Excerpt: Rising Sun Grammar

Prologue

Life is wasted on the living.

Douglas Adams wrote that in one of the Hitchhiker books (can’t quite remember which one at the moment). I think it might be one of the truest things ever written. I often sit up here at the top of Centrepoint Tower looking down at all the humans running around and wander what all the rush is for. They all speed from place to place, spending all their time working or planning or saving, but they never stop to just take a look around them. To simply bask in the sunlight and enjoy its warmth. To sit in the park and listen to the wind rustling through the leaves. To sit down with a book and really lose themselves in it, rather than getting distracted every ten seconds by something supposedly more important.

Although, life is wasted on the undead in much the same way. I can’t understand why no one is willing to slow down and just enjoy themselves these days.

I sighed as I leant against the railing. Maybe I’m just in a bad mood. After all, normally I love Sydney. I normally love the bustle and business, and the fact that there are always people around (no matter how few) even at four in the morning.

I blame it on my mother.

I mean really, you’d think that after one hundred and twenty years I would finally be able to escape high school, but oh no, with Cordelia Elliot you can never catch a break.

“Fitzwilliam, just what do you think you’re doing here?”

I rolled my eyes as I glanced over my shoulder. And there she is, the Devil herself. And oh look, she’s even wearing a blue dress. Who would’ve thought? “Mother, it’s Li now,” I replied.

She scoffed. “I gave you the name Fitzwilliam, and that is exactly what I shall call you.”

I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes again at her stubbornness. It always has to be Fitzwilliam with her. She refused to call me William when I first shortened my name, she refused to call me Liam when I changed it the second time, and she refuses to even consider Li now that I’ve changed it again. According to Mum Li isn’t even a real name. Honestly. It’s not the nineteenth century anymore; I’d be laughed out of town if I went around using my real name. But Mum just doesn’t seem to get that.

I shook my head, not in the mood to get into yet another argument with her about it.

“Well?” Mum said, starting to tap her foot. “I’m still waiting for an answer.”

“How did you know I was up here?” I asked, intentionally avoiding her question.

“Because I’m your mother and I know you.” Mum paused for a moment and moved forward to join me at the railing. “Besides Mr. Harker rang and said you never arrived at RSG last night. When I told your brother he suggested that perhaps I would find you sulking up here.” She sent me a quick amused glance. “And look, so you are.”

I showed her my unimpressed face (it’s very good, if I do say so myself. I spent all of World War I perfecting it in the mirror, since Mum wouldn’t let me or Rick venture out of doors while the war was on). I decided to relent a little. “I just wanted somewhere quiet to think for a little while.”

The top of Centrepoint Tower has been my favourite thinking spot ever since they finished construction back in 1981. It’s the tallest building in Sydney and you can see everything from here. Seeing everything looking so tiny generally serves to remind me how insignificant my problems normally are. I would probably need to kill Rick now for telling Mum though, seeing as how I would need to find a new place to go where she wouldn’t find me. Damn it.

“Fitzwilliam I know you don’t want to go back to Rising Sun Grammar. But I explained it to you before. That Mr. Harker is letting humans into the school this year and I don’t trust him. I want to know want exactly is going on, and for that I need someone on the inside. Frederick looks too old to be able to go back for me, whereas you’re still young enough for it to be believable that you simply want to come back to school for a little while. Please, Fitzwilliam.”

I glanced up from where I’d been staring through the glass floor and saw that she was giving me that Look of hers. Mum always manages to guilt me into doing things for her with that Look. It’s a strange crossing between pleading, a stern frown, and looking as though she might break down in tears if you say no. I’ve never been able to figure out how she pulls it off, but it always gets me.

“Fine,” I said. “I’ll do it. Satisfied?”

“Very.” Mum smiled and pushed away from the railing. She glanced quickly at the horizon before looking back at me. “Mr. Harker wants to see you as soon as you arrive since you decided to skip the night classes’ assembly. Don’t stay out here too much longer, it’s almost dawn. I don’t want you dying on me.”

“Funny, Mother. Very funny.” I leaned down and kissed her cheek before she began to move away.

“Don’t forget, I expect to see you at home over the weekend,” Mum called back over her. As she disappeared around the bend she added, “Love you.”

Well, I was definitely stuck now. Guess it was off to Rising Sun Grammar (again) for me.

I looked up to the sky and saw that it had already lightened from black to a deep a blue. Mum was right; dawn was on its way. I would stay for a couple more minutes then start making my way towards the school building. After all, I certainly didn’t want to turn to dust from sun exposure, I still had too much I wanted to do with my undead life.

Yeah, did I mention? I’m a vampire.