“Don’t sweat it, kid. I want you to meet some of the instructors who teach here. This guy will be your fitness instructor and don’t be misled by his appearance.”
“Dozer’s the name,” the small and stocky man said as he stood up and gave Max a firm handshake, just about crushing his hand. Alex introduced the other teachers in turn before continuing.
“Now, if you don’t mind, would you take a seat at one of the tables? Usually we seat students in age groups or rank but you may take a seat wherever you want. Now we shall begin supper.” He indicated to an empty seat in the middle row.
Max needed no more hints and made his way over to the decorative table. He sat in silence as the maids brought out the food.
“The potato and gravy here is to die for. My name is Jim, but people call me Jimmy, Jim boy, you know, whatever flies. What’s your name?”
Max turned his head to the left to see a short, brown haired, freckled boy of about eleven sitting next to him.
“Yeah, cool,” Max replied, gazing across the lines of tables at Hilary, who was engaged in conversation with some other students.
Seeing her for the second time didn’t make a dent in his attraction towards her. In fact, to his eyes, she looked even more beautiful than when he had first seen her, if that were possible.
He was brought back to reality when Jimmy tugged on his sleeve and asked again for his name.
“The name is Max, but tell me about that girl,” he said, rolling his head in Hilary’s direction.
A big grin planted itself on the small boy’s face. “Someone has a crush,” said Jimmy in an annoying voice.
Max glowered at the boy and he stopped elbowing Max in the side. He then recounted everything he knew about Hilary and topped it off by telling Max that he had a better chance jumping off the cliff outside the dojo and surviving than going out with her.
“But she’s single, is she not?” asked Max in desperation.
“She been untouchable to everyone; the only person who thinks he has a chance is Jonny. But she’s out of even his league. I don’t really like him. He’s cocky and a bit of a bully.”
Max sat and thought on how hard he would have to work, but eventually pushed aside the thoughts, grabbed a hot bread roll and ate in silence.
The dojo was quite a different set-up to what he was used to: four hundred students with various abilities, in all different shapes and sizes. The hall was huge, with large paintings hanging on each wall. Wooden beams held the massive arched roof in place. A large number of windows gave a view of the open training ground. Only the floorboards reminded him of his old dojo.
The head table was set apart from the hundreds of students, separated by steps and at a higher level, allowing the teachers to look down at the students. Max was surprised to see as many females as males as they all chatted together.
Gradually, meals were done with and, one after another, the students began to empty the dining room. After annoying little Jimmy got up and said his goodbyes, Max finally got to his feet and departed the room, leaving the students to sit and talk in their small groups.
The night was still young, far too early for Max to go to bed. After exploring the building for a while, he found himself sitting on the fourth floor, on a rock that stuck out from the building. It was a perfect place for getting away. The only scary part was that it jutted out from the building, and he looked over the edge at a very long drop. From what Max was told during the meal, this rock had somehow been injected into the building by one of the students centuries ago. It was left here as a legacy of the student, who, in various ways, had contributed greatly to the school. The rock faced northwards and hence gave the students a sense of direction.
With his family gone, Max found himself conscious of what he held near to him and what he didn’t. This was now his new home, although he didn’t really have a choice. Living in the park had been a fantasy, not ideal for his growing power.
His thoughts drifted to the school and how similar it was to the dojo. As his thoughts shifted to a picture of the dojo burning he felt a soft hand on his shoulder and twisted his head to see Hilary standing close behind him.
“The first day is always the hardest,” she said, with a big smile that made the dimples in her cheeks pop.
“It’s not that,” replied Max. ”It’s just… Do you ever get the feeling that there’s something bigger out there?”
“Sometimes, I guess, but I don’t tend to think about that sort of stuff. I’m just happy with what I have right now, and so should you be. This is a cool school, you know.” Hilary playfully nudged Max on the shoulder, which seemed to drain away the tension in him and left him with a comfortable feeling.
“So…” said Max, picking his brain for something to talk about. “Did you get told off for not persuading me to join you?”
Hilary smiled once again. “Of course not, but Jonny didn’t like you getting the best of him.”
Max let out a little laugh, staring deep into her eyes, unaware that he was hooked. He was unable to release his gaze, noticing the dense dark blue which surrounded her pupil, with a lighter shade at the outer rims. So much detail and power lay behind them, enough to overwhelm him as he struggled to look away.
“It was so funny, although he can be a real nuisance sometimes.” Max gave a sideways glance at Hilary before getting up, finally breaking eye contact.
“It’s been nice talking to you, but I best get some rest before tomorrow,” he said.
“That’s probably a wise idea.”
Max said his goodbyes and made his way to his room, where he sat in silence contemplating the various markings on his wall with interest.
