A New Style of Education - Year Five

by Karen Page

Part 8

picture created using DALL-E

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Part 8
Thursday 14th January 2010

The year leaders woke to find a silent message waiting on their phones. The schedule hadn't changed from what had been given on arrival at the hotel. Therefore, soon after breakfast the pupils braved the weather to have a guided tour of the cathedral. The fresh snow was pristine white. The fumes from the traffic hadn't had chance to spoil the experience.

It was very different walking towards the cathedral in daylight than it was in the dark. The streetlights had illuminated the area, but there was always something clearer in daylight. The newly fallen snow added more illumination, making the older part of the city look spectacular.

Shops that had been shut and dark were now lit up, displaying their wares. The narrow streets were bustling with people and the city hummed with life. It was almost magical.

"So much snow," shivered Alex.

"Are you cold?" asked Helen.

"No, just a shock. I mean, it was snowing a bit last night, but walking in it isn't something I've done before. We didn't get much snow in London."

"We've only had one heavy winter at Hayfield while I've been there. Two years ago, we were covered in deep snow. Being so isolated made it totally different. The road out of the school was too dangerous and lessons were cancelled due to lack of teachers. Instead, we had a snowman and snow angel competition."

"Who won?"

"Ingrid, who was someone in the year above us, won the best snowman. But Molly won the last to melt."

"What a great idea," laughed Adelle. "Hopefully we'll get something like that while we're at the school."

"The head pupils have a list of previous events," said Helen. "This is passed down each year. Things are sometimes tried and for some reason they don't work. Sometimes, like the snowman competition, they can only occur occasionally, so we don't want to lose any history of the school."

"How is your first time abroad?" Jayne asked Alex.

"Surreal. It wasn't anything I'd ever considered doing. I mean we couldn't afford holidays or any luxury. My old school managed to get me a computer as part of some funding for less well-off children. I used to use the neighbour's Wi-Fi for internet. Now I'm abroad and it is strange. I mean there are shops and cafés, just like at home, but they speak a different language and drive on the other side of the road."

"So not freaked?"

"No. Though I did get a bit shocked when I found we were about three miles from the border with Germany. Like, we are so close to a border."

"We're only eighty miles from Switzerland."

"That we also knew," said Adelle, with a giddy tone. "We really are in the heart of Europe."

"You're loving this trip abroad, aren't you?" asked Eugene.

"Oh yeah," Adelle and Alex replied together. They glanced across at each other and laughed.

"The only thing strange is being separated from Adelle. I'm used to her in the connected room. I see that most upper years the study partners go abroad dressed as the same sex."

"True. You were given that option."

"I know, but we didn't understand. Something for us to think about for our next concert."

"Do it when you get back. The support staff never like people getting thoughtful like that when they're on a trip."

"We'll think about it when we're back," Alex agreed, with Adelle's head bobbing in agreement. "It's also been a good time for me to mix with some of the other males in the year. They aren't a bad bunch."

Knowing that the only ones that had never been abroad were comfortable, Jayne and Helen slipped back to be with their year.

"Moscow was colder than this, wasn't it?" considered Lewis aloud.

"Definitely," Emma agreed. "This is just a bit of snow. In Moscow there was a lot lot more of it."

"We so need another warm concert," Paula moaned. "I know it isn't as bad as Moscow, but my nose is freezing."

Emma tugged at Paula, bringing her to a stop. She leaned across and breathed on her partner's nose.

"Ooh, thank you," beamed Paula and reciprocated.

"That's gross," came a few mutterings from the lowest two years.

'Oh, how their ideas of that being gross will change', thought Jayne, remembering how the ideas of love and affection had crept up on each year as they joined the school. The friendship was the first thing most discovered. The removal of most fears, though that was sometimes replaced by a different fear. A fear of how they felt, rather than how others reacted to them.

When they reached the cathedral, it looked even more impressive than Jayne had seen it the night before. The gothic façade really looked impressive as they stood in the square looking up.

