Jinxed

by Amy McCulloch

  ‘No, did you?’ he snaps back.

  I frown, looking between the two team captains. I feel like I’ve missed something.

  I’m not the only one. ‘Problem, guys?’ Mr Baird raises an eyebrow.

  ‘It’s nothing,’ snaps Gemma. ‘Welcome to my team, Carter.’ Carter and his boar take up their position next to Gemma, but I can see him looking over at Tobias.

  There are four first years standing at the front now – but no one in front of Tobias.

  ‘Well? Aren’t you coming?’ Tobias asks. To my surprise, he’s looking right at me.

  I look down at Jinx – but of course, he’s still black-marked. Dead to the world.

  ‘Your selection is Miss Chu?’ asks Mr Baird.

  Tobias nods. He looks down at his baku as if to check that’s right – as if he thinks he might have made a mistake.

  ‘Well, Miss Chu?’

  I scramble to my feet, rushing down the row towards the front of the classroom. I feel the eyes of the other students on my back as I pass. I reach Tobias and I’m flustered, my hair coming out of its hasty ponytail, strands of it sticking to the back of my neck. I dare a glance at Carter, and he’s shooting daggers at me with his eyes. So much for staying out of each other’s way. We’re going to be pitted against each other.

  ‘Come on then,’ Tobias says. There’s no Welcome to the team, Lacey, I notice. ‘Let’s go and meet the others.’

  I FOLLOW TOBIAS OUT OF THE CLASSROOM, Jinx in my arms. Strangely, Tobias is also cradling his eagle baku – not allowing it to fly, like I’ve seen before.

  He grunts at me. ‘Not plotting any more harm to Aero are you?’

  ‘Excuse me?’

  ‘First the pine cones. Now you try to drop a ton of books on his head.’

  I stop in my tracks. ‘The pine cones?’ So he does remember what happened at the beginning of the summer . . . but not the same way that I recall the incident happening at all. ‘Hang on a second, you sent your eagle to scare my friend! She almost lost her brand new baku because of you.’

  He stops too, pivoting on the heels of his sneakers. ‘Aero wasn’t scaring your friend. He was catching a baku ball. Carter threw it at her head and it would have hit her if it wasn’t for me. He was being an idiot.’

  I open my mouth to protest, but then I realize he could be telling the truth. ‘Oh,’ is all I say.

  Tobias’s eyes search my face, then he starts walking again – and I have no choice but to follow. He leads me to an empty classroom, where the rest of the team is waiting. I trail a little bit behind, still wary of his story – and regardless, it doesn’t change the fact he’s friends with Carter. Unfortunately, it’s harder to remember the grudge when he looks at me with his deep green eyes. I grit my teeth and tamp down on those feelings as much as possible.

  He swings open the classroom door, and I’m greeted by three expectant faces – two guys and a girl. One of the guy’s faces turns sour immediately, giving me a dark scowl.

  ‘Guys, this is our first year teammate, Lacey Chu. Her baku is . . .’

  ‘Jinx,’ I reply. I give the group a nervous wave, confused by the wave of hostility coming from the guy – who has the tallest spiked hair I’ve ever seen. He has a beautiful large husky-type baku at his feet. Tobias gestures to him first. ‘This is Kai, and his baku Oka. He’s my second-in-command, a third year like me, and the team’s main companioneer.’

  ‘What’s up with your baku?’ Kai asks, folding his arms across his chest.

  I swallow, but Tobias answers for me. ‘He got black-marked in Mr Baird’s class.’

  Kai looks aghast. ‘Toby, man . . . What the hell? This isn’t what we agreed.’

  Something passes between the two teammates that I don’t understand. It seems like they’re talking in code, similar to what passed between Tobias and Gemma in Mr Baird’s classroom. I hug my arms around my waist, uncomfortable with the feeling that this is all to do with me – even though I’ve done nothing wrong except, apparently, having been chosen.

  ‘I’ll tell you later,’ says Tobias. Before I have chance to question it, he moves on. He points to the second guy – a tall, lanky red-haired guy with a face covered in freckles. His baku is – unusually – an oversized frog, but still a level 3. ‘This is River. He’s also a third year – and a mad talented designer. His baku is Lizard.’

