The Rebirths of Tao

by Wesley Chu

  “I’ll remember that one day, Tao. You’ll regret putting me second to reasoning.”

  Just like you will regret putting me second to a girl.

  “I do not!”

  It is all right. Reasoning dictates that at your age, you are too dumb to know better.

  “I hate you.”

  The two teenagers joined the light stream of students walking into Eureka High School. It was half past seven, so classes wouldn’t begin for about an hour. Most of the students here either had to be dropped off by their parents early, were here for projects, or making up a delinquency. Most ignored them, though a few glanced curiously at their tattered clothing. Almost every single guy outright stared at Alex.

  In a school as small as Eureka High, strangers were big news, and a pretty girl was the biggest. For the guys, it was someone new to scope out, while the girls were already figuring out where she fit into the social hierarchy. Cameron was pretty sure Alex being seen with him was already knocking her status down a few rungs.

  She leaned in and whispered. “What is wrong with everyone?”

  “We need to get out of these clothes,” he said.

  They took the most direct route to the gym locker room and parted ways. Alex looked positively giddy in anticipation of a hot shower. She turned back to him as she went in. “How will we meet up again?”

  Cameron frowned. “I’ll hop in the shower too. Meet you in ten minutes?”

  She made a face. “Yeah, no. I haven’t bathed in days. Just go. I’ll find you.”

  Before he could say anything else, she disappeared past the double doors. Cameron stood there, dumbfounded. Did she actually expect him to just stand out there and wait for her? They had to get out of here before class started. What was she thinking?

  Worry about it later. You only have an hour. Get to the janitor’s supply locker now.

  “Shouldn’t I shower first?”

  Retrieve it while foot traffic is light. Besides, you need that change of clothing in it, unless you would rather wear your gym clothes.

  “Yeah, right. Good idea. That would be embarrassing.”

  Cameron hurried out of the gym and sped at a half jog down the hallway toward the center of the high school. The janitor’s supply locker was next to the cafeteria in a less-traveled side hallway. The door to the room was in an older part of school and had one of those old-school skeleton key locks. Even Cameron with his pedestrian skill at lock-picking had little problem with those. He slowed down as he crossed the cafeteria. Again, more looks. This time, one of the looks was from Mr Hunt, the teacher watching over the room.

  Slow down. Act natural.

  Cameron took a deep breath and recalled the tricks Tao had taught him to blend in. Move with purpose. Act like you belong. Relax.

  “Cameron.” Mr Hunt moved to intercept him.

  You cannot allow him to detain you. There are too many eyes about. Draw him into the hallway before you disable him. Hunt is a heavyset man and favors his right. A hard kick to the side of his knee should do the trick.

  “Are you serious? He’s my math teacher!”

  Lives are at stake.

  “Yes, Mr Hunt?” he said, looking at him with what he hoped was the proper balance of respect and deference without looking like he was hiding something.

  If you are trying to look innocent, you are not succeeding.

  “Where’s the fire?” Hunt asked.

  “I’m sorry,” Cameron said, gesturing at his torn and dirty shirt. “Fell on the way to school. Need to get a change of clothes.”

  Hunt looked him up and down, and then at the angry red cut over his eye. “Did you fall or did you get into a fight with a lynx? You’d better stop by the nurse’s office.”

  “Yes, sir,” Cameron replied, touching his brow and backing up. “It stings. I’ll get it checked right away.”

  Ease up. Always underact, not over.

  “It does hurt though.”

  “Get going, and stop running in the halls,” Hunt said.

  Putting on what he hoped was an appropriately chastised expression, Cameron retreated into the hallway. A few seconds later, he reached the janitor’s supply room and stood dumbfounded by the padlocked handle and latch that had replaced the old skeleton lock.

  Some kids must have broken the old door. Well, get lock picking.

