‘Easy,’ said Bo, ‘it’s just land, don’t do anything stupid.’
Jaden was furious, but he too knew there was nothing that could be done. ‘Let me go,’ he said.
‘Swear to us that you won’t go after Ardim,’ said Dion.
‘I swear. Now let me go.’
Both Bo and Dion released their hold at the same time, and Jaden sprinted away without turning. He slowed to a jog when his leg spiked with pain, but he would not stop. He couldn’t accept that he had lost the match. This day would not end in defeat. He would beat Ardim, whether on the field or off.
There.
He saw her walking back to her home.
‘Alyssa!’ he called out.
She turned to where she had heard the voice and then stopped as she saw him running toward her. Her bright oval eyes stared softly at him in confusion as he neared.
‘Alyssa,’ he repeated. ‘I wanted to talk to you.’
She said nothing, waiting for him to go on.
He laughed nervously. ‘Every time I try to talk to you, something gets in the way.’
She smiled faintly at this, encouraging him further.
‘I’ve been meaning to ask you if you’re not busy sometime, I’d like to talk with you.’
She still seemed confused. ‘What do you want to talk about?’
‘I’m not sure,’ said Jaden, trying to think of what he had sensed when he saw her on the sidelines. ‘Have you noticed something ... strange ... in the ground lately?’
At first she seemed lost, but then her brows furrowed slightly.
‘Yes,’ she said, as if now that he mentioned it she had noticed. ‘Sharp ... movement?’ she asked, puzzled.
‘Alyssa, come inside!’
Alyssa’s father’s voice was unmistakable coming from the kitchen window, preventing Jaden from saying what he wanted to next.
‘I’m sorry, I have to go,’ she said, her voice as gentle as her eyes and as caring as her smile.
‘Can we meet tomorrow?’ asked Jaden with a sudden urgency.
She looked troubled, pausing a second. ‘Come see me,’ she said, and then quickly hurried indoors just as her father called out again.
‘When?’ Jaden asked, to which Alyssa gave a shrug as she disappeared behind a closed door, without another word.
Jaden relaxed. It wasn’t much, but it was all he had hoped. He had arranged a time he could talk with her. That’s all that mattered. And strangely, she had known of the sharp movements in the ground. Whatever those movements were, Bo could not laugh at or tease Jaden about how he felt about Alyssa now. He had been right. They had something in common, even if neither could be sure what it might be.
Somewhat out of breath, he retreated from the house and walked back toward his home. Despite the loss, he felt relieved. Just talking for a moment and hearing her mention the sharp movements had put him at ease almost instantly. He would have to wait to talk to her the next day to find out more about what she had experienced, but for now, all seemed well. He had lost the game but it wasn’t so bad. Even if the Pioneers did get the land, it was a small price to pay to have finally been able to talk with Alyssa. Besides, it wasn’t that his pride had been hurt, there was foul play involved, and there was always the chance to appeal the decision another day regarding the land's use. There would be another match to settle it, but next time, he would make sure Ardim was being watched by a referee.
‘What were you doing with my girl?’
Lost in his thoughts, Jaden had turned a corner and walked straight into Ardim.
‘I was nowhere near your mother,’ said Jaden instinctively.
Ardim pushed Jaden backward. ‘That’s a big call for a little man,’ he said.
‘That’s a big sentence for a dumb man. Been practicing?’
‘Your mouth is going to get you hurt.’
‘Why, you going to throw another rock? Get out of the way, cheat.’
Jaden had no sooner said the words and tried to push past Ardim when he wished he hadn’t. Ardim was not alone this time. His team joined him, coming out of the darkness behind.
‘What did you call me, runt?’
Jaden backed away as they advanced. He didn’t reply. There was nothing he could say now. He knew exactly what they had planned.
‘I think you’ve had enough fair treatment,’ Ardim went on, mockingly. ‘You need to learn your place.’
They wanted a fight. Jaden thought about his leg and its condition. It was still sore where the bruise was, he would lose some speed, but it would hold long enough. This was going to be anything but a fair fight. He could probably have handled two, maybe even three of them, but not five at once. He didn’t have a choice.