Jason Steed Royal Decree

by Mark A. Cooper

  As they passed a sign that read Bodrum, Dexter smiled and started talking. He hadn’t said no more than two words the entire journey.

  “Ah, Bodrum, sun, sea, and history. I’ve always wanted to visit here,” Dexter said. He was right. The city was fresh and different from anything Jason has ever experienced before. The make believe family would live in a small traditional three bedroom, two story, white, sugar-cube home. Or at least that is what Jason nicknamed the houses. He told Dexter that the white houses piles so close to each over around the harbor look like sugar-cubes from a distance. Connor and Jason would share a room that had a large window with a breath taking view of the village and coastline.

  Jason thought everything about the city was almost magical. He told Connor it seemed to rain different here and also the sunrise different and sets completely different. After a few days, Jason mentioned it again. He truly loved the city. He told Connor that the wind blows different, sea smells fresh.

  Dexter also mentioned that Bodrum is the proudest, the most inert, the most beautiful, the most honest, and almost a modern child of Nature Mother. As well as the modern sugar-cubed homes and shops, ancient Roman buildings and tombs built over three hundred years before Christ himself was born.

  The fresh air reminded Jason of the mountains that over looked Hong Kong. He wished he had learned to meditate. He had watched his mentor Wong Tong meditate for hours, breathing in all the goodness the world could provide.

  Connor and Jason wasted no time and discovered some excellent swimming areas where local boys would dive off a high cliff in an effort to prove how fearless they were. Jason and Connor both jumped off the thirty-foot cliff into the warm Mediterranean Sea a few times. Cameron spent hours walking through the palm-lined streets, window-shopping and taking pictures of the scenery. She wore a pair of short shorts that barley covered her. She enjoyed the whistles and looks she received from local teenagers and some men.

  After just three days, Jason and Connor finally met Fahad when they noticed three boys were drying off after swimming. The three boys stared at Connor and talked among themselves, occasionally looking up at Connor.

  “What are they staring at?” Connor asked Jason.

  “I’m not sure. Normally, I would recommend we walk away, but we need to start talking to other boys if we are going to find Fahad,” Jason said.

  Connor agreed and walked towards the boys. They all looked his age. All three boys had dark hair and large brown eyes. Jason assumed they were all local boys.

  “Hi.” Connor smiled.

  The boys all smiled back and nodded. “What are you guys looking at? Connor asked.

  “You American?” one boy with Strabismus eyes asked. “You speak English.” The boy’s eyes were so badly crossed looking in different directions, Connor wasn’t sure if he was talking to him or Jason.

  “Something like that. Your English is good,” Connor said. “I’m Connor, and this is my little brother Jason. Do you know me? Why are you all looking at me?” Although as soon as Connor asked it, Jason felt bad for the boy. His eyes were so crossed and maybe he wasn’t looking at them at all.

  The same boy walked forward. “Sorry if you thought we were staring, but we were talking about you. Do you and brother live in a gym? You have bigger muscles than my dad.”

  Connor clenched his arms and posed. “Yeah, I work out. Do you guys dive off that wall?” Connor asked, pointing at a wall that surrounded a small road that meandered around houses up the hill. Conner and Jason had seen a few jump off it, but they decided it was far too risky and never tried it.

  “No that’s nuts, but Farah did once,” the boy with the cross eyes said, pointing at his friend behind him.

  The boy he called Farah walked forward and smiled. “I did it once. No big deal.”

  Jason and Connor looked at each other. Jason was surprised how easy it had been to find him.

  “You’re crazy.” Connor laughed. “That’s much too high., your nuts must have been squashed up your backside.”

  Farah and his two friends laughed. “Nah, it was nothing,” Farah boasted.

  “Yeah, I bet you were shaking like a leaf and as white as a sheet when you got out the water afterwards,” the cross-eyed boy said.

