The Dragon Awakens

Chapter Nine

Lanie caught up easily to the back of the group where, unfortunately for her, Mutton Chops was also jogging along with his friend Linc and the Peace behemoth.

"Well look who decided to join us," Mutton Chop snickered. Lanie rolled her eyes but concentrated on rolling up her sleeves. Unlike yesterday, everyone finally looked alike in their matching uniforms. Up at the front Lanie could barely see captain Shang leading the group. She had learned his name this morning from Mushu as she sprinted down the hill. That energy powder was really kicking in.

"Hi, I'm Po. I didn't get to introduce myself yesterday," Lanie looked up at the Peace guy who was giving her a hazy smile. His eyes looked suspiciously red and she wondered if Shang had noticed. 

"Ping," she answered curtly, turning her eyes back front. She loved running and when she wasn't training for track, she was running at least twice a day. This mountain jog would be a breeze for her. Lay low Lanie, Mushu's words came back to her. Fine then. It would be a breeze from the back of the pack. 

"And I'm Mike, but you can call me Yao," Mutton Man responded, his face red and his breath labored.

"Yao?" Lanie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's his fighting name," Linc cut in. He was jogging easily alongside Lanie, not at all out of breath. She scanned his frame quickly and was impressed that he looked like a regular jogger, even a marathon runner. Po however looked to be in the same shape as Yao. 

"Right," Lanie turned back front and watched as Shang cut through a grove of trees and suddenly they all emerged onto an outcropping that overlooked the camp. A large wooden post sat in the middle of the clearing, an arrow promptly lodged in the top.

"Good morning everyone!" Shang shouted as everyone gathered around him, most of them panting and heaving. Lanie stretched her arms above her head and elbowed her way to the front of the group to get a better look at Shang. She had to roll her eyes upon seeing his perfectly sculpted, shirtless frame and practically tailored uniform pants. A lot of the men around Lanie were futilely attempting to fan themselves in the early morning humidity. Sweat gleamed off his chest and she crossed her arms. He reminded her of the prep school boys always hanging around the gates of her boarding school and loitering around the city. So full of themselves and their daddy's insurance money.
    "Welcome to your first task of the day," he looked up at the arrow. "We will all meet here every Monday morning to see who can actually retrieve the arrow. All other days you will assemble swiftly and silent in the courtyard at camp. Anyone who thinks they can run on their own agenda will answer to me." Lanie looked up at the arrow again and held back a smirk. This was going to be a peace of cake.

He scanned the crowd, his eyes hesitating briefly on Lanie who raised her chin slightly, daring him to call on her. She heard a scoff next to her and looked down at Yao who was rolling his eyes and cracking his knuckles. "What a tough guy..." he muttered and Shang spun on his heel, eyes narrowed in at Yao.

"Why Yao, thank you for volunteering." The whole group took a step back as Shang approached. The silk suited man from yesterday rode up on a golf cart with the most impeccable timing. He ambled out and removed a wooden box from the back and labored it over to Shang who opened it and took out two round weights, maybe about fifty pounds each. He stepped towards Yao and tied the weights around his wrist. "The weights represent something I hope to instill in your during your training: strength and discipline. You will need both to retrieve the arrow..." He paused and scanned them all with narrow, judging eyes. "And to pass your training. Now Yao, please retrieve the arrow."

Lanie frowned and watched Yao struggle to walk up to the wooden post. People around her chuckled as he wrapped his arms and legs around the post and managed to get three feet off the ground before falling flat on his ass. Everyone burst out laughing and even Lanie cracked a smile before Shang grabbed a clipboard and read off the next name, now starting in alphabetical order.

By the time Lanie got up there, no one had made it further than Yao had. "Come on troops. Use your discipline and strength," he called as Lanie tied the weights to her wrist. She looked up at the pole and tried to think of the best possible way to get up to the top. The weights really were heavy, and the wood was almost completely smooth; there were no notches to rely on.

"Hey, remember that lay low thing we talked about this morning?" Mushu called in her ear.

"You mentioned," she mumbled, sauntering up to the post.

"Well, it's either do that or sink down to these guy's level. Gain their trust," he suggested.

"You want me to fall on my ass?" she hissed, wrapping her arms around the post.

"Yep!"

Lanie took a deep breath and allowed herself five feet before "slipping" and falling to the ground, landing on her side. Shang shook his head as each person fell and he rubbed his face when the silk-suited man tsked behind him from his golf cart.
    "Clark, I don't need this from you," Shang hissed so quietly only Lanie heard it as she walked past them, rubbing her sore hip.

Clark's only response was a smirk and the clicking of his fingers on the tablet. Shang balled his hands into fists and watched as the last of the men failed to climb the pole before he placed the weights back into the box and told them to run back down to camp. The last one there would have to clean the showers which sent them all sprinting down the hill. Lanie sprinted ahead of all of them, relishing in the burn in her lungs and calves.

"I said blend in, not run ahead of the pack!" Mushu shouted but Lanie just laughed as she reached the center of camp where a long table was set up with water bottles. She grabbed one that was already sweating in the morning sun and started chugging.

"Mushu I was not going to clean those showers," she snapped, looking at Shang watching her from the other side of the clearing. She stared him down, wondering what kind of weaknesses he had that she could exploit. He crossed his arms and she took a sip of her water, keeping her eyes locked on his. His power complex for sure, she thought, turning away from him to face Linc who was attempting to flip his water bottle on Yao's flat head.