Peak before.’
He glanced around, trying to work out how to get away. Another biker sidled up beside the first.With their headgear on it was hard to get a good look at their faces. A third one followed, then a fourth. By now Bryce was a sweat-ball of fear. Four against one was lousy odds. As the fourth one drew close the first one put on his gloves. Another bad sign.
‘No harm done,’ said Bryce. The gloved hand pushed him, and Bryce braced for the hooking punch he knew would follow. He held up his hands, palms open, to his attacker. He knew this sort—probably won his first fight before the end of preschool, the type who’d look for a fight ‘just becoz’. Bryce looked at the boy and read all the tell-tale signs: fists curled tight, head lowered, glance to point of attack. He knew that if he didn’t talk his way out of this quick smart he would be taking the first strike.
‘Do you like beagles?’ he asked. By the way the boy dropped his hands a fraction and raised his head, Bryce knew he’d taken him by surprise. ‘Aren’t they just the cutest? My beagle’s around here somewhere. Name’s Bella. Bella-a-a! She’ll be here soon, she will.’
Bryce breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the boy lower from the balls of his feet and push his head, neck and shoulders back to look around.
‘She’s such a cheeky little thing. And did I say she was a garbage guts? Eats everything in sight.’
Suddenly the boy reared up again. Bryce ducked and side-stepped, the fist whizzing close to his left ear. He waited for the explosion of pain but none came. The boy had missed. A loud grunt filled the air but it wasn’t a kick-to-the-ribs or punch-to-the-head sort of grunt. It was a Bella grunt. She started to growl, hackles raised, nose and tail twitching.
‘Bella!’
She bounded over.
The biker yanked her out of the way by the scruff of her neck and threw her to the ground. She yelped, then latched onto his arm. Harsh guttural sounds welled from her throat as she clamped her jaws tighter.
‘Ahh-h-h-h!’ The biker shook Bella off and bolted before she could bite him again. ‘Mongrel dog.’
The other riders scuttled backwards, side-stepping the ferocious ball of snapping teeth.
‘Bryce!’ called Darcy. ‘Where are you?’
‘Over here.’
The Freewheelers burst onto the scene just in time to see the other riders leap onto their bikes and take off. They hooted in triumph and surrounded Bryce, slapping him on the back and congratulating each other. Bella weaved in and out of legs, happy to be with ‘her pack’.
But suddenly, everything changed. The riders had gone only a short distance, then doubledaround and come back. Now they bore down on the Freewheelers, revenge in their hearts.
Clem scooped up Bella and tried to run. She hadn’t gone more than a few strides when a rider materialised to her right. She screamed, staggered, and darted in another direction.
‘Clem!’ Darcy bolted to her aid but another rider cut between them, forcing him away. Bryce stepped into Darcy’s place. He stood in the path of the rider, like a gladiator facing a lion, and roared, ‘No!’ Spooked, the rider swerved, close enough for Bryce to grab the handlebars and try to shake him off. But the rider wouldn’t give in. He clung to his bike with a vice-like grip, every so often trying to wrench it out of Bryce’s grasp.
Over to the side, Mio and Tong had their hands full, too. They stood back to back while two riders toyed with them. The riders zoomed up close, whizzing round and round, hollering and yelling. At first Tong and Mio stood frozen, their inactivity spurring on their attackers, but then…Mio knew karate and Tong had been taught the art of Viêt Võ Dao, or vovinam: use your opponent’s force and reaction for maximum benefit with minimum effort. Vovinam combined the hard and the soft in fighting, its code being ‘the strong hand on a benevolent heart’.
‘ Don Chan! ’ hissed Tong. Sweeping his leg
He glanced around, trying to work out how to get away. Another biker sidled up beside the first.With their headgear on it was hard to get a good look at their faces. A third one followed, then a fourth. By now Bryce was a sweat-ball of fear. Four against one was lousy odds. As the fourth one drew close the first one put on his gloves. Another bad sign.
‘No harm done,’ said Bryce. The gloved hand pushed him, and Bryce braced for the hooking punch he knew would follow. He held up his hands, palms open, to his attacker. He knew this sort—probably won his first fight before the end of preschool, the type who’d look for a fight ‘just becoz’. Bryce looked at the boy and read all the tell-tale signs: fists curled tight, head lowered, glance to point of attack. He knew that if he didn’t talk his way out of this quick smart he would be taking the first strike.
‘Do you like beagles?’ he asked. By the way the boy dropped his hands a fraction and raised his head, Bryce knew he’d taken him by surprise. ‘Aren’t they just the cutest? My beagle’s around here somewhere. Name’s Bella. Bella-a-a! She’ll be here soon, she will.’
Bryce breathed a sigh of relief as he watched the boy lower from the balls of his feet and push his head, neck and shoulders back to look around.
‘She’s such a cheeky little thing. And did I say she was a garbage guts? Eats everything in sight.’
Suddenly the boy reared up again. Bryce ducked and side-stepped, the fist whizzing close to his left ear. He waited for the explosion of pain but none came. The boy had missed. A loud grunt filled the air but it wasn’t a kick-to-the-ribs or punch-to-the-head sort of grunt. It was a Bella grunt. She started to growl, hackles raised, nose and tail twitching.
‘Bella!’
She bounded over.
The biker yanked her out of the way by the scruff of her neck and threw her to the ground. She yelped, then latched onto his arm. Harsh guttural sounds welled from her throat as she clamped her jaws tighter.
‘Ahh-h-h-h!’ The biker shook Bella off and bolted before she could bite him again. ‘Mongrel dog.’
The other riders scuttled backwards, side-stepping the ferocious ball of snapping teeth.
‘Bryce!’ called Darcy. ‘Where are you?’
‘Over here.’
The Freewheelers burst onto the scene just in time to see the other riders leap onto their bikes and take off. They hooted in triumph and surrounded Bryce, slapping him on the back and congratulating each other. Bella weaved in and out of legs, happy to be with ‘her pack’.
But suddenly, everything changed. The riders had gone only a short distance, then doubledaround and come back. Now they bore down on the Freewheelers, revenge in their hearts.
Clem scooped up Bella and tried to run. She hadn’t gone more than a few strides when a rider materialised to her right. She screamed, staggered, and darted in another direction.
‘Clem!’ Darcy bolted to her aid but another rider cut between them, forcing him away. Bryce stepped into Darcy’s place. He stood in the path of the rider, like a gladiator facing a lion, and roared, ‘No!’ Spooked, the rider swerved, close enough for Bryce to grab the handlebars and try to shake him off. But the rider wouldn’t give in. He clung to his bike with a vice-like grip, every so often trying to wrench it out of Bryce’s grasp.
Over to the side, Mio and Tong had their hands full, too. They stood back to back while two riders toyed with them. The riders zoomed up close, whizzing round and round, hollering and yelling. At first Tong and Mio stood frozen, their inactivity spurring on their attackers, but then…Mio knew karate and Tong had been taught the art of Viêt Võ Dao, or vovinam: use your opponent’s force and reaction for maximum benefit with minimum effort. Vovinam combined the hard and the soft in fighting, its code being ‘the strong hand on a benevolent heart’.
‘ Don Chan! ’ hissed Tong. Sweeping his leg
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