Jax's Rebellion (Coalition Training Academy #1)

by Stephani Hecht

  “Hey, Jax. How are things going?” Mitchell asked.

  “Fine,” Jax lied.

  Mitchell probably saw right through Jax, but he didn’t call Jax out on it. Instead, Mitchell folded his hands on the desk then asked, “Have you made your decision? Do you want to be a civilian or a soldier?”

  Jax took in a deep breath. The moment he’d been so worried about had finally arrived. As soon as he announced his decision, he wouldn’t allow himself go back.

  “Yes,” he said in a slightly shaky voice. “I want to become a soldier.”

  Chapter Two

  Jax held his breath as he waited for Mitchell to respond. The leader’s expression hadn’t changed after Jax announced his decision. He just continued to gaze at Jax. Jax didn’t know if it was a good sign or not, so it did little to ease his nerves. He was beginning to think he’d made a huge mistake.

  As the seconds ticked into minutes, Jax’s nerves grew worse. His stomach had twisted into knots, making him even more nauseated. He was then super glad he hadn’t eaten much breakfast. That way if he did hurl, it wouldn’t make as big of a mess. Of course, it would crush his self-confidence. Then again, Jax didn’t have much to begin with, so it would only crush his pride along with his hopes and dreams.

  “I’m proud of you. I was hoping that you would join up,” Mitchell said. “I could tell by the way you listened to the soldiers when they came to visit your classroom to talk about the Academy.”

  “You noticed?” Jax asked, surprised. Nobody ever paid attention to him.

  “It’s my job to know every member of my Coalition, no matter how old they are,” Mitchell said.

  “So, you’re not going to try and talk me out of it?” Jax pressed. “I am the smallest one in my class.”

  “I have room for soldiers of all sizes in my Coalition,” Mitchell replied. “You’re not much smaller than my brother Andrew, and he’s one of the best soldiers I have. Sometimes being small is an advantage.”

  Jax didn’t see how it could be possible, but he kept his mouth shut. He wasn’t going to argue with his leader, especially since he was so huge. Plus, Jax totally respected Mitchell. He’d rather slam his hand in a locker than be disrespectful to Mitchell.

  “I’m guessing your parents don’t know you’ve come to this decision,” Mitchell said.

  A rush of panic went through Jax, making him tremble a bit. “No. Does that mean you’re going to turn me away?”

  Mitchell shook his head. “By our laws, this is your decision alone. They can’t interfere, even if they decide to leave the Coalition in protest.”

  Jax smiled. He couldn’t believe it. He was actually going to have his dreams come true, and there was nothing his father could do to stop it. Better yet, he had Mitchell backing him up. Jax felt almost giddy.

  “I won’t let you down,” he vowed.

  Mitchell nodded. “I know you won’t. Now, get back to class. It will be your last day as a civilian student.”

  “Thanks,” Jax said.

  He left with his mind whirling. While he was still a bit afraid of how his father was going to react, he felt better knowing Mitchell would be there to back him. There was no way that his father would ever stand up to the leader.

  Jax walked back to his classroom. His desk was all the way in the back. As he made his way there, he passed by Ava. She looked up at him, a questioning expression in her brown eyes. Jax smiled and gave her a thumbs up. She grinned back.

  Jax sat down, but he couldn’t pay attention to the lecture. He was too excited. Besides, he wouldn’t even be there the next day if the teacher did decide to give them a pop quiz. He was going to have all new teachers. He wouldn’t be mingling with the civilian students any more.

  It didn’t really bother him, though. His only true friend was Ava. Sure, he had some buddies that he hung out with from time to time, but nobody could compare with Ava. They were the two oddballs who clung together, Jax because he was a bit of a dork, and Ava because she was…well—Ava. Most of the other kids were afraid of her because she was a Leopard shifter. There was a whole stigma attached to the breed since they tended to be loaners and could be vicious.