  Jason stepped forward. “We’re new here. Our dad is working here for the summer. What do you guys do for fun, apart from swimming?” Jason asked. Jason studied Farah. He was just like the picture Infinity had showed them—thin, dark hair, dark brown eyes, and black eyebrows that met in the middle. Jason noticed he had some hair above his top lip and would probably have to start shaving very soon. He had dark skin that gave him a distinct Middle Eastern appearance.

  Farah beamed. “Cool. My dad works here for part of the year as well. I can show you all the places tourists don’t get to see but on one condition.”

  “What condition?” Connor asked, folding his arms together and sticking out his chest.

  “So I know you two are not nerds, one of you has to jump off the wall,” Farah said, pointing up at the wall.

  Connor and Jason looked at each other and up at the wall. “Ha that’s easy. Even my little brother Jason could do that,” Connor said pointing at Jason.

  “What?” Jason said, giving Connor a dirty look.

  “Well, you are younger than us so if you want to hang with us, prove you are up to it,” Connor said.

  “How old are you?” Farah said.

  “Same as you fourteen,” Connor said.

  Jason immediately interrupted. “Connor’s good with ages. Is he right, are you fourteen as well?” Jason gave Connor another dirty look. They had read it on the case file, but to keep the story real had to pretend, they didn’t know. It was obvious to Jason that Connor wasn’t very smart and this type of mistake could prove to be dangerous on a mission.

  Farah smiled at Jason. “He’s spot on. I’m fourteen. Go on then go up the hill, climb the wall, and jump. Make sure you take a run at it so you can get a good leap. If not, you may hit the rocks at the bottom, and I had my lunch today. I don’t want to throw up when I see your skull smash open.”

  Connor roared with laughter. He was clearly over acting, trying to act tough around Farah. Jason thought he was trying too hard to befriend him.

  Jason kicked off his shoes and gave his shirt to Connor. “Hold these please,” Jason said in a contemptuous tone and pushed his shirt and shoes into Connors chest, knocking him back.

  “What?” Connor asked, trying to act innocent.

  Jason followed the narrow road up the hill. He couldn’t believe he was going to actually jump. He tried to come up with an excuse. He came to the stone wall and climbed up. The sharp slate bricks scratched his bear toes as he climbed. Once at the top he looked down.

  “No bloody way,” he said, although no one could hear him. He looked down and saw Connor, Farah, and the other two boys waving at him. A few other people had gathered and looked up as well. Jason stood on the top and looked down as if he was going to actually jump. He looked down. Waves gently slapped over the rocks below. If he was going to jump, Farah was right, he would need to get a good push off to clear them.

  He was surprised by the amount of wind. He licked his finger and held it up to check the wind direction. That made him feel worse. It was blowing towards him and would push him back into the wall of rocks. He glanced down and now another four or five people had joined the others and looked up at him. A girl stood next to Farah. From this distance Jason was unsure if it was his twin sister Ela, but she looked the same age.

  Jason looked down at the water one more time. He couldn’t go through with it. He was sure he could in a life and death situation, but this was ridiculous. He could get killed for nothing. Connor was shouting at him and the others were beckoning him to jump. Jason couldn’t hear what Connor was shouting. He turned to climb down and noticed the girl again. If he wanted to get close to her, this was a good way to impress her.

  Jason took a deep breath, steadied himself, and
concentrated. He built up an adrenaline rush into his system. If he was going to jump, he would at least try and get a good leap. His pupils dilated back; he could no longer hear the sound of the waves or the gulls flying overhead. He concentrated on the jump.

  Connor looked up and was now suddenly concerned that Jason was actually going to jump. “Jason don’t. It’s too dangerous,” Connor shouted.

  “Is he really going to jump?” Farah asked.

  “I think so. I wish I never said anything now. I didn’t think he would actually try.” Connor paused. “No, if you did it Farah, I’m sure he will be all right.”

  “Um. I didn’t really do it. I made it up…” Farah stammered.

  Jason took one more deep breath. He held himself back like a sprinter on the starting blocks. He leapt forward, took two paces, and leapt out into the air. He jumped, maybe for the last time. He was pleased with the distance he gained. He had managed to jump eight to nine feet away from the wall. He looked down and was still falling, faster and faster. It seemed like an eternity. His feet crashed into the water. It swallowed him whole. He kept going down until his foot hit a rock way down deep. He was twisted and tumbled by the strong current.

