The sight of the ponytail made Benjamin think about Emily. He remembered the ponytail she was wearing when…
“I said good morning.”
Benjamin had been so engrossed in his daydream that he hadn’t realized his mom was talking.
“Morning, Mom.”
“You’re up early today. Big plans?”
“Not really. Just hanging out again. Probably putting my tank together,” said Benjamin as nonchalantly as he could.
Mrs. Dragon eyed her son like she was trying to figure out whether he was telling the truth.
“Well, all right, but make sure you eat a good lunch. I left you some money if you want to get some pizza.”
“Can I get you anything for breakfast, mom?”
Mrs. Dragon stopped packing her bag and looked up.
“Up early AND being helpful? Is that my son over there or should I call NASA because some alien took over his body?”
“Very funny, Mom,” he said, rolling his eyes.
Mrs. Dragon grabbed a protein shake and stuffed it in her briefcase.
“Call me if you need anything, okay? It’ll be a late night a work. I’ll call when I know what time I’ll be home.”
Benjamin’s ears perked up. With his dad being out of town and his mom working late, he’d have plenty of time to practice and come up with new ways to use his gift.
After hugging his mom and watching her drive away, Benjamin bolted out the back door, eager to get to work himself.
+++
Benjamin soon found that moving objects was a lot like what he imagined a band conductor’s job to be like. He had to make sure to keep note of each individual piece while at the same time focusing on the whole. It got easier and easier the more times he tried it.
By lunchtime, he was making patterns of dirt and grass in the air. He wasn’t a very good artist, but he could still mold them into shapes like stick figures, simple houses and even a droopy bellied dog.
After his stomach growled for the fifth time, Benjamin stood up and headed to the kitchen. As he was whipping together a peanut butter and banana sandwich, the doorbell rang.
Benjamin scooted to the front door, looked through the spy hole…and almost fainted.
+++
Jacee Trevane could see the darkness pass across the outside of the peephole. He waved and smiled.
Benjamin crouched down and rested his back against the door, taking deep calming breaths. His heart was beating a million times a minute! Not really, but that’s what he thought.
“Benjamin, it’s Jacee.”
Benjamin didn’t know what to do. His mom and dad always told him not to let strangers in the house. But was Jacee really a stranger? He thought about calling his mom. He thought about calling his dad. What about Nathan?
In the end he stood shakily and opened the door.
“Hey, Benjamin!”
“Uh, hi, Jacee,” replied Benjamin in the most confident voice he could muster. He glimpsed the sleek black convertible sports car parked at the curb. “I’m not supposed to let strangers in.”
Jacee bobbed his head in agreement. “Smart. Would it be okay if we took a walk? I was just in the area and wanted to stop in and say hello.” There was no trace of deception in his voice. He sounded genuinely happy to see Benjamin.
“Ummm…”
“You can call your parents if you want. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”
Benjamin thought about it. on the one hand his parents would be even more surprised that superstar, rockstar, awesome dude Jacee Trevane was coming to visit him. On the other hand, they probably wouldn’t like him to be hanging out with without adult supervision.
He shook his head. “No, it’s okay. Let me get my phone, and I’ll meet you in front of the garage.”
Jacee nodded and headed to the garage.
Benjamin locked the front door and sighed. His day had been perfect until that moment. But…just maybe Trevane could give him some more tricks. Buoyed by the thought, he skipped through the house, locked the back door, grabbed his phone from the kitchen table and headed out through the empty garage.
Jacee was waiting patiently, reading something on his cell phone.
“Ready?” asked Trevane.
Benjamin nodded.
+++
They took a meandering course around the neighborhood. Luckily, there weren’t other kids around or they’d probably mob the celebrity and ask for his autograph. Jacee asked him about how the rest of camp had gone and Benjamin told him.
After a few blocks, the good-looking celeb asked the question that Benjamin had been dreading.
“Have you thought about what we talked about on our hike?”
“Yeah.”
“And…?”
“I…I don’t know. I was wondering if you could tell me some more.”
“What do you want to know?”
Benjamin scoured his mind for the next couple paces. Just like his meeting with Old Kennedy, he had a thousand things he wanted to ask Jacee.
“Why me?” Benjamin asked.
“I want someone who’s just come into their gift. The old timers are, well, old. They’ve got a different way of looking at things. I think we need a new breed. We need to be willing to change the world, not just sit back and react to what’s happening.”
Benjamin stared ahead as he digested the information. It would be fun to be part of something new.
“Why don’t Wally and Kennedy want to be a part of this?”
Jacee snorted.
“They’ve got their own ideas. They’re happy to sit on the sidelines. I want to act and they don’t get that. Honestly, I think it scares them. Me, I’m not afraid. The more of us there are, the more we can change things. The other thing is that they want to stay secret. Now I’m not saying we’re gonna start talking to newspapers or anything like that, but I think the world should know that someone is doing something.”
It sounded reasonable. With all the crazy things going on in the world there should be a force for good. Kind of like superheroes, but without the cheesy capes and stuff. Benjamin liked the thought of it.
