CHERUB: First Blood

Roommates

Somebody else took them to the junior block. The room Ollie was put in didn't look as nice as the one he had woken up in, but wasn't bad, with a good bit of space. He'd only have to stay in it for a few months, anyway. Ollie took a look at his new bed, and put his stuff in a wardrobe next to it. Suddenly, he was startled as a tiny Chinese kid rushed in.

"Liang! What have I told you about punctuality? You were supposed to be here to say hello to the new kid, not frighten him!" the carer yelled.

"Sorry, Miss." Liang said, clearly not sorry.

"You two are roommates from now until the next basic. Don't mess around too much and any noise complaints will result in laps." the carer warned, as she left.

"Laps?" Ollie queried.

"Of the athletic track. You'll get to know them quite personally as an agent, but they tend to leave off on the juniors. That being said, Miss Rodriguez  isn't the most reliable of carers when it comes to discipline. Watch out for her. I'm Liang, by the way." Liang explained, clearly somewhat annoyed at the outburst he'd just been the victim of. 

"I'm Ollie. Do you mean 400 metres?"

"Yep. When I got here they made me run ten every day. What can I say? I like my food like I like my women - hot, tasty, and lots of them."

Ollie smirked. Liang seemed friendly enough.

"So what happens after you join?" Ollie asked.

"They'll give you a few days to settle in and get to know people, then they'll start you off with some languages, martial arts, and normal lessons. It sounds daunting, and that's because it is. Six hours per day, plus an hour or so of homework. Just wait until you're an agent. Alex says he has to stay up until midnight finishing off. He might be exaggerating, though. He normally does."

"You know Alex?" Ollie was surprised.

"Yeah. We were partners last time out in training, but I fractured my wrist. So I'm stuck here, while he's going on missions, like the one that recruited you." Liang said.

"How did you know he recruited me?"

"He told me. Said he'd found some kid and they'd probably be placed with me since I had an empty space in my room."

The door opened, but it wasn't a carer. Instead, it was Jack.

"Took you long enough," Jack grinned.

"I was getting worried. Should have figured they wouldn't split us up." Ollie replied.

"Who's that?" Liang asked. "Are we becoming a hotel or something?"

"It's my brother. He's called Jack. Say hi, Jack."

"Hi, Jack." Jack said, before laughing.

Liang grinned, before turning to Ollie. "I've got a sister. She's 14 though, so not for the likes of you."

"Might as well try, maybe she's got a thing for clueless eleven-year-olds." Ollie joked.

"You'll have less problems getting girls then I do. Turns out not too many of them are into midgets with burger addictions." Liang replied. 

"I like burgers." said Jack.

"Speaking of burgers, the canteen does cracking food. I'll show you. Bring Jack as well."