Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. There should be no way that
these characters are like anyone else, but if that isn’t the case, it has
definitely been unintentional. The pictures used are those of Zhang Ziyi, used
without express permission. Also, if you happen to find that your life is
represented in these pages, I’ll be impressed.
A Whateley Academy Tale
Blade Dancing
By Heather O’Malley
and help by the rest of the Whateley Gang
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is
wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.
-
Tao Te Ching
Whatley Academy Monday October 9th, 2006
Chou slammed into the mat again, hard. She bounced a
little. She spun to her feet and lashed out with some kicks to slow her
attacker. The first three didn’t connect but she felt the solid impact of the
fourth and the grunt of the hit. She found herself spinning through the air and
rolled to her feet, leaping over a flurry of punches. Her attacker spun and
launched a kick. Chou twisted to avoid it and cartwheeled away. “Stop!”
Chou backed into the ready position, facing her opponent.
She was breathing a little heavily; sweat staining her sports bra, visible
through the open gi top. Her opponent was barely sweating, barely breathing
hard despite all they had done.
Sensei Ito stood impassively as did Sensei Tolman. “Class
what have you seen?”
“That Toni is best in the class?” responded a boy from the
third row, unsure if that was the right answer.
“Wrong! Toni is skilled and her power gives her a powerful
edge but when she loses her head she cannot win clean. You!” Ito pointed to
Jade, “What was the lesson?”
“That if you can evade an attack you can find an opening?”
Ito nodded. “Chou is more skilled at evading. She uses her
Chi to watch Toni. She guides herself around the attacks. Toni is better but
Chou lasts longer than others. If Chou were more skilled in attack she could
win. Return to your positions!”
Chou and Toni bowed and scrambled back to the lines. Chou
had found, to her surprise, that she had been moved to the front row of the
class, with the senior students. Apparently the martial arts knowledge that
Destiny’s Wave had given her were very good. While she had barely enough
training to deal with the Demon Lord, she could easily deal with other
students. That had made her feel good. She just wished she could keep up with
Toni. That girl was amazing.
Class finished up and Tolman Sensei gestured for her to
remain. Chou headed over towards her and bowed, waiting. When the class had
filed, with Toni and Jade looking worried, they turned to face Chou.
“Chou, we have been talking about it and we figured that
you are ready for sword classes. You have a good basis in movement and fighting
and we think the sword class may even help.” said Sensei Tolman.
“I have found you a teacher for the type of sword. Sensei
Fitzgibbon who teaches the Shaolin Kung Fu is familiar with that sword style.”
added Sensei Ito. “Your classes start tomorrow.”
Chou smiled and bowed. “Thank you.”
“Now go get cleaned up.” said Sensei Tolman.
Chou hurried after the others. Toni and Jade were waiting
in the locker room for her. She passed on the good news as she washed the sweat
from her body. They both seemed excited for her. She was as well. The thought
of getting better with Destiny’s Wave really appealed to her.
They all split off to head to other classes. Chou waved
bye and grabbed her school bag and sword. Again she spotted the mousy haired
girl with glasses, who turned and disappeared into the flow of students. Chou
wanted to race after her but she had to get to class. She spotted the girl
three more times that day before classes let out.
After classes she wanted to look for the girl but she had
an appointment with Dr. Bellows. She sighed in frustration. There was something
about the girl that was bugging her. He...uh she wanted to meet her. Besides
the girl was cute.
Chou’s thoughts followed that line of thought. She was
dealing with the fact that now she was a girl, thanks to the Demon Lord
destroying the box, and she felt an attraction for a girl. Was that normal,
since she was a boy in a girl’s body? Did that make her gay or a lesbian? Chou
wasn’t sure and walked on, a bit befuddled. She made her way to Dr. Bellows
office without noticing the two pairs of eyes that were following her.
Dr. Bellows noticed her preoccupation and let her settle
herself before he really started in on her. “How was your day?”
“Interesting so far. I was told I can have sword lessons.
That sounds fun. My friends in team Kimba have been busy so I haven’t really
been able to spend a lot of time with them, though they just finished
detention. We got to know each better over the weekend. Lilly, one of the
transfer students seems nice, but she is a bit busy with a play. I think its
Othello. I think. I’m not sure. I just am trying to catch up with everything
and make friends and get settled.”
“Keeping busy. Good. I bet that keeps you from thinking
too much about the past.”
“It does.” she said quietly.
Dr. Bellows sat there waiting for her.
“I think I am getting better about my dad. It hurts but
I’m not crying all the time. I miss him and when I think of him I think of
being Alex and then I start crying.”
“Well, you still are Alex.”
“What do you mean? I’m not Alex. Look at me!”
“I am. You are still Alex. Your memories and feelings are
tied to being Alex, a boy. You now have this new body, a girl, to deal with. It
doesn’t mean that Alex is gone. You are still you, just with some changes.”
“Changes?! I’m a girl now. I was a boy. Everything has
changed!” Chou was getting agitated. “I bleed monthly. My emotions are all out
of whack. I have breasts. I’m a freak.”
Chou started to cry. Dr. Bellows handed her a box of
tissues. “Okay, first off, you are not a freak. Half the world deals with this
as do your friends in Poe hall. You are no different than them. You are a
teenager who is dealing with some really serious issues. We can try to help you
find a way to turn back to Alex or you can deal with the fact that this is the
situation you find yourself in and overcome it. I can help you do either. What
do you want to do?”
