Cloak of the Light: Wars of the Realm, Book 1

by Black, Chuck

  Benjamin smiled just a little, and then a lot as he realized he wasn’t being played. It was the first time Drew had seen him smile, which he imagined didn’t happen very often.

  As they left the cafeteria, Benjamin turned and looked up at Drew. “I don’t get it … Why did you help me back there?”

  Drew thought for a minute. “Because what they did was wrong, and it’s wrong to do nothing when you have the power to do something.” Those were words his dad had spoken, and he never forgot them.

  Benjamin stared at Drew, then shook his head again. “There’s a lot of wrong going on … I think you’re in for a tough life.”

  Drew shrugged. “I don’t get it either. Why do you help the jocks by being an assistant for the team if they treat you so lousy?”

  The hall was moderately busy, and the odd couple caught the stares and whispers of many of the kids. Drew ignored them.

  “Well, I am the nonathletic offspring of a very athletic father. And when I decided not to go out for sports, he decided I should pay my dues by becoming an assistant for at least one sport each year. I logically chose the shortest season with the least number of games. I’m quite certain he thought it might inspire me to one day actually join one of the teams, but it has instead solidified my position that such activities are a complete and total waste of time, energy, money, and various other school resources.”

  “Wow … that really stinks. Does your dad know how bad it is for you?”

  “No, but I don’t think he would really care anyway. He will be forever upset that I didn’t try to follow in his glorious athletic footsteps. Any mocking I may receive would be considered justifiable payment for neglecting the more appropriate and respected activities.”

  Ben sure had sarcasm down to a fine art.

  “Besides, there are only a few on the team that are real jerks. Most of the guys just ignore me, so it’s not as bad as it may seem.”

  Drew marveled at Benjamin’s attitude. “You’re okay, Berg.”

  Benjamin shook his head as if to clear his ears.

  “How come your friends weren’t sitting with you at lunch?” Drew asked.

  Benjamin gawked. “Friends? Are you kidding? In this zoo? Three years in this prison and I’m out of here. No one will mourn my departure—especially me!”

  Drew frowned. “You don’t look like the dropout type.”

  Benjamin laughed. “By year’s end I’ll have enough dual credits to graduate from this dump and enter college as a sophomore.”

  Drew looked around and caught a few more stares.

  Benjamin noticed them too. “Look, you’d better distance yourself from me if you are going to succeed in this artificial social cesspool.”

  Drew looked back at Benjamin. “See you at lunch tomorrow.”

  “You really are trying to sabotage your chances, aren’t you?”

  Drew just laughed and headed off for his first afternoon class.

  DETENTION WAS BEARABLE, but practice was brutal. After what happened in the lunchroom, almost every guy on the team was out to put Drew down. At the end of practice, Drew was bruised, sore, and wiped out. In the locker room, he was avoided like a contagious disease. He was slow to shower and pack his gear. Everyone else was gone, except for Joey.

  “Bad move today, Carter.” Joey walked by, sports bag in tow. “Little advice: watch your back. The football field isn’t the only place we look out for each other.”

  The door closed behind Joey, and the thump echoed in the empty locker room. Drew sat in silence for a few minutes. Had he blown his chance to play football at Rivercrest?

  With a sigh, he texted his mother for a ride, then finished up, hoisted his sports bag over his shoulder, and walked out of the school and into the parking lot. He looked around, fully expecting O’Brian to be waiting for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. A few minutes later, his mother pulled up and greeted him with a hopeful smile.

  “How was your first day?”

  Drew just grunted. He knew she hated that, so he added, “Fine, I guess.”

  They pulled up to the stop sign at the north end of the school and took a left onto Central. A few hundred yards later, flashing lights were reflecting off the rearview mirrors.

  His mother glared at the police car. “I wasn’t speeding!”

  This day just gets better and better. Drew turned around and saw a sheriff’s car trailing close behind them. A few moments later, an officer exited the car and sauntered up to their minivan.

