Pirate Invasion

by Marcus Emerson

  Shouts of pirate insults drifted through the air toward me, and I remembered that Monday in homeroom and how irritated it made me. Seriously, I hate when people talk like pirates.

  I waited in line among a sea of costumed kids. To be honest, I can understand why some kids would get so into it. They get to come to school dressed in baggy clothing that look like pyjamas and they don’t have to worry about their grammar – it does sound appealing. But was it necessary for so many of them to stop bathing altogether? The lobby of the school stunk like mouldy cheese.

  ‘Yar, mate,’ said a boy in front of me. ‘Top of the mornin’ to ye!’

  ‘You sound like a leprechaun,’ I said. ‘Not a pirate.’

  ‘That be the best part, no?’ he asked, at least I think it was a question. ‘We pirates live by one rule, and that’s to live by no rules!’ My brain really felt like it was worn out from having to translate all the gibberish coming from this kid’s mouth so I had to just smile and nod at him slowly.

  ‘Chase, your envelope please,’ said the teacher manning the sign-in table. It was Mr Cooper.

  I handed him my yellow envelope. As I filled out the slip of paper with my name, Mr Cooper opened the envelope and dumped the insides out onto the table.

  ‘You only got one cheque?’ he asked.

  ‘Mm-hmm,’ I hummed.

  ‘And it’s from your parents,’ he added.

  ‘That’s right,’ I said.

  Mr Cooper sighed. ‘Well, at least it’s more than the other kids so far.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  The coached leaned across the table and spoke under his voice. ‘Nobody else raised a single penny. They’ve all handed in empty envelopes. It’s rather disappointing to say the least.’

  I didn’t speak. Mr Cooper thought nobody raised any money, but I knew the truth. Everyone had already given Carlyle their earnings so he could win the prize. Biting my lip, I said, ‘Weird.’

  ‘It is,’ Mr Cooper said as he took the sheet of paper with my name on it. Then he pointed at the cafeteria doors. ‘Welcome to the party.’

  The inside of the cafeteria was dark. The staff had blocked the windows with large dividers so that the disco lights near the ceiling could do their job. There was a blaze of blue and pink colours dancing on the walls as loud bass music shook the ground. When I opened the door, it was like walking into a wall of hot air. A wall of hot air that stunk.

  Mrs Robinson was standing just inside the door. She was holding a serviette in one hand and a half-eaten cookie in the other while she moved her body slightly to the deafeningly loud music.

  When she saw me, she laughed as if I’d caught her doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing. ‘Hi, Chase!’ she said loudly. ‘Cookies and punch are on the table in the back of the room.’

  ‘Thanks!’ I replied. I had no intention of actually dancing, so I was happy to hear there was a table I could hang around.

  As I made my way across the cafeteria, I could see that almost everyone was here already. A lot of the kids must have stayed after school to help set up the room. The most discouraging part about it was that every single kid was dressed as a pirate except for me. If that didn’t make me stick out like a sore thumb, I don’t know what else would.

  I recognised a couple of the pirates. They used to be part of my ninja clan. When I made eye contact though, they looked away. Maybe they were embarrassed, but I couldn’t help but feel like they were disappointed in me.

  Zoe was supposed to be at the dance, but I still hadn’t seen her. I had no idea what I would say to her if I saw her, but I knew it wasn’t going to be nice things.

  Finally, I reached the table of cookies and punch. Kids in dumb-looking pirate costumes were huddled around it, munching on fat chocolate chip cookies and spilling red juice all over the floor. There was no way I was going to push through the crowd of pirate kids, so I took a spot on the wall, leaning against it. I did this for about forty-five minutes, watching carefully for any sign of Zoe.

  At this point in the dance, it just felt like I was at someone’s Halloween party, except I was the only one who didn’t get the memo that it had a pirate theme.

  Carlyle had arrived and was out in the middle of the dance floor. Say what you want about the kid, but he was definitely a charmer. Girls were lined up for a turn to dance with their captain.

  ‘Pretty gross, isn’t it?’ said a voice from right next to me.

  I turned to face the kid. I was surprised to see it was Zoe, dressed in silly looking pirate costume. ‘You’ve got a lot of nerve,’ I said.

  Zoe looked confused. ‘Huh? What’re you talking about?’

