The Ark of Power Page 6

  "If you mention my dad one more time, I swear it will be the last," Harrison replies pulling against his friends as they hold him tightly.

  "Oh yeah, sorry. Don't want anybody from the Ragnar council or the Elder to hear. I forgot we are supposed to be silent about that whole thing," Samuel whispers, mocking him.

  "Oh, by the way, that is so cute. You put your daddy's shirt on for today. It's too bad he couldn't see you it in and realize how much of a loser you look in it. Or actually, I guess what is really worse is you never got to see how much of a loser he probably looked in it."

  Samuel stares straight into Harrison's eyes, as if daring him to fight back.

  Harrison’s whole body tenses up. He breaks free and throws a punch at Samuel's face. Samuel dodges it, grabs Harrison, and pulls him to the ground. Rolling down the hallway, they both exchange blows.

  Harrison picks Samuel up, slamming him into the wall. The noise of the fight resonates through the whole cabin. People start coming out to watch. The chubby boys close the door holding his friends in the room.

  Samuel pushes Harrison into the opposite wall. Grabbing his throat tightly, he punches Harrison in the jaw. Harrison glances over and sees the two chubby boys holding the door closed so no one can leave.

  Samuel punches him in the face again. Harrison drops to the ground. Then he curls into a ball while Samuel continues to kick him. His eyesight becomes blurry, making it difficult to block Samuel’s kicks.

  Suddenly, someone else slams Samuel against the wall. Harrison manages to slowly sit up. It’s his uncle Adam.

  "If I ever see you touch my nephew again, you will be kicked out the Academy so fast, you won't know what happened."

  His uncle Adam pins Samuel up against the wall.

  Samuel kicks his feet like a toddler having a tantrum. Onlookers start leaving. The chubby boys still hold the door closed. Harrison’s friends holler and bang against the door, trying to reach him.

  "Yes, sir," Samuel says, dropping back onto the floor.

  The chubby boys shake as his Uncle Adam approaches.

  "Open the door, boys, and get going," his Uncle Adam says.

  "Yes sir," they reply in unison, moving quickly down the hallway with Samuel.

  Opening the door, JT lunges with a heavy punch.

  "Take this punk," JT says. He punches his Uncle Adam in the face.

  JT falls to the ground in pain. His Uncle Adam stands unfazed.

  "Holy crap, what is your chin made of, rock?" JT says.

  "Well, maybe you will learn not to pick fights then, huh?" Adam says, helping him up.

  "Pick fights? Shoot, I won't be able to use the fingers on this hand to pick my nose," JT says, trying to open his hand.

  Harrison lays quietly on the ground. Jaylen and Joseph help Harrison stand up.

  Uncle Adam points his finger in Harrison’s face. "And if I ever see you fight that boy again, I will take you home myself. You have to be smarter than that, Harrison. You probably don't want to hear this, but you need to. You need to be more like your dad. You think he would have ever fought someone on the way to the Academy?" Uncle Adam says, looking intently at him.

  "I don't know, I never got to know him, remember?" Harrison says quietly, staring at the floor.

  Taking a deep breath, his Uncle Adam turns and begins to walk away.

  "Go change and meet on the deck. We are about to be at the Academy," he says going up the stairs.

  Why do I need to change?

  Looking down, he sees his shirt. It has a giant rip from the collar to the middle splitting the word Academy. He closes his eyes and sighs.

  You gotta be kidding me.

  Chapter 9

  Arriving at The Destine Academy

  The ferry slows down and begins to bob in the perfect, blue water. Harrison walks up the stairs to meet everyone. The wind rushes through his hair, giving it a messy appearance. The deck is jam-packed with people looking straight towards his uncle Adam who is reclining at the front of the ferry.

  Harrison glances around the crowd, trying to find his friends. The refreshing air calms him. Finally seeing, JT, Joseph and Jaylen, Harrison makes his way through the people as he tries to get to his friends.