Chou stopped and listened to Dr. Bellows. She hadn’t
thought about the situation that way before. She had been lamenting or hiding
in silence or work. What did she want to do? “I just want to be happy. I feel
like my options have been taken from me. I just want to be happy.”
Dr. Bellows nodded. “Well, if that is the case I think we
can manage that.”
Chou looked up, her eyes red and tear stains trailed down
her face. “Really?”
“Yes.”
* * * * * *
Chou was smiling a little when she left the office. Dr.
Bellows had managed to point out a number of things that were really positive.
That helped to start her thinking about the good things she actually had.
The leaves were beginning to turn, a few here or there
turning from green to red or orange. The campus was beautiful. They pathways
were laid out like a park. Tree lined trails moved between the buildings, hall and some of the fields where
they practiced things like flying or jumping. She did like being here. The
school and teachers were better than what she had had back home. The classes
were also cool, at least those dealing with being a superhero.
Chou smiled and spun in a circle to get a good look at things.
She caught sight of some boy heading towards her. He seemed irritated at
something and was definitely focused on her.
Chou stopped and turned to face the boy. He was older than
her, looked to be about sixteen. He had blond hair in some sort of braid. He
was wearing sweat pants and a t-shirt with a Dragon on it. He started glaring
at her when he noticed her watching him.
She noticed that his Chi was strong and that he moved
well. She wasn’t surprised about that, being that this school had lots of that
sort of people, but still. She waited.
“Is that Destiny’s Wave?” His voice stabbed at her,
accusingly.
“Uhm...yes.”
‘Why do you have it?”
“Because she is mine. What sort of question is that?” Chou
was starting to get a little angry. He was trying to make her feel as if she
had stolen the sword.
“Did you earn the right to the blade? Did you train to be
worthy of carrying a sacred Taoist relic? Did you spend your life preparing for
the arrival of the sword?” He stalked towards her, angrily.
She shifted into a fighting stance, the sword behind her
back, held by one hand. “What is it to you? Destiny’s Wave is mine, for good or
ill. Back off!”
For a moment the air filled with pressure as his Chi
pressed against hers. She shifted her stance slightly and the force of his Chi
slid off of hers. Her breathing slowed and she was ready to move. He glared at
her. “Give me the sword and I will not be forced to take it from you.”
“No. She is mine. Besides she is keyed to me. There is no
way to change that.”
He smiled slowly, evilly. “Yes, there is.”
He shifted his own stance and was getting ready to attack.
As the energy was building and the air was beginning to crackle a voice called
out and distracted him. “Chou...Hey Chou!”
Chou could see Lily heading towards her, her hair pulled
into a ponytail through her ball cap. The girl smiled and waved. The boy spat
angrily at her feet. “This isn’t over.”
Lily walked up as the boy stormed away from Chou. “Who was
that?”
Chou shrugged, watching him leave. “I don’t know.”
“Any way...I was wondering what you were up to?”
“I just got out of a meeting with Dr. Bellows.”
“Oh...you weren’t in trouble or anything were you?”
“Not yet. I was just heading back to the dorm and was
going to see if we had any plans for dinner. I mean, were we all going to eat
together or what?”
“Good point. I was going to eat with my friends, but this
way I can eat with everyone else as well.” Lily seemed happy. “So you look
worried. What’s up?”
Chou snorted. “Oh...the usual. I am not pleased to be a
girl and my dad’s dead. I am at a superhero school in a body that wasn’t mine
to start with. Just your usual growing pains.”
“Well, do you have any way to change any of that?”
Chou stopped and looked at her. “Huh?”
“I mean, it isn’t like you planned any of this right? If
you can’t change it than why obsesses over it?”
“I don’t know. I have just been...You know you might just
be right. Maybe I should stop stressing over things I can’t control.” Chou smiled.
Between Dr. Bellows and Lily she was starting to feel a little better about
life.
“Good. No need to add to your problems with stress you
don’t need. Just relax and work on what you can change. Easier.”
“I’ll do that. Thanks Lily.”
The two girls walked back to Poe, while another pair of
eyes followed Chou.
* * * * * *
The other girls were fairly excited, as detention was
over. It was time off from all the extra work they had been conscripted to do
after their fight with the Alphas. Chou found herself being caught up in their
excitement. Toni was interested in hearing about the boy who had bothered her.
“Sounds like he is one of the Dragons. They’re a group of Martial Artists with
powers. I heard that they have a bit of an attitude.”
“Swell. More fights.”
“Hey it could be fun. Think about how glorious it would
be, fighting a horde of martial artists, the sword glowing with power.” Toni’s
eyes shone happily.
“Toni, you watch way too many bad kung fu films.”
“There are good ones?” quipped Jade.
Toni looked insulted. “There are good ones. Really.”
They all got a good laugh at that. Dinner was fun and they
ignored the glares coming from several tables, most notably the Alphas. The
girls from Poe hall plus Hank and Lilly’s friends were enjoying themselves,
much to the consternation of several of the groups of watchers.
Chou spotted the girl with glasses again and she hurried
over to her before the other could get away. She reached her just outside of
Crystal Hall. “Excuse me...do I know you?”
