by C. C. Monö
“I’m sorry, Mr Hallman, but I’m not allowed to discuss other students with you. Not even if they’ve passed on. Now, if you’ll excuse me…”
Mr Milton marched off and disappeared through security. There was something about Sarah Wangai’s death that bothered Axel. He had a feeling Dr Vella hadn’t told him the truth.
CHAPTER 79
TWELVE YEARS EARLIER
The view from up here was comforting. Sarah could see well beyond the white walls. She saw the river snake itself through the rice fields, carrying a couple of fishermen and their small boats down the gentle stream. In the distance, she glimpsed the ocean and watched it fade seamlessly into an impeccable blue sky. If she turned a little to the left, she could make out men and women in straw hats, riding overloaded bicycles on a narrow dirt road towards Hoi Ann. It was beautiful, but it wasn’t home.
She drew a quivering breath and felt the faint scent of roses from the garden below. Of all the places in the Academy, this was her favourite spot.
“Ms Wangai?”
Sarah spun around. Mr Garner was standing by the short metal stairs leading down from the roof’s helipad to the narrow balcony on which Sarah was standing. The old man took off his panama hat and bowed.
“I didn’t mean to startle you, miss,” he said, descending the steep stairs with obvious concentration. He looked so old and fragile that her instincts made her reach out to help him. He declined with a wave of his finger.
“No, thank you, my dear. I have no intention of feeling that old yet.”
With a bit of effort, he made his way down on his own. They stood next to each other, admiring the garden while the sun tickled their necks and the wind tugged at their clothes. Nearby, hidden among leaves and branches, a bird sang to the world.
Sarah’s eyes wandered down to the balustrade and ran her hand over its smooth surface. She knew why Mr Garner was here.
The other students considered the staff more or less invisible. To them, they were just servants. But Sarah knew these “servants” both saw and heard far more than students and professors cared to understand. The employees talked to one another, shared information, and knew more secrets about the world within the Academy than even Principal Cunningham did.
Yes, she knew why the man was here, and she loved him for it.
“May I ask you something, Mr Garner?” she whispered.
“Certainly, miss.”
“If someone held out an apple and told you it was an orange, what would you say?”
Mr Garner didn’t smile or laugh; instead he gazed at the horizon, contemplating her question.
“I would tell the person that I saw an apple, not an orange,” he replied after a moment.
“And if ten people told you it was an orange, what would you say?”
“I’d still tell them it was an apple.”
Sarah nodded.
“So would I.” She peered down over the railing at the stone patio several stories below. “But what if a hundred people told you it was an orange?”
The old man turned and looked at her.
“An apple is an apple, Miss.”
“Yes, but a hundred people are telling you it’s not.”
Mr Garner pulled out a handkerchief and began dabbing his forehead.
“Hmm. When you put it like that…” He readjusted his hat and tucked the handkerchief into his pocket. “I suppose I’d begin to doubt myself eventually.”
Maybe it was the kindness in his voice or the genuine concern in his eyes. Perhaps it was just the fact that he affirmed her own thoughts. Whatever it was, it struck something within her, and without warning, she began to cry.
“Oh my.” Mr Garner placed a hand on her shoulder and she responded by embracing him, pressing her face against his chest. She felt him hesitate before he, with awkward tenderness, put his thin arms around her. “What’s wrong?” he whispered. “Mr Milton said you were very upset when you entered the stairwell.” She nodded. “You have to stop crying, miss,” the old man continued. “You know the professors don’t accept this kind of behaviour.”
Sarah nodded again. She knew the others frowned upon her behaviour. Strong emotions, especially sad emotions, were unacceptable. She let go of the old man.
“I’m sorry,” she said, snivelling. “I’ve lost my head.”
“Just tell me what’s wrong,” Mr Garner urged. “How can I help?”
“I’m afraid you can’t help me, Mr Garner.”
“Let me try.”
Sarah wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
“You’re very kind to me, but…” She couldn’t make herself continue.
“Let me guess, miss. You feel that you’re seeing an apple but everyone tells you it’s an orange?”
Sarah let out a little laugh.
“Yes.”
The old man didn’t return her smile. Placing his hands on the balustrade, he gazed out at the world around them, concern showing in the deep lines of his shrivelled face.
“So am I right to assume that this is connected to your questions about leadership?”
“Yes. No matter how hard I try, I fail to see what they see. What I call manipulation, they call motivation. What I call abuse of power, they call a necessity. When I see arrogance, they see pride. When I see humanity, they see weakness.” Sarah shook her head. “It’s hard, Mr Garner. Everyone tells me I’m wrong. They argue with me, mock and laugh at anything I say. I don’t know what to think anymore. My heart knows I’m right, but my mind is questioning my sanity. ”
Mr Garner closed his eyes and was quiet for a very long time.
“You can’t quit, Ms Wangai,” he whispered at last. “You need to push on.”
CHAPTER 80
PRESENT MOMENT
Mikael peered out the kitchen window, listening to his best friend whine about the amount of work he suffered.