“So…like, what kind of things would you want to change?”
Jacee spread his arms wide and spun in a quick circle.
“Everything! Image no more war, no more poverty, everyone getting along.”
“But, how?”
Jacee’s eyes hardened for a flicker of a moment. Benjamin wasn’t sure if he’d imagined it.
“We’ll make them see.”
“See what?”
Jacee’s smile widened.
“Can I show you something?”
“Where?”
“I can’t tell you that, but I can take you there.” There was a mischievous sparkle in Jacee’s eyes like he was about to show Benjamin something he wasn’t supposed to see.
“I…I don’t know.”
“Come on, Benjamin! We’re both the same. Don’t you see that?”
Benjamin wanted to be the same as Jacee. That would mean he’d be popular and famous. Who didn’t want that?
“Okay.”
“Great. Now this is gonna sound weird, but you’re gonna have to hold on to my hands.” Jacee extended his arms and Benjamin tentatively did as he was told. Before he could take a breath, they rocketed into the air and disappeared from sight.
Chapter 34: The Island
Benjamin squinted against the relentless force of the oncoming air. When he finally got his bearings, he saw that they were travelling at a hurtling speed like a missile. It frightened him until he looked up and saw Jacee laughing at his shocked expression. Benjamin forced a smile so Jacee wouldn’t think he was some kind of wimp.
They eventually touched down next to a body of water. Benjamin knew it was the ocean from the hot salty air and faint smell of seaweed. It sparkled with countless ripples moving in every direction. A sheer rock wall loomed behind them towering over one hundred feet. It looked like it had been carved by some giant who
’d used its hands to scrape the stone away in long strokes. Benjamin squinted. There were images of men, women and animals intertwined in the façade.
“You like it?” Jacee asked, breaking Benjamin’s awed silence.
“Like what?”
“You name it, the flight over, the ocean, my art.”
Benjamin’s face scrunched in confusion. “What art?”
Jacee pointed to the rock wall.
Benjamin’s eyes went wide. “You made that?”
“Well, I didn’t make the rock, but I did carve it. Pretty cool, huh?”
They stood for a moment admiring the impressive piece of modern art. It would have taken a crew of men years to do such a thing. It reminded Benjamin of the time he’d visited Mount Rushmore and seen the faces of American Presidents carved into the side. Mount Rushmore had taken almost fifteen years to shape.
“Pretty cool,” repeated Benjamin.
“You stick with me and you’ll be doing the same thing in no time.”
“Is this what you wanted to show me?”
“Yes and no. The real surprise is up ahead. Come on.”
As they walked up the beach, Jacee described the figures he’d carved into the rock wall. He said it had taken him just over a month to complete it in between concerts overseas. There were plans to do the same all over the world. Jacee said it would be his calling card.
“What’s a calling card?” Benjamin asked.
“It basically tells people you’ve been there. Kind of like a mark you make on a tree or a note you leave at someone’s house.”
Benjamin didn’t really understand what his new friend was talking about so he just walked along bobbing his head every now and then. One thing was for sure, Jacee was super serious about whatever he was planning.
+++
After a short walk, they saw streams of smoke in the distance.
“We’re almost there,” said Jacee, beaming from ear to ear.
“Almost where?”
“I want it to be a surprise,” said Jacee, winking.
Pretty soon the pair made out stone huts and tanned figures walking around. One of them spotted the pair and shouted to the others. In a second there were ten men with spears and loin clothes trotting their way. Benjamin looked to Jacee for guidance. Jacee kept walking as if nothing was wrong.
The men were barefooted and had shaved heads that glistened with sweat in the midday sun. One of the men barked a command in a foreign language and the group halted in the sand.
“Well? What do you think?” asked Jacee.
“Are they, uh, friendly?”
“To us they are.”
“Who are they?”
Jacee looked to the warriors and pointed in the sand. Instantly they all knelt and cast their eyes to the ground.
“They’re my people.”
+++
It was pretty obvious that Jacee was not technically from this place. His lighter skin color was probably the biggest giveaway. “How are they your people?” asked Benjamin.
“I found them one day when I was exploring the islands. They’re a very primitive tribe. Until I got to know them they were even cannibals.”
Benjamin gulped. “You mean they eat people?”
“They used to. I got them to stop that nasty habit.”
“So why are they your people?”
“You’ll see soon,” said Jacee, walking toward the kneeling men.
They rose on command and greeting him like some kind of general or president. Benjamin watched. It was curious to see the way the dark-skinned savages bowed in deference to young man. Jacee took it all in stride and looked completely at home. Maybe they knew him from his music and touring too. Benjamin looked around for some sign of modern civilization, but only saw palm trees, jungle and ocean.
+++
After being solemnly escorted to the small village and greeted by the women and children of the tribe (Jacee said what they were called, but Benjamin couldn’t pronounce it) they were guided to an area overlooking the ocean. There were woven mats neatly arranged on the sand. Jacee didn’t hesitate to take the best spot.
