Training Around the World

I laugh at her offhand comments. It did make me feel less confused.I push myself up and twist my water bottle closed, before placing it on the ground, and turning to Juan, waiting for further instruction.

"So, what next?" I ask, glancing at the nunchucks with excitement. I had no training with them, but I was hoping to learn some Jackie Chan-like moves.

Juan had been watching the entire thing and walked over, motioning for Allison to go take a break, which she did by going and sittin on the sidelines. He then turned to croatias and smirked "so, you want to learn how to use nunchucks?" He asked her, picking up the pair and flipping them around quickly, before catching ten with one hand. "It's not goin to be easy"

I shrug, nonchalantly, while inside I'm screaming with delight. How many people actually get the chance to learn how to use nunchucks? Okay, a lot of people, but now I get to be one of them! "I'm always ready for a challenge." I reply, letting some of the emotions slip out with my words, but I quickly contain them.

I wait patiently for him to start, the images of all the possible moves twisting through my head. Most of them involve backflips, twists, and weird body movements, but I've always been flexible.

Juan smirked and threw the nunchucks over his back, and as he did they flew across the arena and entangled themselves in Allison's legs, causing her to erupt Ina fit of not so nice words. "That, is one way I prefer to use them" he chuckled and got two more of the interesting weapon. "Now, let us begin"

He worked and practiced with Croatia until the sun set, and by then Allison had stopped her cursing but she was still mad and had casually set up a few traps for them both.

I practice the moves over and over. Twists, turns, throws, blocks, they all turn over and over in my head until they combine with each other, creating compound attacks and defensive moves. Its like what happened when I was learning to use a dagger. Except for the fact that daggers were easy.

Nunchucks seem to have a lot more to do with momentum and movement. With daggers, it was more about injuring your opponent and trapping them with the threat of injury. Its for the strategic at heart. Nunchucks are more for the strategic and kinetic. It's like twice as much energy.

Allison watched her, taking notice as the hours drifted by as midnight approached, yet Allison didn't even move as her cold eyes dated into croatias every move, every manuaver. She wanted to know the advantages, the disadvantages that her student held, and knew that she would eventually be forced to exploit them if her wicked dreams came to the truth.

Just as I begin the get the hang of it, I take a step back wards and trip and a small, almost invisible string, before falling to the ground. I huff with annoyance and push myself back up, examining the wire with interest and see that it's weighted down on both sides of the sand-covered arena. I continue staring at the wire in confusion, wondering why anyone would set up a trap like that where someone could easily fall and hurt themselves.

I glance over at Allison as the answer slowly creeps from the crevices of my mind. I smirk, and brush myself off, standing up at my full height. "Sorry about that." I address Juan, taking position on the opposite side of him, so I'm farthest from the wire. "Should we start again?"

Allison smirked back when she had seen the first little trap had worked, of course, a small wire was a little too easy so Allison had set up another wire, as well as small gas mines. One step and a cloud of gas pops up. She could only sit and wait now as Juan continued to instruct her.

Juan smirked and nodded politely "Allison up to her tricks against she's testing you" he whispered as he continued to mock combat against her to aid her moves. "Perhaps you would like to take her by surprise?" He offered as he practiced a quick slap with his nunchucks, the end hitting hers right in the chain.

"Sounds good," I reply, gripping the weapon. I don't lose the nunchuck, but the slap jerks it almost out of my hand. I return it with a similar move.

"I don't know if its possible to surprise her, though," I whisper back, resisting the urge to glance over at her. "She's always alert. I don't even think she'd flinch."

Juan shrugged "this is Kenzie we are talking about. She thinks she is all....macho? I suppose that's how you would say it. Like batman. But she's really weak, I assume youce seen her in Chernobyl?" He asked as he watched Kenzie closely. It was in fact true what Juan was saying, Kenzie was no where near where she thought she was. She was a wannabe, a wannabe hero,

Kenzie? It takes me a while to figure out who he's talking about. I don't question it, though.

I nod. "Yeah, but she's always so tense, so tough. She seems so strong. Even then, she managed to get us out." I dodge a swing from the nunchucks, and return it with one of my own. The hit misses. I brush back a few sweaty stray strands of hair.

