frozen in time

frozen in time part 1

"Do I have to go?" I asked mother.

"you need to practice your combat skills!" mother yelled back.

" FINE. I will go!" I said. "I don't get the point of going to combat practice if you have everything here."

"well, if you don't have the proper teacher to guide you, then you won't learn correctly." mother snapped back. "don't make me argue with you because you are going to be late, now take your sword an GO!"

once I eat I am off to combat practice, I am waiting outside for my bus and mother yells, "ginger! you forgot your shield!" great. just what I need; mother running out of the house in a robe and slippers when the bus is pulling up. I grab my shield and run for the bus. the bus is old but still in good shape. as I step on the bus, the kids are laughing and pointing at me as I make my way to the back if the bus.

"hey,"

I looked around and spot boy, around the age of fifteen, with blond hair, and big blue eyes. he motioned me over as I walked to the back of the bus to where he was sitting.

"hey,"I said back, hoping it wasn't too awkward. "my name is Ginger, Ginger Cradle. what is yours?" I said in my strong English accent.

"Justin, Justin Fray. what class are you going to?"

"I'm going to the combat center I believe...." I said slowly while fumbling with my bag for my schedule and map of the campus.

"oh hey, don't worry about finding your schedule, I can take you there. I am going there too." he said encouragingly.

we traveled about 5 miles to the training center where we go to train for combat, defense, and knowledge. we arrived and it was bigger than I expected. it was as tall as a skyscraper in the middle and has the area of a collage. when we walked into the combat center, there was a long hallway, and half way down the hallway on ether side, was two sets of double doors facing each other. At the end of the hallway was a double door, and we were headed straight for it.

"So where is the combat room?" Sounding like I didn't know, but I guessed it was at the end of the hall.

"Follow me." I followed Justin all the way to the end of the hall and into a large and almost empty room. There were two guys fighting it out in the corner. in the other corner, were some fairly good dummy's. They had slice marks, which meant I was in the right area. So I began to practice when i started to feel like I was being stared at. I stopped, and turned around to see Justin starting right at me.

"Well don't stop, keep going!"he encouraged.

"I can't work with someone staring at me." I motioned to where he was standing.

"I not staring," he said. "Just looking very intently."

"Well, try not to do whatever you are doing." I turn away and then feel his gaze once again, but this time i don't turn around to tell him. I simply just continue my work until he goes away but he didn't. Not ever. So an hour into combat training, I turn around to see him leaning against a pole looking straight at me. So I say, "why aren't you training?"

"I am. Watching you." he said very seriously.

"How is that training? your standing there." I said putting my sword down.

"I am learning new techniques. See?" He removes himself from the pole and goes to the rack of swords. He picks up one and sliced it through in the air  "dual? I can bet you that I have learned something from your sword practice."

"Fine." As i made the first move, we started to battle. After about thirty minutes, I decide to to ask him a question. "So, how did you do it?"

"Do what?"he asked breathlessly.

"What you are doing right now!" I try say out of straggling breathes.

"Oh this? Well, everyone here has a special skill, and mine is learning anything and mastering it without a problem, even by just by watching. I wonder what yours is."

"I don't know," I said breathlessly but not feeling tired for some strange reason. "Do you think that it could be that I don't feel tired, but my breath is taken away?" right as I finish saying this, he stumbles backwards.

"I have heard of that skill and it is said that only one out of one thousand people get that in a a century!"he says in a shaky, but surprised voice.

"Oh my gosh!" I yell successfully. I say that and he is out the door. I follow him through multiple doors until we get to the center of the whole building. it was tall and there was a big room in the middle. There was a talk wooden door that looked one hundred years old just by the splintering wood and the sound of hollowness in the knock on the door. "Come in!" Said the person inside and he walked in. the inside of the room was big, but crammed full of stuff. We both went in and sat in wooden chairs.

"What seems to be the problem?"she said pulling out a note pad and pencil. but before I could say anything he nudged me in the side and spoke up.

"I think she has THE SKILL."as soon as Justin said that, she stood up in shock and dropped her pen and pad on the floor. She was wide eyed, with her hands pressed against the table, and she said, "Are you sure? Because we have had many situations like this a where they could just endure for a long time."

"I'm sure because I have the sense. that's why I have been here sense I was three years old, so I'm sure alright."

"OK, we will need to contact your parents and tell them the news, then get you in the room."she said like she was doing it for the one hundredth time. She leads me out of the room and to these doors that look like steel. She does a secret pass code and the doors slide open with a loud screech. I cover my ears but it doesn't look like she minded.