Creatures

Chapter Sixteen

After we’d finished a lengthy clean-up under the watchful glare of the lunch staff we went down to the basement. It was finally time for Hussades. I felt a familiar sweaty, jittery sensation come over me. Don’t get me wrong, I’d always loved watching the game as much as anyone. When I was expected to participate, however, Hussades seemed like an event created specifically to point out my complete lack of abilities. I was sure to be picked last, and that never felt good.

As it turned out, I wasn’t picked last. Not this time. What happened was far worse than that.

It started when Urdo walked in. She was in human form again and everyone fell quiet when she entered the cavernous basement. I noticed her feet were bare. She’d left her boots up in the laboratory. But I think most of the other kids just assumed she was in workout mode. This was natural enough, as the basement resembled a gymnasium. The floor was covered in blue and yellow foam rubber mats. There were straps hanging down with steel rings at the bottom and parallel bars and uneven bars.

Some of the kids were practicing on the equipment when Urdo came in. Jake tottered along on the balance beam and fell off with a whoop when he saw her. The rest of us giggled. Jake turned red and walked back into line with slumped shoulders.

Urdo, as usual, didn’t shout orders at us. She walked toward us, padding gracefully and silently over the mats. We fell silent and lined up without having to be told.

We’d all changed into our gym sweats. They were loose-fitting and well-suited to something like Hussades. She walked the line in front of us like a general reviewing her troops. She stopped in front of me.

I looked up and saw her piercing gaze. I stared back, without flinching. I had always believed when the game was over, you might as well make a brave show of it.

I was surprised to see Urdo give me a tiny nod of approval. She stared at me for a moment. I wondered then about her reasons for locking Beth and I in the Forever Room. Had she expected us to escape? Had it all been a test of some kind?

“Connor will be the first Captain,” she said loudly.

The crowd gasped and some groaned. No doubt, they feared I would pick them for a day of grim losses. No one was more shocked than I was. I opened my mouth, but didn’t protest or thank her. I snapped my jaws shut and set my lips in a firm line. Perhaps this was another test. If she wanted the worst player to run a team, then so be it, I would do the job as best I could.

She continued to walk along the line, slowly, dramatically. She stopped when she reached the end of the line.

“Danny,” she said finally, stopping in front of him.

With a confident grin, Danny stepped forward and gave her a short bow from the waist. “You won’t be disappointed,” he said.

Urdo raised her eyebrows at him, but made no remarks.

When she got to the end of the line, I realized I had to start thinking about my picks. Whom would I choose? I’d never made these decisions before!

“Captains, step forward,” she said.

Hesitantly, I walked out of line and turned around to face the class. I looked at Danny. He had his hands on his hips and his lips pursed. He looked smug and confident. He’d been a team Captain many times. I could see he was already piecing together a killer group in his mind.

I thought of copying his stance with my hands on my hips, but decided not to be so obvious. Instead, I put one hand up to my chin as if I was in deep thought. Inside, I was close to panic.

Urdo stepped between Danny and me and pulled out a coin. It was a large silver coin, like a silver dollar, but a bit smaller. I knew that coin, they always used that same old coin to start our games. They called it a denari, which meant it was a Roman coin, our History teacher had explained once. One side of the coin was stamped with an emperor’s head. On the other side was a woman lying on a couch.

“Call it, Danny,” said Urdo. She tossed the coin in the air.

“Heads!” shouted Danny.

The coin came down and thumped flatly on the mat. The head of a Roman emperor showed face-up.

“Hadrian smiles on you, today, Danny,” Urdo said.

“I pick Thomas,” he said without hesitation.

And then, just like that, it was my turn. Everyone looked at me. Everyone eyed me expectantly, as if a great bit of wisdom could fall from my lips at any moment.

I ran my eyes over the group. Some were waving me off, these were the best players, Danny’s friends most of them, who hoped I wouldn’t invite them into my group of likely losers. Others were trying to get my attention, such as Sarah, who hopped from foot to foot. Jake and a few others, used to rejection, slouched and toed the mats sullenly, sure they would be waiting for a long time before they heard their names called.

Out of the whole crowd, only Beth looked at me evenly and happily. She did not appear to be urging me to do anything. She was confident I would do the right thing.

“Connor?” asked Urdo.

I opened my mouth, planning to call out Beth’s name. But I stopped. “Jake,” I said finally.

Jake looked startled. Snickers and groans went up from the crowd. People rolled their eyes. They knew how it was going to be now. I would build a loser team of my own loser cronies. Or at least, that’s what they thought.

Jake came up and stood next to me. “What are you doing?” he hissed.

“Picking my team,” I said.

“Don’t make us lose just because I’m your friend. Get some good guys.”

“You are good, now shut up.”

Danny called out another pick. Another athletic friend of his named Jamie, who could turn into a badger, of all things.

On my next turn, I chose Sarah. At least no one groaned at that choice. She was considered a good player. Bird-types were often very effective. I took Beth next and then took the best of whoever was left.

When the choosing was over, I huddled up with my team. We all formed a circle and bent our heads together.

“Connor,” said Jake. “We’re going to be stomped.”

“This is a race, right?” asked Beth.

Some of the others realized how clueless she was and groaned aloud.

“Don’t worry people,” I told them all seriously. “I have a plan.”