Max walked across the wet grass, climbing the stairs to his room. Grabbing his towel and toiletries, he jumped into a warm shower, closing his eyes as the water poured down his body. It was good to start the day with exercise; he loved feeling pain the next day, making him feel as if he had accomplished something.
“If you’re not feeling pain the next day you’re not training hard enough.” These were the words of his Uncle Jade, true words, which he mumbled under the warm water.
Once cleaned, he got into his uniform and walked down the stairs to grab a bite to eat before first period. Rachel, Jimmy, Tom and Jill sat together discussing the weekend’s events, with mostly the subject of Max spreading from table to table. He took his seat next to Rachel, grabbing her muffin and licking it before she could pull it back out of his grip.
“I was looking forward to that!” she whined, eyeing her muffin, which was now being quickly devoured by a starving Max.
“They didn’t have any left,” he explained. “And yours looked amazing,” he added.
Rachel sighed, quitting her bad impression of anger, forgiving him with a wink.
Dozer’s training session was a breeze, Max stopping only briefly when giving in to the pain in his stomach. The subject was Dozer’s flexible way of breaking a particular hold. It was very beneficial to all students to learn how to break a choke-hold by simply kicking the aggressor’s strongest foot up so you could swing the person over your shoulder.
His short time at the school was no setback to Max, since he excelled at most classes. He did, though, require a little help from Rachel in order to claw his way through history. His essay on Cato’s reasons for setting up a government had only scraped a B plus. The schoolwork needed some getting used to, Rachel explained, kindly. He wasn’t too bad at English and geography - he knew his landscapes well, and he had a reasonable idea of where the different countries were on the map. One day, he was examining the map and found the small country of New Zealand.
“That’s where my family retreats on their holidays,” said Chris, looking at the place where Max had his finger. “Beautiful place, you know, trees everywhere and the landscape is crazy. Only get to visit in the summer, quite far away from us here,” he said running his finger along a straight line from the two countries.
“Have you got a holiday spot?” questioned Chris.
“The only other place I know is Sherwood.”
“Another great spot,” Chris agreed.
“Well, one day I hope we will both venture together,” said Max, gazing between the two countries.
“Can you imagine it? Add Jimmy and we could be the Three Musketeers,” he joked.
Both boys laughed, only to be snapped at by Miss Avery.
“Have you found Paris on the map yet?” she barked.
“Yes, Miss Avery,” they both replied.
They continued map hunting from Europe to Africa, North America, Brazil and Canada, putting dots on the main cities.
Once the bell rang, Max made his way over to the last period of the day; martial arts.
Chris joined him, walking to the grass field and waiting for Alexander to start the class.
The Head Master’s class was always the most involved, looking at the moves from all angles and applying them to different situations. Max had no problem keeping up with this class since he had already learned most of the basics from his uncle.
“Into partners, please,” requested Alexander, watching everyone pair up. “Do task ten, series two in your textbooks.”
There was a lot of rustling as everyone began digging through their bags for their textbooks. Basic Combat 2.1, the title read.
They read over the instructions on attacking and defending and followed the pictures in the book to guide them. Many people had begun applying the moves in a similar style to each other. Max looked up and was surprised to see a girl half the size of her partner tossing him over her shoulder to the ground.
“Nice!” Chris called out, making her blush. They followed suit and this time Max was tossed in the air, hitting the ground with a thud.
They got through series one, two and three before Alex let the class go early. Excitement filled the air at the thought of an extra ten minutes’ free time. Max didn’t know what to do; sleep would be the sensible option to take, but he wasn’t yearning for it. He had trained roughly three-and-a-half hours already today, but not his individual training, which he had neglected since his first mission. The day had started off with the sun at full blaze, but now the clouds drowned out most of it and only small pockets of light beamed down.
Rachel had made it her task to see Max to his room; there was a firm rule that no girls were allowed on the second floor - marked as the boys’ floor - and vice versa.
Eight o’clock was the time the curfew began, and only with permission from the teachers could the students break that rule.
Before taking her leave when they got to his door, she pulled out her notes for the day and gave them to him.
“You should really pay attention in class,” she sighed. Max shrugged. “That’s why I have you. You’re a life saver,” he said, kissing her on the cheek before realising what he’d done. Neither of them had been expecting Max’s gesture and the only way to end the sudden awkwardness would be for Rachel to wave goodbye and dash off down the corridor. With lightning speed, that’s exactly what she did.
Max walked into his room, lying on top of his bed. There was no point doing his individual training now, as too many students were on the grounds enjoying the free time they had after school. His plan was to make a full climb down and up the pillar after dinner.
Six-thirty came around quickly while Max rested his body. Home-made ham and chicken burgers were brought out by the servants, who placed them in the middle of the table. Potatoes and gravy followed, with plates of cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato surrounding the burgers. The room was extra chatty today, with half the students talking about their essay marks.
Jimmy and Rachel had a pushing war in order to win the seat next to Max. Rachel lost, making her way to a chair a few seats down and glaring at Jimmy, who was ecstatic about getting one over on her.
Max sat quietly, listening in on the conversations around him, making no effort to join in.
