That helped me feel a little better. I didn’t need to make it to the end. I just had to last longer than Carlyle did.
A gun popped from above as Mr Cooper raised his arm. Apparently it was the sign to go because Carlyle had already started climbing up to the rope bridge.
‘Go!’ Zoe cried.
I grabbed the ropes and started climbing after Carlyle who was already a metre above me. He had even started crossing the rope path that led to the rock wall about three metres away. I gripped tighter and started moving faster.
‘You’re already losing!’ Carlyle shouted.
I wanted to yell back but was too focused on not falling. As soon as I pulled myself up onto the rope path, I carefully stepped one foot in front of the other.
The pirate captain was already standing at the spot where I fell the first time I tried playing on this thing. It was a short hop to the rock wall from where he was standing.
He stopped long enough for me to catch up to him. ‘That wall looks far,’ I said.
‘Ladies first,’ Carlyle replied.
I took a breath and judged the distance between the wall and the bridge. It wasn’t far, but the first time I jumped last Monday, I missed the handholds. Closing my eyes, I nodded, and then jumped into the unknown.
‘He jumped with his eyes closed!’ shouted one of the kids from the crowd.
Suddenly I heard the entire school burst with applause as I sailed through the air. It was as if time slowed down. I heard the other students cheering me on, shouting and hollering at me. My eyes shot open, and I saw Zoe covering her face, unable to watch my jump. Brayden was frozen in time with his jaw dropped and eyes peeled wide open. I even felt like I had enough time to glance back at Carlyle. The pirate captain was angrier than I’d ever seen as he watched me reach for the handholds.
I turned back around and reached my fingers out. They grazed the handholds of the rock wall and slipped off. No, I thought. Not again! As I started slipping down, I kicked my feet out and just happened to catch one of the handholds below me. It was just enough to give me another shot at grabbing the wall with my hands.
And it worked.
I gripped tightly and pulled my body against the wall. Everybody cheered again. Everyone except for Carlyle. He was behind me hurling insults in my direction.
‘Oh no you don’t!’ Carlyle shouted as he jumped from the rope path, flailing his arms wildly toward the wall.
I could already tell this was going to end badly.
The captain’s hands landed on the wall, but couldn’t find anything to grip. His body was still moving at full steam as he smashed against the surface. For a second, time stopped again, and I could see his fear when we made eye contact. Then he plummeted to the pool of water below. I heard the splash as his body hit the water.
The crowd of spectators shouted at the tops of their lungs, rejoicing in my victory over the captain. A part of me felt sorry for him, but that didn’t last long.
‘You rotten ninja!’ Carlyle cried out, splashing in the water. ‘You think this is the last you’ve heard of me?’
I climbed down from the wall and looked at him. ‘The mascot is mine to change,’ I said coldly. ‘You’ve lost.’
‘I take it back!’ Carlyle laughed. ‘This was all just a joke! Buchanan will still be called the Buccaneers!’
‘I’m afraid not,’ said Mr Cooper. ‘A deal’s a deal, and you said Chase can have the opportunity to change our mascot.’
‘Fool!’ Carlyle shouted. ‘You think you’ve won, do you? You think this is over?’
I looked at the defeated pirate. ‘I know it’s not.’
For now, the mascot was safe, and that was enough for me to let myself feel happy. A few old members of my ninja clan approached me.
‘With respect,’ said one of the boys, ‘we’d like to rejoin if you’d allow us.’
I shrugged my shoulders. ‘I don’t know how different it’s going to be from the last time you guys were in it.’
‘We wouldn’t have you change a thing,’ said one of the girls next to him. ‘You’ve proven twice that you’re worthy of the calling. You stood up to Wyatt and you saved our school from a pirate invasion.’
‘I think it’s important to point out that he stood up to Carlyle too,’ said Brayden.
The girl nodded. ‘Yes. That too.’
‘We await your answer,’ the boy said.
‘Of course I’ll still be your leader!’ I said. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’
Punching their palms, they bowed. And then they turned and walked away. It was weird how they did that so often.
‘So are we going to be called the Buchanan Ninjas?’ Zoe asked.
I shook my head. ‘Nah, I’m not sure what it’s going to be, but I don’t think our mascot should be a ninja.’
‘Unicorns?’ Zoe suggested.
I laughed so loud that I snorted. Brayden and Zoe made fun of me, playfully punching at my arm as they did. The rest of the students had started walking back to the school, and Mr Cooper was probably back in his office by then.
I turned back to see what Carlyle was doing, but when I looked, he was gone. Disappeared without a trace. Well, I’m sure there was some type of trace, but I didn’t care enough to search.
‘Go on, guys,’ I said. ‘I’ll catch up.’
I let Zoe and Brayden walk ahead of me as I glanced back at the sun setting in the sky. It had been a crazy week, but at the end of it, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I was still the leader of the ninja clan, which I was grateful for, but at that moment, I swore to work harder at the job. If there was any truth to what Carlyle had said – that Wyatt was returning to this school – I knew we had to be ready.
I’ve only been at Buchanan for a month, but I’ve already defeated two bullies and prevented an all-out pirate invasion. There are still eight months of sixth grade left…
… I wonder what other adventures I’ll have while I’m here.
Marcus Emerson is the author of several highly imaginative children’s books, including the 6th Grade Ninja series, the Secret Agent 6th Grader series, Lunchroom Wars and the Adventure Club series. His goal is to create children’s books that are engaging, funny, and inspirational for kids of all ages – even the adults who secretly never grew up.
Marcus Emerson is currently having the time of his life with his beautiful wife and their amazing children. He still dreams of becoming an astronaut someday and walking on Mars.
Pirate Invasion Page 6