The girl squeaked and hopped in surprise. “Erm...no?”
“Oh...I thought you did, since you have been watching me.
Are you sure though...I feel as if I know you?”
The girl shook her head and her slightly curly hair bounced
off of the sides of her face. She looked as if she were blushing.
“Any way...my name is Chou. What’s yours?”
“Molly.” the girl barely spoke above a whisper. Chou could
feel her Chi swirling in nervousness.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve seen you around, between classes
looking at me, and I just wanted to get to know you.”
“I...erm...uh...okay?” Molly blushed.
“Want to go some where and talk?” Chou asked, hoping for a
yes. There was something about Molly that pulled at her and she wanted to
figure it all out.
“Errrr....okay....where?” Molly could barely meet Chou’s
eyes, despite the fact that the two girls were practically the same height.
Molly also was trying to hide behind her hair.
Chou looked around quickly. There was a bench a little
ways away. That could work, especially since people were dispersing from
dinner. It could end up private fairly soon. “There?”
Molly nodded, her hair bouncing.
The two of them headed over to the bench. Chou felt the
area between them acutely, and wondered why. She wished she knew what was going
on. The two sat down one the far edges of the bench and were both too
embarrassed to look at each other. They both started to say something and
stumbled over each others words. They both blushed and waited for the other.
After the second time of this Chou spoke up. “Uh...so...uhm...why were you
looking at me?”
“I don’t know. I just couldn’t take my eyes off of you.
And that felt funny.”
“You to? I mean...you just seemed to be everywhere and I
just wanted to meet you and talk to you and...I don’t know.” Chou blushed
again.
“Really? I thought I was just being weird again.”
They shared a laugh at that. The tension dropped a little.
“So Molly, what dorm are you in?”
“
Chou remembered the stories about Tansy and the Alpha’s.
Wasn’t she in Dickinson “Do you know Tansy?”
Molly shook her head. “I stay to myself pretty much. No
one bothers you that way. It’s safer that way.”
Chou scooted closer and reached out to comfort the girl.
Her hand touched Molly and a wave of emotion hit her. She felt her breath catch
and her eyes go wide. All she could hear was this single tone ringing through
her body. She felt all fluttery, like parts of her body were flying. It made
her head spin. She dropped her hand and started panting, trying to breathe
again. She barely noticed Molly doing the same thing.
Chou’s hand itched to touch Molly again but Chou could
control that. It took a great deal of concentration, so she didn’t notice the
movement until Molly touched her arm.
Chou felt like she was spinning with someone and that this
was fine and perfect, like the way things were always supposed to be. The
feeling slowly settled and the spinning stopped and her breathing resumed. It
was then that she realized that she and Molly were hugging and that her nipples
were hard and tight. They ached.
The two girls opened their eyes and looked at each other.
Molly eeped and scooted away, blushing furiously. Chou just sat there stunned.
What had just happened?
“Molly? Are you alright?”
The girl only nodded as a response. “What was that?”
“I don’t know. I felt all funny. Did you do that?”
“No, I thought you did.”
The two of them sat there silently, on the bench, almost
unaware of their surroundings. Chou felt dizzy and warm. It was as if there
were a fire burning in Molly that warmed her. She wasn’t sure how to deal with
that.
Molly looked up at Chou. “Ehrm...what dorm are you in?”
“Poe.” At that Molly blushed and turned away from Chou.
She barely squeaked out. “I’ve heard that the kids in Poe were weird? Like
almost Hawthorne weird.”
Chou nodded and then realized that with Molly facing the
other way the girl wouldn’t be able to see that. “Yes. I mean no. It’s
complicated. We’re just like everyone else. Besides there are weirder people in
some of the other dorms. Really.”
“So...any way...do you like me?” The voice was plaintive,
wanting. It made Chou’s heart ache.
“Yes. I do. I mean...you’re cute and uhm...nice...and..uhm...a
girl and everything.” Chou felt like an idiot. That had made no sense. Molly
must think that she...he was an idiot. Her heart was pounding furiously, harder
then when she was sparing with Chaka.
As she was berating herself she barely caught the nearly
whispered words. “But you’re not how I dreamed you?”
Chou ignored that, unable to make any sense of it. “Does
that mean you like me?”
Molly was quiet for a moment. Her voice was almost unsure.
“Yes?”
Chou blinked. “Is that yes you like me or yes was I asking
a question?”
“Uh..yes, yes.”
The two actually seemed to hear each other and started
giggling. It didn’t bother Chou nearly so much now. Maybe this girl thing
wasn’t so bad after all. “So...do you want to go out some time? Like on a
date?”
Molly was again hiding behind her hair. She slowly lifted
her face, eyes downcast, her face bright red from blushing. Her voice was a
little hesitant. “Okay.”
Chou felt her heart soar. A girl wanted to go out with
him...her. That was a first and it was great. Chou wanted to get up and dance
but was almost embarrassed out of the action. Almost.
Chou heard the giggle after she spun. She stopped and
looked at Molly giggling at her, her eyes bright behind her glasses. Chou
quickly grabbed her hands and pulled her up and into the spin. There was a
brush of electricity, or something like that, like a circuit closing. They spun
happily, laughing. Eventually they tumbled to the grass, staring up at the
clouds as the world spun under them.
