POWERLESS: The Reborn Saga (NaNoWriMo 2017)

1.3 - The Noob Academy, Lesson 2

When that awful bully was finally gone from the room, all the students seemed to exhale the collective breath they had been holding. The tension in the room immediately dissipated.

Schmendrick slouched over his desk and turned his head toward his companion. "I'm feeling sleepy. Wake me up when that prick comes back," he requested.

Malkus patted him on the back. "You got it. I'll go mingle and see if there's anyone else worth joining our group."

"Good idea, Malkus," Schmendrick replied and closed his eyes.

#

He was walking home from school when he came across a shell game on the street. Some fast-talking dude had set up a piece of cardboard over two empty milk crates stacked on the side. He watched intently as the street hustler shuffled three peanut half-shells quickly.

A passerby took a Grant from his wallet. He picked up the left shell and it was empty. The guy offered a string of cuss words as he dropped the fifty-dollar bill on the cardboard. The money was quickly scooped up by the hustler.

The observer quickly turned around. He walked down the block and entered the corner deli store he had passed by. He paid a buck for a small bag of peanuts and opened it while standing in front of the store counter. He cracked open a peanut and took out the two peanuts. While holding the nuts firmly in his fingers, he put the bag of peanuts inside his book bag. Then he left the store.

The shell game had started to attract a crowd. He observed the game from directly across the street. People were playing the game but losing more often than they won. Finally, he decided it was time to join the game. He took out a Hamilton from his back pant pocket and put the bill in his shirt pocket. He then palmed a peanut between his ring and pinky fingers inside each hand. He closed his hands as he crossed the street and approached the table.

There was a group of kids watching and he stood behind a shorter kid. He observed the game for a few more minutes and then joined in when the shuffling stopped.

The hustler said, "Put your bet on the table first."

He complied and dropped the ten-dollar bill. He then chose the peanut shell on the right, knowing that it was empty. As he slowly picked up the shell, he released the peanut was he palming between his two fingers.

The crowd saw the peanut on the table. They started clapping and cheering. Someone said, "Pay up!" Others quickly joined the chant, "Pay up! Pay up! Pay up!"

The hustler stared in shock at the peanut on the cardboard. There was no way the peanut should have been there. How could he have lost track? Finally, he noticed what the crowd was saying. He reached into his pocket and dropped the ten. However, before the bet was taken off the cardboard, the hustler said, "I'll double it on the next game." He dropped a Benjamin on the table and shuffled the peanut shells again. This time he shuffled longer than usual and then stopped.

The left shell was picked and again the peanut appeared on the table.

The hustler knew something was wrong and immediately picked up the other shells. All three had peanuts! "You cheated, little runt!" he yelled.

The boy grabbed the bills on the table and ran.

#

Schmendrick awoke with a hint of a smile on his face.

"The class is starting again," Malkus said while patting his arm.

Schmendrick wondered if the dream was a memory of his forgotten past. He pushed it aside when the instructor appeared on the stage again.