  I’m alive, he said to himself. I need air. He fought with the strong undercurrent to surface. His body tangled in seaweed, back and forth with the current. It was harder than he expected trying to fight his way up to the surface. He calmed himself down and remembered training at Sea Cadets. If you get caught in a rip current, swim with it. He tried going with it and went out deeper. The current was stronger, but soon he hoped to be clear. His lungs burnt for oxygen. A hand caught his forearm and pulled him up. The hand continued to pull him to the surface and eventually the person’s other hand slid under his body and pushed him to the surface.

  Jason took a welcomed deep breath of air. He cleared his eyes and noticed it was Connor that was holding him.

  “You okay?” Connor asked.

  “Yeah,” Jason gasped.

  “You’re bloody stupid. I didn’t think you would really do it mate,” Connor snapped. “Whatever did you really do that for? I thought you was a gonna. If I could, I would kick the stuffing out of you.”

  Farah gasped a sigh of relief when he saw Jason’s distinguishably blond hair break the water’s surface.

  Both boys swam back to the beach. Jason was given an applause. Farah came to meet them. He passed Jason his shirt and shoes. “You’re crazy Jason,” Farah said.

  Jason turned to Connor. “Thanks. I was having trouble in the current.”

  “That’s what big brothers are for,” Connor said, threatening him with his fist. “But you do something so reckless again and I will break your nose.”

  “No, a decent big brother would never let his younger brother do something so stupid. He could have been killed,” The girl who stood next to Farah said.

  Jason looked at her. He recognized her from the photos he had seen in the case file. However she looked much better looking in real life. She had long dark hair, large brown eyes, and dark olive skin. Jason thought she could be a model. “I’m fine. Hi, I’m Jason,” he said.

  “Hello Jason. I’m Farah’s sister, Ela.”

  “Hi I’m Connor. You look alike, are you twins?” Connor said almost, knocking Jason out of the way as he moved forward to shake her hand.

  “Yes, we are,” Ela said.

  “I know this is forward of me, but I have to tell you Ela, if you were a bogey, I would pick you first,” Connor said.

  “What?” Ela gasped.

  “Eeewwwwwww Connor that’s the worst chat up line I have ever heard,” Jason said. “Sorry Ela. We all have a black sheep in the family, and you just met ours.”

  “Shut it, Jason. Ela did you just fart? Because you just blew me away,” Connor said.

  Everyone burst out laughing except Connor. He looked hurt. While Jason dressed, someone suggested they get a drink. As they walked towards, a café Jason took Connor to one side.

  “Hey mate, your chat up lines may work in Australia with Aussie girls, but here they sound terrible. You sound like an idiot.” Jason said.

  “I’m not bloody Australian. I’m from New Zealand. You fancy her, don’t you? Well I saw her first,” Connor argued.

  “She likes me not you. You work on Farah as a good friend since you’re both fourteen,” Jason said.

  “Yeah, sorry about that. It sort of slipped out, but now you’ve proven yourself to Farah, you could be his friend, and I will work my magic on Ela,” Connor said.

  “You don’t have magic when it comes to girls, if you are going to talk about bogeys and farts.” Jason laughed.

  The Lokanta café was built into the mountain. It had been a café for over two hundred years. Local men at a table at the far end sat and smoked on Hookah’s. The sight of them fascinated Jason and Connor who called them water pipes but Farah corrected them. The men passed the mouthpiece to one another and blew out smoke as they exhaled.

  Some tourist sat at the center tables drinking local wines. Farah, Ela, Jason, Connor, and one remaining friend of Farah’s sat towards the front. Jason wasn’t sure what happened to the boy with cross-eyes. Another group of teenagers sat at the next table. Jason guessed this is where the young people would meet up.