After a few minutes of gawping, Ms Toms said, "Come on, let's get inside. We don't want to keep our guide waiting."

They went through the large oak doors and stopped just inside. The firm bang of the doors didn't interrupt their awe at the magnificent sight in front of them. The large, vaulted ceiling and the central aisle flanked by rows of stained-glass windows.

A man was just inside the entrance. He approached Ms Toms, and after a small conversation, he said aloud, "Welcome to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg. For centuries, this was the tallest church in Europe. It is now the sixth tallest, but as you will see, it is still the finest."

It was typical of a trip abroad. The primary reason they were there was to play the concert, but Mr Hobson never wasted an opportunity to include some education.

"We're being watched," Tina said, coming up to Jayne. They were halfway down the nave.

"The chap in the black coat on the left?"

"Oh, you saw him?"

"I recognised him from our Iran trip. He is the one that Erika kicked in the balls. The one that I'm really concerned about is the man with the blonde hair on the other side. He's the one who followed us into the hotel last night. Just continue the tour and ignore them. Perhaps the blonde one will spot the one in the black coat watching us."

The tour took an hour, ending at the Astronomical Clock. As they made their way to the entrance, Lisa saw the EU security chap was close by.

"What time do we start tonight?" she asked Ms Toms innocently. Everyone around would have known she was referring to the concert. But it was vague enough that if someone thought they were up to no good, it would just reinforce that.

"It's all in your pack," responded Ms Toms, unsure why she was being asked now.

"I really hope we'll be loud enough," added Lisa.

"Too right, we will be!" said Wayne emphatically, unexpectedly adding to the fake narrative.

As they made their way back to the hotel for the buffet that had been laid on, the people that had been watching them melted away.

"Make sure you write a report for Mr Taylor and copy me in," said Jayne to Lisa as they trooped into the hotel lobby. "It is important that he knows what you said, just in case it impacts what happens tonight."

"We aren't in trouble, are we?" asked Tina, slightly unsure of herself.

"Not with me. It sounded innocent enough. I have my own report to make."

Since the venue was at the other side of Strasbourg, the Hayfield coaches were waiting at the front of the hotel. Jayne wondered where they had been stored and if the drivers had been stopping at the same hotel as everybody else. All the students were dressed in their smart concert finery, excited and eager for the evening performance.

The afternoon had been a relaxing time, away from the learning. If it had been warmer, they might have had a trip along the river, but it was winter, and they would have frozen. Instead, they'd relaxed in cafés or strolling down the side of the canal. Now on the coach, the casual discussions and laughter still existed but it wasn't as free. There was a small amount of tension in the air. Even though they knew the pieces, there was always a slight worry performing live.

For those in the lowest year, this was their first concert. For most, they hadn't got the skill to take part, but they were learning quickly. For some in year one, this was the first time playing in a Hayfield concert abroad and a few looked slightly nervous.

Seeing this, Mr Hobson gave his words of wisdom. "Remember, the audience are here to listen to your music, not gawp at you. None of the players whose first concert abroad are on their own. You each have someone experienced next to you. They will be there to help you if you need it. You all played at our concert back in November and did exceptionally well. I expect you will do even better today."

There was one thing about the French, they were attentive listeners. This added to the joy of the players. An attentive audience added to the atmosphere and gave the players an extra boost.

During the interval, Mr Hobson pulled Jayne to one side. "Jayne, after the concert has finished, make sure everyone stays together."

"Has something happened?"

"There was an incident in Strasbourg, near the cathedral. Nothing to do with us but I don't want to worry about anybody trying to walk back to the hotel. During the second half of the concert, I hope things become clearer."

"Are all our wider family safe?"

"They're fine. They weren't involved either."

Jayne nodded, relieved that nobody she knew was involved, but wondered what was going on. She passed the message to Helen and then went to find Lewis. He'd be off the stage first, and she knew he loved to wander back to the hotel after a concert to clear his mind.

Mr Hobson was talking to him. Jayne suspected it was about not wandering off after the concert, so she sidled up. He smiled when he saw her approach.

