Fighting Fit (2 page)

We got so motivated we started singing aloud while we were working out! All the other gym users started clapping and cheering. “Look out PODS!” one boy teased. “The scary singing sisters are coming to get you!”

Next Lola decided I was ready for the advanced martial arts class she goes to with Reuben. All trainees study martial arts as part of their angel training. Like Mr Allbright told me when I first got here, “You can’t just charm your way out of a sticky cosmic situation, Melanie. There are times when angels have to fight back.”

For Reubs, martial arts is more than just a module on the heavenly school curriculum. It’s a way of life. Our buddy got talent-spotted back in kindergarten and he’s been training at a dojo in every spare moment ever since.

The dojo has to be the simplest, loveliest building in the city. It’s basically just a roof, supported on carved wooden pillars made from some kind of sublime smelling heavenly wood. Bamboo blinds keep the dojo blissfully shady and silk banners flutter in the breeze. Some banners have mantras painted on them in ancient angelic script. One just says
Breathe
.

The dojo master stepped out of the shadows to greet us. Reuben introduced us and we bowed respectfully to each other. Students in baggy fighting clothes were arriving in twos and threes. Like us, they bowed to the master then silently got on with warm-up stretches.

I was instantly filled with longing to be calm and pure just like them.

I started going down to the dojo twice a week after school. Brice came along some nights. It’s part of his rehabilitation programme. I was getting used to seeing my old enemy around the campus these days. OK, I’ll admit to a few bad moments when I first found out he and Lola had got alarmingly close, on holiday. But in a way you can understand it. Lola has a warm heart and as you know, a bad boy with a past
is
kind of hard to resist.

What I couldn’t understand is why Reuben and Brice were such great mates.

“You do remember that he beat you up?” I asked Reubs one night, when we were working on my sword-fighting technique.

He shook his baby dreads out of his eyes. “Of course I remember. I’m not completely stupid!” He assumed a defensive crouch.

To look at him you’d never guess Reuben is a martial arts genius. He’s just a skinny honey-coloured kid with incredibly clear green eyes. Yet he has this amazing strength. Not just physical strength. It’s a kind of calm inner strength.

“But don’t you mind seeing Brice every day?” I asked.

He looked blank. “Why should I mind?”

“Um, because he tried to destroy you?”

“He was working for the PODS. He did what he had to do.” Reuben made a surprise lunge, piercing me with ruthless efficiency through the chest.

“Hey, you cheater, I wasn’t ready,” I complained.

“Try telling that to the PODS,” he said with a grin.

Heavenly swords have light-beams instead of blades, so Reuben and I were able to slash at each other quite viciously without so much as a scratch. At worst, we just got a cosmic Light overdose and went a bit dizzy. If you used the same weapon on the PODS, however, they’d instantly dissolve into evil mush.

“He left
scars
, Reubs,” I persisted.

With a lightning move my buddy captured my sword arm. “I got caught off-guard,” he said quietly. “I won’t do that again in a hurry. Brice taught me a valuable lesson.”

I freed myself with a new gravity-defying jump and was impressed to find myself hovering over Reuben’s head. “Don’t you worry he might, like, defect back to the Dark Powers?”

“No, I don’t,” said Reuben in a firm voice. “Now drop it, OK?”

“OK,” I agreed reluctantly.

Unlike me and Lola, Reuben is pure angel and has never lived on Earth. Human concepts like holding a grudge are completely alien to him. So far as he was concerned, Brice had turned over a new leaf and that was that.

He grinned up at me. “Are you planning to stay up there all night?”

“I’m not sure,” I said anxiously. “I can’t seem to get back down.”

Reuben gave me a funny little smile. “Seen Orlando lately?”

I went crashing painfully to the floor. “You big pig!” I complained. “That was SO mean!”

“Focus, Melanie-san,” the dojo master said sternly. “An angel warrior must be empty like the wind. No past. No future. Only NOW.”

But I obviously had a long way to go before I became a true angel warrior. It took one mention of Orlando and my mind was instantly racing a like a dog after a rabbit. It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn’t seen this beautiful angel boy for weeks. Was he even safe? Officially he’s still at school, but like I said, the boy’s a brainbox and the Agency already sends him on solo missions.

Next day followed the new hectic pattern: running at dawn, followed by a healthy breakfast and lessons, a quick salad and gym at lunchtime, then afternoon school. I was going to have to skip the dojo that evening. Mr Allbright wanted to talk to me about my progress. I felt a familiar sinking feeling as I went into our classroom.

I was not what you’d call a big success at my Earth comprehensive and at times I still find it hard to believe that my new life is for real. It’s like, deep down, I’m always secretly waiting to be exposed as a fraud.

But to my relief and surprise it was all good news.

“I’m impressed,” my teacher beamed. “If you keep this up, you could find yourself in line for a HALO award one of these days.”

“You are kidding,” I breathed.

Mr Allbright’s praise made me glow all the way back across the campus. I danced down the path towards our dorm, singing a happily off-key version of
Sisters are Doing it for Themselves
. (Lola sings like an angel. I sing like a tiny cartoon frog.)

Suddenly my heart jolted in my chest. Orlando was walking towards me. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere, Mel! Where’ve you been?” he called and gave me his heart-melting smile.

Did that just happen? I thought. Could destiny really be this kind? I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t quite take in what Orlando was actually saying. I vaguely heard him ask me to meet him at the library later so we could talk, and I heard myself babble out some kind of reply. Then I flew upstairs to my room, carefully shut myself in behind my door and finally allowed myself to scream with joy!

It was official! Orlando had asked me out!!

Chapter Two

I
t was the most important day of my angelic existence and I urgently needed a style consultation with my soul-buddy. Unfortunately, Lola was at the dojo.