  "About time you got up here," Joseph says, looking at Harrison.

  Harrison slides in-between them as they make room for him.

  "I can't believe my shirt got ripped. Makes me so mad," Harrison announces sounding upset. Something cold rubs against his arm sending a bone-chilling sensation throughout the spot it hit. He glances down to see JT standing next to him with a large plastic ice bag on top of his hand.

  "What?" JT says, looking at Harrison.

  "Nothing, I was just wondering what in the world was touching me that was so cold," Harrison replies.

  "While you were changing your shirt, I went to the nurse to get some ice because of the metal jaw that your uncle has," JT says.

  They laugh at him then look up toward his uncle, awaiting his reply.

  "Hey, it's not funny,” JT moves the bag of ice off his hand. “It was the same pretty red-headed nurse you had looking over you when you were in the hospital, so I couldn't go in there saying I punched another man's face and almost broke my hand. So, I lied and said Jaylen almost fell off the ferry because he has a really bad sneezing condition and I had to catch him and pull him up. Thought it would sound better."

  "Really the same nurse, huh? What're the chances of that?" Harrison says.

  Adam stands up with a microphone.

  "Alright everyone, I need your attention. My name is Adam Smalls and I am a member of the Ragnar Council. We will be approaching the Academy in just a few minutes. To the returning students, I hope you are itching to get back to work and start another year at the Academy. Now for the new students, this first year is going to expose you to some new things that you have never experienced. You will be around many people that can harness and control their Power Flow which is within us all. You will learn more about that this year for yourselves. We come to a very special part of our nation. Because of all the energy the animals have been exposed to for hundreds of years, they have been affected by it. Which means… they can talk."

  "Did he just say talk?" Jaylen whispers to Harrison.

  Harrison nods, still listening intently.

  "As you will see when we approach the Academy, you will be meeting our own little greeting crew, the Singing-Dancing ducks and geese. For years they fought over who controlled the water in front of the Academy because they both wanted to sing and dance to the students coming in on the ferry. It was quite a sight because not much singing got done. I am telling you; those ducks had a mean right hook."

  Joseph nudges JT, "unlike someone I know.”

  "For the first couple of months, they couldn't get the students to focus because they all talked about the brawl they saw in front of the Academy. But that was all settled when our last Destine Elder helped them come to a peace treaty and join forces. Now we are treated to their wonderful singing and dancing. Now please, listen carefully. When you exit this ferry there will be a person from registration waiting to give you all the next instructions. Thank you and have a great year."

  All the students push Harrison and his friends against the side rails trying to get a better look at the upcoming performance. Harrison is flattened against the side of the rail. The ducks and geese take his mind off the pain. They sing and dance in unison. Spinning and twirling with their wings spread.

  Welcome, welcome, to another school year

  Join us, join us, stand up and cheer

  Singing, they all blast out of the water landing and standing on the water holding their last note while shaking their wings. Suddenly a tiny multicolored duck wearing an oversized hat on top of his head, lands in front of them. He holds a small stick, pretending it is a microphone.

  Check, Check, welcome back it's time to put in that work, you know

  Young duckling on the mic, this is what I do, hear the fl
ow

  Grind hard so we all can make it to the top

  Because all the people know, Destines don’t flop

  Dropping the stick in the water, the small duck folds his wings across his body. His hat droops over his eyes.

  "We already told you we don't want that hippity hop stuff in our routine. It's not real music. We practiced this routine all summer and when it's show time you screw it up by pulling this prank," one of the angry ducks squeals at him as the ferry stations.

  The other students release the boys from their painful position against the rail, as they scramble to get their belongings.

  Heading downstairs to get their bags, JT looks at Harrison. "I don't know why they were mad. I thought the little guy was a pretty good rapper."

  ◆◆◆

  Strolling off the boat like a hungry herd, Harrison and his friends walk closely to one another. His nerves are beginning to rise with each step he takes closer to the Academy. Sweat drips from all over his body.

