Page 10 of The Pacifist
“You have seven more seconds to reach the top,” Mila shouted to me and began counting – “6, 5, 4.”
I turned my head and instantly tightened my grip on the branch when I saw how small they looked down below.
“I can win,” I muttered to myself and moved faster.
Don’t you dare. You’re better than this. He’s a child. You’re a man. You have nothing to lose. He does!
The top was right there. All I had to do was touch the next branch, yet I didn’t.
But Mila… my vanity argued.Mila is watching. She likes strong men.
My arm didn’t move. Instead, I inhaled through my nose and exhaled as Mila shouted, “2, 1, and time!”
Below me, Mason raised his hand in the air and shouted, “I won! Told you all I could beat a Momsie any day.”
My legs were shaking when I climbed down the tree.” Seeing Mason’s pride, I knew I’d done the right thing.
“I’m impressed, Motlander. You gave our young one a run for his money.” One of the guards patted my shoulder hard, a custom I’d observed among the men here.
“Thank you. I would like to say it was fun, but that twirling thing had me almost losing my breakfast.”
They laughed.
“Hey, Jonah.” Mason was smiling at me. “Since you did so well on the obstacle course, how about I teach you how to fight? I honestly think you have some skills, man.”
I waved a hand in front of me. “No thank you. I’m a pacifist. I’d feel awful if I hurt you or anyone else.”
He scoffed. “You won’t hurt me. I guarantee it.” Mason placed a hand around my shoulder and led me a few steps away from the others. “The thing is; you spend a lot of time with Mila, and she for sure can’t defend herself.”
“Mason, I heard that.” Mila’s hands went to her hips.
He shrugged. “It’s no secret that you stink at fighting and as one of your protectors, I would feel better if Jonah knew how to protect you. You know, just in case.”
“You can’t expect Jonah to train in fighting techniques. He’s a councilman, not a warrior.”
Mason looked to the guards for support. “All men need to know how to fight, am I right?”
They nodded and Kal-El suggested, “At least learn how to block so you won’t get beaten up too badly.”
“Thank you, but that’s not necessary. I’m very good at de-escalating any tense situation.”
“Don’t tell me that you’re planning to use words if someone threatens my sister.”
“Why not? De-escalating a potentially violent situation is much better than getting into a fight.”
Mason wrinkled his nose. “I don’t need to de-escalate anything. I’m a fucking excellent fighter. If anyone comes at me, I’ll take them down.”
Tucking my hands under my armpits, I raised my eyebrows. “I’m sure you will, Mason, but it’s not just about you. What about the good people you hurt? It’s always better to avoid violence.” Turning to Neptune, I nodded to his injured hand. “Were you the only one who got hurt?”
Neptune gave a satisfied scoff. “Fuck no, the other guy was a mess.”
Kal-El grinned. “It’s true. I was there, it was a great bar fight.”
“See, my point exactly. Fighting hurts people and it’s impractical and unnecessary.”
“It wasn’t my fault,” Neptune protested.
“No? What happened?”