  I frown, looking at his baku – which is clearly a frog. ‘But that’s a . . .’

  ‘I know. Don’t ask. He’ll be the one responsible for any mods we want to make.’

  ‘All right, Lacey?’ River asks, but his head is down and he’s sketching in a notebook – so I don’t get the impression he really wants to know the answer.

  ‘Hi,’ I say anyway.

  ‘And then this is Ashley – our second year, and electronics geek. Her baku is Jupiter.’

  ‘Welcome to Team Tobias!’ she says, giving me the first warm welcome from the new team, along with a Hollywood-style, mega-watt grin that’s impossible not to return. Her long blonde hair is tied back in a casual messy bun – the sort that every teenage girl is supposed to be able to pull off effortlessly, but I can’t achieve no matter how hard I try. I look down at her feet and feel a stab of jealous at the beautiful spaniel baku at her feet. He’s the closest thing so far to what I would have chosen if I’d had the opportunity. ‘Hey, come sit over here,’ she says, standing up on her chair and jumping up on to the desk next to it.

  ‘Thanks,’ I say, bumping awkwardly into the back of the chair before finally managing to sit down. I close my eyes for a second, trying to calm my nerves. I wish more than anything that Jinx was awake – he might not be able to ease my anxiety, but he’s at least good at distracting me.

  Tobias takes point in the middle of his team. ‘Right. This is my third year of Baku Battles, so I’m not going to let anything – or anyone – mess this up for me.’ Tobias’s eyes flick to me. My cheeks burn for what feels like the millionth time today – it’s so unfair, because he must have chosen me and seen some potential, but because of the black mark I’ve somehow been judged as inadequate.

  I stare down at Jinx’s inert form in my arms. I miss having his banter in my ear. No doubt he would be commenting in my ear about my teammates, or offering insights into the Baku Battles. I miss it, even though it’s been less than twenty-four hours since he first spoke.

  Tobias continues: ‘I’m deadly serious about winning this year, so the hard work is going to start today. No one has any plans, right?’ As if anyone would dare to disagree with the ferocity on Tobias’s face. He turns to Kai sitting next to me. ‘What do you think of following a similar strategy to Nathan’s last year?’

  I jump in before I can stop myself. ‘But what exactly is the Baku Battle competition?’

  Tobias stares at me and Kai rolls his eyes, but I see Ashley nodding and smiling at me encouragingly.

  When I turn back to Tobias, his chest swells out and his chin lifts. He’s enjoying this. He’s in his element – a leader – and as if by divine intervention, a perverse sunbeam slices through a slat in the blinds to cast a band of gold on his dark brown skin.

  He looks positively regal.

  He takes a deep breath before beginning. Even my fingertips are tingling with anticipation at what he is about to say. ‘Baku Battles,’ he pauses for dramatic effect, ‘are a long-standing tradition at Profectus. Pitting baku against baku teaches us how to innovate – to create, to imagine – in the most extreme environment, with stakes that actually matter to us. You’ve heard the old saying that war drives technological advancement? Well, we don’t want to have actual war, so we’ve got to simulate it. Of course, you can’t fight bakus in the real world but here, under strict rules, in a controlled environment . . . we get to go nuts.’ His eyes flash as he talks, and my heart twists inside my chest. This is amazing. It’s even better than I could have hoped. I knew Profectus would be competitive, but this is on another level.

  This is competing, but the results f
or us could mean inventing technology that could help society. Advance it. Monica Chan’s vision truly come to life. These are the types of secrets I dreamed about knowing.

  And now I get a front row seat to the action.

  ‘So we are going to train, and train hard. Preparation is absolutely key. The competition is made up of three different battles. You earn points by defeating all the other bakus in the arena or lasting the thirty minutes – but you can also earn a share of the points by repairing bakus that have been broken during battle before school begins the next day. The team with the most points wins the competition. And every single winning teammate gets a guaranteed summer internship in the Moncha division of their choice and one-on-one time with Monica Chan herself.’

  My jaw drops. It’s an incredible opportunity: and a guaranteed opportunity for me to meet my idol.

