Breeze

by Sarah Asuquo

  “Ok. So, you need to go straight down, past the restaurants and shops. Then, you’ve gotta turn right and walk past the stadium. Once there, you’ll see an underground footpath, walk through that and then up the stairs.”

  “Thank yo–”

  “Then, go around the back to a glass building, looks like a crystal. You need to go to the second floor in that building and bang! It’s right there.”

  Breeze stood in a daze.

  “It’s ok, love, just remember: Restaurant and shops, do a right, underground, up the stairs, glass building and second floor. If you get stuck, there are signs to direct ya. You’re looking for the Crystal Gallery.”

  Breeze typed his directions into her phone and noticed the time. “Ten minutes. I’ve got to use the boundless and beyond speed,” she said to herself. “No, Breeze, it’s too busy, people will see you disappear. Hmm… Ok, thank you for your help!” she said.

  “I couldn’t hear half of what you just said but you’re very welcome, love!”

  With a little help from her trainers, Breeze swiftly jogged to the wall and made it there in a few minutes. She could instantly see a brick glowing towards the bottom-left of the wall but there were too many visitors around the wall obstructing it.

  “Come on, Breeze. Think, think, think.” And before she knew it, Breeze had pretended to faint, right in front of the brick that she needed, conveniently.

  “Danger! Danger!” cried the primary school children.

  “Come on, kids, let’s give her some space,” said one of the teachers, ushering the children away. “We need a first aider, on the second floor. Quickly!”

  Breeze pulled the glowing brick forward, her body facing the wall to hide her actions. She retrieved the medal and placed the brick back into the wall, moments before the first aider arrived.

  “I’m fine now, thanks!” she said as she jumped up to her feet.

  “What? No, I should check you over, just to make sure you’re ok.”

  “No, no, I’m fine, really. I’m just a bit dehydrated. It’s very warm today. A glass of water and I’ll be fine.”

  “Ok, come with me and I’ll get you some water.”

  “Oh, it’s fine. I’ll buy some on my way home. I only drink alkaline water.”

  “Me too! Come with me and I’ll get you a bottle from our fridge.”

  “Ok. But do you mind if I just sit down here and wait for you to bring it to me, please? I feel a bit light-headed all of a sudden.” Breeze held her head awkwardly to convince him.

  “No problem. I’ll be right back.”

  As soon as he left, Breeze went through the fire exit, clicked her heels and was back at the pond in nine minutes.

  “Easy Breezy! You smashed it this time! We’ve still got five minutes till the bell goes.”

  “Thanks, Bella, but I’m shattered.”

  “I bet. You’re doing so well. Did you get it?”

  “Yeah, here,” she said, handing Bella the medal and slumping on a log.

  “Well done, Breeze. I got you a panini and a Ribena. Get that down ya,” said Bella as she placed the medal in Breeze’s bag.

  “Thanks, Bella, I’m marvin’!” Breeze took as big of a bite that her mouth would allow and poured her juice down her throat.

  “One more medal to go, Breeze and it’s basically down the road, Mile End Stadium. Come on, let’s start walking to Maths; the bell will go any minute now.”

  “I just thought that I should tell you, Mr Fraser because it’s the right thing to do,” said Chanel as the rest of the class lined up outside of the classroom. “I heard them planning it yesterday and Breeze was like ‘Mr Fraser’s so gullible, I’ll just tell him that I need to go to the toilet towards the end of the lesson and he’ll let me go!’ I think that’s really disrespectful, Sir. She’s taking advantage because you’re a safe teacher.”

  “So, she thinks she can trick me! I know every trick in the book. Thanks for letting me know, Chanel. You did the right thing.”

  “No problem, Sir,” she replied with satisfaction.

  “Come in, Year 10. Get your books out and start completing the equation on the board,” said Mr Fraser. He watched Breeze suspiciously as she entered the room. “Afternoon, Breeze.”

  “Afternoon… Sir,” Breeze replied, confused by his demeanour.

  The day’s events had taken its toll on Breeze and although she tried to resist, she was soon fast asleep. MC Hammer agreed to teach her the ‘Hammer Dance’ one last time but just he began, Breeze was awoken by three loud knocks on her table.

  “Huh… 3.14 is pie,” she said, wiping the dribble from the side of her mouth.

