Rolling Shadows - Chapter 13

Stacy Tanner awoke before her alarm. This was a rare event, normally the alarm's snooze had to be pressed at least twice. She had never been late for school though. She was determined however that she would not get up until the alarm went off, those three of so minutes in bed would be worth it. She sighed as she considered the day's events, but soon it would all be over. In theory there might never be an exam again. No, that was just wishful thinking. University would have exams, but it was a nice thought. The one thing that was for sure was that this summer would be excellent. There couldn't possibly be any school work to do. Though given the tenacity of some of her teachers she wouldn't have been that surprised if they'd set homework anyway – or that a university professor would have pre-empted her arrival. She smiled at that thought and chuckled briefly.
“Come on you stupid alarm!” she said.
“You can get up without it,” her mother called from outside.
“Never!” she called laughingly.
The alarm clock beeped and, with a sigh, Stacy swung her legs over the edge of the bed and got to her feet. Her mother was folding the washing and placing it in the draws of her white dresser.
“Last exam,” her mother said.
“Yes,” Stacy said, “then freedom.”
“No,” her mum said, “then housework.”
Stacy raised her eyebrows.
“Only joking.”
“Well I will help of course. Need some free time.”
“Of course,” her mum said, “but becoming more independent is a good thing.”
“I agree,” Stacy said smilingly, “now I should go, change into something less comfortable.”
“You could go like that,” her mum said, “of course all the boys would fail.”
“Mother!” Stacy exclaimed.

Stacy returned to her room, folded her smiling monkey pyjamas and placed them on the bed. She combed her red red hair while standing in front of the mirror. Once she was satisfied she headed down the stairs for a quick breakfast before she began her revision.
“Probably for the best,” her mother said as Stacy entered the kitchen.
“What?” smiled Stacy as she took a box cereal from the cupboard.
“Better than you pyjamas.”
“I thought so.”
“Though still enough for the boys to fail.”
“I wearing jeans and a t-shirt!” Stacy said, “what's put you in such a strange mood?”
“Mother's prerogative.”
Stacy gave her mother a laughing smile as she took the milk from the fridge, “when is dad due back?”
“Later today. They're just tying up the last few loose ends.”
“He'll be home in time for my freedom,” Stacy placed the milk back in the fridge and headed into the front room. Sitting on the sofa, her breakfast on a tray, Stacy reached for the universal remote and switched on the television.
“What's on?” her mum asked, coming in with her toast.
“DVD?”
“Don't tempt me. Don't you want to do some revision?”
“Of course. But I've done lots and there is plenty of time for that.”
“Okay,” her mum smiled.

As the credits rolled Stacy returned her tray to the kitchen, placed her bowl in the dishwasher and decided to make a start – or rather a finish – her revision. She had been through these books so much she could hardly count. Of course a lot of the information would be completely irrelevant. She quickly found she couldn't just sit their and concentrate. So she took the page she was reading and walked the length of the house. The movement seemed to help it gave her a distraction, rather than just thinking about the exam.

Rupert O'Brien stepped off the number 24 bus as it arrived in the center of town. He told the driver thank you and headed away from the stop, in the opposite direction to the shoppers. He passed the large hotel who's residents were enjoying a hearty breakfast, served by trim and well presented waiters. Passing a bar he turned the corner to his office building. Outside, even at this early time, their were people smoking. He tried not to show his sensory or mental disapproval and thought that free will was somewhat overrated.
“Morning Doug,” he said to the security officer as he signed in.
“Morning,” Doug said, looking only briefly up from his newspaper. Rupert wondered if a security breach would be noticed, as Doug always seemed more interested in his paper than the security screens in front of him. Rupert moved over the the lifts and pressed the call button.
The lift opened on the fifth floor and Rupert entered his offices.
“Morning Branwen,” he smiled at the young woman behind the desk.
“Good morning Rupert,” she said.
“Have you received a call from a Mr Wood?”
“Not yet,” Branwen said, “I could call him, do you have his number?”
“Its all right. I'll make the call. You have the interview schedule for today?”
“Yes.” She searched through the papers on the desk and handed him a sheet.
“Thanks,” he headed into his office, just before he closed the door he said, “Facebook is okay, just remember the job.”
“How did you know?”
“Lucky guess.”
Rupert placed his umbrella on the stand in his office and draped his jacket over the back of his chair. He took a look at the interview schedule that had been drawn up, the first person was due to arrive in just a few minutes.
Sure enough five minutes later Branwen knocked at the door, “your first applicant is here.”
“Send them in.” Branwen moved aside to admit a young man.
“I'm Rupert O'Brien,” Rupert said, reaching to shake the man's hand.
“Jeffrey Wingfield,” he said.
Rupert smiled and sat, indicating of Jeffrey to do the same, “that's what it says here,” he looked at the sheet Branwen had given him, “so right person, right place, right time. This is a good beginning. I'll begin by telling you a little bit about us as a company.”

