CHERUB

CHERUB

Fitting in…

Chapter 5

I paused just before a wall, with handholds scattered over it. I was already about fifteen meters up, and this would take me to twenty-five. I shrugged before starting the climb. It was hard enough to do with two arms, as the holds were strategically placed to make it as hard as possible. With one arm, it was near impossible. Two older agents were climbing beside me, urging me to go on. All I had to do was think of what my father would normally do if I failed a training course, and that was enough to get me going.

Five minutes later, I was at the top of the wall, facing a couple of jumps. It seemed simple enough, jump from one plank to the next, but the fact that you were 25 meters up in the air, with no safety nets in sight, kind of unnerved you. Arif took the jump first, landing neatly on the planks. I quickly calculated the chances, and saw that they were high in my favour. I took a deep breath and leapt over the few jumps. I glanced around, looking for the next obstacle, but saw nothing but a drop.

"What now?" I asked.

"You jump." Arif said. I looked at the 25 meter drop, and saw a seemingly tiny blue crash mat at the bottom of the wall. I stepped back, thinking it over.

Right, you have a 10 chance of death or serious injury, 80 chance of light injury, and 10 chance of walking away unscathed… Just go for it! Summoning up my courage, I took the leap, free falling down. I felt several thin branches cut into my flesh, but ignored them.

I landed on the mat, but rolled off quickly. So that Arif and Paul could also take the fall. Once they had landed, and got back onto their feet, Mac conversed with them quickly. He nodded and turned to me.

"If you will follow me, I will give you the results of the test." He said, and walked off towards the main building. I followed him, slightly curious.

Once in his office, he gestured for me to take a seat in front of the fire, which I did, releasing my arm from the harness. He took out a sheet of paper, studied it quickly and then looked at me.

"How do you think you did on these tests?" He asked.

"I don't know what you are looking for, so I can't judge what I've done."

"The first test, how do you think that you got on?"

"I failed."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because I lost the fight." I said quietly, just wanting to sink further into the chair and disappear, like I usually did.

"No, you fought well. Not many people can beat Bruce in a fair fight. Now, the second test, you scored rather well. Just above average on mathematics, and almost perfect in English. In the third test, you killed the chicken easily, which was to be expected with your origins," I felt myself want to sink even lower into the chair and just go and cower somewhere. "The fourth test, we knew that you feared pursuit the most, but you showed that you could keep your head together, not to mention giving the pursuers a near heart attack." Mac chuckled slightly, and I managed a small, nervous smile. "You didn't score very well on the last test, the boys running alongside you said that you stopped a lot, but not out of tiredness, rather to think and plan your next move." I nodded slowly, wondering what the overall result was going to be.

"I see."

"This means that I am glad to offer you a place here in CHERUB. We will send you back to Nebraska to think it over for a few days unless you have already made a decision."

"I would like to accept the place, sir." I said, smiling genuinely.

"Ok, I'm going to have to send you back to Nebraska anyway, because there is someone else that we wish to see about our grounds, and we would like to move all three of you at once if it is at all possible."

"Three, sir?"

"There is already an agent there. Go and see the campus doctor, have your shoulder seen to."

"Yes, sir." I stood up, meaning to leave.

"Bruce has asked to escort you, should you accept his help." I nodded slowly. "He's waiting outside."

"Thank you sir."

"We hope to see you around here very soon in a grey shirt. Good bye."

"Thank you sir." I said again, making a mental note to find out about the colour scheme before turning and closing the door behind me. Sure enough, Bruce was there, sitting on the plastic chairs outside the office, having changed into the same uniform that I was wearing, but with a grey shirt.

"Hey, how did you get on?"

"I joined." I said with a smile.

"Great! Are you staying here now then?"

"No, apparently I have to go back to Nebraska for a bit." Bruce's face fell slightly, and I felt my own heart sink.

"Well, you will be coming here soon enough then

"Yes. Em... Mac said that I should go and see the doctor, where is he? I asked. Bruce's face lit up in a smile again.

We walked silently to the hospital building. I flexed the fingers on my immobilised arm, trying to get rid of the pins and needles that didn't want to leave. There was a doctor waiting there, obviously having been contacted somehow. I guessed by a means of interpersonal communications. After a quick x-ray, the doctor, who had a strange German accent, said that it was a clean, simple break and nothing very serious, apart from the fact that one half had been knocked out of place and was dangerously close to my lung.

He gave me a general anaesthetic to knock me out while he manipulated the bone back into place, and I woke up feeling disoriented and confused. There was still a dense fog clouding my mind. Shaking my head, I looked around and groaned inwardly. Bare walls, black sheets, I was back at Nebraska. I wondered whether it had all been a dream or something, it seemed to be too unreal to by true in any case. I sat up, and flinched as pain seared through my shoulder. Nope, not a dream, definitely not!