He nods and creates a few more if his detailed movements in an advance to disarm her. "Kenzie is her childhood name I gave her when we met, oh so long ago" he sighed bad lanced at Allison again as he continued to attempt to disarm her, but it was obvious he wasn't going as well as he could. "I don't know what has happened to her, but I know you can find out, she seems so distant to me. Maybe it was the Chernobyl incipient, or maybe it was something either before or after that@ he sighed and glanced at we again, and it seemed Allison was asleep

I snap the nunchucks down on the chain between his. They wrap around it, and I pull, hard. The weapon springs out of his hands and into mine. "I don't think she can be anything but distant." I reply, handing him back the chain. "Was that good?" I ask, twisting the links connecting the weighted ends around my fingers.

He nodded "very good. And as for Allison, if you think she is distant, then you do not know the old Allison that I knew and trained" he sighed and flicked his hand at herC snatching the weapon back into his own talente hands.

I continue practicing in silence. Finally, after about five minutes, I break the tense moment. "What was she like?" I ask, attempting a very tricky move he'd showed me. "When she was young, I mean?"

"The exact opposite of what she is now Croatia, a lot less distant and cold, she was warm an close, friendly, popular....I don't know what happened" he sighed and was easily disarmed by her "maybe you could figure out why she is what she is now?"

I blush. I might be extremely talkative, die-hard determined, and slightly sassy, but I absolutely hate prying. I mean, sure, I technically just did, but that's different. Setting a goal to learn something possibly personal about someone...that's wrong.

"Water break?" I ask, just now realizing how hot it was inside the sand arena. I wipe a gallon of sweat off my forehead, and slow my breathing.

He nodded "a water break sounds good" he said and walked over to where the cooler was, right next to Allison. Allison was still asleep, was snoring softly although her dreams were full of extreme lain and suffering. Juan poured himself a cup, and then poured one for Croatia as well.

I take the cup and thank him, sighing as I lean against the wall. These days, I don't get much sleep. I'm either awake all night listening to some of the loud, insane kids in my cabin cry in their sleep, being woken up by nightmares, or crying myself. And ever since we started this training, the little sleep I have been getting hasn't been enough. Dark rings encircle the bags under my eyes.

"How did you meet her?" I ask, eager to talk about something besides Allison's vague and withdrawn behavior.

"As enemies if I remember correctly...I'm really not to sure, she's hit me over the head so many times" he chuckled as he sat down in the sand of the arena, looking at croatia, before glancing over at Allison. "It was quite a few years ago, she was coming through the area training and they were accused of...." he was suddenly cut off by Allison, who had appeared leaning over his shoulder.

"Actually, if I remember correctly, Juan, it was your father that filed the accounts of theft on me" she smirked and slid between the two. "And yeah, then I went and snuck into your house to assassinate and you chased me here, and we fought" she smiled. "And I won"

---

I smile, remembering the fight between me and Allison. Of course she'd won. She was amazing, perfect, at least in battle. I lean my head back against the wall and slip down to the floor. Its not hard to imagine what she's saying, if I close my eyes, which I do. The dark, dusty house. A creaky staircase, silent as a younger Allison walked up them. And then, pounding footsteps as Allison came rushing down the stairs, followed by a smaller Juan. Allison brandishing a weapon, fighting, yelling...and then silence.

I open my eyes as the moment comes to a stop. "And why didn't you kill him?" I ask. The Allison I know wouldn't show mercy. Especially if its something as serious as a failed assassination.

"Who says I didn't kill anyone? I killed his father, but that was the only person I was supposed to kill. Now, that didn't mean I left him unharmed" Allison told Croatia as she smirked. "Then he started to hunt me down and we fought some more, and well, I have no idea how but we became friends" she grinned and leaned on croatias shoulder. "Juan did poiso me once though..."

Juan "hey! Well....I kinda did but it was an accident! I didn't mean to let the snake into your bedroom and somehow be trains to bite at your scent"

I laugh openly. I'd definitely remember the story for the while. "I wish I had some stories that interesting." I reflect after a few seconds of silence. I'd always wanted a more interesting life, even after I'd discovered I was a demigod. There was never enough adventure. That's why I love acting. If I can't have the action, I might as well act like the person who does.

Allison smiled and looked around the darkened arena, there were still hours until sunrise. "What should we do now?" She asked Croatia, seeing as Juan was packing up the weapons and equipment that they had been using for training. She wante to do anything but sleep, she didn't want or need to experience her awful dreams again.

I lean my head against the wall. Unlike almost everyone else from my childhood, I'd had a hard time understanding India in general.

"I've never seen India before," I reply, and smile as my stomach roars silently. "Or tasted any type in Indian cuisine."

I pull my shoes back on, and stand up, brushing dust and sand off my legs. "What do you say we get some food and see the sights?" I ask, placing my hands on my hips and taking a deep breath.