THE HERO
(a YA novel, complete)
Fourteen-year-old Junior Nix is an astronomy geek turned superstar athlete. Though he only joins the sport (known simply as “The Game”) to appease the expectations of his overbearing father, he discovers that he is an athlete despite himself. His skill draws the admiration of his teammates—especially popular Roy—and the attention of a fanatical coach called “The Legend,” whose first act is to present the athletes with sharp sticks that he assures them will come in handy at the championship. His training methods only become stranger and more brutal as the championship approaches, until one practice turns deadly when he forces the athletes to leap a tank holding a vicious beast. As Junior’s fame grows, Roy becomes jealous, and The Legend feeds the team’s mounting hostility by pitting the athletes against each other during practice. When Junior finally steps into the championship arena, he discovers why: At the end of the day, there can be only one champion. The team is bloodthirsty, Junior is desperate, and someone loses his life to The Game.
Prologue
Junior’s first memory was the heft of his father’s shotgun. In the field behind their house, Bob Nix knelt in front of his six-year-old son to adjust the barrel.
“Do I have to?” Junior asked. His father did not answer.
A hot-air balloon rode the breeze above the treetops, and the passengers waved to the little boy with the big gun. He wanted to wave back, but his father rested a hand on his shoulder and said, “Focus.”
His father lifted the catch of the pigeon coop. “Get ready. Here she comes.”
Wings beat the air above Junior’s head, and a pigeon swept toward the sun. He trembled as he pretended to sight the bird along the barrel of the shotgun. Then he held his breath, squeezed his eyes shut, and pulled the trigger. The recoil sent him sprawling back against his father’s knees, and he looked up. The pigeon was a speck against the clouds.
Shaking with relief, Junior let the gun drop and waved up at the people drifting high above the field. The passengers called down to him, until all at once, the balloon sagged against the burner and their shouts turned to screams. They clung to the side of the basket as it jerked into a dizzy twirl, and then with a whoosh, the balloon went up in a gust of wind and flame. The basket tumbled through the sky and crashed onto the lawn. Junior’s father never took him shooting again.