“That was fun.” said Molly, brushing some of the hair from
her eyes. “I haven’t done that in years. Thank you.”
“You just make me want to sing and dance. So I just spun
instead. My life is odd enough without being in a musical.”
“I wish I knew what was going on?”
“What do you mean?” asked Chou.
“Well, there is that odd feeling I get when looking at
you, the other one from touching you, and the fact that this feels so right,
despite the fact that I have never liked girls before now.”
“Really?” asked Chou, as she sat up to get a better look
at Molly.
“Really. I’ve had lots of crushes on boys and none on
girls. Ever. But with you it’s different. So I wish I knew.”
“Is it a bad thing?” Chou’s voice was a little worried.
“No silly. It’s just different. If only you were a boy
this would be perfect.”
Chou went quiet. There was something about this girl that
made her want to tell her everything. It would be a risk. What is she were
rejected? Molly looked at her oddly. “Chou, what’s wrong?”
“I used to be a boy. Now I’m this.” Chou was now nearly
whispering.
Molly gasped a little and leaned in closer. Chou could
feel the heat of Molly’s skin, and her breath. “Really? But you don’t look like
a boy?”
“My sword changed me. So now I’m a girl.”
“That’s okay. I like being a girl, usually. I’m sure you
will like it as well.” Molly sounded happy, like something was confirmed for
her. “I can get used to this. Besides you’re cute and everything.”
Chou blushed. “Thank you.”
Molly smiled. It made her face light up. “You’re welcome.
Oh goodness, Look at the time! I have homework. Sorry Chou. I’ll see you in the
morning. Promise.”
Molly scampered to her feet and started to run off,
thought better of it, came back and kissed Chou on the cheek. She ran away
while Chou rested her hand on the spot where she had been kissed.
* * * * * *
"Ahh... c'mon Colin, give us a break!"
"MY NAME IS THUNDERDRAKE!!" He turned and
readied himself for combat, shifting into a better position.
“That is enough!” Zhong Lau rumbled. The two members of
the Dragons split apart, not exchanging blows. They glowered at each other
angrily. Zhong Lau ignored them. “So, Thunderdrake, what is this about finding
a sword? You mean Destiny’s Wave?”
The boy ran his hand through his hair nervously. There
were times when the Dragon spirit was closer to the surface than others. This
was one of those times, and it would be bad to upset the leader of their group
by being stupid. “Yes. I found the sword I have been searching for. Here...at
school.”
“Good. That will make you happier. So, where is this sword
of legend being kept?” An eyebrow quirked at that.
“Some new girl has it.”
“Pardon? I thought I heard you say someone has it.” Zhong Lau
cocked his head questioningly. His voiced rumbled a little deeper.
“I did.” Thunderdrake shifted a little, nervous. Fighting
the Dragon was no high on his list of fun things to do.
“I see. Well, we won’t interfere but we won’t help either.
This is on you. If you can get the sword you’ll be fine. Don’t get caught. If
you do, take your punishment.”
Thunderdrake nodded and bowed. The Dragon had spoken.
* * * * * *
October 10th
Chou scooted over so Molly could join them. The girl was
looking nervous as she sat down with the infamous Team Kimba. Molly looked very
self-conscious. The other girls looked around at each other, but accepted her.
Chou smiled at that.
The conversation was wild as usual. Molly and Chou’s knees
were touching. When they first touched it was like that circuit completing now
it just felt warm and comforting. It felt like they were keeping a really good
secret. Molly started to talk up by the end of breakfast, which Chou felt was
probably a definite change for the girl. She seemed to be opening up, just a
little. That made Chou happy. She really liked Molly and wanted to see her
smile as much as possible.
Last night she had dreamt of Molly. She was much older, as
well. The two older versions hugged her and told her it would be alright. She
had no idea what was up with that dream. There had been others. Those she
understood and blushed over. She blushed at the memory of those and took a
quick glance over at Molly. She was busy talking to Jade.
Toni leaned over and whispered into her ear. “I like her.
Good choice.”
Chou blushed again.
Toni chuckled. “When is sword class for you?”
“This afternoon. Hopefully it will be fun.” Chou was a
little nervous. She hadn’t really heard about Sifu Fitzgibbon. The only thing
most people knew was that he was trained in Shaolin. She was worried about
going in without knowing anything. The day should prove to be interesting.
* * * * * *
Barbara shut her locker and almost ran over Gwen
Ingleside. The smaller girl didn’t flinch. “So,” Gwen started, “I saw you
sitting with SilverRose and Farrago at breakfast. Did you have a lot to talk
about?”
“No.” Barbara grated through her teeth, “You’d think that
a bunch of goddamn sophomores wouldn’t be so fucking pissy!”
SilverRose and her boyfriend Farrago were tertiary members of the Alpha clique
at Whatley Academy. While they weren’t in Don Sebastiano’s ‘Inner Court, they were accepted as part of
the most powerful and influential group of students in the entire school. And
it seemed that they were all too happy to use that meager amount of power to
squeeze ambitious Froshes out. “And what about you and Glissade?”
Gwen looked up with her big violet eyes. “Nothing! That
girl’s has the sensitivity of a SUV!”
Barbara carefully regarded the smaller curvy girl, not
sure what to make of this. They were both the same type of girl: relentless,
dynamic, eager for as much power as they could get, willing to do whatever it
took to get it, and all too willing to let others pick up the tab for it.