  Approaching the lady from registration, her neatly charcoal straight hair captures everyone's attention. It is so long it touches her feet. Four enormous bronze statues stand behind her capturing the sunlight from the clear sky.

  "Welcome to the Destine Academy where the elite warriors from the Destine nation are trained. We are trained to protect and defend the Destine people of our great nation. My name is Emily Bolton and I am in charge of registration, and it is my honor to welcome you all here today. I will be distributing colored wristbands to all of you. Each class will get a color to help us organize and put you in the right housing facility. We will break you all into lines. So, listen up. Let me refresh your memory. Each class has a unique title. First-year students are called Kadens, second-year students are called Cerdics. Third-year students are called Kylers, and fourth-year students are called Gideons. I want all the Kadens to line up in front of the first statue, which is the very first Elder. Cerdics you line up in front of the Second Elder statue. Kyler's line up in front of the Third Elder statue and Kyler's please line up in front of the fourth Elder statue. Go ahead and do that now, and I will have people coming to give you your colored wristbands," she announces.

  Harrison gets in line behind his friends. With only two other people ahead of them, Harrison glances at the statue, waiting for the students to all get in the right line. He tunes out JT Jaylen and Joseph and concentrates on the statue of the First Elder.

  Towering over them, Harrison has to lift his neck to observe all of it. Every detail is neatly defined. Something suddenly catches his attention. The statue is holding what looks to be a compass in its hand. His loses his breath.

  That looks just like the compass I got from Mr. Hall. His heart beats faster. So, what if the compass I have is really the Elder's compass?

  "DUDE!" JT screams, breaking Harrison out of his trance.

  "Sorry, caught daydreaming, what's up?" Harrison says.

  "I was screaming your name. You were daydreaming that hard?" JT says.

  "Look at that statue of the First Destine Elder. Look at what he is holding in his right hand," Harrison whispers softly.

  "Looks like a compass or something like that," Jaylen replies as they all observe it.

  "I think I have that same compass in my pocket right now," Harrison declares.

  "Okay, C'mon, now I know we didn't get to see what happened, but just how bad did Samuel hit you upside your head? You are talking crazy. How would you have the First Elder's compass?" Joseph says.

  "I didn’t tell you guys because I forgot about it. I first got it the night of the party. JT's dad gave it to me before we received our letters. He said he found it and told me that my dad came in asking if he had any leads on this compass because he needed it on his next mission. That next mission, Mr. Hall said was the Silent Mission."

  "Hold up. How did you forget something like that? I mean that doesn't make sense," JT says.

  "I just never thought about it when I woke up in the hospital. My mom said she found it in my pocket that day and just forgot to give it to me. She handed it to me before we got on the ferry," he responds.

  A registration lady walks down the line. She hands Harrison his blue wristband then stops.

  "Hey, you are Douglas Grady's son, aren't you?" she asks, staring at him curiously.

  "Yes, ma'am, I am," Harrison replies, putting the wristband on.

  "Wow you have grown up. I remember when he used to bring you to the office when you were just a baby. Wow, how time flies. Anyways, good luck this year. If you are Douglas' son, I am sure all this will come naturally to you," she replies.

  She smiles gently and walks off.

  "Okay. Kadens should all have a blue wristband. Cerdics should have a yellow one. Kylers should have green, and Gideons should have red. When you all get to your buildings there are dormitory areas for all the female students and an area for all the male students. This campus is broken up into sections. We have main buildings connecting to one another that you can visibly see now. Each one of those buildings is assigned to a certain class. This first building we see is the Gideon's classrooms and main offices for the Elder and The Ragnar Council. The building to the left of that one is for the Kylers. The one slightly behind that one is the Cerdics. Now behind those buildings is a long line of white huts. Those are where the Kaden's classes will be held," Mrs. Bolton announces.

  Moans erupt from the first line.

