The American Ninja

Chapter One

          "Hello?" I croaked into the phone. Who was calling at four-fifteen in the morning?

          "Hello, is this Gemma Karr?" The voice asked, deep, gruff, and husky.

          "Uh, yeah. Who is this?"

          "Are you alone?" The voice asked. Okay, I thought, Now, I am scared!

          "Uh, who is this?" I ask again.

          "Are you alone? Yes or no? Don't make me lose my patients!" He hissed. What patients? I thought bitterly.

          "Yes, I am alone."

          "Good. I am Agent Carson Wiggs of---"

          I burst out laughing after I hear his last name, "What," I ask in between giggles, "Are you bald?" I wipe away a tear from laughing so hard.

          "Shut up and let me talk." He grumbles. "I am Agent Carson Wiggs of the United States government---this is classified information so do not repeat it---we are looking to recruit you, Gemma, for the ANTP."

          "ANTP? Is this a prank call? Why would the government want me, a seventeen-year-old girl?" I say.

          "ANTP; American Ninja Training Program. No, this is not a prank call. The government is looking for seventeen year olds who are months from eighteen to recruit. You, and your martial arts backround, have, uh, kind of come up as a good investment in the program." He says. My jaw drops, this is soooooo a prank call.

          "Look, this was nice, buuuuuttttt, I have better things to do than listen to prank calls all freaking day! Bye!" I slam my phone down, as I do so, I hear him scream "Wait!"

          No, I won't wait! Gemma Karr waits for no one! Especially not low life prank callers, who have nothing better to do than mess with people over the phone lines.

          I rubbed my tired eyes and yawned. Get a life, loser! I wanted to scream at myself. I was so weird, so different from all of my classmates. Why couldn't I just fit in? Now that it appears I am on someones prank call list won't help. Get your act together, Gemma! I slap myself in the face as I crawl into bed.

          School starts in two days, and I was not happy about that. I started school a year late so, I was always a year older than the rest of my grade. In October I will be eighteen. That's two months from now.

          "Whatever," I yawn, "I'll make these last few days of summer count." With those words, I fall asleep.

~~~

          "Gemma?" I hear my mothers soft voice call. My eyes flutter open, mom is leaning over the bed, her brown hair falling over her face.

          "Yes?" I croak.

          "Someone is on the phone, he wants to talk to you. He says you hung up on him yesterday." Mom frowns. She hated just the slightest show of rudeness.

          "Fine," I huff, holding my hand out for the phone. She places it in my hand. "Now go away!" I say and shoo her out of my room. My face goes serious as I sit up.

          "Is this Carson Wiggs? The "Agent"?" I ask.

          For moments, there is only silence, then, "Yes, and don't hang up! If you do, this will be the last time I call!"