  Ava had been nothing but nice and loyal to Jax. She was cute with her long, dyed, black hair and tiny figure. That wasn’t what drew Jax to her, though. First of all, he preferred boys—another secret his father didn’t know. Actually, Ava was the only one who knew Jax was gay, and he wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

  The second reason why Jax loved Ava so much was because of her undying devotion. She had been the first one to actually believe in him. She’d also punched out more than a few jerks who had made snide comments about Jax, although Jax had always felt a bit weak when that happened. It wasn’t because she was a girl or anything. He just wished he knew how to defend himself. It made him even more excited to start training to be a soldier. He would be able to fight his own battles.

  He was so caught up in his thoughts he lost track of time. It wasn’t until the bell rang that he realized that their final class was over. Ava immediately rushed over to him.

  She grabbed his arm. “So you did it! You’re going to the Academy with me!”

  He stood then grabbed his backpack. It was heavy with books, ones he would be turning in soon to exchange for ones that fit the Academy’s curriculum. The nerdy part of him couldn’t wait to get his hands on them. He knew he was going to stay up all night reading them.

  Jax and Ava went to the cafeteria. They’d had lunch earlier, but there was going to be a special dinner for them so they could eat before the ceremony. They filled their trays before going to their usual seat. It was a small booth that could only fit two, which made it perfect for them.

  Jax looked down at his food. It was his lasagna which was his favorite, but he didn’t have an appetite. All he could think about was the upcoming confrontation with his father. Jax had been so confident when he’d been in Mitchell’s office, but the feeling of dread was starting to come back.

  “Hey, you need to stop worrying. There is nothing he can do to hurt you anymore,” Ava said. “He may yell and throw a fit, but he won’t be able to lay a hand on you. If he does, I will sic my fathers on him.”

  That was a serious threat. Ava’s adopted dads were kind of scary. One of them was a top soldier of Mitchell’s, and the other was a real legit assassin. He didn’t play one on a movie or a video game. No, he actually killed individuals who were a threat to the Coalition. Real-life murder, without any hesitation. If that didn’t define terrifying, Jax didn’t know what did.

  “Do you think we’ll be in the same dormitory?” Jax asked.

  He was still worried about adjusting to having several roommates. If he at least had Ava with him, it would make things a lot easier. He had a feeling none of his gamer friends would be going to the Academy, so she was going to be the only friendly face around.

  She took a drink of her soda before answering, “I think if we ask to be together they will let us. If not, then I’ll just handcuff us together so they’ll have no choice.”

  “Why do I think that’s not an empty threat?” Jax asked. “It would make going to the bathroom really awkward. I love you, but I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for that kind of sharing.”

  She laughed. “Okay then, we’ll just have to think of something else if they deny our request.”

  Jax looked out the nearby window and swallowed hard. He could see some of the parents had already arrived. He looked harder, trying to see if his parents’ car was in the lot, but it was too far away to be for sure.

  “You better start eating. We have to be at the assembly hall in a few minutes,” Ava nagged.

  “I’m not that hungry.”

  “We don’t know when we’re going to be able to eat again,” Ava countered. “We aren’t going to be able to just go to the kitchen and snack whenever we want anymore.”

  Yet another adjustment they were going to have to make, although, it wouldn’t be
too tough on Jax since his mother always limited his food intake. She thought it wasn’t good for them to eat between meals, which was kind of funny since she always made fattening meals. She loved anything fried, battered, or buttered.

  “Are you going to miss your dads?” he asked.

  She gave a shrug. “Yeah, but since they help teach at the Academy I’m still going to see them all the time. Plus, we do get to go home to visit every month.”

  Jax had a sinking feeling there wouldn’t be any home visits for him. His dad was probably going to disown him. He never liked it when he was disobeyed. Plus, he was probably going to see Jax’s decision as a betrayal to the family.

  He picked at his food, managing to get a few bites down. The bell rang, letting them know it was time to go to the assembly hall. Jax and Ava got up then put their trays away. She put an arm around his shoulders and gave him a small hug.

