Page 100 of Choose the Bears

“So, what do you think?”I asked Imogen as I ambled closer. The kids had worked out how to perform the manoeuvre nowand were practising over and over. Sounds of laughter, of squeals of surprise, and grunts of determination filled the room, but it was what we didn’t hear that was important. No cries of pain, hurt, or misery. Each moment we avoided that was a good one for me, but I needed to know what my mate thought.

“It’s beautiful.” She set her pen down on the clipboard, a rough sketch of me teaching James on the page. Her eyes met mine, and right then I felt seen. “Like I would’ve killed to have lessons like this when I was a kid. Sport sucked, but learning how to be a sword-wielding shield maiden? I’d have been a lot happier about being in PE, but… These kids aren’t learning to LARP.” Her gaze burned into mine. “You’re building them back up after their dad’s or mum’s boyfriends knocked them down.”

“Trying to.” I looked back over my shoulder, but my focus was always drawn back to her. “Sometimes I don’t know how successful I am or if this is a good thing. James… he’s kinda bonding with me, needing someone who understands the sorts of things he likes. His dad…” I didn’t want to talk about what his so-called father had done to his son, somehow feeling like that darkness didn’t belong here. “I can’t talk about that for privacy reasons?—”

“But he was a bad guy, and he hurt his son.” Imogen’s eyes drifted sideways to where James parried over and over again. The skin around them creased as she frowned. “That’s so hard to believe and yet… It happens.” Her hand gripped the pen so tightly her knuckles went white. “I just wish there was a way to stop all child abuse.”

We all went through this phase, wanting to stamp out the problem at the root, but there was something innate in human beings. To want power and in some, they took strength from beating down, hurting those smaller, weaker than them.

“We all do,” I said, crouching down beside her, my hand going to her back. My eyes trailed over the bruises on herwrists, now yellowed and mostly healed. Imogen flushed at the attention, so I redirected my focus to her lips, right before I kissed her.

“Lucas’ got a girlfriend!”

The sing-song voice had us breaking apart to see the kids had all stopped and were smirking at us. Well, all but James. He wasn’t done, was never done, and Elodie had been forced to have a word with me about it. Some kids who survived an abusive situation blanked everyone and everything, refusing to engage, but others? They clung to the nearest person who showed them kindness.

“I do, and now you guys are going to play king of the hill.”

The kids all lined up quickly because they loved this part of the lesson. Each one was given a turn to fight the ‘king,’ and if they managed to hit the king, they took the flimsy plastic crown I picked up from the weapons rack and became the next liege.

“Who was king last time?” I asked.

“James, and Heath was the time before that,” Eleanor said sourly, so I dropped the crown on her head. Her beaming smile made it all worthwhile.

“OK, our queen awaits, ready to defend herself against your attacks,” I said with a theatrical wave. “Show me what you’ve learned.”

She crowed when Heath tried to stab her, his blow going wide because he wasn’t trying hard enough, dismissing Eleanor because she was a girl. Instead, she knocked his blade away and then used his stumble forward as an opportunity to tap his chest with her sword point. He went to protest, but I shouted, “Out! Back of the line.” Grumbling, he did just that as the next person stepped up and had a go.

Eleanor was usurped by James, but he didn’t reign for long, one of the other kids taking his position with a swift blow. He really did need to work on his parrying. He muttered somethingto that effect as he went to the back of the line. Around and around they went until every child had some time as king before I was forced to wrap things up. The gym doors were thrust open, and a noisy gaggle of kids came streaming in with Kyle at the lead.

“OK fair knights and beautiful ladies,” he told them, “time to wrap things up because its rumble time!”

The younger kids all screamed and ran for the supply closet, looking for balls as my students packed everything away.

“That was amazing.” Imogen sidled up to me, her arm wrapping around my waist. “Teaching the kids was great, but… you wielding a sword? I might have had a few role-playing ideas.”

“Oh really…”

I was intrigued, but Kyle had to come running up.

“You’re here. Good, I need another team leader.” She let out a little yelp as a whistle on a lanyard was dropped over her head before he turned to the others. “Red team with the lovely Miss Imogen! Green with me!”

“Red team?” my mate hissed at me. “What do I do with a team? I failed PE at school.”

“Lead them.”

I pressed a kiss to her forehead, not wanting to leave her for even a second, even though I knew I had to. Asher was pushing hard for a complete analysis of Phil’s computer, and while the algorithm I’d written helped with that, it merely sorted through all the information, highlighting stuff I needed to personally discard or forward on.

For Imogen, I thought, nodding before pulling away.

“I’ll see you tonight?” I asked.

“You better, or I’ll come and find you in the server room and drag you off to bed.”

That mental image had me grinning as I left the room.

Chapter 53

Kyle

---