THREE

A week later, Rufus made it back to his room after dinner. All week he had been thinking up ways of getting back at the Briston twins. While he was trying to fall asleep, an idea popped into his mind: garbage, duct tape and cellophane.

He set an alarm for 3am and tried again to go to sleep. His mind was racing so much with what he was going to do and how he was going to do it that sleep was a long time coming.

His alarm went off and he climbed down the bunk ladder. He shook Biggie. “Biggie, come on. I need your help.”

Biggie mumbled something about food and turned over.

“Biggie!” Rufus was more stern, but not much louder.

Biggie opened an eye and looked at Rufus.

“I know how to get the Bristons. Get dressed.” Rufus pulled on his pants and was halfway towards the door when he stopped to look at Biggie. Seeing that Biggie had gotten out of bed he quietly said “Come on, come on”.

The closet door slid open as Rufus was passing it. “Where are you two going?” Asked a voice in the darkness.

Rufus jumped at the sound. He had forgotten about Jimmy.

“We’re going to get the Bristons back for pranking us. You wanna help?”

All three of them ran to the cafeteria. They didn’t see any of the hall monitors or any of the teachers.  They slowly pushed open the cafeteria’s door and tip-toed to the kitchen. There, on the edge of a metal table, was a large box of cellophane wrap. Rufus grabbed it.

“Biggie, Jimmy—look for some tape. I prefer duct tape, but anything will do.”

They started looking in closets and pantries. Eventually, they found some masking tape and some painting blue tape.

They went to as many garbage cans as they could and gathered up the bags full of garbage.

Creeping down the hallway. Jimmy held up his fist in a “Stop” motion. Biggie didn’t stop walking. Rufus, seeing Jimmy’s hand signal, grabbed Biggie before he went to far.

“That means, hold your position, Biggie.” Jimmy whispered to Biggie as he pointed at his fist. “Haven’t you ever seen a war movie?”

He peeked around the corner outside of where the Bristons’ door was. “Mrs. Blackwatch is coming down the hallway.” He whispered.

They backed up a bit and hid. She stopped next to their hiding place. Her boney fingers were interlocked in front of her. The dim light made it difficult to make out all of her features; but her silhouette displayed a set jaw and a bun tight enough to make it so she shouldn’t be able shut her eyes. She paused, but didn’t seem to have spotted the boys, and passed by.

They waited until the sound of her footsteps disappeared, then slipped out of their hiding spot and dropped their ill-gotten loot in front of the Briston’s door.

“Alright, what do we do now?” Asked Biggie.

“We tape the plastic wrap across the door threshold and then we pour the garbage into the space between the wrap and the door.” Rufus started to quietly tear cellophane wrap in lengths wide enough for the doors threshold.

“What happens next?”

Rufus paused with a questioning look. “When they open the door all of the garbage will fall on top of them. I’ve seen it done with packing peanuts, but we don’t have any of those and the garbage adds a bit of poetic justice.”

Biggie nodded his head and then looked at Rufus with a confused expression.

Explaining, Rufus said “Because they dumped me in a garbage can, this is getting them back in a similar way”

Biggie shrugged, “Oh. Ok.” Thinking it through.

They taped up three levels of cellophane and then they dumped a couple bags of garbage. They did the job in a couple more sections. Rufus had to stand on top of both Biggie’s and Jimmy’s backs to do the last section at the top of the door. By about 4:30am they were done. They shoved the empty garbage bags inside with the garbage.

“Ok. Are you ready?” Rufus asked.

“Ready to go back to bed?” Biggie asked.

“No, we should knock on their door really hard and watch them open it up!” Jimmy whispered excitedly.

Rufus stopped. “I was just going to let them have it in the morning, but that sounds better.”

So Rufus pounded on the door through the garbage. There was too much garbage and the sound was muffled.

“What do we do?” Biggie asked. “That isn’t going to wake them up.”

Jimmy got a smile on his face.

“Yeah, let’s just go.” He said.

They snuck back to the kitchen and put their supplies back.

As they were walking back to their room, Jimmy took a detour.

“What are you doing?” Rufus asked.

“Yeah, let’s just go back to bed. We tried.” Biggie pleaded.

“I have an idea.” Jimmy continued. He nodded his head at something.

Jimmy, Rufus, and Biggie were all standing in front of it. Jimmy had his hand on it and was about to pull it down.

“Don’t do it. Please, don’t” Biggie pleaded.

It was 4:45am according to Rufus’s watch. Everyone would still be dead asleep. “Let it fly!”