Chapter 8
A New Beginning
The alarm clock woke Max at six-thirty in the morning. He rubbed his eyes and sat up, stretching his arms and grunting when he felt his upper body and both his legs stiffen as he attempted to get to his feet.
He did some stretching to get his blood flowing. Then he opened his bedroom door and was shocked to feel the cold air. “Wow,” he said, rubbing his arms. He stepped across the corridor to the wooden rail that overlooked the grassed area far below and the canyon wall in the distance.
Max leaned over the rail and enjoyed the view from his second-storey room. He had been told that this room had previously been occupied by the electricity family. All Max had got out of the Head Master was that there were no other electricity users in the world; he was the only living one.
He wondered if his ancestor had done the same thing; looking out over these grounds, the dojo feeling like home, and finally being allowed to exist without having to hide. It felt almost too good to be true.
He then remembered what Hilary had told him the previous day: ‘Just be happy with what you have now.” So he dropped his thoughts of impending disaster, hopped off the rail and made his way to the dining room, where breakfast was being served.
Max decided that he would take a different route to the dining room than he had the previous evening. He made his way down the flight of stairs to the first level, going outside to the training area, and took a left down a small corridor, finding himself at the dining room by mistake. He walked inside to find an empty room, the only eyes fixed upon him belonging to the school cat as she rubbed her head against his legs.
“May I help you?”
Max spun around in fright, suppressing an urge to lunge at the person who came up behind him.
“Sorry about that, lady. You scared me half to death. You really shouldn’t creep up behind people, you know,” he said, feeling his heart rate spike.
The woman put her hands on her hips and glared at Max. “I can do what I want, when I want. You’d better be nice to the cook or I’ll cook you up something “special” some time,” she threatened.
“Point taken, Miss,” smiled Max, bowing to show his respect.
“You’re all right, lad. Now let’s see if I can get you something,” she said, turning her back and heading tow
ards the kitchen.
Wow. She was one scary cook, with a hell of a temper, and he vowed never to mess with her. She had a much bigger body frame than his and wore an old but clean white apron, her hair pinned in a bun at the back of her head.
“Is that a Scottish accent I hear?” asked Max.
“Aye it is. Was it hard to tell?”
“Not really. Got an ear for that sort of thing.”
“Well, look at you. Now, what would you like, dear?” Max took the closest seat he could find before replying. “Just fruit and a glass of milk, please, if that’s possible?” he asked, looking hopefully through the small serving window. She nodded and he smiled back.
After eating his breakfast and saying goodbye to the cook, Max couldn’t help but head over to the outdoor training area. He leaned on one of the pillars, taking in the features.
At every corner there was a thick pillar that held the ceiling in place. There were no walls, only rails of wood going from pillar to pillar to prevent people falling over the edge and down the cliff. The floor was constructed of a sheet of wood and shone in the sunlight. He shifted his bare foot over the surface; it was soft but had just enough grip to even it out. It was perfect for fighting on, since you could get the grip you needed, but if you ended up on the ground it would take most of the impact. He made his way over to the far corner where he spotted a rack of swords.
He picked up a wooden sword from one of the racks, swinging it and trying to recall the feeling of holding his wooden sword in the meadow.
“Ah, so familiar, and yet so strange,” Max said to himself while examining the hilt of the sword. It had been quite a while since he had held one. He raised it in front of him as if facing an opponent, dancing around the arena, composing some movements that his Uncle Jade had taught him.
“Not bad,” said Dozer, leaning up against the pole behind Max.
Max swung slowly around. “Yes. I know.”
Before he could return the sword to the rack, Dozer had picked up one for himself and indicated towards the middle of the arena.
“I’ll do you a deal. You manage to knock my sword out of my hand, and I will let you go. But if I win, you will scrub this wooden floor with the smallest brush I can find.”
Max tried to look directly at Dozer but looking straight into his dark brown eyes gave him butterflies and he dropped his gaze.
“Whatever,” Max replied, looking down at the floor.
“Good… now, begin,” said Dozer, holding his sword in one hand.
Max swung vigorously at the middle of his opponent’s sword; with only one hand supporting it, it shouldn’t be too hard to knock it from his grip.
This wasn’t the case, however. Even though Max put all his might into the downward swing the sheer power in Dozer’s arm caused it to rebound off.
He pulled back, taking a few breaths, then tried brute force and a variety of movements to break through. He thrust his sword upward, connecting with Dozer, but nothing Max could do affected the outcome; Dozer was just more powerful and blocked everything that came his way.
Max knew that giving up was not inside of him; he would rather fight until his arms came off than give up the battle. Dozer had not moved since the fight began; he not only had a strong hold physically on Max but mentally also. His mind was so strong that even his presence was enough to subdue Max’s skills, and he knew instantly that this was not a battle of strength but rather of the mind.
