Disclaimer: Riiiiight...
Striving to Survive
Chapter 2
Antonymic Memories
The whistle blew loudly across the field.
"Alright! Good enough for today. Turn in and get your reeking bodies in the showers!"
With a relieved sigh, Alex turned from the goal and headed to the locker rooms. Practice was finally over and he could go home and sleep for a year or two. He was so exhausted.
This was his second day back at school, and the coach had wanted to see if he was still any good. His long absences had almost cost him his spot on the football team, but he'd been good enough before to make the coach not want to lose him. Their team was one of the best in the league, and most of the players were older classmen, in their last year or two of school. Alex was the youngest player on their team, with Tom as his fallback. They were both extremely promising players, but the coach had seen more promise in Alex and had trained him harder, with the rest of the main team.
Now, Coach Wiseman (1) was watching Alex closely, to see if there was any point keeping him on the team at all. Not wanting to lose his spot, Alex had tried hard to play well. He still showed talent, but the trip to space, and the subsequent illness, had left him weak and had severely diminished his endurance. He hated the feeling, but couldn't do anything about it at the moment. He decided he would be spending frequently time at a gym in America to get his body back to where it had been. He knew the coach expected as much from, if he was going to get his spot back when he returned.
His thoughts turned to the trip to America as he walked across the playing field, lagging behind the others. He'd spent the weekend recovering, finally having the energy to walk around the house without collapsing. Jack spent all her time packing, planning, making calls, and being her usual animated self. They were set to leave on Wednesday at 11am.
Less than twenty hours away. Alex thought. He'd decided he needed to at least show at school for a day or two, to get any instructions or assignments from the teachers, before he left for another few weeks. Jack had, at first, been opposed to the idea, saying he shouldn't bother, but stay home, get better, and help her pack. He knew she was just worried about him, not wanting to let him out of her sight. But she'd changed her mind completely after a certain, unwanted phone call.
"Rider place, this is Jack." She'd been in the middle of making lunch; Alex was in the next room on the couch. "What? No, he's… indisposed… I said no."
His eavesdropping skills well tuned from his spying, Alex heard her answer the phone. Then her voice dropped low, probably so he couldn't overhear, and was laced with anger. He sat up, frowning. Usually only one person, or organization, made Jack talk that way.
"Why don't you think he should go back? It's school! Every kid should be in school… That's ridiculous… Catch up where?! No way! … Forget it! Look, I don't know who you people think you are, but Alex isn't your animal to boss around and train to do tricks. I don't care if you're head of MI6, Elvis Presley, or the president of the United States! He's not speaking to you, he's not going anywhere near the bank, and he's bloody sure not going to be forced into anymore 'missions!' So, leave us alone!"
Alex was mildly shocked at the fierce barrage, but not unpleasantly so. He grinned slightly as he heard the phone slam into the receiver. He settled back on the couch, feeling a heavy knot, that he hadn't even realized was there, loosen. After a few minutes Jack called him into the kitchen to eat.
"Who was that on the phone?" she obviously hadn't wanted him to hear the conversation, so he brought it up for her to talk about.
"Hmm? Oh, just some crazy sales person, wanted to sell you a great new bike or something. Must have gotten your number from when we were bike-shopping for your last birthday." She grinned at him, setting a grilled cheese sandwich at his place. Grilled cheese was her specialty. "Now, speaking of going to school- I think it's a great idea. You can get caught up with friends, and get a feel of where you need to be in classes. As long as you don't overdo yourself, if you want to go for a couple days before we leave, I won't stop you."
Alex wasn't surprised with her sudden change in opinion. Finishing a bite of sandwich, he gave Jack one of his half smiles. For once, MI6 had done something useful for him, however unintentional.
Walking absently, Alex approached the storage shed, set next to the school fence, at the edge of the practice fields. He came out of the memory, focusing on the small building beside him. He, oddly, had fond memories of the storage shed. Just last summer, during the few weeks he was actually home, he'd helped the team and some other volunteers, fix it up and repaint it. They'd ended up covered in paint, from the teens' playful 'slips' with the brushes. Then there'd been a huge water fight when trying to clean up. The whole group had gone for ice-cream afterwards, overwhelming the shocked waitress.
He smiled fondly at the memory. But his face dropped as he realized that that had been the last time he'd had such a good time with friends. Missing school, and being consequently alienated by the absences, had kept him from being involved with other groups and activities. He felt a sudden, intense feeling of longing and loneliness wash over him. What he wouldn't give to have those times back, no more missions or nightmares or unfriendly stares.
Not one to let himself dwell in self-pity, he forced himself to remember that he was leaving tomorrow. He could put all the horrific missions behind him; hopefully, when he got back, he could make more of those memories like fixing up the storage shed. He walked forward, stepping past the shed, determined to make a new start for himself.
Instinctual alarm bells went off in his head as he sensed something lunge toward him, out of his peripheral vision. He dived to the side, away from the corner of the shed, jumping up from a roll, into a fighting stance. Processing the threat, he was grudgingly thankful for his instincts that had saved him, once again.
A tall, muscled thug was regaining his balance a few feet away. He was dressed in black, a knife in his hand, and a large tattoo of a spiked ball showing on his forearm. He turned to Alex and smirked maliciously.
"Alright kid, time for some fun."
1) I didn't know the coach's actual name, before- but a considerate reviewer let me know. Thanks!
A.N. Sorry this took so long to write. And I know it's not very long- I've been SO busy. I actually do have more I could add on to the chapter; I'd originally planned it to be twice this long… But it would take me even longer to get around to finding the time to type it all out, then edit it, and I thought I'd better not keep readers waiting too long.
As it is, I still don't have a beta- so if anyone has a suggestion for a good one- let me know! Hope you like the new chapter- tell me what you think!!
(Necessary for a quicker, longer update next time- REVIEW!)
