by Dan Lee
‘That’s right,’ said Carl.
‘I have seen him compete. He has good technique and great spirit.’ There was a pause. ‘Your father would be ashamed of you today,’ said Chang.
Carl flushed.
‘In martial arts you must respect your opponent. Today you were stronger, but one day you will meet an opponent stronger than yourself. Bow to Stephane, Carl.’
Carl bowed jerkily and went back to his place. ‘Next bout,’ said Chang serenely. ‘Lars Pedder and Shawn Hung.’
Matt watched, hoping to see his friend do well. Shawn and Lars tussled, gripping each other’s jackets. Lars was bigger than Shawn and seemed to have the advantage – but suddenly Shawn bent his knees, wedged his hip against Lars and with one quick movement sent him crashing to the mat. Matt gave Shawn a quick thumbs-up as he returned to his place, grinning.
Soon it was Matt’s turn. He was matched against a boy called Bruno, another tae kwon-do practitioner. Bruno was big and looked strong. He started aggressively with a series of forward punches. Matt blocked them all. He began to feel confident – Bruno was strong, but he made it so obvious what he was going to do next, Matt had no problem in countering. Bruno twisted his body away from Matt and delivered a back kick. Clearly this was supposed to take Matt by surprise, but he blocked it easily. Then, as Bruno turned back towards him, Matt delivered a high crescent kick which broke Bruno’s guard, then followed it with two forward punches to Bruno’s chest. Bruno backed off and Matt followed in with a beautiful, high axe kick, again smashing through Bruno’s guard. Bruno gave ground, then tried to retaliate with a reverse turning kick. Matt blocked this one-handed, and hit Bruno in the ribs with a well-timed side-kick. Bruno staggered and sat down hard on the mat.
Chang clapped. ‘Enough. Well fought.’ He signalled a win for Matt by gesturing towards him with an open hand.
Matt and Bruno bowed to each other and returned to their places.
‘You fight good!’ Catarina said to him. Matt felt pleased. He knew he’d fought well, but he also felt the harder test was still to come. Against a tae kwon-do opponent he was in his element. Fighting against unfamiliar techniques would be a different ball-game.
More bouts followed in quick succession. Matt was glad to see that Shawn won his second bout, and Olivier won both of his. Catarina won too. Before Matt knew it, his turn had come around again.
This time he was matched against a red-haired German boy, Wolfgang. Wolfgang was shorter than Matt, but very strongly built. With his barrel chest and small round head he looked like a miniature bull. He was a ju-jitsu specialist. Matt had watched him win his previous fight and knew he was an opponent to be reckoned with.
Matt had barely taken his stance after bowing before Wolfgang dropped his head low and charged at him. Matt got in a glancing punch on Wolfgang’s shoulder – but now Wolfgang was in close. He grabbed Matt’s jacket and pushed him backwards, trying to hook his leg round Matt’s. Matt fought as best he could, but it was all he could do to keep his balance. He wasn’t used to this kind of combat.
Suddenly he noticed that his hip was in contact with Wolfgang’s stomach. The throw Shawn had used earlier flashed into his mind. He bent his knees, twisted his hip and straightened up. Wolfgang was pulled off his feet and rolled over Matt’s back. He crashed to the floor.
Master Chang signalled the win.
‘You did well,’ he said quietly to Matt. ‘You show flexibility. Adaptability. That is good.’
Glowing from the fight and Chang’s praise, Matt went and stood next to Shawn. ‘That was thanks to you,’ he said.
‘I said we could learn from each other, didn’t I?’
‘You did,’ said Matt. ‘Thanks! Maybe I’ll teach you some kicks!’
That evening, the list of squad members was posted up on the notice-board outside the refectory. A huge crowd of students gathered around it. Matt, Catarina, Olivier and Shawn elbowed their way to the front.
‘Yes!’ said Matt. There was his name – MATT JAMES – in bold black type.
Catarina’s name was there too. So was Olivier’s. And so was Shawn’s.
They all exchanged high fives.
‘Hey, what’s this – the list’s up?’ said a loud Australian voice. ‘My name better be on it!’
