Matt Rane

Book 1: Trial By Water

Warren Peterson

Ch 1: The beginning

Matt stared at the rain streaked window, and could see the grime that covered it.

"Typical London weather" he muttered bitterly as he turned back to his workbook, his disquiets was not at the weather it self, it was usual for the London, no it was what it was called. Matthew Rane had been brought up in an orphanage most of his childhood and was thoroughly eager to leave, not that anybody wanted him though he remembered with distaste. Every time somebody had come to the orphanage looking for a child to adopt Matt had tried his hardest and been extremely good, but still he was here and he was fast approaching his fifteenth birthday, the release date. As was tradition in the Walworth, fifteen marked an age of maturity and discipline. Normally this would mean a job or on rare occasions the first chores for the richer parents, but in the orphanage fifteen was dreaded, it was the age where they were let loose in the city. The directors said it was to let them develop, but Matt knew better, it was to make room for the new children who would be undoubtedly come that year. Matt sighed and got up from his workplace, replaced his work back in his cubby, and slowly ascended the spiral steps to the attic room all the fourteen year olds shared. He dragged himself to the bathroom, swirled water around his mouth to wash out the taste of the vile inner city air, and with a groan stripped to his too small boxers and climbed into his bed and looked at his watch. In the glum half light cast by the street lamps he was able to see that it was just after one, with another sigh he placed his glasses on the nightstand and dropped off to sleep.

"Wakey wakey kiddies" cried a voice from the bottom of the stairs "time to get up!" Matt rubbed his eyes and looked at his watch eight o'clock exactly; as usual Ms. Gracie was spot on. He rolled out of bed and got dressed along with the other fourteens and fell into line, just another morning ritual. After an assistant had cleared them they trooped down to the big breakfast table and got seated and said the usual Morning Prayer. As soon as all was said he hurriedly divided the portions and they all ate their too small breakfast the boys went outside and got their wooden sticks that they had made on arts day and started a war. Mrs. Gracie was thankful that Matt had made the game up long ago, it used to be so hectic with thirty some boys in the house, now all she had to deal with was the occasional bruise, splinter, or cut, he had made a standard speed too go along with the rules, not to fast, but not too slow as to make it easy to dodge or block. It was this game she knew that made it possible to keep all of the children occupied for hours on end. She sometimes enjoyed watching the boys play fight and would act as a referee of sorts, which was what probably, saved Matt's life that day. As Matt was one of the best swordsmen and the one who thought up the game, he was always captain, and therefore had to be "killed" for the game to end. He had been surrounded, all eight of the last boys left, and they were closing in on him. Ms. Gracie could see that he was tired and knew that he had been up late, she planned to chastise him later, and she never got the chance. The captain on the other team had yelled retreat and she couldn't figure why until she saw the double-decker, 3 ton, red building on wheels careen off the road and slam right into Matt, who was so tired he couldn't get out of the way in time. Ms. Gracie screamed and rushed over to the fallen boy as the bus swerved again and crashed into the oak that Matt's tree house/base was. She quickly called 999 and got an ambulance as quickly as she could. As the medical worker put him on a stretcher, she still clung to his hand, his very cold hand, and cried.