However, after a nail-biting half hour, I managed to come up with the perfect romantic look. Denim capri pants and a white off-the-shoulder gypsy top embroidered with tiny pink butterflies.

I put on the sweet silver charm bracelet Lola gave me, splashed on my fave heavenly fragrance (it’s called Attitude) and I was ready to go.

I was going on my first ever date with the most beautiful boy in our school. OK, so the school library wasn’t the most thrilling venue in the universe. But who knew where we’d end up after that!! Don’t get ahead of yourself, Melanie, I warned myself. Take it one step at a time.

When I walked in, I was surprised to see some big meeting going on. The ground floor was jam-packed with trainees. Assuming that Orlando was waiting for me upstairs, I started elbowing my way through the crowd, going, “Excuse me. Sorry, was that your foot? Um, excuse me.”

Then I heard a familiar voice coming from the front. “You can’t believe how bad it is, until you see it for yourselves. Nero’s time is basically just a PODS’ playground.”

Orlando

I closed my eyes as the humiliating truth sank in. Orlando had not invited me to the library for a talk. He’d invited me to A TALK at the library.

Next minute someone tapped me on the shoulder. “Did I miss much?” Reuben said, slightly out of breath. He was still in his martial arts clothes. He must have rushed over from the dojo.

I shook my head. “I couldn’t tell you. I just got here.”

“Nice outfit,” said my buddy. “Going somewhere special?”

“Not really,” I said in a dull voice.

“Could you have this conversation somewhere else?” said an irritated trainee. “Some of us are trying to listen.”

“Sorry man!” Reuben gave him an apologetic grin. “I’m surprised to see you here, Mel,” he whispered. “I heard they just needed guys.”

For the first time I registered that everyone in the audience was male. What was going on?

We edged towards the front. Orlando was standing on a makeshift platform, looking tired but determined. “I literally got back from Ancient Rome a few hours ago,” he was saying. “In forty-eight hours I’ll be going back, and I hope to be taking a team of volunteers with me.”

I felt a prickle of shock. Angelic missions are coordinated by the Agency. I’d never heard of agents getting their own missions together before. Orlando wasn’t even a fully qualified agent. He was still technically a trainee.

“I stumbled on some alarming information during my last mission,” he went on. “I passed my findings on to the Agency. They admit they’re concerned, but apparently the twenty-first century is draining most of their resources.”

I felt myself cringe. Just once, could it please be someone else’s century giving us all this heavenly hassle?

“I’m going to level with you,” Orlando said. “This feels like I’m breaking the rules. Every day, trainees are told that the essence of good troubleshooting is team work. Nine times out of ten I’d agree with this. And in the past I’ve given some of you a hard time for trying to go it alone.”

I felt myself go red. I had a feeling he was remembering the big fight we had on my first ever time trip to Earth. Publically defying him, I had gone on to break a major cosmic law and come
this
close to getting myself expelled.

“But there’s always that tricky one time out of ten,” Orlando was explaining earnestly. “I believe this is one of those times.” He looked embarrassed. “Listen, you guys, I have absolutely no desire to be a hero. It’s not my style. But the Agency’s hands are tied, so I feel it’s my responsibility to bridge the gap. I asked the Agency for permission to take a trainee task force back into the field. They agreed.”

“What would we be doing exactly?” asked a nervous trainee.

Orlando shook his head. “I can’t go into details at this stage. You’ll just have to trust me. I promise to keep you informed on a need-to-know basis.”

I heard guys muttering, “Fair enough.”

“Will we get basic training?” someone asked. “I know zip about the Romans.”

“Sure you do, they’re the ones who wore togas,” quipped his mate.

“That’s not actually true,” I corrected. “Generally only men wore togas. And that was just for formal occasions.” Fashion is the one topic about which I am one hundred percent confident.

Orlando flashed me a quick smile. “Volunteers will undergo a forty-eight hour intensive training course. This is a ridiculously short time to train anyone for such a dangerous mission, but it’s the best we can do.”

I’d totally forgiven him by this time. My dearest wish had come true. He’d finally noticed me. Best of all, he didn’t only like me for my looks. He
respected
me; enough to want me fighting alongside him as an angelic equal. All these months I’d worried I wasn’t good enough for this amazing boy. Then out of all the girls in our school, he picks
me
to join his personal task force!

“So do we have any volunteers?” he asked hopefully.

A forest of hands shot up, including mine and Reuben’s.

Orlando looked pleased and relieved. “That’s fantastic. Thanks guys. Um, are there any questions?”

“What should I wear?” I asked anxiously.

Some of the guys laughed, but Orlando took my inquiry seriously. “You’ll be visible throughout the mission, so obviously the Agency will provide suitable clothes.”

Reuben and I exchanged startled glances. Trainees are rarely permitted to materialise. I’d materialised three times at most since I’d started my training, and one of those was an accident.

As soon as the meeting was over, I raced along to Lola’s room and hammered on her door. She came out, wearing puffs of cotton wool between her toes, clutching a bottle of bright pink nail varnish.

“You look totally luminous!” she exclaimed. “Who’s the lucky guy?”

“Reubs and I are going to Ancient Rome,” I said breathlessly.

My mate blinked. “That’s a bit sudden, isn’t it?”

“I know,” I beamed. “I thought Orlando and I were going on a date but he actually wanted volunteers for a dangerous mission.”

Lola’s eyes went wide with sympathy. “You must have been so upset.”

“I was,” I admitted. “Then I told myself that an angel warrior must be like the wind with no past or future, only now.”

My mate gave a disbelieving snort. “You mean you looked at Orlando’s eyelids and thought, ‘I will follow you to the end of Time!’”

I felt myself turning red. A telepathic soul-mate is all very well but sometimes a girl needs her privacy.

“So why didn’t I hear about this big meeting?” she asked.