  I shook my head. ‘Look at what you’re wearing! You’ve chosen which side you want to be on. Just like Brayden and everyone else in this school! You’re such a sheep.’

  ‘A sheep?’ she said, upset. ‘How am I a sheep?’

  ‘You’re following the crowd without using your brain!’ I explained. ‘You’re not even thinking straight right now. I know it was you I was chasing yesterday.’

  ‘Chase, you’d better hang onto that tongue of yours,’ she sneered. ‘I think it’s running pretty wild right now.’

  ‘We’re family! Family is supposed to stick together, but you abandoned me!’ I started laughing in a way that felt like I was a villain. ‘I offered you a spot in my ninja clan, and you refused because you were too cool for it! No thanks, you said! I’d like to spend my time playing volleyball and cheering for the football team, you said! But look at you now! Dressed like a frumpy pirate lost in the crowd!’

  Zoe didn’t say anything, but I could see that she was really angry. So angry that it looked like tears were forming in her eyes. Wait … do tears form when people get mad?

  ‘I’m sor—’ I started, but she turned and walked away before I could get the words out.

  ‘Nice,’ said one of the pirates who overheard our conversation. When I looked, I saw that the entire crowd of pirates around me had heard the whole thing.

  Carlyle stepped forward. ‘Seems as though you do quite good at destroying yourself.’

  I didn’t speak. The music thumped and shook the floor of the cafeteria as pirates circled around me. I’ve read a lot about situations like this in ninja training. When surrounded by a group of attackers … it’s best to get yourself out of there. Pretty obvious, right?

  ‘Tonight, you’ll bear witness to my victory,’ Carlyle said as he gestured for his minions to close in and tighten their circle. He knew I was trying to get out of it.

  ‘These kids have a right to know your intentions,’ I said.

  The captain laughed loudly. ‘They already do! That’s the most beautiful part! They want to help me win!’

  ‘You want to be led by a maniac?’ I asked the crowd. ‘You want this kid to win the prize just because he’s a smooth talker?’

  Many of the students nodded. I could see they wouldn’t be convinced easily.

  ‘What’s your end-game here, mate?’ Carlyle asked. ‘What d’you think you’ll accomplish right now? The entire school be against ye!’

  ‘It’s not that anyone is against me,’ I said.

  Was I really about to quote my dad?

  ‘It’s just that nobody is exactly with me.’

  Yep. I just quoted my dad.

  The music playing in the background suddenly scratched to a stop, and then a girl’s voice shouted from somewhere in the cafeteria. ‘I’m with you!’

  At that moment, the curtain to the stage started peeling open, revealing all the work that the pirates had done that week. The Buchanan Buccaneers flag was pinned to the back wall. In front of that was a medium-sized, crudely created boat that was probably supposed to be a pirate ship. At the side of the stage stood Zoe, hanging onto the rope that drew open the curtain. Many of the pirates gasped, in awe of the ship.

  I didn’t know what to say.

  ‘What’s the point of exposing this?’ Carlyle asked. ‘These kids already know the p
lan!’

  Zoe ran to the front of the stage and spoke to the crowd of listening students. ‘Do you really know what this will do to Buchanan if he changes our mascot from the Wildcats to the Buccaneers?’

  There were some murmurs throughout the crowd.

  ‘I think they do,’ Carlyle shouted. ‘Doesn’t seem like they mind much either.’

  ‘You’re just giving power to a different kind of bully!’ Zoe said. ‘His intentions aren’t just to win this thing.’

  This was when Carlyle started to get angry. He was walking toward the stage. ‘You’ll hold your tongue if ye know what’s good for ye, lassie!’

  Zoe folded her arms. ‘I’ll do no such thing.’ She turned to the crowd. ‘Carlyle is Wyatt’s cousin! Changing the mascot to the Buccaneers is his own weird way of taking over Buchanan. It’s his plan to rule over it as the pirate captain. Is this really the kid you want choosing our new mascot?’

  ‘I said hold your tongue, or you’re gonna be very sorry!’ Carlyle shouted, now running full speed toward the stage.

  But many of the students didn’t move for him. They stood their ground, blocking him.

  ‘Is what she’s sayin’ true?’ asked one of the girl pirates. ‘Are you really Wyatt’s cousin? Is this all just some kind of revenge game for you?’

