The Pearl Wars by Nick James Page A

anything stupid.
    And with that, it’s Eva and me. And I don’t even know where she is. Some teamwork.
    “Rush them from the sides,” Skandar whispers in my ear before pacing off the field in disgust.
    I wipe the sweat from my forehead and hold down the button on my earpiece. “Eva? Where are you?”
    Her voice comes in all fuzzy. “South end of the field, Fisher. What’s up?”
    “Skandar just got hit.”
    “Skandar? You mean you’re the last boy standing?”
    “Trust me,” I say, “I’m as shocked as you are. We got Alexis, though.”
    “That leaves Asha and Chan.”
    “Skandar said we should rush them from the sides.”
    “Where are you?”
    “Um … ” I look up at the ceiling, hoping to judge my position from the light fixtures and the familiar water stain at the northwest corner. I spot it almost instantly. “Northeast, I think.”
    “Fine,” she says. “Move inward slowly. Keep your head up and if you see anything move don’t hesitate to attack. You can’t hesitate, Jesse.”
    “I know.” I roll my eyes. Like I haven’t heard that tired line about a million times.
    Then, it’s on.
    I shuffle forward, careful to keep behind boulders and walls whenever possible. The silence is unb earable. Someone could jump out at any moment. My gaze darts around, scanning the landscape for signs of movement.
    Suddenly I’m into it, like I really want to win this thing. Seeing Skandar get taken out, I realize that being the weak link might have its advantages. People forget about me, undere stimate me.
    I venture farther out, keeping an eye on the horizon. A detonator explodes somewhere in front of me, rumbling the walls. It’s impossible to tell if it was a hit or a miss. I pray it’s not Eva.
    Then she answers my prayers. “I got Asha,” her voice comes over my earpiece. “Now it’s just little Chan, all by himself. Move in for the kill, Fisher.”
    I stifle a laugh. She takes this crap so seriously. Then again, maybe that’s my problem. Maybe I don’t take it seriously enough.
    Even so, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s two against one. Forgetting that these are thirteen-year-olds, it still makes me feel pretty accomplished. It’s a power position. Finally.
    “I’m moving,” I mumble into the earpiece, gripping the detonator.
    “If he knows he’s the last one, he might try something crazy,” Eva says. “So don’t hesitate.”
    “Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. You’re like a broken record, you know th at?”
    “Jus t trying to save your butt, Fisher. Again.”
    I grab a second detonator, just in case. If I get the chance, I’ll throw the whole blasted belt at the kid. Even with bad aim, at least one’s bound to hit.
    I crawl around a steep dune and look to the far wall of the training facility. Eva’s head rises from behind another dune, a dark dot in the distance. I look down at the small valley in between us. Chan stands in the center, looking frantically around.
    For a moment I feel bad for the kid, up against two Year Nines with belts full of detonators. It must be pretty scary. Then I remember what Captain Alkine always says. No mercy for the enemy. I can’t empathize with the kid. I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do.
    So I attack, lunging forward and throwing one detonator after another. They explode well in front of Chan, shooting puffs of sand up from the ground. Mass embarrassing.
    Then, two things happen at once. Eva hurls a detonator with laser precision behind the kid and I know it’ll hit him square in the back. Unaware of his impending doom, Chan chucks a detonator at me. I try to dart out of the way but it’s too quick. I shouldn’t have been watching Eva.
    The detonator barrels straight for my chest and explodes. I have just enough time to see Chan knocked out of the game before I collapse to the ground and stay there, unmoving.
    ––––
    Swirls of green mist cloud around me. At first I’m convinced that Mr. Wilson has changed the training program.