“That’s why I haven’t called you for a while,” Axel explained, his voice tired and tense. “The workload is insane. I’m studying around eighteen hours a day, including Sundays.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Mikael said with mannered cheerfulness. “I got one of my regular visits from the Academy yesterday, and they told me you’re doing well.”
Axel paused.
“What visit?”
“You know, a visit from the Academy.”
“No, I don’t know. Would I ask if I did?”
Pouting, Mikael turned away from the window. He wasn’t used to Axel being this edgy. Something was bothering his friend and he doubted the hefty workload was the main problem.
“I guess not.”
“Yeah, well, what about these visits?” Axel continued with a mutter.
Christ. What was wrong with the guy?
“Well, every second week or so, a person from the Academy pays me a little visit to deliver a script about where you are and what you do; things I must say if someone asks me.”
Axel was silent for a second.
“They give you a script?”
“Yeah. At least that’s the official reason, but I think they just want to remind me to keep my mouth shut.”
“Oh.”
Mikael grabbed a chair and sat down. Axel didn’t say anything and the awkward silence began to nibble its way under his skin.
“So anyway,” Mikael said after a while, eager to continue their conversation, “I’m dating this girl. She’s fantastic.”
On the other end of the line, Axel cleared his throat.
“That’s great, Mikael. I’m happy for you…listen; I have to go. I’ll call you, all right?”
A minute later, Mikael sat in his small kitchen, staring out his window with growing concern. Axel had always been curious about Mikael’s love life. Under normal circumstances, he’d pry and beg to learn more, but this time he hadn’t even reacted.
CHAPTER 81
Days and weeks passed with extraordinary speed. While the trees outside Avenue Louise shifted from leafless to majestic green, Axel b
uried his nose in his books. He wasn’t alone. By mid-April, some of the students were so exhausted they fell asleep during class. Their complaints met little sympathy from their teachers; after all, leaders couldn’t stop leading just because they’re tired, and so the students pushed on.
They spent hours in their Speechomats and completed absurd obstacle courses. They studied military strategies, historical revolutions, and diplomatic power struggles. They had gruelling role-play negotiations; some of which went on for thirty-six hours without food, sleep, or even a break. They analysed world-affairs, business structures, and political parties.
With Mr Bell, they did voice training and practised ballroom dances. They studied art and famous painters such as Van Gogh and Monet. They learnt what colour clothing suited them the best and how to position themselves when being photographed by media. As it were, they also had to learn everything worth knowing about spirits and cigars.
“I don’t care what your attitude towards drinking is, Mr Hallman,” Mr Bell said one day, “but when someone of power offers you a glass of whiskey, you will accept it with a smile on your face. Understood?”
“That makes no sense at all,” Axel protested. “Whether I drink or not is my business. It affects no one but me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Mr Bell said with annoyance. “Drinking is an important part of building trust between rulers. A little alcohol will help a person to relax. It will loosen their tongue and bring out their true character. If you refuse to drink, you may be interpreted as hiding something, and no one trusts a person who refuses to let his guard down.”
“There are other ways to build trust,” Axel challenged.
“Indeed, and you will master all of them, including drinking.”
Axel continued to object to the bizarre order until Mr Bell had enough and threatened to have him expelled on the spot.
“I’m not asking you to become an alcoholic,” he snapped. “I’m telling you to socialize in a way that is expected of a great leader. You will do as I tell you, and that’s final!”
One day in early May, Mr Nakata gave a lecture on fear. They were in Room C, which, on this particular day, resembled a deep ocean. There was nothing but blue around them. Beams of light filtered down from the surface through the slow currents.
It was a spectacular scene, and under normal circumstances, it might have encouraged an individual to search for wisdom and inner peace. Of course, peace was the last thing on Axel’s mind.
Mr Nakata made his way around the classroom at a slow pace.
“Fear is weakness if not tamed,” he warned. “As rulers, you must know how to handle it.”
He stopped. The walls around them flickered once. Mr Nakata remained perfectly still, staring into the wall behind them. Other than the eerie underwater sound, the room was silent.
The students began to shift in their seats, glancing around the room with growing unease. Axel felt the tension build.
All of a sudden, the floor began to tremble. The ocean around them darkened, and a rumbling sound filled the room. There was movement on his right. A great white shark came at lightning speed; its jaws wide open, displaying rows and rows of knife-like teeth. As it reached the wall, it transformed into a hologram. The students gasped when the shark shot through the air, passing through Axel, Thabo, and a few other students. It reached the middle of the room and exploded into millions of tiny light particles.
An astonished silence filled the room as the hologram particles rained down over the students. Axel had stopped breathing. He didn’t move for a few seconds and then, without warning, he began to laugh. He couldn’t help himself, and, an instant later, the others joined him. Some even clapped their hands.
“Wow!” Edward cried. “That was awesome!”
“Do that again!” Layla yelled.
Mr Nakata clasped his hands behind his back and grinned.
“To make you strong, you now begin Face Fear Training, or F.F.T.”
It was like turning off a switch. The exhilaration died, and the room fell silent.
“Uhh… What is F.F.T.?” Federico asked with obvious suspicion in his voice.