  “What do you think this is? No sleeping in my classroom!” said Mr Fraser as he walked towards his desk.

  “Sorry, Sir… wait, what’s the time?” She looked down at her watch. “2:55, I’ve got to go.” Breeze walked to Mr Fraser’s desk and spoke as quietly as she could. Mr Fraser looked at Chanel and nodded. “Sir, I really need the toilet, could I leave a litt–”

  “You’re not going anywhere! Finish those equations or you’ll be staying after the school bell.”

  “O-k,” she replied, returning to her seat.

  Mr Fraser gave Chanel a thumbs up.

  “Right! Stand behind your chairs and wait for the bell,” said Mr Fraser. As soon as it was three o’clock, Breeze charged for the door. “Wait there, Breeze. Come back here.”

  “I really need to go, Sir.”

  “And you can, once I’ve checked your work.” He scanned her exercise book. “You haven’t finished questions 4 and 5.”

  “Please, Sir, I’ll do it for homework. I’ll hand it in next lesson. Please.”

  “Hmm. I’m not a pushover, you know. I can be cool, but I ain’t no fool.”

  “I know that, Sir. I always do my work and behave in your lessons. Today’s just been a hard day for me. Please?”

  “Ok, Breeze. Have it on my desk next lesson.”

  “Thanks, Sir. I will,” she said, racing to the pond.

  “These teenagers,” said Mr Fraser, opening a pack of plantain chips and Jamaican Ginger Beer.

  “You’re still here! I thought you would’ve left already!” Bella exclaimed.

  “Mr Fraser was being long for no reason, man. He wouldn’t let me leave,” Breeze replied, changing into her trainers.

  “Ok, you’ve got eleven minutes. Good luck. I’ll wait for you at the school reception.”

  “Ok, in a bit.”

  Breeze arrived at Mile End Stadium in under a minute. She was relieved to see how quiet the stadium was as she approached the help desk.

  “Good afternoon, welcome to Mile End Stadium. My name’s Helga and I’m here to help ya! Like what I did there? Helga… help ya. Rhymes with my name… It’s Scandinavian, my dad’s side of the family. Anyway, how can I help ya, hun?”

  “Hi, Helga, could you show me where the tennis court is, please?”

  “Court? As in one! Oh darlin’, we have twenty-five tennis courts. They’re just through those gates. I’ll show ya.”

  Breeze followed Helga through the gates and stared in astonishment at the endless ocean of green that stretched far into the distance. “Damn,” she gulped.

  “Impressive, right?”

  “Yeah, very impressive. Which court did Brian Bennett used to train in?”

  “Brian Bennett! You’ve done your research. From what I can remember from our staff training, Brian only ever trained in one court. He used to say it was his lucky number, the number of his birthday. Now I can’t remember if it was number two or number twenty-two. Hmm… let me think… I’m not sure, love. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be sorry. You’ve been really helpful. Thank you, Helga.”

  Breeze looked at her watch and realised that she only had enough time to check one tennis court.

  “Do I go for the day he was born, twenty-two or the month he was born in, two? Come on, Breeze, you don’t have time for this.”

  Breeze’s mind
was in conflict, but it was suddenly calmed by a memory of Bella’s voice: ‘It says here he was twenty-two years old when he won the bronze medal.’

  “Twenty-two!”

  Breeze ran to court twenty-two and within seconds, saw a seat glowing in the stands on the opposite side of the tennis court. To her dismay, when she lifted seat number 38 in block 19, the medal had gone and all that was left was its imprint.

  “No!” she said as the weight of her disappointment dragged her into the chair. She looked at the clock. “3:10,” she sighed.

  Meanwhile at Aspire Academy, the founders had already arrived and were waiting in the reception for the meeting to commence.

  “Bella, may I have a word?” said Mrs Banjo, directing Bella into her office. “How did you girls get on today?”

  “We’ve got two of the medals, Miss. Breeze is getting the third one as we speak.”

  “We’ve only got a few minutes before the meeting is due to start. Where are the two medals you collected?”

  “In Breeze’s bag.”

  “Right. And I’m guessing her bag is not here.”

  “Um, no… she’s got it,” said Bella contritely.