  Viewing the buildings behind the statues, Harrison can tell that it's a good walking distance to the buildings. Sitting high on top of a steep hill, they look massive. The grass is a lively dark green that looks perfect.

  "The Destine Elder will speak to you all tonight after dinner. Right now, you may walk in a line to your dorms. Get situated and head to the cafeteria to eat,” Mrs. Bolton says waving everyone to go.

  The line begins to move. Harrison walks by the statue and stares at the compass in his hand. Observing the details quickly, he notices it has every detail that the compass in his pocket has.

  I got to find out more information about this compass.

  Harrison climbs the stairs to the Academy.

  If my dad was looking for this to use for his mission, then I must find out what is so special about this. Maybe then it will reveal to me what the Destine Elder assigned his group to do that night.

  Stepping inside, the cool air brushes against his face. It looks ancient inside but updated at the same time. Deep gray paint covers every wall, matching the dim lighting. The marble floor shines as if it was just polished. Behind the building, are small huts, lined up side by side.

  "Well, a year of taking classes in those things should be fun, I guess," Jaylen says as they walk past the huts.

  "I am starting to think a lot of things here are going to make this year interesting," Harrison replies.

  Chapter 10

  A Reserved Spot

  The line for the buffet extends out of the cafeteria doors. Harrison, JT, Jaylen, and Joseph walk to the back of the line.

  "Dang, did we take that long to get our room ready?" Jaylen says, straining his neck to see the front of the line.

  "This is ridiculous," JT says.

  Harrison observes the person in front of JT who keeps glancing back at them. The boy seems to be struggling to not make it obvious. His delicate brown eyes stare back at him every couple of seconds. He keeps turning around or moves his head toward them. He rubs his hands through his spiky light brown hair every couple of seconds.

  Reaching out and grabbing their trays, Harrison nudges Jaylen as they race to grab the freshly cooked glazed chicken legs. The sweet aroma of the baby carrots and string beans fills their nostrils.

  "You see that guy over there?" Harrison asks, pointing to the boy in front of JT.

  "Yeah, what about him?" Jaylen replies, taking every food item from the line.

  "You know who he is?" Harrison asks.

  "Nope. I did see him in the dormitory, and I saw his blue wristband, so I know he is a
Kaden like us. Why do you want to know?" Jaylen responds.

  "When we were in line it seemed like he was trying to listen to us," Harrison answers.

  "Dude, you are just being paranoid. I know that these last couple of months have been crazy for you, but I just want to tell you that not everyone is out to get you," Jaylen responds, holding two trays of food stacked high.

  "Yeah, I guess you are right," Harrison holds his tray tightly. "Gosh man, do you really need that much food?"

  They sit down at a table in the corner of the cafeteria.

  Harrison spots a few people from different tables pointing over to their table.

  Are they pointing at me because they saw me and Samuel fight on the ferry? he thinks, trying not to pay attention to them.

  "Man, I cannot wait until the morning to see what types of cereal they have. I imagine this place would have plenty to choose from," JT says, looking around the cafeteria.

  "You are already talking about breakfast and we haven't even got through dinner yet," Joseph responds, shaking his head.

  Suddenly, a pretty girl with long, black, curly hair walks over to their table with two other girls. The girls stare as Harrison stuffs about fifty fries in his mouth.

  "I don't mean to bother you but are you the son of the famous Douglas Grady? My dad went to school with your dad and he always speaks so highly of your dad," the girl with the curly hair says.

  Struggling to swallow the half-chewed fries down quickly, Harrison takes a big gulp.

  "Yeah, that's me," Harrison says not knowing if he should smile or not.

  "Well I think it is really cool that I can tell my dad I go to school with the son of Douglas Grady," she says. "See you around.”

  "That was weird. But secretly, I wish I could use my dad to talk to girls," JT chews his food. "I mean, I don't know how well that would go if I tried. Not many girls are into antiques," JT says as they all laugh.

  "Speaking of antiques, should we try to look at the blueprint tonight to see if it really works?" JT whispers.