Matthew, a boy he had talked to only a few times in English and martial arts, was talking to a girl across the table about the car he had back home. A Shelby GT 500 Mustang was the car, he said. Max wasn’t so sure what type of car that was. He hadn’t ever really been in cars, choosing instead to walk. His uncle had never owned one and he didn’t have any friends who did.
“An American classic,” said the girl.
“I like it; a girl who knows something about cars.” She nodded, taking the compliment and smiling.
“It helps when your brother is obsessed with them and quizzes you every second day.”
Max zoned out of the conversation when Jimmy tugged on his sleeve to talk to him.
“Training tomorrow,” he suggested, hoping Max would say yes.
“Both you and I need to rest,” he replied planning to have an easy morning tomorrow.
“Okay, that’s fine,” pouted Jimmy filling his mouth with juice so he couldn’t talk.
“You’re a determined little boy, aren’t you?” Max laughed, happy that he was so enthusiastic about his training.
Jimmy didn’t reply, deliberately filling his mouth again.
Max remembered the time he wanted to join in with Uncle Jade’s training with his older students. “When you’re older,” he had said, patting Max’s hair.
“Fine, you got me, kid. I’m training after this if you can keep up,” he said, watching Jimmy to see if he would take that third bite. He finished his mouthful, grinning. “You tricked me, didn’t you?” laughed Jimmy.
The conversations around the hall still buzzed on after dessert as Max and Jimmy left the confinements of the dinner table. Jimmy had to quickly run back his room to change, since he wasn’
t appropriately dressed for training.
It was a cold night, the wind blowing an icy breath through the gleam of the full moon. Jimmy wore a thick jersey and stretchy long pants. It made Max feel under-dressed in just a t-shirt and short shorts.
“You’re going to freeze,” said Jimmy, rubbing his hands together.
“I’ll be fine, plus you brought enough clothes for both of us,” he laughed.
They walked down from the second level across the field to the edge of the cliff, where they had trained this morning.
The pillar was covered with lights, which circled from top to bottom so that between them and the moon, they could see very clearly. Max sat right on the edge, dangling his legs over the side, with Jimmy following suit.
“They’re trying to escape!” cried Miss Avery. “What should we do?”
Alex shifted, looking down from the top level and scanning the area. “We wait and watch,” he replied, watching with delight.
Max got to his feet, wondering what type of power Jimmy had. He had said he couldn’t control it. This, therefore, would be the beginning of Jimmy’s real training: by learning how to control his power, he could improve dramatically.
“Why do you think you can’t control your power?” asked Max, interested in his reply.
Jimmy hadn’t trusted anyone with the knowledge of what type of power he had; only the staff knew what he was capable of. Max was the only student he really trusted enough to tell his secrets to. He was hesitant, thinking of some of the reasons he had been given by Alex and Dozer when he asked.
“My age; me not being strong enough; or maybe I wasn’t meant for this power,” said Jimmy, trotting out the list.
“Has anyone tried to help you?”
“Alexander, Dozer and a few others,” said Jimmy, lowering his gaze.
Max tilted his head to one side. “Have they put you in any life-threatening situations?”
Jimmy quickly ran over some of the exercises Dozer had put him through, wagging his head thoughtfully from side to side.
“Let’s put you in a situation, then. If I pushed you off this cliff, would you be able to use your power to save yourself?” Jimmy’s face tightened in fear. Falling down the pillar and then hitting either rock or sand. It gave him goose bumps just picturing it.
“Maybe, if I’m lucky,” he replied.
“So, you’re telling me you wouldn’t know if you could summon your own power when you were just about to hit that big rock down there?”
Jimmy shrugged his shoulders, avoiding Max’s gaze. “Okay, you can play around with your own life, but what if it was me, helpless, and my power couldn’t save me?”
He shuddered, looking up at Max. “If I can’t save myself, how on earth am I going to save someone else?”
“Ah, see that’s the thing. If you want to control your power, you’re going to have to do both,” said Max looking over the edge. “Just do it,” he whispered.
He looked over at Jimmy, who looked confused. Max put one foot over the edge. It touched nothing but air and then his body was pulled by his weight over the drop.
He was hurtling through the cold air, seconds flashing by, and no sign of Jimmy. The wind ripped past him, yanking at his clothes, as he continued to fall from the top of the pillar. A couple more seconds, he said to himself, with still no Jimmy.
His ears were freezing in the cold gusts that whistled past him and he was reminded of his first day at the school, being kicked off the cliff by Alexander and coming to an abrupt stop just before the ground. Max hoped that Jimmy wouldn’t leave it that long to stop his fall. His life wasn’t in the hands of a fully-trained teacher, but rather an eleven-year-old boy, who didn’t believe in his own power. Was belief enough, though? What if he was wrong and only had seconds to come up with a plan to stop his fall?
He abandoned that line of thought as he saw little Jimmy jump off the ledge and run down the rock’s surface as if his feet were connected to the pillar. He moved at three times the speed that Max was falling. It was a beautiful sight to see; someone opening up the connection to his power for the first time. Was this what Max had looked like as he jumped from the hospital window when he first obtained his power?