Serving women brought several bowls made out of wood and coconut.
“Are we eating here?” Benjamin asked nervously. He didn’t like the thought of eating food that wasn’t properly prepared. There was no pizza or pasta that he could see.
“We are.”
Jacee turned from his young friend and talked to two old men in their native tongue. He didn’t seem to have any difficulty understanding them. There was a lot of pointing and grunting that Benjamin didn’t understand.
After what seemed like an eternity, and after Benjamin had tried to politely say he didn’t want the continued offerings of raw fish and mushy-looking glop, Jacee turned back to him.
“Pretty awesome, right?”
“Yeah. So what are we doing here?”
Villagers watched them as they, or at least Jacee, ate. Occasionally someone new would walk up, bow and mouth something silently. There was a feeling of utmost respect in the way they carried themselves around Jacee.
“I stop in from time to time to see if they need anything. They don’t get many visitors on the island. When I first showed up they tried to kill me. That was until I showed them my powers.”
“You showed them your powers?” whispered Benjamin.
Jacee nodded smugly. “Of course.”
“But, I thought we weren’t…”
“Let me guess. Old Man Kennedy told you not to show anyone what you can do.”
Benjamin nodded.
Jacee picked up a piece of raw fish with his fingers and popped it in his mouth. He closed his eyes and chewed the food with a contented hum.
“Tell me, Benjamin, what good are our gifts if we can’t share them with the world?”
“I don’t know,” answered Benjamin, like he’d been called out by his teacher for not knowing the correct answer to a math question.
“Let me tell you, it’s pretty lame. These powers are amazing things that people want to see, that they need to see. Did you know that the first day I met this tribe I not only delivered them a school of fish that fed them for months, but I also made those stone huts over there.” Jacee’s voice rose. “Before that they lived in pathetic little huts made of branches and leaves. Every time a storm blew through they had to run for the rain forest and when they came back the huts were gone. I made a difference. I gave them a new life.”
The two elder tribesmen cowered away slightly at the sound of Jacee’s voice. Benjamin noticed and felt like doing the same.
“This is what we can do, Benjamin. We can change people’s lives and they’ll treat us like go…like special benefactors.”
Benjamin knew what Jacee meant. He was going to say people would treat them like gods. To try and hide his unease, Benjamin picked up a small cone that he hoped held water. To his relief, it was water and he chugged the whole thing in one breath.
Suddenly there was commotion near the huts. Jacee scowled and rose from the feast. Benjamin followed his lead and craned his neck to see what was happening.
“Another wrinkle,” he heard Jacee murmur through tight lips.
Benjamin cocked his head at the comment. What was going on?
The answer came a moment later when Old Kennedy strolled into view.
Chapter 35: Two Sides
“I thought I might find you here,” said Kennedy, all humor of their last meeting gone from his face. Instead, a look of intense concentration dominated his features.
“So nice of you to join us, Kennedy. I wish you had called and we would’ve waited to eat.”
“I’m not here to eat. I’m here to take the boy back home.”
The men stared at each other. Benjamin dropped his gaze to his sand covered sneakers.
“I didn’t know you were Benjamin’s babysitter. Are the Dragons paying you for that?” Jacee laughed.
“No more games, Trevane. You know I don’t approve of th
is,” he motioned around at the huts and tribe, “charade. It’s dangerous and you had no right bringing the boy here.”
“I think Benjamin’s entitled to make his own decisions. He’s a smart kid.”
“Benjamin, it’s time to go,” said Kennedy sternly.
Benjamin glanced at the two men with a look somewhere between embarrassment and fright. Jacee threw his hands up in the air and Kennedy flinched.
“Fine! Take him back if you want. We were almost done anyway.”
Kennedy relaxed. Why had he flinched? Did he think that Jacee was going to attack him? Benjamin filed the question away for later.
“Come along, Benjamin,” said Kennedy.
Benjamin looked up at Jacee and was surprised to find the confident young man now looking forlorn.
“Thanks for coming with me, Benjamin. I’ll be in touch soon.”
Benjamin didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded and followed Kennedy away from the village.
+++
The trip back was quiet and seemed to take longer than the first journey. Benjamin didn’t know if it was because he felt like he was in trouble or because Old Kennedy just moved them slower through the air than Jacee had. The old man didn’t say another word to Benjamin as they floated through clouds and skirted around mountains.
When they arrived, Kennedy set them down in the Dragons’ backyard. It wasn’t even dark yet. Benjamin couldn’t believe he’d travelled so far in so little time.
His mentor sat down on one of the deck chairs. The wrinkles on his face looked more pronounced than they had on the beach. He closed his eyes and sighed.
In a voice barely above a whisper he said, “Come sit with me, Benjamin.”
Benjamin did as he was told. Keeping his knees pressed together tightly, he waited patiently for the old man to speak. The feeling of being in trouble lingered and he couldn’t shake it.
“I want to apologize, Benjamin.”
Benjamin Dragon - Awakening (The Chronicles of Benjamin Dragon) Page 12