  “I’ll be by your side the entire time. You won’t be going through this alone,” she said.

  Even though she was just a teenager like him, it made Jax feel a little bit better. It still didn’t stop his heart from hammering or his stomach from doing summersaults. His hands even began to shake. He shoved them into his pockets then pulled away from Ava. He didn’t want her more worried about him than she already was. This was a special day for her, and her dads were actually proud of her choice.

  As they filed into the assembly hall, they passed a large section of seats already filled with parents. Jax quickly spotted his mother and father. His dad had a sour look on his face as he glanced around, showing his disdain for other shifters. One would almost think he was a Leopard instead of Ava. His mother smiled then waved at him.

  Jax waved back even as his guts took a nosedive. He knew that would most likely be her last smile in a while. After she found out about Jax’s decision, she was going to be miserable, not because Jax disappointed her, but because she was going to have to listen as his father bitched for weeks— if not months—on end.

  They finally reached the section reserved for the students. They found a seat. Jax took in several deep breaths. He knew he had already made his choice and there was no going back.

  Not that he regretted joining the Academy. Aside from having to live in a dorm, he was excited to get started. He just didn’t want his father to make a huge scene. He had done it a couple of times before and Jax had hated it. As if he didn’t already have a target on his back since he was smart and a geek, his dad always had to add to it. Jax may as well be walking around with a big neon sign that blinked, “Kick Me!”

  Jax watched the ceremony last year, so he knew how it went. Mitchell would announce each of their names. The student would stand. If they were going to stay in their regular school they would say, “Civilian” then sit down.

  If they had decided to join the Academy, the student in question would stand then walk up onto the stage. Aside from Mitchell, there would be teachers from the Academy. They would all shake hands with their new trainee. The entire group would stay on the stage until the end of the ceremony.

  Jax sucked in his breath as he watched Mitchell take the stage. He could have sworn the leader smiled at him, but Jax had to be mistaken. Sure, Mitchell may have been nice earlier, but there were fifty teens in Jax’s class. There was no way Mitchell would be singling him out.

  Mitchell began to announce the names. Jax numbly clapped along with the rest of the audience. There was no doubt about it anymore, Jax was shaking like a cold kitten left out in the snow. He swore he could feel his father’s gaze boring into his back. Jax even brought his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it, just to make sure there weren’t burn marks in his skin, which was stupid, of course, but then again he wasn’t exactly himself.

  Ava’s name was called. She didn’t hesitate a second. She jumped out of her seat and bounced up the steps that led to the stage. One of her fathers, Shane the Assassin, was standing by Mitchell. He gave her a big hug before she joined the small group of students who had already gone up there. Even though he felt a tinge of envy, Jax clapped hard for her.

  He began to get a bit dizzy as more names were called. It was getting close to his turn. He was going to have to stand and walk up on that stage in front of everybody. He knew most of them were going to be shocked the timid Lion was going to attempt to be a soldier. He just hoped he didn’t make things worse by tripping and falling. That would only make them more judgmental.

  Jax ran the palms of his hands against his pants. He was getting sweaty again. He tried to calm himself down, but it was useless. Crap, crap, double crap. He didn’t want to have to shake hands with his new instructors and gross them out. He wanted to make a good first impression, not show them they had a basket case on their hands.

  Then it happened. Mitchell called out Jax’s name. Jax let out a soft gasp. The time had come. After this moment his life would never be the same again.

  Chapter Three

  Jax stood then began to walk to the stage. Unlike the other teens, he wasn’t met with immediate applause. There were some mummers and a few gasps. Then the crowd seemed to remember their manners and began to clap their hands.

  Jax took the five steps up to the stage. Mitchell gave him a warm smile, and that helped ease Jax’s nerves a bit, until he heard his father let out a yell. Horrified, Jax turned and looked at his parents.