  ‘Although maybe it will be Eric Smith this year,’ says Tobias, with a shrug, which snaps me from my daydream.

  ‘Why do you say that?’ I ask.

  ‘Because Monica is normally the one to give the orientation speech. Maybe she’s taking some time off this year. But working for Eric Smith will be just as good,’ says Tobias.

  ‘Maybe better,’ says Kai. ‘My folks say she’s taken a real step back. I want to work for someone who’s still at the top of their game.’

  No one could be better than Monica Chan. I don’t say the words out loud though, because I don’t want to antagonize my teammates any further.

  Tobias continues. ‘The final battle takes place inside Moncha headquarters, which is always a trip. The arena in there is insane. I missed out on a win in my first two years,’ he says, clenching his fingers into a fist, as if the losses happened yesterday – not years ago. ‘But my brother was the captain last year, and we kicked ass. And I’ll be damned if we don’t win again this year. That means no shenanigans from my team. This is our future we’re talking about.

  ‘And absolutely no black marks.’ He isn’t looking at me when he says it, but my fingers instinctively tighten around Jinx’s inactive body.

  The bell for the end of school rings, the mark pops off Jinx and he springs back to life. I can’t help the grin that appears on my face. Part of me had been worried that the stasis might be permanent – with Jinx, I’m starting to learn that things don’t always work the way they are supposed to. I stare down at the black mark and wonder if I should return it to Mr Baird.

  >>Keep that thing away from me.

  I’m not planning on using it on you. Although, if you’re bad . . .

  >>I will pee on your bed sheets.

  You don’t pee.

  >>That doesn’t mean I don’t have my ways.

  I laugh, but then I cringe at the thought of anyone finding out just how unofficial Jinx really is. He’s a chimera, composed of so many spare parts and garbled together connections, I don’t know what anyone would think of him if they took a closer look.

  ‘All right, team, I’m sending your bakus the coordinates for the training session this afternoon. I want to see you all there in half an hour, no exceptions.’

  I raise my hand tentatively.

  ‘Dude, we’re not in class. Just ask your frickin’ question,’ says Kai, rolling his eyes.

  Tobias looks at me expectantly.

  ‘I . . . uh, have detention this afternoon.’

  Tobias’s lips purse together. ‘I forgot about that. Well, you’ll have to miss this one then. But that’s the only one you’re going to miss, got it?’ He snaps his fingers at his baku, Aero, and storms out of the classroom.

  ‘He’s a bit intense,’ says Ashley, leaning over. ‘But he’s a good guy. It’s kind of hard living in his brother’s shadow.’

  ‘His brother?’

  ‘Nathan. He won last year. Pressure’s on for Tobias to step up too.’

  My eyes widen. I know a lot about pressure – asking me not to put pressure on myself is like asking water not to boil when it’s placed over a heat source.

  ‘He said if he doesn’t win, his parents might send him to work at BRIGHTSPRK,’ says River, jumping in on our conversation.

  Ashley and my expression are almost mirrors of each other: the same instant grimace at the name BRIGHTSPRK. They’re Moncha’s biggest rivals, and they started their own school following the Moncha model. They’re based out of San Francisco, but mini BRIGHTCities are popping up all over the world.

  But they don’t have bakus, so as fast as BRIGHTCities are popping up, Monchavilles are taking over. And I can’t imagine Tobias being happy about giving up Aero. Another incentive for him to win.

  The simultaneous grimace bonds Ashley and me. ‘Good luck at detention,’ she says. ‘Hope Mr Baird’s not too hard on you. See you around, teammate!’

  ‘See you,’ I reply. I’m left all alone in the classroom, in no hurry to find out what sort of detention Mr Baird has in store for me. I want Jinx to send Zora a message about the Baku Battles and what’s happened, but then I remember the Profectus rules – plus, to prevent secrets (and distractions), external communication coverage is disabled within these walls. In an emergency, there are codes that can be used to override the signal blackout, but if they are used in vain then there are even worse punishments that can be doled out than just a black mark.

  I finally can’t put it off any longer.

  Time to find out what detention is like at Profectus.

