0700 hrs
William's Home
"William!! Wake up! You're going to be late for school!" William's mother Cathrine shrilled at the top of her lungs. Shaking her head and sensing that William would not wake up at any moment in the near future, she barged up the stairs with menacing thumps at each step which caused William to awaken with a squeal.
"Ma, I'm coming! Wait!!"
"About time, isn't it, son? Come down and have your breakfast." Cathrine had made William's favorite potstickers for breakfast. After quickly cleaning up, William munched on the potstickers hungrily before making his way to school.
0730 hrs
Thomas Jefferson Middle School
School is boring. Very boring. William hated every day of school. All he wanted was to get the day over and done with. How he wished that he could go home right now and play his favorite game of Kung Fu Master: Self-Defense. Over the past few weeks that he had been playing this game, he had gotten quite good at it, easily killing off enemies with a few clicks of his mouse. Now, all he could focus on was killing the final boss at the end of Level 5, which, after trying for 3 full weeks, he could not do. It got frustrating at times, but it just felt that the game was just rigged against him.
"Hi William!" Yelled his best friend Ray. Ray had been William's best friend since first grade. Not only did they love to play basketball, Ray's favorite videogame also happened to be Kung Fu Master: Self-Defense. William and Ray could talk all day about how many bosses they killed, or how many enemies they destroyed, but all the teachers at Thomas Jefferson Middle School made it a point that students were prohibited to talk in class. If they caught you talking, you were immediately placed in detention. That made William despise school even more. There was one good thing about school that William was quite thankful about. It was that all the bullies at his school was so scared of him that they didn't even dare lay a finger on him.
Luckily, Monday was the shortest day on the schedule, ending at 12pm. Once school finished, William made his way home using the combination of bus, metro, and his own two feet.
1215hrs
William's Home
William rushed into his house, expecting to see his mother cooking lunch for him in the kitchen, but was met with a stranger sitting in his living room, watching his phone.
"Um...... Hello?" William said tentatively.
"Ah! William, I presume?" The suspicious man replied.
"Yes."
"Just the man I wanted to meet! Have a seat please! We have some business to discuss about." The suspicious man waved a hand at the sofa he was sitting on, motioning for William to sit beside him. William proceeded forward and sat down with caution, waiting for the suspicious man to say something.
"Hello William! I'm Sam Snow on the board of directors of The Castle School of Self-Defense. On behalf of the school and its principal, we would like to inform you that you have been accepted into the Castle School of Self-Defense." The suspicious man handed William an envelope marked "Private and Confidential" with the seal of the Castle School of Self-Defense on it. William widened his eyes in shock. A school of self-defense? Amazing!! He couldn't believe it. He always had a soft spot for fighting. He loved reading books on fighting tactics and practiced them on the bullies at his school. That was why no bullies dare touch him.
William ripped open the envelope, and there were two pieces of paper inside. The first was a letter written to him by the Principal of the school. It read:
"Dear Mr. William Chen,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Castle School of Self-Defense. The Castle School is a prestigious school for students aged 13 to 18 to hone their self-defense, espionage, and fighting skills. All new recruits who are accepted will be placed in Primary Level 1, or Level 1. There are 6 levels, namely Primary Levels 1 through 4, and Secondary Levels 1 and 2.
Due to the secretive nature of this school (you probably have never heard it before), it is inevitable that we must keep the identity of the school a secret to avoid any unnecessary conflicts. Therefore, all your family members/friends will be told that you have been accepted into Waterfall Boarding School of Science and Technology. You are not to release the real information of the Castle School of Self-Defense to anyone, including your own nuclear family.
After receiving all the necessary materials, we will be pleased to meet you at the back of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial on the 25th of September at 1500 hrs. This school is a boarding school, so you can only leave campus over the holidays. Until then, be safe, have fun.
Best Regards,
"Benjamin"
Principal of The Castle School of Self-Defense."
William had so many questions after reading that letter, but the two main questions burning in his head were: "Why was there a need to keep the school a secret?" and "Where can I receive all the necessary materials and what are they?" William's second question was quickly answered when he pulled out the second piece of paper in the envelope, which detailed everything that William had to "receive" and where he was to get it. It read:
"The Castle School of Self-Defense - Year 1 Material List:
Academic Materials:
Primary - Level 1 Mathematics Textbook
The Beginner's Guide to Self-Defense, Primary - Level 1
Types of Combat - Book 1
The Beginner's Guide to Bomb Defusal, Primary - Level 1
Introduction to Combat Weapons - Primary - Level 1
Introduction to Espionage - Primary - Level 1
Bomb Defusal Kit
Combat Weapons Beginners Kit
Espionage Beginners Kit
Please pick up all your materials from your recruiter. Have a nice day."
"Sam, I have a few questions."
"Go ahead, what are they?" Sam replied.
"Firstly, do you have my materials? Secondly, why are we learning Espionage in a school of Self-Defense? Also, what's so secretive about a school of self-defense that we can't even tell our parents?" William fired away, hoping to receive at least some decent answers.
Sam handed me all my materials before answering my questions. "The school is so secretive because it is not a normal school. Like you questioned just now, all of you are learning espionage because The Castle School of Self-Defense isn't all about self-defense. Think about it, in the real world, most people really do not need that high a level of self-defense. To fight off an enemy, a few kicks and punches should do the trick. It really does not make sense to build an entire school off basic self-defense, does it? The Castle School of Self-Defense is not actually a school on self-defense. True, we do teach self-defense, but we teach way more than that. Students at our school learn things like espionage because this school was actually set up not only for, but as a part of Operation Unexpected Bedbug."
"Wait a minute! Operation Unexpected Bedbug? Isn't the word Operation meant for organizations like the FBI?" William questioned, in utmost shock. "Does that mean......"
Sam interrupted William abruptly and finished for him. "that all you students are actually learning to be undercover spies for the CIA? If that was your question, please do know that you are the only one who actually knows this information, so please do not tell anyone else in school. The answer is yes."
YOU ARE READING
The Castle School of Self-Defense
حركة (أكشن)When William Chen, a normal 13 year-old student based in Washington D.C receives an invitation to the Castle School of Self-Defense, things go sideways. This action-packed novel brings William on a journey he never would have expected to go on. So...