  Drew’s mother looked up as the man came to the window. “Is there a problem, officer?”

  “Driver’s license and proof of insurance,” came the stiff command.

  Drew could see the starched, pressed tan uniform pulled tight across the officer’s thickened abdomen. The man leaned over, probably so he could see into the minivan better. He glanced at Kathryn, then looked right at Drew. It was a hard glare …

  Drew turned and looked out the passenger window. What was this guy’s problem?

  “You rolled through that stop sign, ma’am. You need to be careful around this school zone.”

  “I did?”

  His mother sounded truly bewildered. Drew was too. He hated driving with his mother because she was such a stickler for following the rules. He looked back at the officer, read his name tag—and let out a snort.

  “Do you have a problem, son?” the officer barked.

  His mother’s eyes grew big as she looked over at Drew.

  “No sir. Just caught something in my throat.”

  The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “Stay in your car.” With that, he returned to his cruiser.

  “What was that for?” His mom’s tone was stern.

  “His name tag said Houk.”

  “And?”

  “That happens to be the name of the quarterback on the football team.”

  “And?”

  “Let’s just say it wasn’t the best day after all.” Drew cringed at the interrogation he knew would follow.

  His mother kept checking the rearview mirror. “We’ll talk more about this when we get home.”

  Drew moaned. All he wanted to do was eat, watch some TV, and go to bed. Talking about anything, especially his lousy first day at school, was the last thing he wanted to do.

  A few minutes passed and the officer returned with Kathryn’s driver’s license and registration.

  “I’m going to let you go with a warning this time.” He handed her driver’s license back and looked right at Drew. “Be careful around this school.”

  “Yes, officer,” Kathryn said.

  The sheriff returned to his car and left, his lights flashing.

  Clearly rattled, Drew’s mother took a deep breath and eased back onto the road.

  That evening, Drew fell into his bed feeling like gravity was pulling down with twice its normal force. He sank onto his bed and fell instantly asleep.

  FIVE MINUTES LATER his mother was shaking him to wake up for school.

  “The O’Brians and the Houks are tight,” Ben explained that day at lunch, after Drew told him of his encounter with Sheriff Houk.

  “Joey and Cameron are friends, but not like their parents—they go way back.”

  “Great. Now you tell me.”

  “I tried to warn you.” Ben smirked.

  “Yeah … I guess you did. I’ll just have to deal with it.”

  As the week went on, the battering on the football field continued, but Drew did well in spite of it. In fact, the team’s plot to destroy him backfired because it showed the coaches just what Drew was made of, and it allowed him to fully demonstrate his abilities. There were multiple altercations both on and off the field, but Drew worked hard and stayed tough. The coaches were impressed, and in time he even won a few of the players over. As things turned in his favor, Cameron O’Brian became more incensed with him. Twice he had to avert Cameron’s attempts to fight him after practice.

  Drew paid particular attention to Joey’s reaction to it all, figurin
g that in the end Joey would have the most influence over the team. Drew learned that Joey was the quarterback for more reasons than just his athleticism—he was a smart tactician, supporting Cameron but remaining neutral enough to advantage himself no matter what the future outcome would be.

  In the midst of Drew’s challenging and painful week there was one bright spot: Jake arrived with his dad’s ’95 Mustang. Drew ran to the car and gave Jake a bear hug, grabbed the keys, and jumped in for a test drive.

  “Be careful, Drew Carter,” his mother commanded.

  “Of course, Mom!” Drew backed the car out of the driveway.

  His mother looked nervous and happy at the same time. Drew smiled wide as he felt the 5.0 liter engine rumble beneath the hood. Life was going to get good … he could feel it.