  “Hmm, ok. I will do my best to stall the meeting, but I won’t be able to hold them off for long.”

  “Ok, Miss. Breeze will be here soon.”

  As they left her office, Mrs Banjo looked at the clock in the main reception; it was 3:15. “We will be ready to begin in five minutes,” she said.

  “But we’re all here and it’s 3:15 already,” said Dr Edwards, the Chief Executive of the Aspire Federation.

  Mrs Banjo winked and her glasses began to glow, but Bella was the only person who could see it. She stared at the clock and the minute handle moved from the three to the two, marking ten minutes past three. “No, it’s not,” she replied. “Look.”

  Bella’s mouth opened as she witnessed Mrs Banjo’s manoeuvre.

  “That’s strange, I could have sworn it said quarter-past a moment ago. Regardless, we are all here so we may as well begin.”

  “Um, that’s very true. You make an excellent point. However, we need to wait for the, um… for — the,” Mrs Banjo noticed Stella, the school’s chef, walking around the corner, pushing a trolley of refreshments.

  “REFRESHMENTS!” Mrs Banjo shouted, startling the founders. “Sorry to yell. The refreshments,” she repeated. Her left arm was behind the wall, hidden from the guests as she directed Stella to reverse like lollipop lady. Stella pulled back the trolley and reversed around the corner. “The refreshments will be here in five minutes,” said Mrs Banjo, overenunciating so that Stella could hear her.

  “Well, I hope they’re worth the wait,” said Dr Edwards.

  “They will be,” Mrs Banjo replied, walking into her office with a sense of triumph. Bella’s eyes followed Mrs Banjo as she walked. “Close your mouth, dear; flies will get in,” said Mrs Banjo, tapping Bella’s shouldeBack at the stadium, Breeze had worked up a sweat, searching in between the seats, hoping to find the medal. The laughter of a toddler caught her attention and as Breeze looked up, she saw a little girl holding a glowing piece of silver.

  “That’s it.” Breeze ran towards the child and was just about to grab the medal when her father called out, “Immy, Imogen! Come back here.”

  Breeze smiled and waved at Imogen’s father. “She’s ok. She just wants to play with these tennis balls!” Breeze cried as Imogen’s father nodded, signalling his consent. Breeze remembered learning how to juggle in primary school and began to toss the tennis balls in the air, captivating Imogen’s attention. “Ok, Immy. I’m gonna need you to give me that medal,” said Breeze as she continued to juggle.

  “NO!” Imogen retorted.

  “What?” said Breeze in shock, cautious that Imogen’s father was watching her. She smiled at him and knelt down to hand Imogen a ball. Imogen took the ball, threw it in Breeze’s face and started laughing.

  “Look, I don’t have time for this,” said Breeze, snatching the medal from Imogen’s hands. Imogen’s lip began to quiver, and she screamed as tears left her eyes.

  “No, no, no. Please. Don’t cry. You don’t want this boring piece of metal. Here, have this ball.”

  Imogen threw the ball at Breeze again and screamed even louder as her father jogged towards them.

  “Ok, ok, look. Um,” said Breeze, searching through her pockets. “Here you go, a pound coin.” And as if by magic, Imogen stopped crying.

  “Is she ok?” said her father.

  “Yeah. She got a bit upset when she couldn’t juggle the tennis balls, but I gave her a coin I had in my pocket and she settled.”

  “Oh, you shouldn’t have, let me give you your money back.”

  “Oh, it’s fine, honestly. I’ve got to go now anyway. Take care!”

  “Ok. Bye, say bu-bye, Imogen.”

  Breeze waved as she walked towards the exit. She looked around and when no one was watching, she clicked her heels and shot off.

  “Right, the refreshments are here now. What else are we waiting for? It’s twenty-past three!” said Dr Edwards.

  “No, it’s not, it’s just turned three-fifteen. Look,” replied Mrs Banjo, pointing at the clock.

  “Well your clock is incorrect. Look,” Dr Edwards retorted, holding up his phone.

  Mrs Banjo realised her time was up. “Oh yes, you’re right. My sincere apologies. If you would like to follow me to our conference room.”

  “Just a few more minutes, Miss,” Bella whispered.

  “It’s ok, dear. You did your best,” she replied dejectedly.