"Lewis has promised not to sneak off," Mr Hobson informed Jayne. "I do have one extra request. No matter the applause, can you do an encore before you do La Marseillaise at the end. Since it was written in Strasbourg, it should be quite fitting."

"I'm not doing God Save the Queen," said Lewis firmly. "I still remember the hostility in Paris when we did that."

"It wasn't that bad," responded Mr Hobson.

"I'm sure the temperature in the hall sank at least ten degrees."

Playing the British national anthem at concerts abroad had been something hotly debated between Lewis, Mr Hobson and Mrs Russell. Was it a sign that they were a British orchestra or was it disrespectful even though they always played the host countries anthem. In the end, Mr Hobson decided that Lewis was the conductor and if he didn't feel comfortable it be played abroad, then it shouldn't be.

"Fair enough," conceded Mr Hobson. "You are the principal conductor. Enjoy that title, since Zoe will have it on our next concert."

"It'll be a pleasure to hand the baton across."

Jayne groaned and Lewis flashed her a smile.

"Basically, you want the concert to run on a bit giving time for that situation to calm down?"

"In a nutshell," Mr Hobson agreed.

"Then I think we will have a new ceremony," explained Lewis. "After the concert is concluded, I will hand over the baton to Zoe."

The second half of the concert was played with the same passion as the first half. It wasn't the same style of concert that they usually played, but the audience sat and listened in rapture.

"This is a first," said Lewis in fluent French to the audience. "I don't normally speak at a concert. However, today is something important. My first concert was in Paris four years ago. Today I'm privileged to be back in France for my last concert as principal conductor. It's time for me to hand on the baton." He turned to see Zoe making her way to the podium.

Jayne wondered if there were anybody from the European Parliament Security and if so, their reaction about them having played in France before.

"Zoe conducted the first half of the concert and will be taking over."

With a flourish, Lewis handed the formal conductors baton to Zoe and the audience applauded as did the members of the orchestra.

"I will leave Zoe to conduct La Marseillaise."

That got an even bigger applause and Lewis left the stage. He didn't go to the changing area but turned to watch from the stage wings. Zoe turned and faced the orchestra. Her gaze swept across the players, and they all took their positions as she raised her hands.

Most of the audience were in raptures and sung heartily to the French national anthem. It hadn't been quite like Paris where most of the audience were French. A small portion of the audience were from other European countries and were working at the European offices. They took part but didn't sing with as much passion.

After the applause died down, Molly, as the orchestra leader, left the stage and the rest of the orchestra followed.

"Well played," praised Mr Hobson to the players as they filed off the stage. "The coach will leave in twenty minutes."

The players streamed into the "dressing room" and started to put their instruments away. The orchestra was one of the places in the school that a pupil was rarely with their study partner. More often they might not be with someone in their own year. It was the first place that the younger pupils learnt to mix with the older ones. In the orchestral practices, it was a place that the older pupils often could give insights and help to the younger. They all grew from that. The older pupils finding a way to help in ways they never thought possible when they joined. Learn, grow and help others.

However, it was this jumble of pupils that caused issues. The year leaders would normally have made sure their year was accounted for, but the pupils often unpacked and packed their instruments with who they played with.

"Your instruments will be collected," announced Mr Hobson. "Once you've stored your instrument, place them neatly to the right of the door, along the wall. I then want you to get into year groups. We need to make sure you are all together."

"What's going on?" enquired Shane, one of the leaders from year-two.

"You'll all be told in a moment. Just make sure your year is accounted for and stays together."

For the lowest year, they just did as they'd been instructed. This was their first concert abroad and they weren't used to any other protocol. However, the other years knew this was something different. They still complied, but there was more chatter about what was happening.

It wasn't long before Mr Hobson called for quiet. He quickly scanned each year group and saw that all were accounted for.

"There has been an incident near the cathedral," explained the headmaster. "I first heard about this just before the interval. The roads to the hotel appear to be clearing, but I'm told the journey will take some time. We will leave in ten minutes. If you need the toilet, now is a good time. When you are back in the hotel, please stay inside. We will be leaving for home just after breakfast."