Max took breath after breath in an effort to stay calm. He took a step to the left and quickly swung his sword from his hip; it struck the middle of Dozer’s sword and the impact shocked Max’s hands.
After the blow, he wasted no time in spinning around and trying to hit Dozer from the other side. Dozer found Max’s speed to be very surprising and had to roll backwards to avoid a connection.
“Very good! You’ve made the first step in making me move, but you still have a lot to learn,” said Dozer. “Now, let’s stop. We don’t want you to lose too much energy before your lessons with me.”
“I haven’t finished yet. I can still strip you of your sword,” replied Max, frustrated.
“There is plenty of time,” muttered Dozer. He spun on his heels, making no more comment as he entered the dining room.
Max placed his sword on the rack, fuming from the loss he had suffered at Dozer’s hands. Every detail ran through his head. He over analysed the fight to the point of frustration and finally decided that a ten-minute stroll was needed in order to cool off.
He walked through the open grass area, the perfect place to teach on hot summer days. The grass was short and soft and, to Max’s relief, didn’t hurt his feet when he walked through. Most of the students were up and scurrying around trying to get to their first period. He noticed some glances and waves as he passed by.
The grass area ended in a narrow concrete pathway that trailed to the side of the main building. The students used this path as a shortcut around the buildings and into the lounge.
With the sun high in the sky it was clear it was going to be a hot day. The muggy air left Max sweating even at this early hour, not yet being used to the climate of this strange pillar.
He took this time to observe some of the features of his surroundings. The canyon wall held many trees that grew out at first horizontally and then vertically, with leaves so green they matched the grass. It was a weird climate. Max had never seen such an environment. The top of the canyon bore a desert of sand. At the bottom of the pillar was sand all the way to the horizon where a wall of trees met his eye. The tropical forest then pushed out for miles. How the trees surrounding the pillar got their water supply he did not know. He had reached the end of the grounds when a small boy tugged on his white robes and handed him a piece of paper.
Every Day Schedule for Term 1
1st Period
Morning Training
Dozer
0730-0830
2nd Period
History
Ms. Fig
0840-0930
Break
3rd Period
Midday Fitness
Dozer
1000-1115
4th Period
Government
Mrs. Paulson
1130-1215
Lunch
5th Period
English/Geography
Miss Avery
1300-1400
6th Period
Martial Arts
Head Master
1410-1500
Elite Training: 1510-1600
This course is only available to those students who have completed all the assessments required for an Elite Student.
“Thank you, little man,” said Max looking up from the schedule, smiling. “Government fourth,” he muttered in frustration.
“It’s really not that bad,” said a strange voice. He turned around to see a blonde-haired girl standing just behind him, staring at the variety of plants in the grounds.
The first thing Max picked up on was the long blonde hair hanging past her shoulders, her olive skin and a pair of blue eyes that drew him in.
“I can’t stand the subject. Too many boring details for me to remember,” explained Max.
“But it’s not the Nons’ government you are learning about, it’s ours,” said the girl, smiling up at him.
“Same difference.”
“Well, class starts soon so I better be off. It was nice meeting you, Electric Man,” and with a flick of her sleek blonde hair she was gone.
It felt liberating to Max to meet so many nice people who didn’t judge him because he was different. He was filled with pleasure knowing he had found people at this school with whom he could have real conversations.
He didn’t want to linger for too long, as his class was due to start soon and he arrived at the classroom just as the big bell sounded twice.
Nineteen people had already started stretching and chatting in the wooden training area. After five minutes of stretching the in
structor, Dozer, stood in the middle of the floor waiting for silence.
Looking from side to side, Max picked up that all but one of the students were standing in pairs. The class was made up evenly of boys and girls, none of whom he knew, but before he could do anything Dozer yelled for silence.
All eyes were silently fixed on him, as if they were all either scared of or intimidated by him.
“Before we begin, I want to introduce Max to the class. Just because he is new, though, I don’t want anyone to go easy on him,” said Dozer. All the students had a small grin on their faces and he couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
“In fact, I’ll give ten points to whoever sweeps Max off his feet.”
“If you knock him over twice do you get more points?” said one of the boys, angling his body to Max.
“Correct. You can only get the points through directly fighting with him. Now, if you wouldn’t mind joining your new partner, we can then begin,” said Dozer pointing out the spot where he wanted Max to stand.
He stood next to his partner, Chris, who was an inch taller than Max, with a medium build and short brown hair.
“Hello.” Max half-bowed but didn’t break eye contact. It was quite easy to see that he didn’t have the thirst for points that the others did.
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