  Minutes later, Breeze ran into the reception. “I got it! I put all the medals on Mrs Banjo’s desk! Where is she? Where are the founders?”

  “It’s too late, Breeze. They just went into the meeting.”

  “What? No!”

  “I know. We tried, Breezy. Wait, how did you — I didn’t see you come into school.”

  “I came in through the back entrance. I didn’t want the founders to see me running in.”

  “Ah, I see. You were so close, Breeze.”

  “All that work for nothing.”

  Breeze’s back was against the wall as she slid to the ground. She buried her head in between her knees and Bella placed her arm around her shoulders.

  “No,” Breeze whispered.

  “No what?”

  “We have to try.”

  Breeze jumped up and marched towards the conference room.

  “Wait for me!” said Bella, scuttling behind her.

  “I think we’re all in agreement that Mrs Banjo has done an outstanding job, but it is now time to evolve. Bring back traditional subjects such as Latin. Encourage students to pick up an instrument rather than a javelin or discus. Broaden their horizons,” Dr Edwards declared. “So, without any further delay, if you can each read the agreements in front of you and sign them once you have done so.”

  “MRS BANJO!” Breeze yelled, knocking vigorously on the window.

  “Good heavens! What’s going on?” said Dr Edwards.

  Mrs Banjo rose to her feet hastily and Breeze gave her a thumbs up.

  “WAIT!” said Mrs Banjo. “I’m sorry, could I ask you to put your pens down for one moment, please?”

  “My goodness! What is the delay now?” said Dr Edwards.

  “I will be back in two minutes. This is such a final and impactful decision; we should consider all factors before going ahead. Two minutes, that’s all I ask for… please?”

  “Fine,” Dr Edwards replied.

  Mrs Banjo rushed through the door. “Where are they, Breeze?” she said.

  “On your desk, Miss.”

  Mrs Banjo ran to her office, leaving Breeze and Bella standing unnervingly at the door and the bemused founders staring at them.

  “Hi,” they said concurrently.

  “Breeze! Is that you? It is! Oh, Breeze!” said Eliza, one of the founders, rising to her feet and walking towards the door. “You probably don’t recognise me
without my shades and gym gear on. You saved my cat! Baby Breeze.”

  “Baby Breeze,” Bella repeated, holding back her laughter as Breeze elbowed her.

  “Oh yeah. Hi again,” said Breeze.

  “Good to see you. I didn’t know you were an Aspire student.”

  “Yeah. I love this school. It’s where I learned how to run. I train in that arena twice a week; I’m gutted that it’s closing down.” The expression of joy on Eliza face was quickly replaced with guilt.

  As Mrs Banjo entered her office, she was stunned to see the three medals on her desk. “Incredible,” she whispered, “they actually did it.”

  She picked them up and carefully placed them in the Aspire Coat of Arms adjacent to her office. Instantly, the Coat of Arms began to glow and emitted a light that shone through the entire reception. Mrs Banjo was overcome with happiness and tears ran down her face profusely. She gathered herself and returned to the conference room to find Breeze and Bella entertaining the founders with Stevie Wonder’s ‘Happy Birthday’. Breeze played a beat using the table and her hands, whilst Bella sang, and the founders clapped along.

  “It was my birthday yesterday, so Breeze and Bella performed a song for me. So adorable. Are you aware that Breeze saved my baby? She’s a very talented runner,” said Eliza as she returned to her seat.

  “Saved your baby?” Mrs Banjo replied in confusion.

  “Long story, Miss,” said Bella.

  “Anyway, thank you for your patience. Breeze, Bella, could you wait in the reception, please?”

  “Ok, Miss. Bye, everyone,” said Bella.

  “Bye,” said Breeze.

  “They are lovely girls,” said Eliza.

  “Yes, they are, and they have done something remarkable. Something unbelievable.”

  “Well? Spit it out,” said Dr Edwards.

  “They have found the stolen medals from the Aspire Coat of Arms.”

  “Impossible!” Dr Edwards objected.

  “That’s what I thought, but I assure you, they have found them and returned them. Please follow me.”

  Mrs Banjo escorted the founders to the reception and stood before the Coat of Arms.

  Dr Edwards inspected the medals and was short of words. “Unbelievable! – How? – When?”