  Cameron scowled. This was the last thing he needed. He pulled the lock picks out of his pack and got to work. Padlocks were not too hard, but still a pain for a complete neophyte like Cameron. He was fortunate that this hallway was rarely used, because if caught, his only option would be to flee the school. A few students walked by, but most didn’t give him a second glance. One even gave him a thumbs up. Ten minutes later, he was still working at it.

  “I can’t get this, Tao.”

  You have to keep your left hand steadier. Move your right in small increments.

  “It’s too hard. I’m just going to smash the door in.”

  You do not think that will cause a lot of noise? Here, find the calm and let me try to help.

  Cameron felt the control of his body loosen slightly, as if an invisible hand was helping steady his left arm. Then, that same unseen force slowed down his small adjustments just by a smidgeon as the lock pick worked through its puzzle. A minute later, he heard a click.

  “Wow, Tao. That was awesome. Tao?”

  I need to rest a bit. That was more draining than I realized.

  His mentor became silent. Cameron pushed his worry for his Quasing into the back of his mind as he walked into the janitor’s supply locker and closed the door. It was a small room with two rows of shelves in the center and against the walls. The locker was filled with cleaning supplies, vacuums, mops, and everything else needed to keep the school tidy.

  He ran to the back corner to a metal vent near the ground. It only took him a few seconds to unscrew the vent, reach in around the corner, and retrieve the pack. Everything looked as he had left it. He opened the pack and pulled out the change of clothing from last year. Cameron quickly threw it on. He checked the envelope of cash and cursed. It only had sixty dollars. He had forgotten he had used some of the emergency cash this year to buy a couple of video games behind his parent’s back and forgot to replenish it. Tao had warned him about that, too. Now, when he really needed the money, he might not have enough.

  “You’re always right, Tao,” he muttered as he consolidated everything into one bag. He checked the time as he hurried back: 8.00am. He was running low on time. It had been over twenty minutes since he had left Alex. Was she waiting for him? He had better get back to her before she got in trouble. Cameron slung the pack over his back and hurried out of the room.

  The hallways were now crowded with students, and he had to navigate the flow of traffic. He had hoped that his change of clothing would help attract less attention, but it seemed to have done the opposite. Even more kids now glanced his way, though this time their looks were accompanied with snickers. Well, nothing he could do about it now. He sighed and pressed on, passing the cafeteria back toward the gym. It felt like it took an eternity just to push through the crowds to get to the gym.

  Cameron reached the locker room entrances and looked around; Alex was nowhere to be seen. His worse fears leaped to mind. Had one of the teachers found her? Was she sitting there wondering where he was? No time to worry about that now, he ran into the boy’s locker room and hopped into the shower.

  He originally had intended to only take a very quick shower and hurry out, but once the hot water hit him, he felt himself melt as days of grime and travel washed off his weary body and loosened his tired muscles. All his worries evaporated and time seemed to tick by slowly. He caught himself, but it was still 8.10 by the time he got out.

  “Oh crap!” he yelled as he hurriedly got dressed. When he looked up at the mirror, Cameron couldn’t help but gasp. He looked ridiculous. Everything he wore looked two sizes too small. He had had quite a growth spurt since last year, having gai
ned a few inches and some weight. His ankles and wrists were completely exposed, and that tightness around his pants… He felt his face turn crimson. Tao had told him to swap clothes more often, but he had been too lazy. Well, now he was going to pay the price.

  I hope those video games were worth it.

  “I swear to God, Tao. If you say I told you so…”

  Would I do that?

  “All the frigging time. By the way, are you all right? You sounded bad after you picked the lock.”

  You picked the lock, Cameron. I just helped a little. And yes, I am all right. It was just draining. You should get into your gym clothes. You can’t move in pants this tight.

  “There’s no time.”

  Then do it quickly.

