Secret Army - Robert Muchamore Page 0,21

bright red, the elastic had been torn out of his underpants and his bare chest was covered with welts and scratches.

‘Roll on the second half,’ Luc grinned, as he stepped back from Paul and turned around, heading for the water fountain at the back of the hall.

Luc was surprised to find Rosie blocking his path with her hands on her hips. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked angrily.

Luc shrugged mischievously. Behind him Paul stood up and started hobbling away to get a drink.

‘Only doing what Takada told me, Rosie,’ Luc said.

‘I’m not saying Paul deserves to get off for lying his way out of two days’ training,’ Rosie said. ‘But he’s my kid brother and you’re going way over the top.’

‘I’d do anything for you, Rosie,’ Luc smiled. ‘I’ll give Paul a break, on one condition.’

‘What condition?’ Rosie asked suspiciously.

Luc leaned forwards and whispered in Rosie’s ear: ‘We go outside after dark tonight, you take your shirt off and let me kiss you and feel your tits.’

‘You’re a filthy animal,’ Rosie shouted, as she thrust her palm at Luc’s head.

Rosie was strong and if her blow had connected it would have splattered Luc’s nose all over his face, but Luc ducked and her hand skimmed over his head. Luc then hooked Rosie’s ankle and sent her sprawling towards the wall.

‘Hey,’ Takada shouted as he charged across the hall. ‘What the goodness?’

Takada grabbed Luc, but in the two seconds before Khinde got hold of Rosie, she jammed her heel hard into Luc’s stomach. Everyone knew Rosie was sticking up for Paul and the jeers and shouts of the other kids were all in her favour, but Takada was angry. He let Luc go and eyeballed Rosie.

‘Paul will be punished,’ Takada shouted. ‘You are not my boss here.’

‘But it’s too much,’ Rosie protested. ‘Luc will end up breaking Paul’s arm or something.’

‘Paul is the cleverest boy here,’ Takada laughed. ‘It’s up to him whether he wins or not.’

‘What’s that got to do with anything?’ Rosie screamed. ‘Luc is twice Paul’s size.’

‘OK,’ Takada shouted. ‘Time for an important lesson. Everyone in Group A and Group B, gather around me in a circle. Break is over.’

There were a few groans as sweating bodies that hadn’t reached the front of the queue for the water fountain trailed back and sat cross-legged, facing Mr Takada.

‘Lions are the mightiest animals in the jungle,’ Takada began. ‘Ten times stronger than any man. Their legs can crush a human chest. Their teeth shatter human bone. But in the jungle, it is man who hunts the lion. Why is that?’

‘Because they have guns,’ Sam answered cheekily.

There was some laughter, but it wasn’t the answer Takada wanted.

‘And why do men have guns?’ Takada asked. ‘Or perhaps I should ask, why don’t lions have guns?’

‘Lions are stupid,’ Troy said.

‘You have the answer,’ Takada said, as he beamed at Troy. ‘Men are smarter than lions and in the long run, brains will always beat brawn.’

After the exhausting run and a half-hour pummelling, Paul failed to see what good his brain was going to do him. The hunter might be able to bugger off into the jungle and go and grab a spear, but what were his brains going to do when he was trapped on a two-and-a-half-metre square of horsehair-stuffed matting with Luc belting the daylights out of him?

‘Group A pair up for straight wrestling,’ Takada ordered.

Luc grinned as he charged forwards. He reached around Paul’s waist, grabbed the back of both thighs and lifted Paul’s feet, sending him crashing face first into the mat. Paul squirmed as Luc grabbed his shoulder, rolled him on to his back and pinned his right shoulder under his knee.

Luc could have put his other knee on Paul’s left shoulder. This would count as a pin and under wrestling rules he’d have to stand back up. But Luc liked to make Paul suffer, so he clamped his thighs tightly around Paul’s chest and rolled on to his back so that Paul dangled in the air, crushed between Luc’s knees, hardly able to breathe.

When Luc released the knee hold, Paul crawled rapidly off of his chest. Luc grasped Paul’s ankles, bent the younger boy’s feet up towards his buttocks and pressed down so hard that Paul thought the tendons in his knees were about to rupture.

‘Please,’ Paul screamed.

‘Why don’t you use your big brain now?’ Luc teased. ‘Think your way out of it.’

‘Oh god,’ Paul gasped, as tears streaked down his face. ‘Let me go.’

Luc finally set Paul