As lunch time came around Stacy stopped her revision. With the exam looming ever closer she knew that nothing more was going to sink in. She had been told, on more than one occasion, that a last minute read through was often pointless. She had never found this to be the case. In fact when she sat her GCSEs she had been revising a mathematical formula in those last minutes, repeating it in her head over and over and wrote it down as soon as the invigilator started the exam. Trying to keep calm she ate her lunch, a tuna sandwich, in slow bites.
Though she still had some time before the exam she decide to leave sooner rather than hanging around until the time she absolutely had to leave. Once walking she became slightly less nervous and waved to her mother as she left the street.

Donald Tanner sighed. The meeting was already running long and the computer had crashed. It had crashed right in the middle of a totally uninteresting presentation but lunch would not happen until the meeting was finished. At the head of the table the man who had been giving the presentation apologized to the group and started to look intently at the offending laptop.
“So much for the efficiency of the system,” a woman next to Donald lent in to whisper to him.
“Indeed,” Donald said, reading her name tag, Natalie, it said.
“Of course its not their software that's at fault.”
“Probably not,” Natalie said, “you know the more I work with computers the more I start to appreciate pen and paper.”
“I know what you mean. I'm working my way back to quills and ink.”
Natalie laughed with a nod. There were now two people stood by the computer. The first, who's computer it was, looked about ready to throw it out the window. “The work we could be doing if we weren't here.” Natalie said.
“Tell me about it,” Donald said, “I remember school assemblies. Sometimes we'd be called in, on short notice, something bad had happened. Then the teacher giving the assembly would say, in no uncertain terms, 'Put your energies in to revising!'”
“I know exactly what you mean,” said Natalie, “had the same thing at my school. I remember thinking. I would be revising if I wasn't here!”
“Excuse me,” Donald said, standing up. He looked to the two men by the computer, “do you mind if I just made a quick phone call.”
“Go ahead,” James, who's computer it was said, “you could probably dictate Hamlet in the time this is taking.”
Leaving the office Donald took his phone from his pocket and pressed the third speed dial. The phone only rang for a few moments before a small voice answered, “hi dad.”
“How you doing?”
“Okay. Got some revision done this morning. I think I'll do okay.”
“I'm sure you will. We are still going out for that meal no matter what.”
“Sounds great.”
“Good luck kiddo.”
“Thanks dad.”
“Bye.”
“Bye,” Donald hung and came back in. The computer was still not behaving. “Shall I give my presentation while we wait.”
“Good idea,” James said.
Donald came to the front of the room, brushed down his suite and stood at the head of the table. He had with him a folder from which he took several sheets of paper. The small talk that had begun with the computer failure died down and soon Donald had the attention of those assembled before him.
“Thank you,” he began, “as the computer has kindly illustrated, computers are not always the answer. Since technology became a part of every day life we have incorporated them so much that it is difficult to imagine that once there were no computers. Some people of course manage perfectly well without them. Which might be difficult for those in our profession to get to grips with. Imagine for instance the staff at Morrisons having to add everything up in their heads. Nevertheless managing without computers is something that we should consider. Not simply as a backup but that a pen and paper may be more appropriate to the job. The other day I saw a Dickens adaptation on DVD. In that there was a law firm, they had huge stacks of paper work, packed to the ceiling. Can you imagine trying to run such a firm without a computer? Well before someone cries, 'Get to the point' allow me too...”

Stacy arrived outside the school gym, where the exam would be held. Some people, she was surprised to see, were completely relaxed about the whole thing. The teacher came to the door and quickly told them the rules of an exam room. This was completely redundant. This was the last exam on the last day of exams. Everyone had been sitting exams over the previous fortnight and knew the drill. Nevertheless it was probable that some would try to sneak a note into the room. Stacy ensured her mobile was off, took her pens from her bag and left it with her coat at the back of the room.
The students were sat in rows on the single seater desks. The ones that only came out for exams, the ones that were scrolled in graffiti. Stacy read a couple of them: 'good luck dude', 'I am so going to fail', 'maths sucks' their were also rude comments and the occupational someone'4'someone else. Meanwhile the register was being called.
“Here,” the girl behind Stacy called.
“Yes sir,” Stacy said confirming her presence.
Once the register was called the teacher reminded them of the importance of silence while he passed out the examination papers. Once everyone had theirs they were told to put their names and student numbers on the paper. The teacher checked his watch and the exam had begun.