  Cameron ran to his gym locker and threw on the much larger t-shirt and shorts he had stored there. They still smelled, but at least not as badly as what he had been wearing before. And they were both completely intact, and the right size. He hurried out of the locker room with the thin hope that Alex would be there. She wasn’t. Deflated and unsure of what to do, he lugged his pack along the floor out into the hallway. It was so late by now that the hall monitors would be in place. He probably couldn’t even sneak out of the school now if he wanted to. He hadn’t even gotten to go to the nurse’s office to get something for his cut. On top of that, he had lost Alex. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly? And it wasn’t even 9.00am yet!

  “I suck at this. I’m an awful strategist,” he said, shaking his head and dragging his feet. He looked to his left, where a monitor was manning an exit.

  Stop it. You know, very few of Napoleon’s plans ever went as planned.

  “I thought he was an incredible general.”

  He was. What made him great was his ability to adapt to battlefield conditions.

  “I thought you hated his guts.”

  Oh, I do. Complimenting him just now made me want to leap from your body and commit suicide, but it is the truth.

  The pep talk didn’t help Cameron’s mood as he walked into the crowded cafeteria. Part of him told him that he should be looking for Alex. Another part told him that she could be anywhere, and that the best thing to do was to finish his checklist and stop by the nurse’s office for some peroxide. The cut on his head wasn’t going to get any better. The problem was, the longer he wasn’t looking for her, the more trouble she could get into. What if she wasn’t in the building anymore? What if she thought he had abandoned her? He never got to tell her his true feelings.

  Oh lord. Shut up. Get over yourself.

  “Hey, Cameron.”

  He looked over to his left and, to his utter shock, saw Alex sitting at one of the benches. With Heather, of all people. They were at a table where most of the popular girls at school sat. Cameron blanched. How the hell had she gotten there already? He had been attending school for over a year and actually had a habit of avoiding walking near that table. Now, Alex was sitting in the middle of that gaggle of girls looking not only like she belonged, but was the center of the group.

  Then he noticed her physical appearance. Now that she had showered and had a change of clothing, she looked fantastic. Where did she get the nice clothes she was wearing? Cameron found himself very self-conscious.

  For a second, his heart forgot to beat and he found his breath caught in his throat as she got up and bounded to him. “I was worried about you,” she said, putting her arm through his and leading him to the table.

  “I found your exchange student in the locker room after my cross-country practice,” Heather said. “She asked to borrow my phone to check her social network and was looking for a change of clothes. Gave her a set of my spares. You really lucked out on the exchange program, Tan.” The girls around the table giggled. Cameron’s ears burned.

  “How did Alex already get in with that crowd? Why can’t you teach me stuff like this?”

  Sorry. I thought learning to hide and fight were more important assets to have than being popular in high school.

  Cameron was in awe as he listened to Alex artfully ingratiate and embed herself with this group of girls. At first, he thought she’d try to fit in. Instead, though, he noticed her accent became just a tiny bit thicker, her mannerisms a little more graceful and aristocratic, yet her deference to the queen bees in the group obvious. Within just a few minutes, she had neatly placed herself in the social hierarchy of the Eureka High School cool kids’ club, something Cameron couldn’t get within a thousand feet of.

  I have to admit: Tabs and Alex are very good.

  The five minute bell rang before class and the cafeteria dispersed. Cameron watched as the entire gaggle of girls at the bench hugged Alex before they each went off their separate ways. She turned around and flashed him an innocent smile. “Just getting what I needed at the time.”

  That is why I tell you to be careful with this one. You might be able to survive in the woods and live off the land, but this is her world, and you could not touch her in this arena.

  “Are we done here?” she asked.

  Cameron pointed at his brow. “Nurse’s office next, then we can bolt.”

  The two moved at a brisk pace toward the nurse’s office, located next door to the library. In his head, Cameron planned his escape path out of the high school. Disabling the monitors – usually teachers – shouldn’t be a problem, but he would really prefer not to do that. His English teacher, eighty year-old Ms Hannigan, usually took a spot during first period at the main entrance. Knocking her over just to escape felt decidedly wrong. He could run around her as well, but again, he could already see the disappointment in her eyes if he did that. She was his favorite teacher.