That’s all Jimmy need to hear. He pulled the fire alarm down. Immediately the alarm went off across the whole school. Then a fluorescent pink paint sprayed out at all three of them, covering them from head to toe.

They turned and were about to try to sneak back to their room, but they were blocked by an immovable force, dressed in a black blouse and black floor length skirt. Her eyes were shrouded by her forehead. The anger that shown in them was so bright that it made the trio immediately beg for forgiveness.

“Ms. Blackwatch, I’m so sorry! We are so sorry!” They were sputtering.

“No. You are not. Not yet.” She said in a dark voice. She reached over with a key and inserted it into the fire alarm, shutting it off with a twist of her wrist.

“March.” One word, and they did, squishing the pink paint under their shoes as they walked.

Across the intercom came the voice of Meme. “This was a false alarm. Please go back to your rooms. Just a false alarm.”

“What are you going to do with us?” asked Biggie.

“You three will be put into pillories.” Ms. Blackwatch led them into a courtyard.

“A what?” Rufus was confused at the word.

The courtyard was ancient, all built from the same gray stone. The archways on both ends were weathered, as was the cobblestone floor.

She pointed to their left, where there were five hinged, split blocks of wood cemented into the ground.

“They are more commonly known as stocks.” Blackwatch stated.

She opened three of the top wood slats and ordered them to put their arms and head into the holes.

Disbelievingly they each knelt down behind a stock.

“You can’t do this. Do you know who I am? I won’t stand for this.” Jimmy said, but he placed his head through the hole anyway, exposing his neck. His face was red.

Blackwatch snapped down the tops of the stocks and locked each of them with the same key she had used to turn off the fire alarm.

Rufus softly said. “You mean you can’t stand for this.” He chuckled at his own joke.

Jimmy looked over, still disgusted.

Blackwatch took out a hose and sprayed the pink paint off their backs and faces, twisting the nozzle so that the spray was in a tight stream that stung their skin.

She finished spraying them down, turned off the hose, and began to walk away.

“Hey, don’t leave us here! Biggie pleaded. “I don’t want to miss class!”

“The punishment is that you will be here for a fortnight without food or water.” Ms. Blackwatch again started down the main entrance of the courtyard. As she was about to go out of sight, Meme turned the corner.

“Ms. Blackwatch! Please, let them go. We can’t do this children anymore!”

“It wasn’t a problem before. Why is it an issue now? Do you really think restrictions within that silly Arena would stop them from continuing to misbehave?” A clipped British accent emphasized each syllable.

The two women locked eyes. Blackwatch hesititated, but finally handed over the key. She looked back at Rufus. He swore that her eyes flashed red in the early morning light.

***

Rufus’ first class was Math with Mr. Sineter. He was old, with a short-cropped beard, and his class seemingly dragged forever. Math wasn’t Rufus’ strong point, especially algebra. The rest of his day progressed just as slowly until finally he arrived at the Vault for Odyssey. All through lunch he’d been excited for this class. According to what Biggie had said it seemed like it wasn’t going to be like any other class he had ever taken.

He left the main hall and headed to a wide circular stone staircase with a thick ironwork railing that led downwards. As he descended the staircase there was a feeling of entering into an old world keep. The air was colder from the stones and his footsteps reverberated off of the walls and ceiling.  There were a few landings scattered in the staircase, but eventually Rufus made it down to the bottom.

When he reached the bottom he could see a large hall, one end of which was filled with about thirty desks. Most of the desks were already filled with students. At the front of the desks stood the Principal, who looked to be in his late-thirties. Rufus also realized that this was the gardener he’d seen on his first day. He was average height with dark hair that was styled in a distinguished manner, strong facial features, and his eyes pierced Rufus as he walked across the hall towards the desks. Those eyes seemed as if they knew everything there was to know about Rufus.

“Hello Rufus.” The Principal walked around the desks and towards where Rufus had decided to sit.

“Ah…hello, Principal?” Rufus mumbled as he continued his path, hoping to get to a desk before the Principal intercepted him.

“Not so fast. You get to come up to the front of the class for a moment.” The Principal invited.

“Class, this is one of our newest student. He comes from New York City—Brooklyn to be more specific. Who else knows something about Mr. Fenuch?” Asked the Principal.

“He got caught watching one of the paintings and was thrown into a garbage can!” Said an older boy at the back of the classroom. The boy fist-pounded another kid who sat to his right.

“Mr. Briston, are you admitting that you were involved in Mr. Fenuch’s humiliation?” The Principal knowingly and nonchalantly asked.

