บท 2: Chapter 2 - Enter the Cultivators
There was always a certain hidden smile on both their faces. That was why today, James had been worried. It was unusual to see Alice so down today. It looked more like something weighed heavy on her mind which seemed to bother her very much. Almost all the kids were gone with the last of them at the door. "James Sensei." James turned towards the door and looked at little Annie who gave him the brightest smile "Good luck." This stumped James. He turned to the woman behind Annie, who wore a mischievous grin on her face, staring at James with a thumbs up.
Of course, It would be Miss McCarthy. The blonde-haired woman was a single mother of one. Her husband died in the military shortly after Annie was born and had never remarried since. She had tried a few times to meet up with others a couple of times but eventually gave up on it. It was difficult to find a good guy who was willing to become a stepfather. Maybe she was the one who kept pushing them away.
Miss McCarthy was very fond of the two teachers who taught her daughter. She always thought they looked good together and constantly pushed James to make a move. 'A man needs to be persistent even in the face of rejection'. Not that James had been rejected. He had never even brought up the topic in a casual conversation, let alone asked her out. He would be lying if he said he did not feel anything for her. That was to be expected after working together for a while, as they said, proximity bred affection.
After constantly nagging him, Miss McCarthy finally 'convinced' James to ask her out. James only rolled his eyes at the mother daughter duo as they left the dojo. James walked back to the training area from the reception area where Alice had already changed out of her training Gi. She wore her black tank top and black sweatpants to match. "You don't have to stay for today's clean up. I'll take care of it. Thanks for today." Alice spoke when James walked in, giving him her usual subtle smile.
"Is everything alright with you? You seemed a little out of it." James asked. Alice frowned slightly but quickly returned to her usual look slightly up to stare into James' eyes. Even with her height, James was no slouch either. He stood and impressive six feet, five inches tall, slightly pale dark-skinned with a body sculpted from years of training and martial arts.
"I am fine. Thank y…" Just before she could finish, someone entered through the doors of the dojo. "James, you ready to go?" A beautiful dark skinned eighteen-year-old walked to the training area. She had short black hair with sharp looking eyes. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the two in a weird position.
She took a step back and pretended to look at them shyly, "Di..did I interrupt something?" Alice laughed while James sighed at the antics of his little sister. She quickly run to Alice and hugged her, childishly sticking her tongue out at her brother. She was always like this, James' younger sister, Janet. She was a bubbly and full of life young woman who preferred to make the best of every situation she found herself. She always found a way to entertain herself no matter how boring a situation got. Her personality made her very well liked wherever she went.
"You're late" James said to his sister who continued to hold unto Alice's hand. She smirked and at her brother. "I could have come a little more later if you had asked." James threatened to grab his sister's head, but she quickly hid behind Alice. After a little chit chat with Janet, the two decided to leave.
"How about dinner at our place tonight? You know mom has been dying to see you for a while now." James asked Alice who raised her brow slightly. She had not expected James to ask her to dinner. "Maybe some other time. I have a few things to take care tonight." James slowly nodded his head at her statement. "Okay. Another time then." James said not sounding in the least bit disappointed.
Janet slowly walked to the door before yelling, "Oooh. REJECTED!" and run out the door. "Okay, that's it! Come here you brat!" James chased after his sister as the brother sister pair run down the street. Alice smiled while she watched them disappear down the street before locking the door. She really did like the relationship of the brother sister pair.
Alice locked up the entire dojo before her face suddenly changed into seriousness. She radiated an aura of coldness she had never shown the children, James or Janet. She walked into the middle of the training room and sat crossed leg. "I did not think father would send 14th Elder. Does he not have confidence that I will get things done?" She was visibly alone in the training area, yet her words seemed to have been directed at someone specifically.
"To think the princess would sense my presence, you really have grown stronger, Alice. You do our clan proud." Suddenly, in the corner of the room, a middle-aged man with a clean face walked out of the darkness. He wore a grey suit which seemed to complement the few strands of grey beginning to appear in his black hair and sideburns. Alice was silent even after the complement of the middle-aged man. It continued for a short while before the 14th Elder cleared his throat to try and clear the awkwardness.
"Your father sent me here to assist you. I am here as you bodyguard. The time is close, and he would prefer nothing unforeseen happen to you. Merely a precaution, that's all." 14th elder spoke with a smile. Silence reigned once more, but this time only for a short while. Alice nodded her head. "If that is so then I welcome you to earth, 14th Elder." Did that mean he would not have been welcome if it were not so? Although he thought about it, he did not dare voice it out.
"That boy earlier?" The 14th Elder spoke up, looking out the door James and his sister had just left. His gaze looked to have seen past the doors of the dojo. "Who was he?" He enquired with a serious face. Alice frowned upon hearing this. She was stronger than the 14th Elder, yes, but the 14th Elder's true power lay elsewhere. That was why she could talk back to him in certain circumstance, but he was still sent there by her father. That meant he reported to her father, and that meant she could not allow certain types of information to reach her father. James being one of them. She already knew how her clan was concerning things like that, and she could not, would not put James in that kind of situation.
"Just an assistant. There is no need to concern yourself over him. Just another mortal." With that she stood and left the training hall without giving the 14th Elder a chance to say anymore. The Elder himself did not seem to mind at all as his gaze was continually fixed beyond the doors. 'Just another mortal? I could have sworn he was looking at me earlier. Must have been my imagination.' He thought to himself with a frown.
"Hachi. Nana." The elder spoke silently. The darkness wriggled slightly, as two people walked out of the darkness and knelt before the elder. They had white masks that covered their faces making one unable to tell how they looked. "The boy and girl from earlier. Follow them. Report back to me anything suspicious." The Elder ordered the newly emerged duo as the nodded their heads before melding with the darkness once more. He had always been one to listen to his gut, and his gut was telling him there was something about the boy. He could have been overthinking things, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Especially with the time drawing closer. Any mishap, and it would draw them far back. With than he walked back into the darkness with everything returning to silence.
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