Pirate Invasion

by Marcus Emerson

  Or the remaining members of my clan and I could confront the pirates and wage an all-out war with them. Starting a huge fight wasn’t ideal, but at this point, it wasn’t out of the question. Maybe a giant fight like that would reveal all of Carlyle’s plans.

  But it didn’t matter. No plan I could think of was going to be worth anything because when I stepped through the foliage, I saw that the secret hideout was completely empty. There wasn’t a single other member of my ninja clan waiting.

  ‘Hello?’ I said loudly. The only answer came from the wind sifting through the leaves.

  Wonderful, I thought. Absolutely wonderful. Just when I thought I could be a good leader, I lose my ninja clan.

  If I had been a better leader, no … not a better leader. I just needed to be a more exciting leader. I just needed to give them a little bit of the adventure they wanted, and now that I have it … it’s too late.

  With nothing left to lose, I made the decision to go back to the cafeteria. I wasn’t okay with sitting in the hideout by myself and pouting, so maybe I could have another discussion with Carlyle. I had no idea what I was going to say, but hopefully it would come to me in the moment. After I changed out of my ninja uniform, I folded it neatly and held it under my arm. Normally, I would’ve stuffed it back into my locker, but I wasn’t completely sure I was going to keep it.

  I know it said ‘gym class’, but I was obviously running around outside of it. I don’t recommend you do the same. You could get in a load of trouble, unless you were trying to stop a huge pirate invasion. I guess in that case, maybe it’s alright.

  By this time, I had snuck back into the stage area of the cafeteria. I didn’t step out right away, but instead, I stood by the door. I wasn’t sure what I was waiting for. Maybe there was a part of me that wanted to walk away and fight.

  I can’t know for sure what I was feeling that moment because a pirate stepped out from the stage and froze in their tracks when they saw me. My heart stopped for half a beat as I waited for him to yell for his pirate buddies. But then I saw that it wasn’t a boy pirate, but a girl.

  She stepped backwards. Her face was completely covered in shadow so I wasn’t sure who it was, and apparently she wasn’t keen on letting me find out. She spun around and started running down the side of the stage area.

  I didn’t know what to do exactly, so I let my instinct take over and started chasing after her.

  Whoever it was, she was fast – faster than any girl I’d ever raced against at least, which probably isn’t saying much since I’m not exactly what you’d call ‘athletic’.

  She jumped over boxes in a single leap, even sliding her body against the wall so her landing was smooth. For a second, I thought about trying it but I knew my legs would betray me, so I ran around the boxes.

  The other pirates were too busy talking and training with swords to notice the chase going on backstage. The noise of the students eating lunch in the cafeteria made sure that our footsteps weren’t heard.

  I wanted to shout but knew that I couldn’t unless I wanted a bunch of pirates to chase after me.

  She was nearly three metres away and her speed was making that gap even wider. My legs were straining from running and dodging obstacles. I knew that if I continued, she’d eventually figure out that all she had to do was run to the middle of the stage to get help from the rest of her pirate buddies.

  She glanced back at me and I could see the whites of her eyes. They were afraid and panicked and even looked familiar to me. Too bad she didn’t see the stack of wooden boxes directly in front of her.

  The moment she hit them, her body flipped into the air like a rag doll, but she miraculously landed on her feet. It wasn’t graceful, but it definitely looked like something out of a movie. Reaching for the wall, she steadied herself and took one more look behind her. I noticed a shiny piece of metal drop from her neck.

  I started slowing down because I thought she was done for. I was so sure that when she hit those boxes, she’d have to stop running and catch her breath, but I was wrong. She took one look at me as the lights lit her face enough that I could recognise her. She turned away and started sprinting down the hallway out of sight.

  I wanted to run after her, but I couldn’t. My mouth was so dry from my heavy breathing that I had to stop and find water before I died. But even if I was able to run still, I don’t know if I would have. I caught a glimpse of the girl’s face. The second it happened, I felt like my brain exploded. It was possible that I was a walking zombie, killed by the shock of what I had just seen.

  I glanced at the ground, at a small piece of metal that reflected the fluorescent lights above. It was what had dropped from the girl’s neck right before she took off again.