Mr Nakata’s grin widened.
“A very good training.”
The walls shook. This time the shark attacked from underneath their feet. Axel was close to leaping out of his seat. The great beast flew up from the floor just to disintegrate in the middle of the room.
“F.F.T. will help analyse your behaviour and prepare for enemy!” Mr Nakata continued.
“What enemy?” Axel asked.
Mr Nakata just gave him a long look and turned to Julie who had raised a finger.
“Hai?”
“What will we do during the F.F.T.?” she asked.
Mr Nakata grinned.
“It will be a surprise.” At that moment, Axel knew he would hate the F.F.T.; Mr Nakata was, after all, a man who always took his exercises to the extreme. “Training will go on for few weeks. You work alone with me. That is all I say. Now back to yesterday’s discussion on guerrilla warfare…”
“This sucks,” Dalilah concluded as they left the classroom an hour later. None of the others replied. They were all thinking the same.
CHAPTER 82
Axel was at the gym during their lunch break when Mr Nakata strolled in.
“Come with me,” the man said.
Without a word, Axel put down the dumb-bells and followed Mr Nakata to the elevators. They rode down to the garage where Julien was waiting for them.
“Where are we going, sir?”
“Patience,” Mr Nakata replied. “You will see.”
They drove in silence for an hour and a half; first on back streets out of the city, and then the E40, heading east, until they came to a stop in front of a tall building.
“This is K2 Tower,” Mr Nakata said with a smirk. “Fifty-two meters high.”
Oh crap. Axel felt his heart begin to pound, beating hard against his chest as if begging to be released.
“Why are we here?” he asked.
Mr Nakata studied him for a brief moment and then did something very rare. He laughed. It was a strange and creepy sound, something between a cat coughing up a fur ball and the chuckle of a very hoarse Santa Claus.
“Oh, I know your greatest fear, Mr Hallman. Today, you bungee jump.”
This is a good time to tremble, isn’t it, something deep within Axel asked. He is talking about heights, after all.
“You look pale,” Mr Nakata declared. “That is good. Very good. Now come. We must register.”
They walked over to the entrance and were greeted by a bulky man dressed like a hippie, wearing a T-shirt that read ‘Las Vegas Bungee Bunnies’. He sure didn’t look like a bunny, nor did he sound like one. In a loud and annoying voice, he declared that he was their instructor, adding that before there could be any jumping, Axel had to sign a number of forms.
Regrettably, this didn’t take very long, and before he knew it, Axel was standing in an elevator, heading up the tower, wearing a bright, yellow harness.
“Is this your first time?” the instructor asked, in an attempt to small talk.
“Uh-hu,” Axel mumbled.
“Yeah, I could tell. There’s dread in your face.” Axel threw the laughing man a “please-shut-up” glare, but the instructor seemed incapable of reading it. Either that or he just didn’t care. “Anyway, you’re lucky. The first jump is special, you know, like the first time you have sex.”
“Then I should worry.” Axel sighed. “My first time wasn’t that great.”
“All right, maybe that was a bad example,” the instructor snickered. “This is better than losing your virginity.” They exited the elevator, and walked up a narrow flight of stairs into a small room with large windows. “Okay, man. Let me just go over some stuff.”
The instructor began explaining the jump in detail. Axel tried to pay attention, but he was too petrified to listen. He had to ask the man to repeat himself on several occasio
ns.
Once the instructor had reached the end of his repertoire, he led Axel and Mr Nakata out onto the platform. Axel kept his eyes on the horizon. From here, he could see the end of the world, well, at least past an endless number of fields.
“Now I’ll attach you to the rope.”
The words made him drop his gaze, and, against his will, Axel looked down, out over the edge. He saw the road on his right, the buildings, and a pool far beneath his feet. Aah!
“Am I jumping into the pool?”
“Chill, man, you won’t get wet.”
“Then why do you have a pool there?”
“Never mind that, just keep your eyes on the horizon and jump. You’ll love it, man. It’ll make you feel so alive.”
“Unless I die of a heart attack on the way down.”
The instructor grinned.
“Then at least you’ll die doing something cool. Anyway, you’re all set. I’ll count five, four, three, two, one, jump. On jump you go…!”
“You done?” Mr Nakata interrupted.
The instructor turned to the Security and Defence teacher.
“Yeah, he’s ready to jump.”
Mr Nakata nodded.
“Very good. Then leave us.”
Axel watched the instructor frown with impressive vigour.
“What?”
“Leave.”
“Are you serious?”
“Hai.”
The instructor pulled a face that would have been comical under normal circumstances.
“I can’t leave, man.”
Mr Nakata clicked his tongue and reached over to pat the instructor on his arm.
“Ah, it is very easy. You take elevator down. Same as coming up. Just press button with ‘G’ on it.”
“It’s not funny, man. I have to be here for safety reasons.” He turned to Axel. “This is a joke, isn’t it?”
Mr Nakata folded his arms over his chest.
“No. We have special arrangement with your boss.”
“Yeah…I know about the arrangement. You’ve booked half a day and you wanted as few staff members here as possible. I’m the only one on the compound.”