  TEN DAYS LATER, Drew and Cameron faced off before the coaches to see who would win the starting fullback position. It was an all-out war as the two of them battled it out for over thirty minutes through five intense drills among the shouts and cheers of the whole team. When it was over, the coaches conferred for a few minutes, then announced Drew as the first-seat fullback. O’Brian swore, threw his helmet on the ground, and stormed off to the locker room. Half the team congratulated Drew, and the other half scorned him. He didn’t envy the challenge the coaches now faced in trying to bring unity back to the team. After practice, the head coach called Drew into his office.

  “Carter, I have to say, you’ve got guts.”

  “Thanks, Coach.”

  Coach Bruber was in his early forties and as fit as any of his players. Square shoulders, muscled arms and legs, and a vast knowledge of football had gained him the respect of every one of the players. He had been part of the coaching staff for the last fifteen years, six as the head coach.

  Bruber crossed his arms, and his biceps and forearm muscles bulged. He eyed Drew while chewing on the inside of his left cheek, a habit Drew figured was the by-product of living for years under the stress of having to perform in a community where football was everything.

  “Listen, Carter, you’ve earned the right to start at fullback, and I’m going to give you that opportunity.” Coach Bruber hesitated, apparently choosing his next words carefully. “In my position there are many factors … and influences … that weigh into making such a decision.”

  Drew cocked his head, as if to appear uncertain what the coach was getting at. Although he was sure it had to do with the influence of certain well-known families in the school, something tempted him to force the coach to be blunt.

  Coach Bruber looked unfazed. “I’m taking a chance on you, Carter. Don’t let me down.”

  “I won’t, Coach.”

  Coach Bruber scrutinized Drew. “Good. And keep out of trouble off the field too. Second chances are rare around here.”

  Drew nodded. Coach Bruber sat down at his desk and began looking over some stats. Drew left the office wondering just how strong those “influences” were. Well, he wouldn’t give anyone even the slightest opportunity to ruin his chances to play the game he loved—and to gain a football scholarship when he graduated.

  The next day before practice began, Drew saw a rather large, red-faced man leaving Coach Bruber’s office.

  “That’s O’Brian’s old man,” Spud told him in a hushed tone. “You sure have made a ruckus around here.” He punched Drew’s shoulder.

  Coach Bruber came out of his office with a steely-eyed glare. Practice was going to be rough.

  3

  THE CURIOUS MIND OF BENJAMIN BERG

  Ignoring the social boundaries between different groups in high school had its risks, but Drew had seen his dad give the same respect to a mechanic working on his car as he did to a bank president. He followed suit—and because of it, Drew was liked and despised by kids in all groups.

  “So tell me about aliens, Ben.” Drew gave a wide smile as he sat down across from his unlikely new friend during lunch hour.

  Benjamin looked at Drew through narrowed eyes. What was Benjamin opposed to … his new nickname or the question?

  “Seriously, I want to know,” Drew prompted.

  Benjamin looked left and right, probably to see if he was going to be the butt of another joke. Occasionally a couple of football players would join Drew at Ben’s table, but today they were alone. The more Drew learned about Benjamin, the more intrigued he became. The boy was an absolute genius.

  Drew had never met someone so peculiar.

  “I’m going to become a physicist.”

  Drew laughed. “What does that have to do with aliens?”

  “Everything! Physics is the study of matter and its motion through space and time.” Benjamin looked at Drew as if that should answer all of his questions.

  Drew held up his hands. What was Ben talking about? Maybe he shouldn’t have asked the question.

  Benjamin huffed. “Physicists analyze nature to understand the universe. If we can understand the universe, we will know where we came from and where to look for other intelligent life.”

  Benjamin looked around again. The kid bordered on paranoid.

  “Everyone here scoffs at me for believing there are alien life forms, but think about it: NASA has some of the most brilliant minds in the world, and they are looking for other intelligent life. Why would the United States government spend billions of dollars if it wasn’t a legitimate quest?”