  I picked it up, inspecting the gold medallion carefully, studying the tiny skull embedded into the surface. It was the mark of a pirate. The other pirates wore them too. Looking up, I scanned the hallway, exhausted and sad at realising who it was I had been chasing after…

  It was Zoe … and she was a pirate.

  I made sure I was the first to homeroom. I wanted to be there to see if Zoe had anything to say for herself, but after the bell rang, she wasn’t in the room. It wasn’t like her to miss school, even when she’s sick, so I knew she had to be avoiding me.

  My ex-best friend, Brayden, was there though. Since there weren’t assigned seats, he came early enough to get a seat up the front, far away from me. Obviously, he was trying to avoid me as well. I don’t blame him.

  ‘Good morning, students,’ said Mrs Robinson. ‘TGIF, right?’

  Everyone murmured.

  ‘You might be too young to understand,’ she said. ‘Anyway, it’s Friday, and the day of Dance ’Til Ya Drop. You’ll be happy to hear that everything planned for it has gone well, and we’re bound to have a wonderful night tonight, so I hope that you all tried your best to raise money.’

  I shifted in my seat, uncomfortable at the thought of Carlyle’s plan to change the mascot to a buccaneer.

  ‘Remember that the student with the most money wins the trip to Hawaii and the chance to change the old and outdated mascot of Buchanan from a wildcat to … well, whatever they please. What kind of mascots do you think would be good for Buchanan?’

  One of the students shouted, ‘A bald eagle!’

  Another student corrected him, ‘A bald dude!’

  ‘A zombie!’

  ‘A bald zombie!’

  Mrs Robinson sighed. ‘A bald zombie. Y’know, the other teachers said this was a bad idea, and I’m beginning to wonder if they were right.’

  Silently, I nodded, agreeing with her.

  ‘The dance is tonight. If you’re not staying after school to help set up the cafeteria, your parents will have to bring you in at 4:30. It’ll take some time to sign in. Bring all the money you’ve collected, and remember that the donations should be cheques. We don’t want a repeat of the food drive, do we?’

  She was referring to how Wyatt had stolen all the cash from the food drive.

  ‘You’ll have to fill out a form, and then you’ll walk into the cafeteria. The event will start at five o’clock sharp aaaaaaaand you’ll all dance until you drop. At seven o’clock, the money should be counted up, and the winner will be announced at the end of the night!’

  Carlyle was sure to win. He was going to have all the pirates give him the money they had raised, and he had enough pirates that he would probably dominate the competition. There was always the chance that an overachiever would upset the contest, but that was doubtful.

  Mrs Robinson continued the morning announcements, but all I heard was ‘blah blah blah’. There was far too much on my mind. My backpack was sitting next to my desk, and inside it were my ninja robes.

  I decided last night that I was just going to give up. I know it sounds lame, but there wasn’t much else I could do. Carlyle’s threat against Zoe walking the plank … that was one thing, but after I found out that she had actually become a pirate? Well, that w
as much much worse.

  When I first became the ninja leader, I tried to get her to join. Yes, I realise how completely two faced that sounds because I wouldn’t let Brayden in automatically. But Zoe was different. She was there when the ninja clan first contacted me and even helped me join. But she said no when I offered her a place as a ninja.

  She was nice about it – she didn’t poke fun at me. I think she was genuinely happy to see me become part of a group since I was the new kid at Buchanan. Plus she had a good excuse – she wanted to participate in other groups like the cheerleading squad or even the volleyball team, which is exactly why it felt like a sucker punch to see her parading around as a pirate.

  So that was it. Zoe had chosen her side. Brayden betrayed me. And I lost the entire ninja clan. Some leader I was, huh? In a way, it was sort of a relief. Carlyle would win and the school would become the Buchanan Buccaneers. His vengeance would be complete by that night.

  And I wouldn’t have the stress of leading a group of 6th grade ninjas, so I’d be able to sink back into the invisible lifestyle I’d grown accustomed to. It wasn’t a big deal … at least I’d have my comic books to keep me company.

