Каран Андерс - The Book of Firsts

"I’ll keep that in mind," I said, and he smiled at my bland tone.

"You came here from Spain?" he asked then, and I blinked, before realising that as a student council member he probably had, if not access to my records, a lot of contact with those who did.

"Yes. My mother’s last project was in Barcelona. She’s a consultant—goes to various sites and points out all their problems. Her current project is in Singapore."

"Let me know if there’s anything you need for school transition."

This was said without his usual edge of challenge, so I asked about lesson plans for the previous grade, and he pulled a tablet from his bag and took me through the more obscure corners of the school website, including a cache of old exam papers to practice with. I found this both useful and an excellent excuse to simply listen to him. His voice was wonderfully deep and resonant.

I had a strong suspicion he was well aware of its effect on people.

Still, he was being helpful. "Would you recommend Dorner House? The guidance counsellor wants me to apply."

"It’s convenient. Reasonable room size. The new supervisor is less militant than the previous one, so the atmosphere tends to be relaxed and social. And if there’s somewhere around the city you want to visit, they’ll often get up group trips on the weekend and drive you there."

"Quiet? Good place to ignore everyone and study?"

"Definitely not. Do you have long to travel to get here?"

"About twenty minutes to the west gate."

"Not too bad." A single, heavy drop of rain landed on his neglected papers, and he glanced up at the threatening sky, then collected everything into his backpack, and went to put away the cups, returning with an umbrella. "On that note, I’ll show you the solution for rainy days."

Pulling my own umbrella out of my backpack in readiness, I followed him to the entry gate, reflecting that Kyou was a game player. Acting the role of helpful student council member, trying to trip me with words, but never betraying a consciousness of a scheduled kiss.

Kyou’s approach only made me determined not to be the first to blink in his little game of brinkmanship. I watched without comment as he turned a heavy key which he’d left on the inside of the gate’s double-sided lock, and opened it onto a long walkway. On the left the stone of the garden wall merged with the administration building, leading to a stretch of windows and then double doors: the staff entrance from their car park. On the right was a clipped box hedge backed by a forbidding spiked fence.

The hedge did not run quite the whole way, and directly next to the gate was a section blocked only by bars. After locking the gate, Kyou twisted one of the bars and lifted it free, then repeated the action with a second.

"After you."

Slipping off my backpack, I ducked through, and waited until he had followed and replaced the bars. We stood in an area shielded on three sides by fence and hedge.

"This way," Kyou said, and led me back along the wall of the student council garden. It was the same wall I’d climbed over, but not the same area I’d been in, which was blocked off by another wall running perpendicular. We followed it to a path that ran along the outside of the school fence, set a little back from the footpath, with a few slender tree trunks about, but otherwise clear views in three directions.

"We call these dovecotes," Kyou said, as we reached a small wooden building resembling a two-person bus shelter. "Primarily because birds often nest in the roofs. They’re a convenience for people waiting for their ride when it’s raining. I imagine you can put together the solution to the wet weather problem. Here."

He handed me the key to the garden, then raised his umbrella to cover us both as another spatter of raindrops peppered the ground.

"A copy?" I asked.

"We already had one cut for each of us. Strictly against the rules, but so many things are."

Then, in full sight of anyone who might follow the path or drive out of the nearby staff carpark, he bent down and kissed me. My eyes went wide, but I responded after only a moment’s lag.

Every second that ticked by, my heart pounded all the more. The path, while not a main thoroughfare, was unlikely to be left empty for long. Half the point, I guess. I’d certainly never reacted so intensely to a kiss since my very first, and I was pleased that Kyou was breathing just as heavily when he lifted his head.

He didn’t speak, only smiled, then turned and walked toward the staff car park, leaving me to hastily raise my own umbrella as the rain came down in earnest.

By Tuesday I’d organised my home life sufficiently to bring sandwiches with me, rather than wasting time standing in line at the school refectory, and so I was first to the student council garden. Not knowing who it would be was one of the most exciting parts. Would I be kissing Bran and making my first comparative rating, or enjoying a massage? Rating was definitely going to be one of the more difficult parts of this challenge. Had I enjoyed Kyou’s or Rin’s kiss most? Both had left me wanting more.

The faint squeak of the gate made a useful warning bell, and I peered cautiously over the fence.

Kyou. A massage then.

He was still making a game of it, not even glancing in my direction as he crossed to the summer house and opened the doors. I sat on the wall, enjoying the sun, and hopped down only after he’d set out two cups and poured.

"Give me your mobile," he said, and spent a few moments transferring an app from his to mine. Opening it on my mobile, he pressed the screen, made a few selections, then held it out to me. "Use your right thumb to create a login," he said.

I obliged, tapping my thumb over and over until the app could recognise me. My login was rewarded with a black and white image—perhaps taken from the early Alice in Wonderland books—of the Cheshire Cat, grinning in a tree.

"This can be used to both store the ratings—somewhere even you can’t access them after you’ve entered one—and, if necessary, exchange messages. The main purpose, though, is the garden status."

I’d found that portion of it already: a little map of this section of the school, where a simple touch would let me indicate my current location—in the trees, or down at the dovecote. Kyou picked up his phone, and a green dot appeared in the garden. A red dot would mean he was there, but it wasn’t safe to approach. A dot with an x across it would mean cancelled .

"We’ve also set up a tiny electronic tripwire across the entry path—nothing likely to be found—which will give us warning of someone approaching whenever the app is in active mode. Only registered thumbprints can open the app, and certain portions of it require passing security again."

"You’ve decided not to use the book, then?" I asked, finding that opening up the list of challenges required me to offer up my thumbprint a second time.

"After Rin so neatly demonstrated its potential to be left about? No. We’ve removed the pages, and transferred everything to the app. The medical reports have been shredded as well." He gave me a faint smile. "Once this became real, we needed to be a lot more serious about secrecy."

I put my phone down, the screen displaying several of the things he would be doing to me toward the end of the year, and sipped tea, looking at him.

"Which of you is the best rower?"

"Technically, me," he said. "But both Rin and Bran have a slight advantage in strength. When they’re on their game, they’ll usually win, but I’m far more consistent."

"And what did you win to be here today?"

"A capture the flag run in Dare to Fall ."

I laughed. "Do you usually win the gaming challenges?"