  I STAND UP JUST AS THE DOOR TO THE classroom opens. Mr Baird’s head pops around the door. ‘Miss Chu? You’re late.’

  Crap. I’ve already got on his bad side once today; I can’t afford to again. Jinx’s hackles rise as the teacher’s owl flies overhead and Mr Baird looks down at him, frowning. I beg Jinx to stop behaving so weirdly, fidgeting with the leash at my ear, and kind of to my surprise he stops and jumps up into my arms. Instinctively my arms close around his surprisingly soft metallic body, and I brush down his back with my fingers, feeling my heart rate and breath return to normal as he softly purrs.

  ‘What version of a cat baku is that? I’m not sure I’ve seen . . .’ he reaches out to touch Jinx’s fur, but Jinx leaps back out of my arms and darts away down the hallway.

  I shrug and laugh it off. ‘No, he’s not a new version. Totally standard level 3 house cat baku,’ I say.

  I’m not sure he believes me, if the quivering frownline between his eyebrows is anything to go by. ‘Well, a place on the team and detention on your first day. You’re gaining yourself quite a reputation at the school already.’

  My throat feels like it’s constricting.

  ‘Detention is going to be a bit different today. I have a task for you.’

  Obediently, I follow – breathing a small sigh of relief as we turn round the corner and Jinx is there, waiting in a doorway, his eyes bright and alert. Mr Baird doesn’t pay him any particular attention once he trots at my heel, behaving for all the world like an ordinary baku. Please stay that way, I think.

  >>Not a chance.

  I grimace.

  Just as Jinx trots at my heel, I trot at Mr Baird’s, following him three levels down a wide staircase at the very back of the school. I’m glad that Jinx’s inbuilt GPS will be keeping tabs on all these routes, mapping the labyrinth of hallways. There’s absolutely no way that I would be able to remember where to go without him. My brain might be perfect for solving engineering puzzles, but when it comes to a sense of direction? Yeah, not my forte. Reading books that involved kids heading out into the wilderness with only an analogue compass and a paper map used to bring me out in hives.

  The owl baku goes ahead of us, opening each door as we pass through. ‘You won’t be able to get through here without a teacher or senior student,’ says Mr Baird. ‘So there’s no point in trying. The security is inbuilt into our bakus, state-of-the-art. You won’t be able to practise in secret,’ he says, his eyes shining. ‘But what you can do is clean this up.’

  With a brush of his wing (likely embedded with some sort of code), the owl opens the last
door – and I realize that I’ve been led straight down into the arena beneath the gymnasium. It looks different down here in the dark. Smaller. Creepier. It’s also an absolute mess: there are bits of metal and plastic everywhere, bolts and wires pulled from the battling bakus strewn across the surface. There are marks from the rubber soles of the bakus, as they ran around during the battle. I can almost trace the choreography of the fights, based solely on the wreckage. Jinx paces over to where the wolf was brought down, sniffing tentatively at a piece of scrap metal on the ground.

  Mr Baird coughs, and I look up. ‘Well, can you help?’ he asks.

  ‘What do you want me to do?’

  ‘Get all of this tidied up. There’s a recycling bin for all the spare materials just outside here, and you’ll find cleaning supplies in this closet. When you’re done, leave the room and it will lock automatically behind you.’

  ‘Profectus detention is intense,’ I say.

  His eyes sparkle with amusement – I’m glad I’m able to make him laugh rather than grimace this time. ‘If you can get this done in time, you might just be able to make the end of your meeting.’ He pauses in the doorway. His eyes flick from me to Jinx, and I can see he wants to say something more.

  ‘I got it, Mr Baird. You can count on me.’ I show my eagerness by grabbing a broom from the closet, and start sweeping up the arena. I hear the soft swoosh of the doors, and I’m left in peace.

  >>Thank Moncha he’s gone! Now we can have some real fun.

  ‘Jinx, seriously – I don’t even clean up my room. You think cleaning this up is going to be fun?’

  >>We can find all sorts of goodies in here I bet. Like, look at this. His paw brushes up against a smashed-up printed circuit board – if one of the bakus is missing that, they’re going to be seriously screwed.