It was Carl Warrick. He jostled his way to the front. ‘Glad to see Chang’s got some sense,’ he said, peering at the notice-board. ‘But why am I at the bottom of the list? I should be at the top!’
‘It’s alphabetical,’ said Matt. Everyone laughed.
Carl clenched his jaw. ‘I knew that!’ he said. ‘I was just kidding.’
Shawn turned to Matt. ‘How about we go to the kwoon now and put in a bit of practice? You could teach me those kicks you were talking about.’
‘Sure thing,’ said Matt.
‘Let’s all go!’ said Olivier.
‘How about you, Carl?’ said Matt. Carl wasn’t his favourite person, but they were all on the same team together. ‘Want to come? We could teach each other a few moves.’
‘No, thanks,’ said Carl. ‘There’s nothing you lot can teach me.’
‘Except manners, maybe?’ said Catarina, smiling sweetly.
Chapter 2
THE JADE DISH
‘Hey, Mum! Guess what – I made the team!’ said Matt into his mobile.
‘That’s great news, Matt. I hope you’re working hard at your lessons too.’
‘Oh… yeah. Of course.’ Matt was halfway through the second week now. So far, the classes hadn’t been too bad. The teachers made the lessons fun, and were not over-strict, but it was the martial arts training that Matt really looked forward to every day. ‘Anyway, about the squad, Mum – we’re training for the match against the Shanghai Academy. I know we can beat them.
We’ve got a great squad – there’s Shawn, and Catarina, and Olivier…’
Matt took a deep breath as he thought about how determined he and his new friends were to win the Championship for the Academy. They talked about it all the time. They trained together. They taught each other moves. Matt had never had such fun. Because his mother was an ambassador, Matt had moved around a lot, changing schools every couple of years. Now, for the first time he felt like he really belonged; he was part of a group of friends all working together for the same goal. It was funny, but five thousand miles away from London he felt more at home than he ever had before.
‘I’m glad to hear you’ve made so many friends,’ said his mother. ‘Listen, I have to go now. I’ve got a lunch appointment at the embassy. Love you.’
‘Love you too,’ said Matt, and clicked his mobile shut. He sometimes wished he and his mum had more time together, to talk face to face. Then again, he knew it was his mum’s job that gave him the chance to train under the brilliant Chang.
Matt turned round to find Carl Warrick standing there with two of his cronies, Miles and Roger. They were all grinning.
‘Who do you love, James?’ said Carl. ‘Was that your girlfriend?’
‘My mother,’ said Matt coldly.
‘Ah, diddums – he loves his mummy!’
Miles and Roger sniggered.
Matt considered telling Carl he wasn’t worth answering, then decided it wasn’t even worth saying that. He spied Johnny, Shawn and Olivier on the other side of the common room and went over to join them.
‘Hey, Matt. Were those idiots giving you a hard time?’ asked Johnny.
Matt shrugged. ‘I just ignore them.’
Catarina came in through the door at the far end of the common room. She had an unusual way of walking, a loose-jointed, long-legged stride, and as she came over to Matt’s group, Carl whispered something to his cronies and began to follow her. He mimicked her stride, stretching out his legs exaggeratedly. Miles and Roger laughed.
‘Those idiots,’ said Olivier. ‘Do you think we should –’
‘No need,’ said Matt. ‘She can look after herself.’
Catarina, hearing the laughter, stopped
and turned to face Carl.
‘Something wrong?’
‘Hey, lanky,’ said Carl. Catarina was hardly taller than he was, but her slim frame and long legs made her height more noticeable. ‘I was just wondering what the view’s like up there.’
Catarina smiled. ‘The view is fine,’ she said. ‘At least it was until you came along to spoil it.’
She spoke so gently that it took Carl a second to realize he’d been insulted. Then he scowled, stuck his hands in his pockets and slouched off, his cronies following.
Matt and his friends laughed. ‘Good one, Catarina!’ said Matt.
Johnny glanced at his watch. ‘Break’s nearly over, you guys. Come on – we don’t want to be late for history.’
‘Oh – don’t we?’ said Matt, and they all laughed again, scuffling and breaking into mock combat as they made their way to class.