They’d seen each other for what they really were under their facades, the
second that they laid eyes on each other. They were the sort that would either
be the very best of friends or blood enemies. They just hadn’t decided which.
Carefully, Barbara turned to go to her Freshman Chemistry class. Gwen fell in
beside her. Interesting.
Gwen flipped her long raven’s wing black hair. “You’d
think that the Alphas wouldn’t be so High and Mighty, after Don Sebastiano’s ‘Inner Court' got their asses handed to them
by that batch of weirdoes from Poe.”
“Yeah,” Barbara snickered “did you hear the latest? Not
only did they get their butts kicked, but everyone except for Don Sebastiano
got Detention!”
“NO!” Gwen grinned, her violet eyes sparkling like
amethysts, “I thought that Alphas didn’t GET Detention!”
“Not any more! This is a MAJOR setback for the Alphas!
Especially this early in the school year!”
Gwen clutched her books to her chest coquettishly. Barbara
wished that her frame, as powerful and impressive as it was, would allow her to
pull off such girlish- but effective- tactics. Barbara envied Gwen her ability
to be coy and seem have such a sweet disposition. She’d open a vein before
she’d admit it to Gwen, though. “Maybe…” Gwen hesitated, as if reluctant to
broach the topic, which was only yet another tactic to get the listeners’
attention, “the Alphas might appreciate a little something to help them regain
face?”
“Such as? Having the Major Players put on Detention is a
big slip-up.”
“Well, what if something happened… to this ‘Team Kimba’-
Good God, what kind of name is ‘Team Kimba’?”
“You’re a fine one to talk, ‘Sweetheart’.” Barbara wasn’t
being cute or flirty- ‘Sweetheart’ was Gwen’s code-name, as Barbara’s was
‘Bombshell’. “You’re talking about arranging some sort of ambush? Nah, that’s
mug thinking. Just jumping up and down on their pointy little heads wouldn’t
say ‘these two are Alpha material’. Unless…” Well, a good bit is a good bit.
“Unless..?” Gwen echoed.
“Unless,” Bombshell continued, “we manufactured some sort of
context, where Team Kimba was to blame for all of it.”
Sweetheart grinned, “You mean, if we can kick their asses
and everyone knows it, but THEY get sent to Detention, and we DON’T?”
Bombshell grinned back. “Of course! It’s the Alpha Way, now isn’t it? Not only do we
show that we’re tougher than the oh-so-hot Team Kimba that everyone’s so
impressed by, not only do we show that we have what it takes to be Alphas, BUT,
if the Alphas want to glom onto the glory for it, then they HAVE to let us in!”
Gwen’s eyes went from twinkling to stone hard. “There’s no
way that we can pull this off by ourselves. You’re tough, Bombshell, but Team
Kimba’s strongman, Lancer, is just as tough.”
“Not quite,” Barbara huffed, “our power classification is
almost exactly the same: Non-ranged Psychokinetics, but I’m more powerful.
Besides, he wouldn’t dare hit a girl!” Still, Barbara set back
and thought. “But you’re right. We’re going to need more hitters.”
“But how?” Gwen wondered. “The kind of guys who would go
for something like this wouldn’t be all that hot to take orders from a couple
of girls.”
“So, we find one guy who’ll go for the idea, and let him
round up a squad.” Bombshell snapped her fingers. “Got it! Shadowolf!”
“;Sherman” Gwen paused to consider a boy
of their mutual acquaintance. He was fast, aggressive, strong, he had
interesting shadow-casting powers, and he was really into the martial arts,
but- “Nope. There’s no way that Shadowolf would take orders from us. He’s such
a control freak, he’d insist on being the one giving the orders.”
“So what?” Bombshell dismissed, “LET him play General! If
anything, having him act as our front man would make us look better to the
Alphas who REALLY run things. And the boys we get will probably look to him
anyway. So, Shadowolf will give the orders, I’ll be his ‘trusty lieutenant’,
and you will be by his side, offering comfort and support.” Barbara grinned.
‘Sweetheart’ was a ‘package deal psychic’, with clairvoyant, psychokinetic and
telepathic abilities, but her forte was playing with people’s emotions. She
could have Shadowolf dancing to any tune they wanted. Barbara paused again. “Y’know,
if we do this right, we don’t even really have to BE in the fight, if it goes
wrong. If our boys clean up on them, we can come in for the kill, and take our
fair share of the credit. If they get their asses handed to them, we just sort
of fade into the woodwork, and no one has to know. And even if things go really
wrong, we can always say that we were trying to break up the fight.”
Gwen grinned evilly. “Good thinking. I’ll warm him up for
you, and you can pitch the idea at lunch.” She stopped in front of her American
History class. She stuck out her crooked little finger, which Bombshell hooked
her little finger on. It was settled. They’d be best friends and partners, and
God help anyone who got in their way.
Gwen watched Barbara as she continued on her way to Chem.
Gwen envied Barbara’s ‘force of nature’ style, which sort of demanded things as
her due, but somehow never really appeared to be pushy or bitchy. She’d open a
vein before she’d admit it to Barbara, though. It was a good thing that Barbara
had agreed to their pact, since Gwen had been trying to affect Barb’s emotions
since the first time they’d met, and couldn’t budge so much as a twinge of
anything.