  Just then, the bell rang, signalling the end of homeroom. I’d completely zoned out the entire time. The rest of Mrs Robinson’s announcements went right over my head.

  I grabbed my bag from the floor and turned to talk to Zoe, and then I remembered she wasn’t there. Being late to school was one thing, but for Zoe to miss homeroom completely was actually something to worry about.

  Brayden stopped just before exiting the room. ‘Where’s Zoe?’

  I shrugged my shoulders. ‘I dunno. It’s not like her to miss any amount of any class.’

  ‘Weird,’ Brayden said before he stepped out into the hallway.

  It was weird. A little too weird. She made her choice to become a pirate, but that didn’t make her any less my cousin. I decided that I should try calling her house. I kept my phone in my locker, and yes, this isn’t 1990 anymore – kids have phones stashed away in the lockers for emergencies … what, you don’t?

  I dialled her home phone number and leaned into my locker so teachers couldn’t tell what I was doing. I’m sure I looked suspicious though, I mean, my entire head was in my locker.

  Her dad picked up. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Uncle John? This is Chase. Is Zoe around?’

  ‘Chase? Hey, buddy, what’s happening?’

  ‘Oh not much. Y’know… same old, same old, talkin’ on a phone with my head shoved into a locker.’

  Uncle John laughed. ‘Why would you be doing that? You getting picked on again? Aren’t you some sort of almighty ninja now? Zoe talks about it all the time.’

  ‘She does?’ I asked, surprised. ‘I mean, is she around? She wasn’t in homeroom today, and that’s not really like her, so I got kind of worried.’

  ‘That’s awfully nice of you, but yeah, I’m afraid she’s not feeling too well. She tried going to school this morning, but I told her that if she wanted to make it to the dance tonight, she’d have to stay home and rest first.’

  ‘Oh, good,’ I said. ‘So she’ll be here tonight?’

  ‘Yep.’

  ‘Can I talk to her?’

  Uncle John paused. ‘She’s actually taking a little nap on the couch, but I can tell her you called when she wakes up. How’s that sound?’

  ‘Good,’ I said. ‘No need for her to call me back though since I’m at school. My phone’s in my locker, so I won’t be able to get to it.’

  ‘Alright. I’ll let her know you called,’ said Uncle John. ‘She’ll appreciate that.’

  Snapping my phone shut, I tossed it back onto the top shelf of my locker. At least Zoe was all right. If anything, I felt better about that. It also made what I was going to do in gym class much easier.

  Unsurprisingly, Carlyle wasn’t in art class. I’m sure he was probably working on the stage in the cafeteria, building his army of pirates. Brayden was there though. I gave him a note to pass on to his captain, and he said he would.

  So there I was sitting in the boys’ locker room, waiting to see if Brayden actually gave Carlyle the note.

  ‘Chase,’ said Carlyle.

  I guess Brayden did.

  I turned around and faced the pirate captain. I wasn’t surprised to see Brayden standing next to him. ‘You weren’t in art today, Captain Carlyle.’

  ‘I had better things to attend to,’ said Carlyle.

  ‘Skipping class is a good way to get busted.’

  Carlyle laughed. ‘Are you warning me or something? Trying to make sure that I don’t get in trouble?’

  ‘No,’ I said. I don’t know why I told him that. Maybe I was just nervous, and when I’m nervous, I always talk without thinking.

  Carlyle stepped forward with his hands behind his back. ‘Brayden gave me your note. I assume you’ve called this meeting here in the locker room because you’re ready to admit defeat.’

  I said nothing.

  ‘It’s alright, lad,’ said Carlyle. ‘Even the best of us have to fail from time to time. In your case, the time just happens to be at this moment.’

  I took my book bag off and dropped it on the concrete floor.

  Carlyle snapped his fingers, and Brayden stepped forward. He marched over to my book bag and unzipped it. Then he dug his hot dog fingers into it and pulled my ninja robes out. Tossing them on the floor in front of the captain, he said, ‘It’s all here, capt’n.’

  ‘Good,’ Carlyle sneered. ‘Then it’s just about finished, isn’t it, Chase?’

  I couldn’t look him in the eye.

