Fire and Dust

Chapter 26 Self Defence

There were some interesting people at the karate class; with weird hairstyles and intimidating looks, but today even the most intimidating villain couldn't scare me off. Most of them were quite friendly though, and came to introduce themselves. Then Izelle pointed at two of the people in our class and said they were performing tonight at the art excursion. I was puzzled again at how well connected Izelle was.

One of them walked towards us and Izelle introduced me.

     “Melina, meet Timon.” He was tall, lean and had a strong frame. His head was shaven and there was a chameleon shaved into one side of it. I shook his hand and Izelle continued the conversation.

     “So do you have some worthy routines to show us tonight?” Izelle asked cheekily.

     “Sure do, we can even give you a little sneak peek.” His face showcased each of his feelings; he might as well been an actor, and was as easy to read as an open book. He exuded confidence.

     “You do that.” Izelle accepted the offer. Then Timon directed a question at me.

     “Hey new girl, haven't seen you around, are you gonna rock it today?”   

     “We'll have to see,” I acted tough.

     “We have to go change now, we don't want to be late,” Izelle smiled. We walked off to the change room each with a white tunic to wear.

     “Catch ya later,” Timon said. Once I had it on, it reminded me of the morning's art class. It was like wearing a blank canvas. No wonder they call it martial arts. We walked back and Izelle made a little braid with a small string in my pony tail. Timon walked up to us again and then he introduced me to our instructor.

     “Gilligan, meet the new girl.” Said Timon. Gilligan was bold with a youthful face; I guessed he was in his mid-twenties. I felt extremely awkward, my hands giving me away. His face looked intense. Even though he wasn't the tallest person in the room, he was definitely the most intimidating one there, but he smiled at me and joked around.

     “Nice to meet you, did I scare you?” Gilligan asked in a more suave way than Timon. I tried to respond without copying his tone of voice.

     “I have to admit your face was so intense it did worry me.” I laughed, relieved that it was just an act. That's probably just what he's like, I thought to myself. I was more comfortable now; I felt very welcomed. They noticed me enough, but didn't put me on the spot. His eyes became intense again, focusing them to Izelle.

     “Haven't seen you in a while.” It seemed like he expected an explanation from Izelle.

     “I'm here now.” Izelle lifted up her hands in a warrior position, which made both of them laugh.

“Have you ever done any form of martial arts?” Gilligan asked, turning the conversation back to me

     “This is my first Karate class ever. But I've had a pretty heated day and could use a vent for my frustration,” I said honestly.

     “Oh exciting!” he said, rubbing his hands. He smiled and I noticed how perfect his teeth were.

     “You are going to learn some stylized movements of a centuries-old art form.” He ran away and did some sort of kick in the air. I knew it was going to be very challenging, but I was up for it.

     Gilligan walked to the front and greeted everyone.

     “For those of you who are new, take it easy today, don't be embarrassed and let go of your insecurities.” I knew I was the only new one in class, but Gilligan didn't try to make it obvious and the group acted similarly. It was evident that he was highly respected for his humble nature.