  ‘I needn’t answer to a scallywag like you!’ Carlyle said. ‘It doesn’t matter anyhow, I’m already the winner of the contest, and in a little bit, you’ll see that my plan has become complete!’

  I ran to the stage. ‘Zoe,’ I said. ‘But you … I thought…’

  Zoe tightened the side of her mouth and shook her head at me. ‘You numbskull … don’t you remember what I said last Monday?’

  I thought as hard as I could, but couldn’t recall. I shook my head.

  ‘I said I’ve always got your back … no matter what. Even if it means going deep undercover.’ I glanced at her pirate uniform. Then I pulled the skull pendant from my pocket. ‘You were undercover as a pirate?’

  A smile beamed across her face as she nodded at me. She really was the coolest cousin in the world. ‘Yesterday, I ran from you because if any of these pirates saw us talking, my cover would’ve been blown. I joined the pirates to see for myself what they were doing.’

  ‘So this morning,’ I said, ‘you weren’t skipping school to avoid me?’

  Zoe nodded. ‘Oh yeah, I totally skipped to avoid you. I’m terrible at lying and I knew if you confronted me about it, I would’ve caved.’

  ‘I feel like an idiot,’ I said to her.

  ‘Ye look like one too, matey!’ Carlyle shouted. ‘None of this changes the fact that yer all finished! The school is mine, and Wyatt’s revenge is complete! When he returns to this school, it’ll be ours for the taking!’

  ‘When he returns to this school?’ I asked. Why would Carlyle say such a thing? Wyatt was expelled, which meant no ‘do-overs.’

  The lights in the cafeteria flickered on as some of the teachers stepped onto the dance floor. Mr Cooper was leading the pack of adults with a big grin on his face.

  ‘Students,’ he shouted loudly, ‘I’m sorry to interrupt…’ he trailed off, confused by all the pirates standing by a stage that had a pirate ship on it. Shaking his head, he continued, ‘Whatever this is, but it seems we have a clear winner for the event tonight.’

  ‘Keep your earballs peeled, boy,’ Carlyle sneered at me.

  Mr Cooper extended his arm and pointed straight at the pirate captain. ‘Carlyle has won the prize. He raised the most money out of all the entries tonight!’

  Zoe jumped down from the stage. ‘How much did he win by? What were the totals?’

  Mr Cooper laughed. ‘Normally we wouldn’t give out that information, but in this case, I think it’s alright. There were only two students who actually raised any money at all.’ The coach pointed at me. ‘Chase collected exactly five dollars.’

  ‘And how much did Carlyle raise?’ Zoe asked.

  ‘Eleven thousand two hundred twenty-two dollars and fifty cents,’ Mr Cooper said.

  ‘Serious?’ Zoe shouted. ‘That doesn’t seem a little strange to you?’

  Mr Cooper put his hand on his hip and crinkled his brow, thinking for a moment. Finally, he answered, ‘No. Not at all.’

  Carlyle punched me in the chest. Probably a victory punch. It wasn’t hard, but it hurt. ‘Game over! You lost, Chase! You’ve lost everything! Your friends! Your ninja clan! Your school! Just wait until Wyatt hears about this!’

  My head started spinning. The room became a blur of bright colours and faces as Carlyle celebrated his victory by jumping up and down and laughing. Zoe was walking toward me.

  ‘You can’t let it end like this! You can’t!’ she said.

  ‘What can I do?’ I asked, trying to keep from falling over. My knees felt weak.

  ‘Anything! You can’t let this psychopath change the mascot! Do something! Anything!’

  Some of the students behind me put their hands on my shoulder. I heard some familiar voices of my ninja clan.

  ‘Master,’ a boy said, ‘you mustn’t give in!’

  Another voice spoke. ‘Please, we’ve made a terrible mistake. We let our boredom get to us! Our need for excitement blinded us!’

  ‘But I failed you as a leader,’ I whispered.

  One of the girls stood in front of me and looked me in the eye. ‘No,’ she said. ‘You were a better leader than we knew. Look at you. You’re the only one in this gym that’s not dressed as a pirate!’

  ‘I’m undercover,’ Zoe snipped.

