The One That Got Away

Chapter 2: Casey Jones Is No Ninja...

As my feet dangle off the edge of the roof, I let my thoughts consume me. Sure, moving sucked, but this was a chance to start fresh. I can make new friends. I can make new memories. And maybe... maybe I can finally be happy. Sure, I loved my old friends, and yes, I would miss them a lot (I mean, I already do, and it's only been less than 24 hours.) But... I don't know. This is all so new to me.

Suddenly, a strange sort of feeling starts to poke at me. It feels familiar, but at the same time, very foreign. It's not right. The strange feeling makes me uncomfortable. It makes me... anxious. And it won't go away.
I sigh and continue to look out onto the city. The tall buildings of NYC are lit up brightly, outshining every single star in the night sky. There's a soft breeze blowing, and the noise of the streets down below makes me temporarily forget about the strange feeling that washed over my body seconds ago.

Wait, maybe that's what that strange feeling is.

Happiness.

I think for a moment, and then shake my head lightly. No. No, it's not happiness. I may not have had many happy moments in my life, but I'd still know if that was what I was feeling. At least I hope.

Another sigh escapes my lips, and I get up, balancing off the edge of our apartment complex's roof. I used to be deadly afraid of heights, but my father helped me to get over it once my sister and I had begun our training.

"Fear is something every being has to deal with," He would say. "But you mustn't let it control you, or cloud your judgement. And while it is possible to get over them, the thing about fears is that they keep coming back to you, no matter who you are."

My father never tried to rid us of our fears, but he did help us to define what they were. And as my sister and I got older, he eventually helped us to face them.

I do a swift backflip, landing silently a few feet away from the roof's edge. I hear what I think is the sound of a sneaker sliding across gravel, and my hands instinctively go to my Daisho handles, my senses on high alert.

Hearing a light clink, I leap to the side, just as my sister lands where I was only moments earlier. And then it clicks. My father had trained us to be able to detect when another skillful warrior was getting ready to strike, but as I've never been in that kind of real-life situation before, the feeling came out strange and warped. I could have to do with the fact that we're in a new environment now, too. I'll have to work on that I thought, seeing my sister struggle slightly to regain her balance. She probably wasn't expecting me to move.

"You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to sneak up on me." I grin

"Oh come on!" Eliza pouts "You have to at least admit that I made you nervous."

"Nervous is an overstatement."

"Oh, shut up!"

"Looks like someone's grouchy." My sister looks up at me and smirks, knowing exactly what I'm trying to do.

"If you wanted to start sparring, you could have just said so."

"What do you mean? I was out here waiting for your slow-"

In one swift movement, Eliza kicks me in the stomach. I slide a bit across the rooftop, but my balance stays unwavering.

"Not bad." I gasp, regaining the breath that Eliza's kick took from me.

"Not bad is an overstatement." She mocks.

"Okay, that doesn't even make sense"

"Oh shut up!" Liz rolls her eyes in a playful manner and we continue to spar.