Tree of Life

Book I Chapter 07

TREE OF LIFE BOOK I

CHAPTER 07

The next morning, when Julian got to school, it was Brian's turn to be busy trying to hunt down his friend. When he did, Brian launched himself at Julian and clasped him by the shoulders. He muscled him to one side of the hallway. He whispered into his ear. "Julian, you have to do that thing again."

Julian eased Brian's hands off him. "What?"

Brian rolled his eyes. "You put the stuff on my left leg yesterday and..."

"Yeah, so? Does it feel bad? What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Brian smiled. "No, it's not like there's something wrong, it's just..."

"What?"

Brian laughed. "You have no idea! It's like a brand new leg! When I go to jump with my left leg, it's like I can jump a whole foot higher!"

Julian smiled. "Well, that's good then."

"No, but I'm not...balanced..."

"Oh, right!" Julian frowned. "Well, I guess we have to do the other one. Maybe later at lunch..."

"No, but I got a better idea!"

"What?" He furrowed his brows. "You mean like your arms too?"

"Ha! No!" Brian stopped and checked himself. Then he glanced to his left and right. He leaned in closer to his friend. "No, I mean we should do this for the whole team! Well...maybe not Bobby."

Julian shook his head. "No, I don't think that's such a great idea..."

"What do you mean? Can you imagine how we're going to win? We'd be better than all the other teams!"

"Whatever happened to keeping it a secret? Or else the government's going to come?"

"Well, it'd still be a secret. A secret among the team."

"No..."

"Why are you being so selfish about this?" Brian stepped back. He regarded his friend. "It isn't even really yours! You don't know how you got it. Not exactly! For all we know, I could've found it in my bag..." He planted his hands on his hips.

Julian took a few steps back. He began to frown and shake his head. Turning, he strode down the hallway and began to disappear among the morning crowd, wading off toward their homerooms.

"Hey!" Brian shouted to his friend but didn't go after him.

All day that day, Julian couldn't concentrate. He avoided everybody at lunch. Finding some little used stairwell, he sat down and began to eat his sandwich alone. He thought about it and couldn't help but wonder what his neighbour Daniel would do in a situation like this. Or even what his science teacher, Mr. Cohen would do.

By his side, a row of ants was passing by. They were orderly, one following the next, each holding up a breadcrumb about twice the size of its own body. Then one of them came along, and tried to pick up a piece that was nearly four times as heavy as the other ones. Its feelers and legs twitched but it couldn't lift the tiny piece of bread. Then another ant came, and then another one, and it was only when the three of them worked together that the piece was finally hoisted off the ground and began making its way across the step that Julian was sitting on. Julian shook his head. He broke off another half a dozen crumbs from his sandwich and left them on the step on purpose, right by the ants. He sighed.

Let's face it. He was just a little kid. Everybody always told him so. He was only in Grade Eight! This problem was much bigger than he was. What was he supposed to do?