Kiara

Chapter 6: Fairytales and Miracles

"Wake Up! C'mon, we're gonna train!" Scott was shaken from his sleep by Kiara's urgent whisper.

He got up and rubbed his eyes.

"It's seven! Gees, Ki. You've really lost it!"

"You were the one who said you wanted to train to become a Jaguar." She retorted, annoyed.

"I didn't say I wanted to."

She smiled grimly. He could be stubborn when he wanted to. She toned down a little. "You're right." she admitted, "You didn't say so. But you want to, am I right?"

Scott sighed. "Yes, I do."

"C'mon, then. Let's get dressed. Meet you in the backyard!"

Once Scott had dressed himself, he went outside. There he saw her on the grass, her feet straight out in front of her, her hands holding on to her sneakers. He frowned, confused.

"Are you supposed to stretch?"

Yeah. It's crucial for the kicking and punching that will come later on. And if you don't stretch," she added, "you could end up with twisted or pulled muscles."

"You didn't stretch when I saw you yesterday. That's why I'm confused."

She thought back, and then nodded. "You're right. I didn't. But I've gotten a sore arm from that. It'll probably take about three months to heal completely." she sighed. "It could be worse. I could've had to wait a year."

Scott sat down beside her and mimicked her movements. Once they were done, Kiara said to him:

"I'll teach you all the blocks, since they're easy. If we have time, I'll teach you a round kick and maybe a punch or two. This is a rising block." She raised a bent arm to her forehead. He copied without any difficulty. Next she moved her bent arm so that her fist was, once again, parallel to her face. Scott followed suit.

"This is as easy as pie." he commented.

"You want harder?" she smiled slyly.

"Sure, I guess." he shrugged.

"Look at this, but stand clear." she moved in slow motion, showing him the steps of a round kick. "Start in the ready position, and then aim for your opponent's side." Then she added, "They'll go flying if you kick hard enough." All through the morning and afternoon of that day, Kiara taught him every single kick and punch she knew. They reviewed the blocks together, where she would position her arm a certain way, and Scott would tell her what she was doing. Or the other way around.

The evening seemed to come in the blink of an eye. Soon it was time for supper. Scott wolfed down his with no hesitation. He even asked for seconds. She, on the other hand, picked at her food, nervous. She asked to be excused from the table early, saying that she wasn't hungry. Climbing the stairs to her room, she flung herself on the bed. The butterflies in her stomach fluttered every which way as she held her head in her hands. She sighed heavily.

"Why? Why'd I have to say yes? I like him, yes, but it's just so nerve-wracking to dance with someone . . ." Kiara groaned. "Just be yourself. Nothin' better than that. Yeah. Yeah." She took a deep breath, and then looked down at herself. "Definitely not dance material." She locked her door and began sifting through her wardrobe. At last she chose the blue dress with the popular shred-patterned sleeves. The bottom was in the same state. She pressed it against her form and examined herself in the mirror. "Yep. Perfect." She laid it out on the bed, then selected flower earrings of a darker shade. Next she held her favorite indigo dolphin necklace to her neck, doing up the clasp. Patting it, she put the earrings on, and, finally, slipped the dress over her head. She looked at her reflection again. Frowning, she squinted. There was something missing, but what? Ahhh. The hair. She groped for a hair scrunchie, her eyes never leaving her mirror image. When she found a blue one, Kiara experimented with it. At last, she was satisfied. She had decided on a simple bun with a few curls of her sunshine-blonde hair to frame her face. Picking up her purse, she searched for cover-up and lip gloss. Once she wore both, she sank back on her bed, exhausted. Getting ready for a dance was hard work.