  Priorities, Cameron.

  “I’m just debating my options. What about the gym doors?”

  Wannsik has class, but he is usually pretty busy. You might be able to leave without attracting attention.

  “That’ll be the plan, then.”

  Nurse Steff Sheung was twenty-five, and this was her first year at Eureka High School. She was at the same time extraordinarily sweet and completely vapid. She spent half of her time at school staring at her cell phone and the other half staring at herself. In between, she found a little time to direct kids with headaches to the cots and to bandage minor scrapes and cuts. Half the guys in the school had crushes on her, Cameron included. Though with Alex at his side, he wasn’t feeling quite the same nervousness that he usually felt when coming here, which, to be honest, was pretty often.

  “Cameron. Again?” Sheung said, looking up from her phone. She saw the cut and shook her head. Then she saw Alex next to him. “Who is your friend?”

  Alex introduced herself as the exchange student and Cameron saw her behavior transform right before his eyes. Before, she was interesting and stood out, and the popular girls at the cafeteria swarmed around her. Now, she appeared shy and unsure, like a wallflower. In a few seconds, she seemed to have blended into the background while Nurse Sheung worked on Cameron’s cut.

  “It’s infected,” she frowned, dabbing him with the peroxide, “and a couple of days old. You should have had this checked.”

  He glanced over behind her shoulder at Alex, who was stealthily raiding the medicine cabinet. The girl was like a master thief, tip-toeing across the room and rummaging through all the drawers and cabinets. They made eye contact and she shook her head.

  “Ow,” Cameron said, pulling back a bit.

  “Hold still,” Sheung said. He fidgeted as she continued dabbing his cut. “Let me get a Band-Aid.”

  “Wait,” Cameron said quickly. “I think I have a cut in my hair as well.”

  Sheung began to poke through his hair. “Is everything all right at home, Cameron? If you need anyone to talk to, I’m always here to lend an ear.”

  Cameron tried not to scoff. If one more adult asked him this question, he was going to scream. The only time Roen ever hurt him was when Cameron missed a block.

  Well, there was the one time he almost dislocated you
r arm trying to show you how to fa jin.

  “Okay, that.”

  And the other when he bruised your rib demonstrating Muay Thai strikes.

  “Hmm, maybe my parents are abusive.”

  Well, you did stab him with a sword last week, and there was the time you broke his wrist with that aikido throw.

  “We’ll call it a draw then. In my defense, you were both telling me the throw wouldn’t work unless I put everything I had into it.”

  We will just lay that blame on Roen then. No need to get your mother involved.

  Nurse Sheung finished up with Cameron a minute later. By that time, Alex had stolen a dozen small bottles and packages from the office. The two fled the office as fast as possible. Sheung might be unobservant, but she definitely would notice all the stuff missing once she opened a cabinet. Their packs on their backs, they burst through the double-doors to the gym. He pointed at the metal doors on the far end of the room across the basketball court.

  “Hey, Cameron,” Wannsik said. “Going somewhere?”

  Unfortunately, the coach’s first period gym class was in session, and it contained the entire varsity football team. The coach liked to put all his guys into first period so they could merge their morning workout directly with class. That gave them an entire day to recover before practice after school.

  Cameron grabbed Alex’s wrist and pulled her along. “Run. Stop at nothing!”

  The two ran through the class, hoping that they could just barrel their way out the door before anyone was the wiser.

  “Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Wannsik yelled.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Bill, the varsity quarterback, repeated, getting in his way. Half of the school’s varsity athletes followed suit and blocked their path to the exit.

  No other choice now. Angle left. Do not let Alex out of your sight. Do not get surrounded. Try not to hurt anyone. Go!

  Cameron let go of Alex and attacked, flowing through the motions, sliding in between students, using an open hand to grapple and body-check those in his way. He knew all the kids here, and most weren’t bullies like some of the guys on the football team. However, they were blocking his way, so he had to take them down.