Sara Raft: Agent Of Nothing, Part 5

"So could you tell me about your training?" I hear Dr. Ellis ask.

"What makes you think I had training?"

"Puh-Lese! I've been around people with martial arts training, and they carry themselves just like you." I look down at myself. He could tell I studied martial arts...by looking at my posture? "Now could you tell me about it? Please?" He looks at me with... is that sad eyes? He looks horrible.

Again I feel like opening myself to him. How does he do that? 

"Fine..." I say. "I had just been released from the hospital, and was going home. When I got there, Jill was inside waiting for me. 

'Hey.' she said.

'Hey.' I said.

'You're talking now?'

'Yeah.'

'Barely' I heard her mutter. I didn't even look at her, and walked straight to my room. There I started to pack.

'Where are you going?'

'Alaska.'

'Alaska? Look anyway, I made you a gift.' It was a mini statue of The Starship Enterprise. She knew I loved Star-Trek.

'Thank you' but I didn't take it. Then I finished packing, and left without saying bye. I didn't even take Jill's gift"

"Wow..." he says.

"I know."

"You totally blew her off."

"Yes, I know."

"I mean... really?"

"Can we move on?!"

"Oh yeah... continue."

"I took a cab all the way down to my private airfield, and then I got on my plane. My pilot flew, of course. The flight was long and boring, but that gave me time to research where I was going. It turns out that Alaska was home to one of the worlds greatest martial artists. Shang Rand. He had won over one-hundred medals, and had moved to Alaska to get away from everything. He also said he didn't take students. Though I thought I could convince him."

"When we landed I took another cab to where he was living. It was a long cab ride. You would have thought I would have left him alone. Seeing as how it took that long to get to him. He apparently wanted to be left alone, but I ignored that.

When I finally got there, I took a deep breath, knocked on his door. When no one came, I knocked again, and again, and again. Then finally I looked through a window. Instead of meditating like I thought, he was watching TV. Then he saw me, and ran to answer the door.

'Welcome young grasshopper...' he said 'I've been expecting you... *Cough* *Cough*... ah... I could never do that like my sensei. Anyway, welcome, and what do you want?

'I have come looking for lessons.'

'Sorry, no lessons. I do have Oreos though.'

'Please, just give me a chance!'

'No.'

'Please?'

'...Okay. But I'm only doing it cause you're pretty.'

'I can live with that.' then out of nowhere I was knocked to the ground.

'Prove yourself now. If you can knock me down, I'll train you.'

I got up, but he started with a flurry of kicks and punches. All I could was step back out of his reach. So this pattern started he punched, I stepped. There was no opening, only a blur. I stepped away, but the pace was picking up, he was getting faster and faster. Then he stopped and lifted a leg. It looked like he was charging a kick, or at least it'd be like that in video games. That was my chance, I charged forward, and pushed with all my strength. He fell, I had won.

'Excellent...' he said '... training starts tomorrow, but first... can you help me eat these Oreos? I bought way too many.' Then we walked inside. I hadn't said a word. I was shocked at what had happened. I had won.

Training went on for two years. Everyday I trained with him, until I was a black belt. It was the longest two years of my life. Then I flew home, and bought a gun, I took it down to a shooting range for a year until I could hit anything. It isn't official, but I am a master marksman. That added with my previous two years, made the longest three years of my life. Was it worth it? I don't know."

"Wow... I just have one question though: How does that make you feel? And yes, I know that is extremely cliche."

"Honestly? Like a overachiever."

"Well I think this further proves my point. you're trying to please your dead parents."

"You know what? NO!!! I saved all those people, cause I did. You know decent, good, people exist in this world."

"And you consider yourself one of these people?"

"Yes I do. Don't you? Doesn't everyone? Even the coldest criminal." His pen is moving so fast on his paper now, that it looks like they might burst into flame. That doesn't happen though, so I get up, and walk out.