* * * * * *
Chou closed her locker in the dojo complex. She was going
to be meeting her new Sifu for the sword and she was nervous. She had changed
into her exercise clothes and grabbed her sword. Her palms were sweating a
little.
She headed towards the training area where the Sifu taught
his classes. She stopped at the door and opened it. She let out an ooohhhh as
she looked in. The room looked and smelled like a Chinese training hall. There
was an altar to Buddha up front with incense burning in front of it. The floors
were wooden with not mats. They looked worn and well cared for. On the walls
near the altar were wall hangings written in Chinese, about focus and
character.
On a cushion in front of the altar sat the Sifu. He looked
to be pretty big, with broad muscular shoulders. His long red hair was held
back in a braid that hung to the middle of his back. He seemed to be
meditating. Chou bowed and entered the room.
She stood at the back of the class, near the door waiting.
His voice rumbled out, thick with a Scottish burr. “Close the door lass.”
Chou complied. He stood and turned in one smooth motion.
He appeared to be over six feet tall. “You would be Chou Lee, my new jian
student.”
“Yes, sifu.”
He nodded. “Good. We shall spar so I can figure out what
you know and do not. Prepare.”
Chou drew her blade as he moved to the altar and took hold
of his own blade. He drew the blade cleanly. The blade was of the same style as
hers, though made of steel and not jade. It seemed wavy, like the steel was
oily or something. She moved into a ready stance.
He watched her, his sword tucked against his back, blade
pointing up. Chou could feel his chi filling the room, sensing everything. Chou
followed suit stretching her perception as much as possible. Even with that she
barely felt the first stirrings of his movement.
His blade came in low, arching from his shoulder, twisting
with wrist and elbow. She deflected it and made a quick slash for his head. He
spun out of the way, moving down and cutting for her ankles. She leapt over the
blade, spinning into another slash. He spun upright deflecting the attack and
sliding into another. Their blades clashed against each other. They slashed and
counter slashed furiously, blades ringing with the strikes.
Suddenly the Sifu was holding two swords. She redoubled
her blocking, feeling herself being driven back by the whirling pair of blades.
Chou started letting more of her chi start filling Destiny’s Wave, trying to
get the blades to stick to hers. It started working, as she could feel a vacuum
beginning to form. Sifu Fitzgibbons nodded and twisted his blades, popping them
free.
His blades burst into flames and he continued his assault.
Chou’s eyes widened in surprise and found herself backing again. She dove past
him, twisting into a strike. He lifted the leg out of the way, like a serpent
recoiling. He then flipped through the air attacking her suddenly from above.
She twisted her blade deflecting and leapt into a hook
kick. It slid through the air of where he had been a moment before. They broke
into a complex dance of kicks and sword strikes. The flow was getting more
complex. Chou lost herself in the flow of Chi and motion. She only became the
dance of sword, body and energy.
“Enough.” Sifu Fitzgibbons moved back from her, lowering
his blades. “You have a good basic proficiency with the blade and some
knowledge beyond that. You are Wu Dan trained?”
Chou nodded. “That is what Destiny’s Wave told me when she
put the skills in me.”
“I see. And you wish more knowledge?”
“Yes sir. If I do not train I will not get better. She,
uh...Destiny’s Wave, said that I got the basics but the more skill would have
to come from work.”
“Good. I think I can teach you. Shaolin is different than
Wu Dan, I do not know anyone in this country who could teach you Wu Dan sword.”
Chou nodded. She was afraid that would be the answer.
Maybe the Book of Forms would have some clues. Some of the ideas in them so far
had been useful. And at least she had a teacher who could help her get better
at this weapon.
“Now, let us begin. We will start with this form....”
* * * * *
Chou stood under the shower letting the hot water pour
over her and her body. She ached from the workout. Sifu had really pushed her
and made her do flips and rolls with the sword in hand. Her back ached and her
sword arm was really tired. The sword started to get really heavy there at the
end.
Classes were over and she would be able to go and start on
her mountain of homework. She might be able to catch up by mid-November if she
really worked at it. That would help. And she also had to come up with a code
name. She had no clues on that one. She was still getting used to the new name
she had chosen. Now she needed another one? She would ask the Team Kimba girls
if they had any ideas.
She dried off and pulled on her uniform. She found a note
inside her skirt. It was from Molly. “Can’t wait to see you tonight.” All the
i’s were dotted with hearts. Chou smiled and blushed a little. She dressed
quickly and hid the note in her books.
She was tickled by the fact that Molly liked her but was
unsure how to go about things now that she was trapped in this girls body. She
felt awkward whenever she thought of Molly. The sensations she felt rolling
through her body were similar but different enough to confuse her a bit. She
grumpily realized that she would have time to get used to this as this body was
going no where.
Classes had ended and there were students everywhere. Chou
decided to go for a walk to let her mind clear. The woods were good for that.
it reminded her of the time she spent traveling here. The quiet woods and her
alone. It helped her fill with a greater sense of peace, let her regain her
center and be more herself.
She missed Caihe and Xiangu. They were both smart and nice
and treated her well. This school was odd and she felt alone sometimes. Not the
good alone but the bad alone. The girls of Team Kimba were nice and everything
but she wanted her dad or his friends from back in Tennessee. The two immortals were almost
like replacement parents. Though they had spent only a little time with her
they had been utterly present with her. That had filled the space more than
anything else she had ever experienced. She had actually felt like the two of them
cared for her.