  The same boy that talked to me after my fight with Wyatt spoke. ‘It’s the same as before. You stood your ground and made the choice to do good. And for that alone, you deserve to be the leader.’

  ‘I don’t have my ninja robe anymore,’ I said.

  The boy tapped at my chest. ‘But you’re a ninja in here. Besides, those robes are cheap.

  We have tons of extras that haven’t even been opened yet. Just take one of those during the next meeting.’

  Suddenly, Zoe slapped my face.

  ‘Hey!’ I said as I clutched my cheek.

  ‘You’re a ninja again! Now quit feeling sorry for yourself and get our school back!’ shouted my cousin.

  The members of my ninja clan punched their open palms and bowed to me. The room suddenly stopped spinning, and my heart started racing. I jumped to my feet and stared at Carlyle. He was still doing his victory dance. ‘Hey!’

  Carlyle turned to face me. ‘What is it, loser?’

  ‘You won this event by cheating!’ I said. ‘And I demand a rematch!’

  ‘What?’ Carlyle asked. ‘Is someone a sore loser?’

  ‘No,’ I said. ‘I’m not. I just know that you’d lose in a match against me.’

  ‘What kind of match?’ Carlyle asked, interested. ‘I’ve already won. Tell me why I’d want to keep playing with a mouse like you?’ ‘Because you can’t stop yourself,’ I said, narrowing my eyes. ‘Victory tastes too sweet for you to not risk everything you’ve already achieved.’

  Carlyle stepped forward, silent for a second. ‘What be the stakes, matey?’

  ‘You can have your trip to Hawaii,’ I said. ‘But if I win, then you give me the power to change the school’s mascot.’

  The captain tapped at his chin. ‘And if you lose?’

  ‘I’ll switch schools,’ I said.

  Zoe and my ninja clan gasped.

  ‘Tell me that wouldn’t be the greatest revenge,’ I said, looking directly into the eyes of the captain. ‘You take my friends, my ninja clan, and my school plus…plus I never return to Buchanan.’

  Carlyle laughed out loud. He looked at Mr Cooper the way a dog does when they want to go outside.

  The coach lifted his hand and waved. ‘I’ll allow it.’

  ‘Good,’ I said. ‘Meet me at the Norwegian obstacle course in five minutes.’

  The entire school followed us down to the track where the obstacle course was set up. M
ost of the students had removed their pirate costumes, but a few stragglers remained confident that Carlyle would win.

  ‘Are you sure you know what you’re doing?’ Zoe asked.

  I shook my head as I approached the starting line. ‘Nope.’

  ‘You fell off the second obstacle last time,’ said a voice.

  I turned around and was met by Brayden. He wasn’t wearing his pirate hat anymore. ‘Man, I’m sorry about what I did to you.’

  I didn’t speak.

  ‘I let it all go to my head,’ he said. ‘You didn’t let me join your ninja clan, and Carlyle said I could be a pirate if I wanted to. I just … I guess I chose poorly.’

  ‘I should’ve let you in,’ I said. ‘It was dumb of me not to. I just wasn’t sure of what kind of leader I could be, and I made some poor decisions.’

  ‘You seem to be doing just fine as a leader right now,’ he said, smirking.

  ‘We’ll see,’ I said. ‘If I lose, then everything is still under Carlyle’s control.’

  ‘At this point, I think everyone has seen that you’ve stood against him,’ Brayden said. ‘That’s a sure sign that your leadership skills can pay some bills, y’know?’

  I raised my fist to Brayden, and he bumped it with his own. That was a way of saying things were cool.

  ‘Wait,’ I said as I looked at Zoe. ‘If Zoe was already a pirate, then what was all the talk about making Zoe walk the plank?’

  ‘You were gonna make me walk to the plank?’ Zoe asked, angry.

  Brayden put his hands up in surrender and shook his head. ‘No! No, no, no, that was all just a bluff. We knew you had no idea she was a pirate, so the bluff sorta worked.’

  ‘Double agent pirate,’ Zoe corrected.

  ‘Quit your talking!’ Carlyle shouted as he approached the starting line.

  Mr Cooper joined us. ‘This Norwegian monster is impossible to beat so that’s not what you’ll be racing for. First one that gets knocked out by it is the loser. You probably should’ve filled out the paper work saying you won’t sue the school, but … oh well.’