Mr Figgis, the history teacher, was English but had a deep love of all things Chinese.
‘The Chinese have a marvellously rich culture – rich in art, architecture, literature, music, dance… Their civilization was at a highly advanced level when Europe was still in the Dark Ages. When Marco Polo, the European explorer, came here in the twelfth century he was amazed at what he saw. The Chinese invented paper, and gunpowder – and fireworks, of course.
‘In these classes we are going to learn the history of the great dynasties of the Chinese emperors – and the wars, upheavals and revolutions that have visited this vast and complex country over the centuries.’
Matt listened with interest. It was impossible not to be infected with Mr Figgis’s enthusiasm. Johnny was clearly fascinated, his eyes shining behind his glasses. And Chinese-American Shawn Hung glowed with pride at hearing the country of his ancestors praised. Only Carl, Matt noticed, looked bored. He lounged in his seat, lip curled, looking out of the window.
‘But before we get on to the gory bits,’ Mr Figgis continued, ‘I want you all to have a taste of the marvellous things this culture has to offer. That’s why I’ve organized a field trip for next week. We’re going to the Palace Museum, in the Forbidden City. It’s in the heart of Beijing, where the great emperors used to rule. You’ll see wonderful things there: sculptures, statues, paintings, armour, weapons. But, most interesting from your point of view, you’ll see the Emperor’s Jade Dish. This is a priceless artefact – and, as you may know, a replica of it is awarded to the winner of the Divisional Championship. The Shanghai Academy has held it for the last six years – but we’re going to get it back this year, aren’t we, Carl?’ said Figgis, abruptly turning his attention on Carl, who was still staring out of the window.
‘What? I’ll win my fight, that’s for sure,’ Carl said. ‘I can’t answer for the other guys.’
‘Yeah, I’ll win my fight, no problem, ’cause I’m the great Carl Warrick!’ said Olivier, in a perfect imitation of Carl’s sullen drawl. The whole class erupted into laughter. Carl shot a look of pure venom at Olivier, who grinned.
‘That’s enough,’ said Mr Figgis. ‘Now, Catarina, if you wouldn’t mind handing out these textbooks for me…’
∗
‘Hey, I’ve had an idea!’ said Matt that evening. ‘The Palace Museum – they must have a website, right?’
‘I guess,’ said Johnny.
It was after supper, an hour before lights-out, and they were in their room relaxing after a strenuous day. Johnny had made it through the basketball try-outs and on to the team, so he was feeling pretty pleased with himself. Matt was glad for his friend – he knew how much it meant to him. His thoughts drifted to the trip to the museum. He couldn’t wait to see the original of the Jade Dish, a replica of which, with any luck – no, with determination and serious training – the squad would bring back to the Beijing International Academy. And now it occurred to him, maybe he didn’t have to wait.
‘Let’s have a look. Maybe it’ll show some of the, you know, artefacts. The Jade Dish.’
‘Cool!’ said Johnny, sitting down at the computer. A few moments later he had the Palace Museum website up on the screen. Click here for Interactive Virtual Tour, it said.
‘Go on then,’ said Matt. ‘Click.’
Johnny clicked. The screen displayed a gallery, lined on either side by life-sized jade warriors.
‘Look at those!’ said Johnny. ‘Aren’t they cool?’
‘Yeah, but keep going,’ Matt said.
A few more rooms, and they came to it. It stood on a plinth, enclosed in a glass case. It sat beneath a spotlight and shone a deep, vivid green.
‘Can you zoom in on it?’
‘Sure.’
Johnny double-clicked and the Jade Dish filled the screen. Two imperial dragons were intertwined in the centre, their fierce, round-eyed faces staring out at the viewer. The dish was edged with ornate gold patterns and underneath the dragons was an inscription in Chinese characters. Matt couldn’t read Chinese but the elegant strokes etched themselves into his mind. He let out a long breath.
‘Just think – the Academy team could be holding that up after the Championship!’
‘Holding up the replica,’ Johnny corrected him.
‘OK, the replica – what’s the difference!’