The route back to the hotel was slow. They probably could have done it quicker if they'd walked, but Mr Hobson wasn't taking any chances and wanted to keep everybody safe in the coaches. It had been the most police that Jayne had seen since the trip to Russia four years ago, but at least this time there wasn't any military to be seen.

Helen had her travel phone out and was looking through websites. “Le Monde is reporting a shooting near the cathedral and an explosion at a café."

“Not the one I was at the other day?" asked Jayne, holding her breath.

"No, closer to the square."

Jayne exhaled. She'd enjoyed that place. The beta group update chime sounded and Helen and Jayne both glanced at the update. It was from Anna.

"Jill is assembling some images. At the rate we are moving, we should have something ready for analysis when we get back."

This was an opportunity for the Beta group to learn and analyse. They might not have been operational, but their mindset was to know what was going on around them, just in case they did need to go operational. Yet with the concert over, and just the journey home there shouldn't be an issue.

"I feel useless," muttered Helen as the coach crawled along. "Jill and Anna are busy sorting out images and video. By the looks of it, Lisa and Tina are looking at some of the early images. Yet there is nothing that I can do."

"Continue monitoring the press sites," encouraged Jayne. "They sometimes report findings the police haven't yet found out."

When they got as far as Rue Saint-Guillaume, the speed of the coaches picked up and they went from a snail's pace to more of a slow jog. After what seemed an age, they approached the hotel.

"Set up in our room?" suggested Jayne to Helen as they came to a halt just past the hotel entrance. "I'll tell the others, but I need to make sure things are good elsewhere first. You all know what to do."

"On it."

Mr Hobson was on the other coach, so Jayne stood between the coach she'd been on and made sure all the students went into the hotel and not going for a wander. They'd been told not to, but she was just being vigilant. When the last of the pupils were off that coach, she moved inside.

As she walked in, a man at reception called out, "Miss Jayne."

Jayne went across, quite surprised. "A note was left for you."

"When was it left?" asked Jayne, after opening and quickly glancing over it.

"Only about five minutes ago. He rushed in, left the envelope and went."

"Thanks," said Jayne giving the receptionist a dazzling smile.

Mr Hobson had been watching, and Jayne went across.

"Who was it from?"

Jayne handed it across. The envelope was addressed to "Hayfield head student – brunette". It looked like the receptionist had scribbled Jayne on it. Mr Hobson took out the note that was inside. It read:
"Thank you for the wonderful concert. It was much better than having a coffee near the cathedral. I'm so glad I took your advice to attend. C.J."

"You seem to be getting into quite a relationship," mentioned Mr Hobson, passing back the note. "Be careful."

"I don't think he's going to ask me on a date."

Mr Hobson laughed.

"He seems different than when I met him four years ago. I don't know what it is."

"Everyone seems to be in and accounted for. A few members of staff will stay downstairs for a while, just to make sure nobody attempts to go for a wander. Are you creating a report?"

"Yes, Sir. It is an opportunity for all of us to learn."

"Fantastic. It will be interesting to see how the two compare and what both teams can learn from each other."

When she got to her room, it was almost unrecognisable. Extra chairs had appeared from somewhere, and everyone seemed busy on laptops.

"What's the situation?" asked Jayne as the door shut behind her.

Helen spoke up. "The images of the event have been stored and sequenced. The images we have are being analysed and faces checked. As we gain knowledge, we are getting more imagery further back. It's good that a lot of the city has cameras digitised. Thank you for making sure we had this feed before we came here."

Jayne shrugged. It had taken Julia and Jayne just over a week to get a backdoor into the city cameras and the offsite storage that ninety percent of city cameras now went to. It was also where they found that the European Parliament Security also had several accounts.

"Wow," said Tina. "Go back."

Lisa reversed a frame at a time and saw what Tina had spotted. "Do you see that logo on the jacket?"

"Can anybody clean it up? Enhance it?"

