth rooms. From there, it was easy; his room was the ninth to the right.

Tobiah stood for several moments on the opposite side of the door, and it was only the thought of the boy from before (the boy the Headmistress had called Mr. Blake) and his friendliness that gave him the confidence to raise his fist and knock. He waited for several moments, hearing the muffled sound of conversation and laughter on the other side of the door, and then pushed the door open.

There were three boys already in the room, one of which was Mr. Blake. He sat on a bed, smiling somewhat sheepishly. Tobiah glanced to where the boy was looking, and his eyes fell on a bed with his belongings strewn across it.

“Who’s Cindy?” one of the boys asked in a mocking voice, holding up the piece of paper with Cindy’s name and number on it.

Shocked, Tobiah frowned. “Why’ve you… my stuff?”

All three boys laughed; Blake was the only one who looked a little guilty about it.

“Dorm rules,” the boy who had spoken informed him. “Your stuff is our stuff.”

“And it’s all rather dull,” the other boy went on, holding up Tobiah’s Tanakh. “Except for this. This is… very interesting.” He was looking at Tobiah in a way that he decisively didn’t like, as if he were a source of amusement.

The corners of his lips tightened. “If you don’t mind,” he said, moving further into the room and closing the door behind him, “I’d like to repack my stuff.”

The boys moved away from his bed, the first who had spoken leaning against one of the posters and the second sprawled elegantly across his own bed.

All three of them watched Tobiah as, blushing fiercely, he put his stuff back into his suitcases. Eventually, Blake cleared his throat. “So, dorm rules,” he said, acting as if there wasn’t a reason to be awkward at all. “The bathroom is the smoking room, too, so the door always stays closed and the window always stays open. Whenever you’re in there, remember to spray some air-freshener around. And it works on a first-come basis, but if you spend more than ten minutes in the shower in the morning, somebody’s going to pick the lock.”

“If you have any pot,” the boy leaning against the poster picked up, “then keep it well-hidden. When things get stolen sometimes the teachers look around our dorms. Roll it up in a pair of socks or something. Also, if one of us finds some pot in here—well, you haven’t hidden it well enough, so it’s ‘finders keepers’.”

Tobiah didn’t look up. “I don’t smoke pot.”

“Then when you find it you can sell it back to us.” The boy was smiling now. “I’m Marcus Logan.”

He wasn’t sure if it was generally accepted to rifle through someone’s belongings then act friendly in boarding school, so Tobiah just looked up at him and said, “Tobiah Isaacs.”

“That’s Rees Blake,” Marcus went on, nodding at the black boy, “and that cunt is Sebastian Sartorius.”

“Watch it, Logan,” Sebastian warned him. “At least come up with something less disappointingly predictable.”

Marcus raised his eyebrows. “That’s what your sister said last night.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed at the blond. “Leave her out of it.”

“That’s what your sister…” Marcus started, then trailed off looking vaguely confused.

Rees sighed exasperatedly. “Hate to tell you this, Tobiah, but this is what it’s like most of the time in here. You’ll get used to tuning them out, though.”

Sebastian looked as if he weren’t sure whether to laugh or be annoyed, and the expression it made was rather strange, with drawn in eyebrows and the right side of his mouth turned up. Tobiah imagined that if he had attempted to do that, he would look like a moron. It wasn’t fair that he managed to pull it off without looking like a moron.

“Just leave my sister out of it, Logan,” Sebastian eventually suggested.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. “It’s not my fault she wants me. I, unfortunately, was born devastatingly handsome.”

“No,” Sebastian replied, “you, unfortunately, were born.”

Logan’s mouth tightened, as if he was too proud to laugh. “Cunt.”

Tobiah turned from their banter and back to backing his belongings. When he came across his Tanakh, he placed it on his pillow and left it there.

Before long, the door opened behind him again, and another voice asked, “Dan’s taking a dump, so can I bum a fag in your bathroom?”

“Depends on what you mean,” Marcus replied. “Do you want a cigarette or Sebastian? Either will cost you a quid.”

Tobiah looked up just in time to see a pillow hit Marcus. “Here, I’ve got one,” Sebastian said. “I’ll join you, actually. Marcus? Rees?”

Tobiah tried to pretend that he hadn’t noticed the fact that he was being ignored, and sat on his bed, opening his Tanakh to the beginning of Lamentations.

Alas!
Lonely sits the city
Once great with people!
She that was great among nations
Is become like a widow;
The princess among states
Is become a thrall.

Tobiah couldn’t help but think about life.