  Picking up my ninja robes, he turned around and started for the door. ‘Hope t’see you tonight, matey. It’s gonna be a heckuva dance.’

  I fell to my knees and felt the cold floor through my blue jeans. That was that. It was over for me, but I was numb to it. I think I realised that without Zoe on my team, I just didn’t care. Weird, because not caring about something felt the same way as wanting to puke.

  My dad had to drop me off at the school that night. I really wasn’t keen on going to the dance, but since it was mandatory, I didn’t have a choice. I was in the front seat as Dad drove. Of course I was, what did you think? That I was five years old and still sitting in a baby seat in the back? No way. I’m almost twelve!

  I pushed my hand into the front pocket of my jeans and felt the skull pendant that Zoe had dropped yesterday. I brought it along so I could confront her with it.

  ‘So you have a date for tonight?’ Dad asked.

  I shook my head as I stared out the window. ‘It’s not that kind of dance.’

  ‘No? I guess I’ve never heard of any other kind.’

  ‘It’s to raise money for cardiovascular health or whatever.’

  ‘Ah,’ Dad sighed. ‘A dance for the ol’ ticker.’

  ‘And we’re supposed to go until we drop.’

  ‘Drop dead?’

  ‘Dead tired maybe. I dunno.’

  ‘Is there some sort of prize or something?’

  ‘Yeah, but I’m pretty sure some other kid has it in the bag,’ I said.

  ‘Oh, he’s done more work than anyone or something?’ Dad asked.

  ‘Something,’ I repeated. ‘To be honest, I think that if he wins, it’ll be unfair.’

  ‘Unfair? How so?’

  ‘Well, I mean, he’s only going to win because…’ I trailed off. Telling my dad about the pirate invasion would’ve landed me in a looney bin. ‘Because he cheated.’

  Dad shook his head. ‘Not cool. Does anyone else know he cheated?’

  ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘Like, everyone does. Everyone except the teachers.’

  Dad paused. ‘Want me to say something to them?’

  ‘No!’ I said quickly.

  Dad nodded. He was good at understanding what I felt when I didn’t come out and say it. ‘So … what do you think you’re gonna do about it?’

  I pulled my foot up and rested it on the dashboard.
‘I thought maybe something, but what’s the point? What’s it worth to say anything when everyone knows anyways and actually wants him to win?’

  The car ride was silent for a moment as Dad pulled into the school’s parking lot. I could see several of the other students getting dropped off by the front doors. Many of them were dressed as pirates.

  ‘You didn’t mention it was a costume party,’ Dad said.

  ‘It’s not.’

  When Dad pulled up to the kerb to drop me off, he stopped the car and put it in park. Then he turned to me and spoke in a way that almost made him seem like he had experience with this sort of thing. ‘Chase, listen. I know you’re probably confused about this whole thing with that kid winning the prize when he shouldn’t. It bums me out a little to hear you say that you probably won’t do anything about it. I’m not saying you should sound the alarms or anything … but I hope you do something. It’s never the popular thing to go against the crowd, but at least you’re standing up to it. Think about it – in a world where everyone is following the same path, you’re the one who’s found the strength to create your own. It might seem scary at first, but trust me – you’ll feel free.’

  Was my dad right? Was it possible that maybe, for once in my entire life, I should actually listen to his advice? Something about what he said gave me comfort. I smiled. ‘Yeah, good thing I’m already pretty unpopular.’

  ‘Look at it this way,’ Dad said. ‘It might feel like the world is against you, but it’s really not that.’

  ‘Then what is it?’

  ‘It’s that nobody is exactly with you,’ he said. ‘There’s a huge difference there that should give you strength.’

  Sometimes my dad made too much sense. ‘Whatever,’ I said with a half-smile. He knew I understood.

  Dad laughed and rubbed my head in a way he knew I hated. ‘Now get outta my car. Text me when it’s almost over and I’ll come back out … maybe.’

  I faked a laugh at him as I stepped onto the kerb with my yellow envelope of fundraiser money. ‘Har har.’

  As he pulled away, I turned to face Buchanan School. The whole front entrance was packed with kids talking and joking around. I couldn’t see Zoe anywhere yet, but her dad said that she’d be here.