"It's not like the movies," said Jayne. "You can't just run a program over the screen, and in a few seconds it gets so much sharper. We're dealing with a lossy compressed video stream. There are a few shop cameras that might have picked it up. We did some sniffing of systems and we identified several around the city. Let me see if I can find something."

"He stayed in the same position relative to the camera for about eight seconds," said Helen. "At thirty frames a second, that is over two hundred frames. Could we use a photo stacker, like we do with astrophotography?"

"You'll need to manipulate the images, so they align for stacking," said Anna. "I saw something on the server at school a few weeks ago that'll help with that."

They worked away, first assembling the data, and then working out what happened. As all six of them discussed what they'd seen, Anna also spent time creating a written report. When the discussion finished, she put the finished article on the room television.

"Change it around", stated Jayne. "Conclusion at the top, followed by what happened. That way in an emergency, you've got the important bit covered first. So, we know who were involved, but not who planted the bomb or why."

"Is why important?" asked Tina.

"Yes," responded Lisa. "It might indicate a future step. There are also a bunch of unknowns. Based on the insignias on the jackets, we know a German Biker group, Gremium, came into the square. People we've identified as working for The Supplier came out of the café, and a gunfight takes place. Soon after they exited the café it exploded. In the confusion, the bikers leave. The surviving Suppliers men try to re-enter the remains of the café but leave just as the police turn up."

"There is one extra bit of information to add," said Jayne. She got the envelope out and took out the letter. The group crowded round.

"Damn," said Jill bitterly. "Since we didn't see him as part of the group, I'd hoped he'd been in the café when it exploded."

"Interesting idea though," thought Jayne aloud. "Why did they attempt to go back in? Could the leader of the group have been blown up? He stayed in the café while his minions went out to confront the bikers."

"An elaborate assassination. If the biker group hadn't shown up, would they all have been killed?" added Jill.

"Okay, time for me to go and see Mr Taylor. Lisa and Tina, do you want to join me?"

"Why us?" asked Tina.

"An opportunity for you to see the next step. Also, a chance for them to see how you are doing."

Monday 18th January 2010

David sat in his "office". Well, it wasn't really an office, it was what used to be his bedroom, but it been converted at the start of the year to have two desks in there and a larger settee. It was easier for Helen and David to study, and it allowed them to have meetings without using a classroom. It was also an area they could easily check for bugs; not that any had been found at the school since the Mavis Brown incident while they were in their first year at the school.

None of the bedrooms had locks. Students respected others privacy and never entered another's bedroom without permission. It was also a safety thing. If a pupil attempted suicide, seconds mattered. Support staff didn't want to fumble getting a door unlocked. It might seem an unlikely circumstance, but students had attempted suicide with one trying to hang themselves in their bedroom.

A knock on the door interrupted David's study time. He went and opened the door to reveal the joint heads of year-four.

"Hi," he greeted them and ushered them to the settee.

David and Helen often held year leader meetings in the room, so it was nothing unusual for any of them.

When they were settled, David started. "In June, Helen and I will be leaving and you two are scheduled to become joint head pupils. Are you still happy to take on that responsibility?"

"Yes," they responded guardedly, and glanced at each other.

"Great. Mr Hobson will go through the role and what is expected. However, there are some other items that you need to know."

"Okay," replied Molly neutrally. She'd long learnt the lesson not to blurt out what she thought the other person was going to explain.

"I need to give some background. Some you might know. Other things you might guess, but not know the full details. This school was created to help educate children in a different way than traditional schools. A lot of the pupils were musically minded, and the school orchestra was created as a way for the pupils to learn working in groups. Like the standard in education going up, the standard of the orchestra did too, and they started playing concerts."

Molly and Tony nodded. This was nothing new to them.

"During the concerts abroad, certain things were noticed that were of concern. I'm not sure who approached who, but a discussion occurred, and several people tagged along as helpers. While the concerts occurred, these people would retrieve information about companies or governments behaving wrongly. This information was passed on to help stop whatever was going on. This has prevented conflicts and war. The people who came with us became known as the Alpha team. They don't work for a government but do assist where needed.