“Uh. No, it wasn’t us, man! I just saw someone do it. It was that new girl…ah crap.” He scrambled while his brother—the kid he had fist-pounded—slapped him upside the back of his head. “Hey, don’t hit me! It was your idea!”

“It wasn’t my idea to brag about it to the Principal, you idiot!” The brother yelled back.

The two of them continued to argue.

“Boys! That is enough.” The Principal’s voice was calm but it rang through the hall.

The two boys stopped fighting as if they had been in a hypnotic trance and their hypnotist had snapped her fingers.

“Briston boys, you will not be allowed to participate with the Odyssey class on weekends for three weeks. Please learn not to bully others. Additionally, I would like you two to prepare chapter fifteen of our current reading assignment. You will be the first to test on our current material.” The Principal explained. Their faces paled in response.

“And one other thing. I understand that you had a visit from someone last night? You still smell of the refuse left at your door. Please go shower more thoroughly this time.”

At that last statement the Briston’s glared at Rufus. All of the sudden he was very aware of the pink flecks of paint still staining his hands.

“Now who else can tell me something about Mr. Fenuch?” he asked.

Rufus saw a couple of faces that were familiar to him. He had seen them at the top of the stairs after his garbage can incident, in the hallways or elsewhere around the School. None of them had met him before. He knew that the Principal was fishing for something, but couldn’t tell what.

“What about you Mr. Fenuch? What can you tell us about yourself?”

Finally, after a long pause, Rufus offered, “I am twelve years old. Never met my parents. I’ve been in two other orphanages. One in Bed Stuy, one in Upstate. I didn’t really have any friends.” He blushed at that, but couldn’t stop his mouth. “I have always dreamed of being a football player, but I’m too short and probably will be for a long time. And My favorite color is green.”

Rufus was alarmed by the amount of information he was suddenly willing to provide. He really couldn’t stop himself until the Principal said, “Well, Mr. Fenuch that was very forthcoming. Any questions for Mr. Fenuch?”

The Principal was searching through the crowd as if he was able to read the student’s minds. He nodded to himself after looking directly at a girl on the front row.

“Yes,” the Principal paused, “yes, I do believe that is a good question. What part of Brooklyn do you hail from?” he turned his attention to Rufus.

“Bed Stuy. That’s where I last moved from.”

“Right, interesting. Well, thank you for coming. Your assignment for the next few weeks is to pick a book from this list and read it and then you will be tested on it.” The Principal reached behind the lectern and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Rufus.

“Mr. Fenuch, take a seat. Bristons, you are excused to go wash. However, If I see you misbehaving in future, you will be participating as target practice for some of our more accomplished archers, or something along those lines.”

“Ok, off with you two. Class, let’s open up today’s discussion about Anne of Green Gables. Now who can tell me what Anne’s motto in regards to imagination is? Ms. Wight? Anyone? Scope…”

Rufus looked through the list of book names. The Hobbit was on there. He knew that story backwards and forwards. Decision made.

After class, the Bristons were waiting for him. “You better watch yourself. If we ever get you in the Arena we are gonna smash you into Rufus jelly.”

The Bristons were much larger than Rufus and probably older than him by a couple of years, but for some reason they were unwilling to pursue their desire to pulverize him right then.

Playing off that card, Rufus pushed past the two older boys and shouted back “Cool, guys! See you in the Arena then!” He had no clue what he was saying, but he had an inkling that someone he knew did.

Later that day Rufus found Biggie sitting outside on a bench next to a small rose garden. The smell of the roses matched the beauty of their coloring. Red, yellow, pink, white, and a few mauve colored roses bloomed on each of the bushes. The garden was a complete circle except for a small path that broke the circle and spilled into an interior brick patio with several benches.

At the sound of Rufus’ feet, Biggie turned from the book he was reading. “Hey, Rufus. How was your day?”

“Hey, Biggie. Not bad. Most of my classes were boring, but Odyssey was strange. The Principal gave me a list of books to choose from.” He held out the list in his hand. “You ever read this book before?” Pointing to The Hobbit.

“Nah, I haven’t read it before. But get this we’re reading Anne of Green Gables.” He turned over the book in his hand and showed Rufus the cover. There was a picture of a young girl walking through some farmland with houses and a barn behind her on its cover.

“Yeah, I know. It looks a bit girly.”

“Yeah. It’s alright. We have a test on it next week.”

“Huh. Hey, I wish I could have seen what happened this morning with the Bristons. Did you hear that shriek right after the fire alarm went off? I swear that was the Bristons when the garbage fell on them” Rufus’ mind had drifted from the conversation.