  His mother had her hand to her throat. She was so pale she almost looked as white as the dress she wore. His dad rudely pushed his way out of the row of seats. His face was red, and his hands clenched into tight fists.

  “You are not going to do this!” his dad yelled.

  Two of Mitchell’s soldiers quickly descended onto his father. One of them was Andrew. He looked a lot like Mitchell, only much smaller. The other one was unmistakable because of his Goth appearance. His name was Carson.

  They grabbed Jax’s father by the arms and dragged him out of the auditorium. Part of Jax was mortified by his dad’s outburst. A bigger part of him was thrilled to see his father being shut down like that. It was the first time Jax had the freedom to make his own choice about his life. He didn’t have to conform to his father’s standards anymore.

  “Go join the others,” Mitchell said in a low voice.

  Jax nodded then went over to the group of students on the stage. A few of them had shocked expressions on their faces. Ava reached her hand out and grabbed Jax, pulling him to her side. He let out a deep sigh of relief.

  There were only a few more names called out. Two of them came up to the stage. The rest stayed in their seats. After that, Mitchell called an end to the ceremony. The audience slowly left, and soon it was just the soldiers and the new Academy students.

  “Okay, let’s go,” one of the soldiers said. “It’s time for you to go to your new home.”

  For the first time, Jax allowed himself to relax and really enjoy the moment. He was officially a member of the Academy. His biggest dream had come true, and he was actually looking forward to all the long hours and training. It was all he could not to jump up and down with excitement. The only reason he held back was because everybody was acting so serious, and he didn’t want to call any more attention to himself.

  Ava must have sensed his happiness because she smiled at him. She gave his hand one last squeeze before she let go. They followed the soldiers off the stage then walked through a set of double doors on one side of the hall. Jax blinked in surprise as he found himself in part of the building that he’d never been before.

  They walked down a maze of hallways. The tiles and walls were white and sterile. They made so many turns Jax soon got lost. He would have no idea how to get back if he had wanted to leave. This was probably how mice felt when scientists put them in those mazes, only there wasn’t going to be any cheese waiting for him at the end.

  After a few moments they took one more turn, and everything started to look different. The walls became a warm brown color and the floors were covered with hardwood. It had a soothing effect on J
ax. It was so homey it almost reminded him of the local library. He had spent many hours there, both because he was a book nerd and because it got him away from his father for a few hours.

  They finally came to a stop. The soldiers divided them up into two groups. Ava and Jax made sure they stuck close together. They were ushered into the same room. Jax let out a sigh of relief when he saw rows of bunk beds. He and Ava managed to get into the same dorm after all.

  “I get the top,” Ava announced.

  “It’s all yours. The last thing I want to do is wake up in the middle of the night to go pee and fall on my face because I forgot I was in a bunk bed,” Jax drawled.

  They were lucky to get a bed against a wall so they would only have one set of bunk mates. It was a pair of twin brothers named Philip and Alvus. They were tall, slender and blond. While their parents were Jaguars, they weren’t related to Mitchell. Jax didn’t know them too well, since they were into sports and Jax never hung with the jocks, but they had always been friendly toward him.

  Philip glanced over. “Jax, I can’t believe you joined the Academy.”

  “Why?” Ava asked sharply. “Do you think just because he’s not a lughead like you guys that he should have stayed away?”

  Philip held up a hand. “Pull your claws in, Ava. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m actually glad he’s here.”

  “You are?” Jax blurted.

  “Yeah, I love to play video games, too. Now, I finally have somebody who I can get tips from. Alvus is useless when it comes to stuff like that,” Philip explained.

  “Hey!” Alvus objected. “I always listen to you when you start rambling on and on about that crap.”

  Philip rolled his eyes. “Now do you see what I have to live with?”

  Jax laughed and nodded his head. He wasn’t worried about having to live in the dorm anymore. He could see himself actually becoming friends with both twins, which just showed Jax things were already beginning to look better.