“A very interesting tour,” Jeffrey Wingfield said as he left the store cupboard.
“Most of our work of course happens in the field,” Rupert said, “do you think you'd be interested?”
“Of course,” Jeffrey said, “it is most exciting. I'm still a little fuzzy on how you came up with my name.”
“Ah,” Rupert said, closing the cupboard door, “we have our ways. Would you like to start next Monday?”
“That would be fantastic,” Jeffrey said, hoping he didn't sound too enthusiastic.

Mr Vaughan walked down the line of desks his head moving from side-to-side like a security camera. Stacy noticed his long hooked noise and stern expression. He had never been one of her teachers but was a teacher with something of a reputation within the school. The type of teacher that could control any class effortlessly. Mr Vaughan came to the front of the gym, checked his watch and said, “ten minutes remaining.” His voice was calm as if he didn't know the panic that those words would instill for many in the room.
Stacy felt only a little rushed. Examination rooms seemed to have a strange effect on clocks. To some it was as if the seconds were extended to minutes – and it still not be enough time. To others it seemed to tick round faster than usual. Time was not so much on Stacy's mind as having lost her train of thought. She attempted to squeeze the last pieces of information from her brain. The paper seemed to be staring at her, there was something more to write, she was sure. It was only that she couldn't bring the thoughts to the forefront of her mind, to express them on the paper. Thinking of loosing her train of thought hadn't helped either. Images of platforms, trains and rushing landscapes filled her mind. It wasn't surprising though that she had this preoccupation. Only yesterday her boyfriend had taken a train to visit his cousin in Carlisle.
“No,” she told herself in a forceful whisper, “you can do this!” She had another flash of inspiration and wrote another addendum to her essay.
“One minute to go,” Mr Vaughan said.
Madly the room's population scribbled. People read their pages. Flipping through them. Checking every morsel of information. Some were ready, counting down in their heads. Then Mr Vaughan announced, “put you pens down and wait till all exam papers have been collect before talking.”
As the last paper was collected everyone, even the teachers, seemed to sigh. It was as if the room bulged with the extra air. Talking started at once.
“I think it went okay,” Stacy said, turning to the girl behind her, “You?”
“Okay,” the girl said offhandedly. Her name was Eleanor Taggart, by virtue of the alphabet they were seated together. There was another scrapping of chairs as another row was dismissed. Stacy waited impatiently for her row to be dismissed. Mr Vaughan nodded his head to their row and they scrapped their chairs, grabbed their bags and left the room.
“Fantastic!” she said aloud as soon as she stepped outside. She had barely walked ten meters before she jumped.
“How'd it go.”
She recognized the voice instantly, it belonged to Tina Hilton, who had been waiting just outside the school gates. Tina had swarthy skin and curly black hair that hung over her shoulders, she had a beautiful smile.
“Fine,” Stacy said, “just fine,” Stacy felt like leaping in the air.

The school was on a road with a group of shops. Stacy and Tina walked along past the shops heading to the café. They went through to the back and sat on a table for two. Perusing the menu they ordered, Stacy a bacon sandwich and Tina a cheese and pickle baguette.
“So,” Stacy said, “had a good day?”
“Yes,” Tina said, “got up late, read, played on my sister's wii then meandered to the village,” as she said 'meandered' she mimicked a slow walking motion with her index and middle finger.
“You're really enjoying having finished before me aren't you?”
“Hell yes,” Tina smiled, “I'm really looking forward to this evening as well.”
“Sorry the rest of us kept you waiting.”
“Well I thought about arranging a get together the weekend after my last exam, it seemed a little churlish to celebrate something that was only for me. Tonight will be fun though. Sorry it means that Jake can't make it.”
“That's okay,” Stacy said, “its almost impossible to come up with a time when everyone is available.”
“True.” Tina said, “thank you.” The server arrived and placed their drinks in front of them.
“You're welcome,” the server simply smiled, actually she curled her lips.
“By the way,” Stacy asked, “how are things going with the job search?”
“Not really trying yet. Mum says it would be a good idea to have a proper holiday first.”
“You do seem to have a problem with relaxation.”
“Suppose I do.”