She could feel the bustle and chaos of the campus fade as
she entered the soft embrace of the trees. The flavor of the Chi was different
her, cool and soft, not like the maelstrom of being around people. She drank
it in like cool water. It soothed her. She moved deeper into the trees.
She wandered aimlessly through the trees, with her
backpack and Destiny’s Wave. She felt a thrust of Chi and spun out of the way
as a masked figure in red attacked. She spun and dodged as the attacker blazed
through a flurry of punches and kicks. Chou was barely able to avoid them. She
was shocked at being attacked and only moved to defend herself. She used her
sheathed blade to deflect some attacks. She kept falling back, driven by the
masked figure deeper into the trees. Suddenly the attacker shouted and the
noise echoed like thunder.
Chou was momentarily stunned and was knocked back by a
series of hits. A crescent kick dropped her to the ground. She saw stars before
her eyes from the force of the hit and her face ached. A hand grasped her blade
roughly and tried to pull it from her grip. She tugged back, holding on. She
kipped up and swept the feet out of her attacker. He landed hard but did not
let loose his hold on the weapon. The battle dissolved into a series of kicks
while the both of them held the blade. The strikes thudded solidly into each
other.
Chou pushed up into one of her leaps and this pulled the
weapon free from his grasp. She flew through the trees, using the branches to
stay aloft as her attacker followed her, cursing. He followed her every move.
She didn’t want to return to campus and have the fight continue there. Chou’s
mind raced, who was this?
She turned and fell to the earth facing the charging
opponent. He launched a jump kick at her, seeming to move faster than his speed
should allow. She spun in a circle and brought the sheath of the blade across
the back of his head. He stumbled clumsily as he landed. He recovered swiftly,
turned and faced her, his eyes blazing a yellow white color. He seemed to be
moving faster than his earlier attacks. Chou could feel his Chi building,
bouncing and arcing like electricity through his body. He shouted his battle
cry again and the thunder shook her ears, stunning her again, her vision going
momentarily white. She felt her self flipping over and braced for impact.
She used the force of the throw to help her bound up to
her feet as her body slammed into the ground. She spun up, sweeping her
attacker from his feet again in the process. He quickly kipped up and resumed
the attack, his punches and kicks scoring more often as she was still a bit
dazed. Chou drew quickly and used the naked blade to keep her attacker off of
her. With her blade out he couldn’t seem to close, though he tried to force an
opening. Destiny’s Wave mentioned to her, “Kill him.”
The figure gave a start at the voice and backed off a
little. Chou pressed the attack herself, finally on the offensive. She used the
blade without edge to hit him about his body. She figured she might be able to
win, unmask the figure and find out who it was. She had a guess but she wasn’t
sure. He gave another thunderous shout that stunned her and took that moment to
flee the battle losing her in the tangle of trees. She scanned the area, blade
in hand trying to find her attacker. The woods were again quiet. She heard
nothing moving except the occasional animal.
Her heart was racing and she ached where she had been hit
and kicked. She wanted to ice her face where the kick had smacked her. She
backed out of the forest and didn’t sheath the blade until she was nearly out.
She rushed back to the dorms at a near sprint.
No one had returned to the rooms yet so she was able to be
alone. She didn’t want to answer any question from anyone at the moment. She sat
on her bed, folded her legs into meditation pose and unsheathed Destiny’s Wave.
“We need to talk and you need to help me figure out how to heal.”
“What is it?”
“You wanted me to kill him?” Chou stated accusingly.
“Yes. What of it?” replied the sword.
‘I couldn’t kill him.”
“There are times when killing will simplify your life.
Whoever that was tried to take me from you. He will try again and again until
he is stopped. Stopping him would be a good first move.”
“But killing is wrong!”
“Is it? It is an action, nothing more. And dead in body is
not dead in soul. The body is a vehicle like this blade is a vehicle. I gave up
my body to move into the blade. To do that I had to die, by this blade. There
is nothing wrong with that. It’s just death, it’s not like you are destroying
them.” replied Destiny’s Wave calmly.
“I don’t really understand. I don’t want killing. My
father is dead because he was killed and my mother is dead because she was
killed. I don’t want to be killing anything.” Chou began to cry, tears falling
onto the jade. The salty liquid was drawn into the stone.
“I do not understand either, but I am realizing how
different our worlds are. I am sorry about dragging you into this. Perhaps you
should have given me to the Immortal. This is not my world and my advice has
done little to help you and I cannot give you advice to help you move through
this world.”
Chou wanted to hug the blade, but that seemed too weird so
she just gripped the handle tightly. “You have helped. You may not be able to tell
me who to call or who I can rely on but your advice kept me alive long enough
to get here.”
The blade was quiet. Chou could hear the sounds of the
others filtering in. The girls of Team Kimba were very close. Sometimes she
felt like an outsider intruding on them and sometimes not. If she had still
been a guy she would have gone after a large number of them. As it was, here he
was, Alexander Farshine, trapped in the body of a fourteen year old Chinese
girl. He wanted to go back to being his old couch potato self and not have to
worry about swords, demons, Immortals, superheroes and all of that.