Jimmy was now at the same level as Max, grabbing his arm with one small hand, his grip astonishingly strong. His free hand connected with the pillar, bringing them instantly to a halt. Max winced under Jimmy’s powerful grip.
“That hurts,” groaned Max.
Jimmy immediately switched his grip, making it more comfortable for him. Max was dangling, nothing supporting him but Jimmy.
“You did it!” he laughed, happy that his plan had worked. He wiped the sweat from his brow as his surge of adrenaline ebbed. Jimmy eased Max next to the cliff, smiling, where Max gripped on and patted Jimmy on the back. They began climbing the pillar in high spirits.
“That was dangerous!” shrieked Miss Avery.
“What an amazing sight to see; the student becoming the teacher, doing something I couldn’t. Now do you believe, Mary?” chuckled Alexander.
Chapter 11
Complications
Max had a hard time keeping up with the questions Ms. Figg had asked to a select few of the students in the class. It wasn’t as though he was bad at history; he just didn’t know anything about the other parts of the world. He wasn’t too sharp on the Nons’ history, either, but at least he had some sort of an idea of what they were talking about.
“Joshua, what type of guards do both governments use in an emergency?” asked Ms. Figg.
Joshua looked up at the ceiling, trying to recall anything she had taught him over the week.
“Pass,” he said leaning back in his chair, having given little to no thought about the question.
“Do you ever listen in class?” Ms. Figg shook her head wearily. “Okay. Emily.”
“It’s the E.S. Elite Squad,” she said, correctly.
“Very good. So what have we learnt about Cato?”
“That he was one of the smartest Gods of his time,” said a girl directly behind Max.
“That’s half-true,” said Ms Figg, ambling around the room. “If he were still alive today, he would still be one of the most intelligent beings who ever lived.”
“So, that’s why he was solely responsible for creating both governments?” asked Joshua, linking his hands at the back of his head.
“He listens!” said Ms. Figg with feigned shock. “I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
Everyone erupted into laughter and she allowed them their moment of fun.
“Okay, now, calm down everyone,” she shouted over the chatter.
“Recapping the lesson. Cato was gifted with the power of knowledge and brain power. Using his power, he created the very first government in the powers association called…”
“The Ministry of Power,” interrupted Rachel.
“We have a new teacher, everyone,” said Ms. Figg leaning on one of the heaters, waiting.
The whole class spun around to look at Rachel, who blushed and tried taking cover behind her book.
“Sorry, Miss,” she said, still hiding behind her book.
“That’s okay; could you tell us what they do?”
She removed the book to reveal a small grin. “If you were to say the two governments were a body, the Ministry would be the brain. They start by sorting out diplomatic situations, having different departments for different issues. They control everything from the law to executive decisions and the wellbeing of the Power Users.”
“And the NPA?” asked the teacher.
“The National Powers Association is the arms and the legs. The brute force, with the strongest powers users. They are said to recruit at a young age, training the task force until they become perfect.”
“Exactly right. If I’m not careful, I might be out of a job,” replied Ms. Figg nodding her head at Rachel. Max gave Rachel a nudge on the shoulder as the babble in the room began to build once more.
&
nbsp; “Everyone quiet down!”
Max raised his hand. “Where do the NPA recruit from?”
“If you’re strong enough, they will find you. On occasion they have come here to recruit.”
The bell suddenly cut in and the students began packing up their belongings and heading out for morning tea.
“Tomorrow we are moving on to the next God, Cleon, so read up and be prepared,” Ms Figg yelled over the noise of the departing students.
Sandwiches were piled up on the kitchen bench, with small cartons of milk next to them.
“Teacher Rachel, you wouldn’t mind sneaking me a muffin?” said Max, joking with the table.
“No,” she replied, stamping off to sit next to her other friends.
“What did I do?” asked Max in confusion.
“Girls get emotional; we are not like boys, we can’t hide it away,” said one of the girls at the table.
“I better apologise, then, otherwise she will never do my homework again,” he said to Jimmy, smiling and looking over towards Rachel.
Having done last night’s homework, fitness training had consisted of whatever they had in their training programmes. With the thumbs up from Dozer, everyone scattered to their stations to work through it. Max had a series of weight-lifting exercises to work through, with most of the upper body utilised by lifting heavy, weighted steel bars. His plan was to hit every major muscle group over various days. Dozer was happy with this programme, noting that he would have to change it in three months to allow Max’s body to adapt. Dozer found it very productive to give the students some flexibility in choosing their own activities.
At the conclusion of the lesson, all the students packed their belongings in their bags, returning all the equipment used to its proper place. The girls scattered off first, having an extra five minutes to shower. The boys next, walking slowly while talking. Max had to wait behind at Dozer’s request.
“Yes?”
“I have a mission for you,” said Dozer, picking up a set of weights that had been left behind.
“The groundskeeper is off sick and fifteen of the light bulbs have blown around the pillar, something to do with the wind being too strong. From what I have heard, you’re the right man for the job,” said Dozer, giving Max a compliment for once.
Maximus Thatcher Page 14