The Call to Rise

Training Part 1: The First Attempt

Cole was having a really good dream. He was back in Jamanikai Village, having just won the local talent show competition. All of his former classmates were there, cheering for him, and his dad was right next to him, looking very proud. He was just about to receive the award, the beautiful golden cup just inches from his grasp...

The sound of a gong really close to him jolted Cole out of his dream with a shout.

"Holy crap!" he screamed, sitting up so fast that he accidentally fell off his bed. "Ow," he muttered, too busy trying to calm his thudding heart to even bother getting up. He could hear Jay groaning next door and Kai cursing across the hall.

"Evil never sleeps," he heard the old man, Sensei Wu, declare really loudly. "So neither should you!"

Cole groaned and considered going back to sleep. But the thought of getting another gong crash to the ear motivated him to untangle himself from the blankets and get up.

Yawning, he grabbed the black outfit that he had gotten yesterday and his backpack and walked out of his bedroom. It took him a minute to convince his sleepy brain to remember where the bathroom was so he could brush his teeth and change.

Once he located the bathroom, he locked the door behind him and turned on the sink, turning the facet that let out cold water. After splashing some of the water into his face, the dancer felt a little more awake. Cole wasn't really a morning person, but he was used to getting up for early morning dance lessons.

Ten minutes later, just as he had finished changing out of his pjs and started combing his hair, someone started pounding on the door. "Whoever's in there, hurry up!" he heard Jay exclaim. "I have an emergency!"

Cole sighed, picking up his backpack and sticking his comb in his hair. He could finish in his room. He unlocked the door and opened it. Jay was standing just outside, holding his hands between his legs and doing a very amusing wiggle dance.

"All yours buddy," Cole said stepping out of the doorway.

"Finally!" Jay exclaimed, racing past the black-clad teen. "I have to pee really badly!"

"Dude, TMI," Cole replied, but Jay had already slammed the door. Shaking his head, Cole went back to his bedroom, dropping off his backpack and finishing combing his bangs. Once he was sure that they wouldn't be falling in his face any time soon, he made his way to the kitchen, hoping to grab a quick bite to eat before they had to train.

After  taking a few wrong turns, Cole managed to find the dining room. As it turns out, he wasn't the first one there. Zane was sitting in one of the chairs, reading a book. One hand was holding the book up while the other was running a comb through his hair. A cup of steaming liquid--most likely tea-- was nearby.

"Morning Zane," Cole greeted.

Zane looked up from his book, the hand with the comb pausing for a second. "Oh, good morning Cole," he replied, giving him a tired smile. The dancer couldn't help but notice the small dark semi circles underneath his ice blue eyes.

"Couldn't sleep last night?" he asked.

Zane smiled sheepishly, and held up his book. "Sensei let me borrow some of the books from that library we saw yesterday. I was up all night reading," he admitted.

"I'm starting to think you're an insomniac," Cole said jokingly, making his way into the kitchen. He let out a cry of triumph as he discovered a fruit bowl filled with juicy red apples. "Jackpot!" he cried, grabbing one and rushing to the sink to rinse it off. "Hey Zane, want an apple?"

"No thanks, I already had one," Zane declined politely, putting down his comb so he could hold his book properly.

Cole dried off his apple and took a bite. "Mmmm, honeycrisp. My favorite," he commented, taking another bite and letting out a sigh of satisfaction. He went back to the dining room and sat in the chair across from Zane. The two sat quietly for the next few minutes, the silence only broken when Cole took another bite out of his breakfast or when Zane took a small sip of tea.