But then he wouldn’t have met all of these people. They
were really cool. He really liked Toni. As a guy they would have gotten along.
Trapped as a girl he loved hanging out with her as she reminded him of why he
liked being a guy. But if Toni had heard her say that, she would have been in
trouble.
Toni seemed to love being a girl. She was almost
perpetually excited about it. The others seemed to be coping or not as the case
might be. Jade was upset because her body was lagging behind her power.
Destiny’s Blade said she might be able to help with that, but that Chou would
have to do all of the hard work.
And then there was Molly. Alex would never have gotten to
this school without the intervention of Destiny’s Wave. Whatever there was
between them it pulled at her powerfully. She could almost feel Molly over in
Dickinson Cottage. It was odd. It was this constant pull or awareness. It was
also comforting, like a missing body part had shown back up. She wished she
knew how to deal with it. Was this love?
* * * * * *
“What are you so happy about?” demanded Rachael, as she
used her Telekinesis to put her books away. The girl was tall, athletic and
nature had blessed her with plenty to draw the drooling stares of the boys. How
she had gotten stuck in a room with such a mouse was beyond her.
Molly was smiling and writing M Heart C all over one of
her book covers. She looked up at Rachael and blinked behind her glasses. She
wasn’t sure what to say so she smiled a little and said, “Nothing.”
Rachael looked over at what she was doing. She grabbed the
book with her TK and pulled it to her right out of Molly’s hands. She looked it
over quickly and saw the various hearts and the way they were drawn. “Oh...is
little Mouse Girl getting a crush?”
Molly blushed. “Can I have my book back?”
“No. So who is C? Is it Chris, that attractive Energizer?
Oh, wait it is probably Charles of the nerd brigade.” With that Rachael tossed
the book, grabbed it with her TK and dropped it in Molly’s hands. “Who cares if
nerds date any way.”
Molly smoothed out the book cover lovingly and went into
the common room to study. If she got there early she could get the comfortable
chair in the corner, curl up and hide. She was beginning to realize that she
didn’t like many of the other girls in the dorm. There were a few she liked,
such as Theresa Solla
and the other girls in the Power Cats. There were a few other girls that were
nice but Molly tended to stay to herself.
Because she stayed out of the way, she had gotten a better
feel for the powers that be in this school. Several of the junior and senior
girls were some of the most powerful and popular girls on campus. They didn’t
seem to worry about people like her. As long as she stayed out of their way she
would be able to avoid problems.
She kept one eye on the clock as she wanted to make sure
she would get to the cafeteria in Crystal Hall in time to be there when Chou
arrived. She wanted to see her again. She had barely managed to catch a glimpse
of the cute Asian girl during the day. She longed to see Chou and to touch her.
Everything seemed to be better when they were touching, like there was a rush
of energy and love. She only wished there were a way for her to transfer over
to Poe, so she could be closer to Chou.
* * * * * *
Ayla came in a dumped her books. “Hey there! How was your
day?”
Chou didn’t answer. She was so busy thinking that she had
barely registered Ayla’s entrance. Ayla turned and looked at Chou. She could
see evidence of fighting and crying on Chou’s face. She walked out of the room
and summoned as many of Team Kimba as she could find. Chaka was there as was
Tennyo. “Hey, something is up with Chou. It looks like she was in a fight and
has been crying.”
Chaka looked surprised. “Tennyo, you and Ayla get everyone
else. I’ll go talk to her and find out what’s up.”
They nodded and headed off. Chaka moved down the hall and
peeked around the corner of the room Chou and Ayla shared. Chou was sitting on
the bed, looking a little worse for wear. There were obvious tear streaks
running down her face and what looked to be slight bruises on her face. By the
shape, Toni guessed they were from kicks. Toni remembered that today was also
Chou’s first class in sword. Chou seemed lost in thought. This would take
special care.
Toni bounded into the room. “Hey girlfriend what’s up? Did
you kick ass in your sword class or what?”
Chou blinked and looked up at Toni, who was pouring Chi off
herself as usual. The girl was doing handstands on the back of her desk chair.
“How can you do that? If I did that I’d fall.”
“It’s not so hard. Just takes practice, or my infinite
skill.” Toni smiled broadly, sowing all of her teeth. “What’s up with you? You
look like you were in a tussle and then a cry.”
“I was. Some guy with a mask jumped me and tried to take
my sword.”
“Wow. A guy with a mask here? In this school? Wait, what
color was the mask? It might help us identify the culprit.”
Chou giggled in spite of herself. “If you must know it was
red.”
“Right....red mask. How many guys could that be here?
We’ll find him and then pummel him. Was it a good fight?”
“I guess. He fought really well. He had a stunning shout
like yours only not as good. That was the only time he was able to hit me.
Sparring with you has helped. The biggest problem came when my sword wanted me
to kill him.”
“What?!” Toni rocked back at that one. Killing someone
over a fight was something she didn’t think was worth it. Killing was wrong.
“Yep. But I didn’t and then I got here and Destiny’s Wave
and I had a talk. I was just lost in thought.” Chou smiled a little as Toni
moved from a handstand to a lay over to collapse into full lotus. In a way it
made Chou sick.
“Well then, we need to get you to cheer you up. I mean it
does make sense that the sword is interested in killing. It’s a sword, duh. So
let’s get you dressed up for dinner.”