Matt walked over to the window and looked out at the city. It was ablaze with light. Somewhere in the heart of that city of millions of people, was the Forbidden City, and within the Forbidden City was the Palace Museum, and within the Palace Museum was the Emperor’s Jade Dish. Matt’s fingers tingled as he imagined standing with his team-mates, holding up the replica dish after the tournament. ‘Please,’ he whispered to himself, ‘please let us win.’
The next morning, Mr Wu made a surprising announcement in Assembly. Mr Wu was small, middle-aged and always impeccably dressed in a dark, well-cut suit and tie. He wore tiny steel spectacles and a pencil-thin moustache. His English was careful and precise.
‘Master Chang tells me that he has selected the squad for the Divisional Championship. I should like to take this opportunity to wish you all the very best of luck. This school has a proud record in martial arts competitions, but in recent years, despite fine individual performances, we have failed to regain the trophy from the Shanghai Academy. This year, under Master Chang’s tutelage, I count on you to put that right.
‘Which brings me to an announcement from Master Chang. For today’s training session, would the squad report to the swimming pool at thirteen hundred hours, wearing combat attire. I repeat, the swimming pool, not the kwoon. Thank you.’
Matt wrinkled his brow. ‘The swimming pool?’ he said to Shawn. ‘In our martial arts suits?’
‘Weird,’ said Shawn.
Carl let everyone know what he thought as soon as Assembly was over.
‘What’s the guy playing at? It’s crazy! Are we training for a water polo tournament, or what?’
‘He must have his reasons,’ said Shawn.
‘Yeah, crazy reasons,’ said Carl. ‘The guy’s a couple of prawns short of a barbie, if you ask me!’
‘But nobody is asking you,’ said Catarina.
Eleven surfboards stood against the tiled wall of the swimming pool.
‘All students please take one,’ said Chang.
‘Er – why?’ said Carl.
‘That should not be difficult to work out. Here are surfboards; there is pool. I wish you to stand on surfboards in pool.’
‘In our martial arts suits? Why not swimming trunks, if we’re playing water games?’
‘There is a simple answer to your question,’ said Chang mildly. ‘If you are clothed, you have incentive to remain dry.’
Matt took his board, lowered it on to the water and carefully stepped on to it. It dipped at once, and Matt swiftly adjusted his stance to steady it. He floated out into the middle of the pool. Other students followed suit – they were wobbling, bending and flailing, but all managed to remain upright. Matt noticed that Catarina was easily the best at it. She stood as straight and still as if she was on dry land.<
br />
The motion of the other boards created wavelets that made Matt’s board rock. He kept having to make adjustments, shifting his weight. He couldn’t afford not to concentrate; all his muscles were in a state of readiness, anticipating the next movement.
‘What’s the point of this?’ Carl’s voice echoed loudly around the room.
‘To perfect balance.’
‘Yeah, well, my balance is perfect already, so –’
But Carl had forgotten to concentrate. His board began to tip. He hastily over-corrected, wobbled and slipped into the pool with a cry.
Olivier burst out laughing, and the next moment he had also lost his balance. He plunged into the water. Matt looked down at him and had to force himself not to laugh as he watched his friend frantically dog-paddling, his dark hair plastered over his forehead. Olivier saw the smile that flitted over Matt’s face and grabbed the edge of Matt’s board. Matt fell headlong into the water.
He rose to the surface, spluttering, and splashed water at Olivier in retaliation. Olivier grinned and splashed back. Then they swam to Shawn’s board and tipped him off. Carl, meanwhile, got his own back on Catarina by swimming underneath her board and pushing upwards, so that she toppled off, squealing. All around, kids were falling or pulling each other into the pool. A wild water-fight broke out, with splashing, ducking and shouts of laughter.
Matt surfaced and caught sight of Master Chang standing at the poolside, watching them. Matt couldn’t tell if the glint in Chang’s eye meant he was angry or amused. Matt trod water, waiting for the next instruction.
‘Back on to your boards,’ said Chang eventually, giving nothing away. Matt scrambled back up on to the wet, slippery surface. It was time to start learning again.
The following day in the kwoon, Matt found out just how hard Master Chang was prepared to make them work.