  They ordered Cokes and said hello to other diners at the café. Ela explained that regulars always greet anyone who comes to the cafe since they believe friendships made here last forever. Jason was sat next to Ela, although when he went to use the rest room, he found Connor in his seat trying to get close to her. As much as Connor tried, he couldn’t compete with Jason’s gorgeous looks. His Sapphire blue eyes, lightly tanned face, and blond bangs that fell over his eyes made him adorable.

  Jason smiled at her when he came back. “Is Connor annoying you?” he asked and flashed his smile again, gently brushing his bangs away from his eyes with a little finger in a move that was purposely slow.

  “No, he has stopped with the crazy chat up lines.” Ela laughed.

  “I’ll have you know, most girls love my charm,” Connor said.

  Farah leant over the table and looked at Connor. “You sound Australian, and Jason sounds more like a Brit.”

  “Yes, I thought the same,” Ela said.

  “Um. Do we?” Connor said nervously, looking at Jason for help.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t sound, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese as well. We have moved around so much and gone to so many schools. Connor mixes with guys in his class, and I do with my own age,” Jason said, covering the question. “You don’t exactly sound Turkish; Farah and Ela sounds slightly European.”

  Jason wasn’t sure if Farah was suspicious or if he was paranoid, but he thought he had covered the answer well enough.

  After a few hours, they went their separate way after agreeing to meet up tomorrow to explore Bodrum castle. Farah said people who built it back in the 15th Century haunted it. Jason thought it sounded boring but agreed. It was a way to stay close to Farah and Ela, which was the mission objective. Plus, he liked Ela, so that helped with the objective.

  Jason and Connor walked back to the apartment together. Both kept quiet until Connor eventually broke the silence.

  “Jason, I think our best plan is to let me go for Ela. She is my age and she likes me. I know you like her but you’re too young for her. If not we may fight over her and that could damage the mission,” Connor said.

  “Bull. She is only one year older than me, and she likes me. You made a fool of yourself with your stupid chat up lines. I can get close to her, and you and Farah can hang out,” Jason argued.

  “If we can’t agree we will let Dexter decided when we have a debrief tonight,” Connor said as a matter of fact.

  “Debrief?” Jason asked.

  “Yeah mate on an Infinity mission they debrief us every day and make notes. This gets reported back to Infinity, and they assess us to make sure we are making progress. It’s in the Infinity handbook and part
of our lessons. You just haven’t been with us long enough to know. Like I said, it would be better that I stick close to Ela.”

  “You’re right. I haven’t been in the class as long as you, reading handbooks. I have been on real missions and don’t make stupid mistakes like knowing Farah’s age,” Jason argued. Connor stopped in his tracks and looked serious for once.

  “Yeah, I would prefer it if you never mentioned that. It kind of slipped out,” Connor meekly said.

  “I won’t say nothing but.” Jason paused his attention was drawn to a building behind Connor. “Whoa look at that.” Jason ran over to the building Connor followed.

  Jason looked wide-eyed up at a sign above the building. It read “Sayokan” in large black letters on a red sign.

  “Sayokan, what’s that? The way you said Whoa, I was expecting to see a naked girl or something,” Connor asked.

  “I forgot Turkey had its own form of martial arts. It’s called Sayokan, It’s rare, only a few practice it,” Jason said walking into the building. Jason kicked off his shoes inside and bowed before entering. He was noticed by a man sat at a table in the far corner looking at papers. Connor followed and did the same as Jason.

  The man stood and came around his desk and bowed. Jason bowed back. “Do you speak English, sir?” Jason asked.

  “Hiçİngilizce,” the man replied.

  “Me Sayokan?” Jason asked, pointing at himself.

  The man understood. He spoke back in Turkish but it was clear Jason and Connor couldn’t understand. He pointed at the clock at the number six, and then on the calendar, he pointed at tomorrow’s date.

  “Tomorrow six o’clock. Okay, how much?” Jason asked waving a few Turkish lira at him.

  The man nodded and said “Iki” and held two fingers up. Jason thanked him, bowed, and left, dragging Connor with him.