"A few years later, a pupil approached Mr Hobson. They'd been interested in working in intelligence, and since the school actively helped pupils work towards employment, asked if they could get involved. Mr Hobson was torn between helping the pupils reach their aims and keeping the pupil safe. In the end he said no. The pupil was not put off and approached one of the Alpha team. Mr Hobson was furious."

"Ouch," uttered Tony, having personally seen Mr Hobson on one of the rare occasions he'd got angry. To see him furious wasn't something Tony wanted to ever experience.

"Indeed. However, he saw how determined she was. Mr Hobson discussed it with Kate, who was the head psychiatrist before Rachel. They agreed in them learning, but with the stipulation they weren't to get involved with anything outside of school. This eventually was formalised and became what is now called the Beta team, made up of six pupils. They can learn but never use what they'd learnt while at school, unless it's an emergency.

"Four years ago, there was a concert in Russia. This was the first time that Hayfield had done a concert with the sister school from America who have a choir with a small supporting orchestra. You met two of them when they helped in November. Hayfield had a leak. The details of the school weren't leaked, but the Alpha team were trapped when they infiltrated two of their storage locations. This was the only time when the Beta team have ever been in operation. We went out and caused a diversion which let the Alpha team escape."

"Hang on," said Molly. "Was this the New Year just before we joined?"

"Yes?" David responded, wondering where Molly was going with this.

"I remember something on the news. There were reports of explosions and there were pictures of the army on the street. They blamed the Chechens, but the Chechens said it wasn't them. Was that your distraction?"

"The army was out before the explosions looking for the Alpha team. The explosions we caused were small and didn't kill anybody. They just caused confusion."

"You aren't looking for us to be in the Beta team, are you?" asked Tony, sounding worried.

"No. I'll come onto that in a minute. There are a few other bits of history I need to give. Our next concert that year was in Iran. Helen and I, plus two people who weren't in the beta team were grabbed off the street, bundled in a van and held hostage. We were rescued a few hours later. The main person involved in the kidnapping, Louis, was spotted a bit later in the UK talking to the leaker. He was a wanted man, so the police were informed, and they arrested him. We still don't know who his boss is. Just an alias; The Supplier."

"Bringing this up to date. While we were in Strasbourg I was approached by Louis. It seems he had managed to get transferred to a French prison where someone let him out. The area we were in was near where The Supplier was based, and it seems he was very nervous about us being there. They'd been looking all over the UK for our school but didn't know where it was. They tried to cause an issue while we were there, but it didn't cause any disruption."

"And the school leak?" enquired Molly. "I presume they were found?"

"Yes. When Louis was arrested, he was meeting the leaker. She knew she had been spotted and committed suicide before she could be fired. From what was discovered, she went out of the way to hide where the school was, meeting The Suppliers people at different places across the country."

"So why are you telling us this?" asked Molly. "The existence of what you've told us has been kept secret. Yes, there have been some occasions where some students have looked to be doing extra things, but I suppose it isn't something too obvious. We all have our career development plans."

"I suppose we all have our secrets," admitted Tony. "We never want to look too closely at anybody else's secrets as they might look at ours."

"I've been in charge of the Beta team since year-two," David stated. "After the incident in Russia, the pupils were told basically what I've just told you. The only staff this can be discussed with is Rachel and Mr Hobson. Please don't talk about it to the other teachers or support staff. I'm sure a lot have some clues, but the leaker was only able to say so much as they didn't have the full information. You now have a lot more knowledge than anybody else not in the know. Since you are going to be head pupils, you needed to know.

"There hasn't been a decision on who the next Beta One will be. When that is decided, I will get you all in a room and there can be a discussion on lines of communication."

"Is it between Luke or Tina in year three?"

David smiled. They knew what was going on. "Probably, but that isn't my decision."

"Thanks for letting us know," said Tony. "We'll keep what you told us to ourselves."