“Well I hear that Merlin has decided to let the Briston boys come back to weekend sessions when they have finished cleaning all of the School’s windows, or in three weeks, whatever comes first. However, I know that they are slated to demonstrate the scene in Anne of Green Gables where Anne gets Diana drunk! It’s gonna be hilarious! Those two have about as much imagination as two dented doorknobs!” Biggie laughed.

“I don’t get it. Odyssey is an acting class? That’s stupid. I mean, I didn’t sign up for the class, they just told me to be at the Vault at a certain time.”

“What’s the Arena, anyway?” Rufus calmed down a bit. “The Bristons were saying something about getting back at me in there.”

“No, Odyssey is much more than that! Odyssey is the study of applied imagination. And what’s wrong with acting?” He gave Rufus a questioning stare.

Biggie continued. “Look, if you play your cards right, you can be set up for life, like for really the rest of your life after being here. That’s why rich girls like Imogen get sent here. They are trust-fund babies with no parents, and their guardians clamor to get their charges in here. The rest of us are lucky; at least Merlin sees us as having big potential.”

“Well, I think rich kids shouldn’t be let in here. They have money, they should be going to a boarding school or something.”

“For them, this is a boarding school. It costs them a boatload to be here. For us, we are wards of the state. Merlin takes pity on us or sees something that no one else does, and that’s why we’re here. Why do you think it was so easy for you to talk about your past in class today?

“See these rose bushes? These are his pride and joy. He is able to get the bushes to bloom different colored roses without any grafting. He just kind of wills it, or something like that, and it happens. That’s why I was saying he was a Wizard.” Biggie leaned forward and whispered that last sentence conspiratorially.

“But don’t worry about it. Everyone has to go through his questioning. He wants us to be aware of our surroundings, and really it gets us to visit our deepest fears. It’s all a bit cathartic and therapeutic. At least that’s what I think now. I was mad when he questioned me too, but I got over it. Do you want some grapes?” He offered Rufus a bowl of red grapes.

Rufus half knowingly took one from the bowl as he sat down on the bench next to Biggie. “So, what did you choose for your book?” Rufus flicked the paper in his hand to emphasize his question.

“Ah,” Biggie eyed the paper. “Yeah, for the entrance exam, I picked one of the short stories. He’ll expect you to read it, and then you are given a test after you have finished. He selects a section and a character out of the book, gives you a couple days to prepare, and then you are allowed to go into the Vault and take your test.

“Then he has you essentially perform that section as that character, and the closer you are to what he thinks the author has envisioned the higher your grade is. And then you become a member of the class. Otherwise, if you score too low, you just end up being a student here, and you don’t ever get another chance in the Vault.”

“Only one shot? And, by the way, it still sounds like acting.” Rufus was confused and a bit annoyed.

“Yes, it is a bit like acting. But instead of you pretending to be someone or something else. You really become that person, if you know the intention of the author…and really know the character and scene.” He paused. “That’s why I’m worried about our punishment. I’m pretty sure we won’t be able to participate for a few weekends in the Arena at least. We’ll probably have to be Wimps for a bit. That’s no fun.”

“You are talking gibberish. Wimps. Arena.”

“Stop. And listen. The Arena is a world that Merlin created.” Biggie was very serious. “You use your imagination to create—let’s say a character. That character can have any ability you want it to. You want to be able to fly. Then think it. You want to be a golem made of stone or clay. Have at it. And then you become it. Why do you think that Barber guy is so interested? His tv network would make so much money! Merlin uses the Odyssey class to help us shape and control our characters and our imagination.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Use my imagination to create? I always use my imagination to create.”

“Pass your test and you will understand.” Biggie sighed, tired of explaining the same thing. “They call it an Arena for a reason.” and he popped the last grape into his mouth.

“…Look Merlin, I am just asking for a simple shot at a great opportunity—The school will get the recognition…” Rufus recognized the man walking along side the Principal.

“Nate, I will have to think on this. The school doesn’t need the publicity, but I know how this would help your career. If we do it, it will have to be sold as computer graphics. You know the technology is too advanced for the world to understand.”

“That sounds good to me. When can we start? I’ll let the camera crew know they should pack their bags.”

“Well, the bouts won’t start for another couple weeks. You will have to give equal opportunity to all individuals…Rufus and Sam good to see you.” The Principal and Nathan Barber walked passed.

“Hey Principal.” Rufus said in reply. Biggie waved at them.

After the two men passed by. Biggie said, “I think the producer is going to make us famous.”