  Benjamin nodded his head toward the football players along the far wall. “Those clowns can laugh all they want at me while they get Cs and Ds in Social Studies. I hope to join the brilliant scientists of the world that are as convinced as I am that aliens do exist. It’s just a matter of time before we find them. And do you want to know why?”

  Drew’s smile had faded. He stared at Benjamin, waiting for the answer.

  “Because they are looking for us too.”

  The way Benjamin said it caused the hair on Drew’s neck to stand up. For a moment, he considered the possible validity of that statement.

  Creepy.

  “I’m following the research of some of the leading physicists in the world, especially those whose work I believe will one day help us discover alien life. I think they are closer than we realize.”

  Drew absorbed Benjamin’s strange and starry gaze. He didn’t buy that aliens existed, but there was no doubt Benjamin did. Drew hadn’t expected such a passionate answer.

  Drew swallowed. “How close are they?”

  Benjamin broke from his otherworldly gaze and allowed a subtle smile. “You are different from the rest.”

  “How’s that?”

  “By now others would be laughing and ridiculing me, but you ask more questions.” He shook his head. “Have you ever wondered why science, Hollywood, and so many publishers are investing billions of dollars on the notion of alien life?” Benjamin’s expression grew more intense. “It has become a consistent and central theme in much of our culture.”

  Drew realized just how right Ben was. Fully half of the movies he had seen in the last year had something to do with aliens.

  “The influence is huge! I think we are being prepared.”

  Drew’s eyes widened. Ben was too deep, too serious, too … right. Chills once again came over him. He had not expected to be affected by asking a few simple questions of a strange and quirky boy, but Ben’s logic was unsettling.

  “Prepared? For what?” he finally forced himself to ask.

  “Hey, Carter! You ready for the Wolves?”

  Alex plopped his tray down beside Drew. He was one of the two biggest linemen on the team, and he liked Drew. Ben recoiled like a sea anemone.

  “Hungry for Wolf meat,” Drew said and knucked it with Alex.

  The conversation became exclusively football, and Drew was okay with that. He needed a little time to sort out what he thought about Ben and whether his eccentricity was still within the realm of normal—or if Ben was certifiable.

  The rest of the day Drew couldn’t help thinking about his conversation with Ben
. He had never considered humanity’s fascination—no, it was more of an obsession—with the possibility of alien life. That night, after having been plagued with Ben’s bizarre perspectives, he came to the conclusion that humanity’s fascination with aliens was no different than its fascination with zombies, vampires, and werewolves. No sane man alive would give them serious consideration. No, it was all in the name of entertainment.

  So, that was settled. There were no zombies, vampires, or werewolves. Just as there were no aliens.

  Good.

  Drew felt much better—at least for a while—until he realized that NASA wasn’t looking for zombies, vampires, or werewolves.

  The next day at lunch, Drew grabbed his food from the lunch line and went to sit down.

  “Hey, Carter,” Joey called. “You want to talk football or computers and aliens?”

  Drew glanced toward Ben, their eyes meeting for one brief moment; then he sat down next to Joey. Drew joined in the conversation, discussing the newest play the coach had given them, but the image of that lone figure three tables over gnawed on his conscience until he became indignant with it. The next two lunch hours he spent with the football players, telling his nagging conscience to go hang. After all, the team’s first game was this Friday and camaraderie was an important aspect of a successful team.

  THE RIVERCREST FALCONS won their first football game, but it was a tough one. Even though Joey was still loyal to Cameron, he was smart enough to not jeopardize his own position, or the potential success of the team, by undermining Drew’s ability to run the ball. And run the ball he did. Drew scored two touchdowns and ran for one hundred forty yards. The coaches were pleased, and so were many of his teammates.

  In the locker room, Cameron was silent amid the ruckus of a celebratory team. When the coaches finished their postgame comments, Drew grabbed his gear and headed for his locker, not planning to shower. He thanked each of the guys on the offensive line for doing a great job, which stunned them. His former coach had taught him to do that, and it paid off in team unity and yards.