Down the Rabbit Hole - Part 8
Is Alice ready to give the carpenter's training another shot, or will she give it all up now before it's too late?
Part 8 - Learning
*** Maybe it really was just a dream after all. It had to have been. Cat wouldn't tell me his name, or would he? I decided to get up and head into the kitchen. Something smelled amazing. My stomach was growling so loud. I could have sworn it echoed down the hallway. As I turned the corner I saw Cat cooking something on the stove.
"I'm sorry." He told me.
"You're sorry for what?"
"Leaving you before you woke up. I wanted to have breakfast ready before you came out here."
"Oh, it's ok. Thank you." It wasn't a dream after all. His name is really Gabe. He really does look like a picture in a magazine. I wasn't sure what to think of it all. "Hey, Cat..."
"When we're alone, you can call me Gabe, Alice." He winked.
"That's just what I was going to ask you."
He served whatever he was cooking on our dishes and sat down next to me. It tasted so good. I felt like I was in a five star restaurant. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"
"Not sure." He laughed. "Are you ready to try again?"
I knew what he was referring to. He was asking about the Carpenter's training. I was ready. In fact, I wanted to go back. I felt like nothing could stop me today. "Absolutely."
We finished up not too long after and left for the Carpenter's house.
*** He was out in his front yard, just like the day before. "Welcome back, my dear. Are you ready to get started?"
"Yes."
"Good. We only have today."
"Wait, what?"
"We only have today."
"To get me ready to fight an army, we only have one day?!"
"Yes." He said confidently. "Listen. You don't need to be a ninja assassin. You just need to know what to look for and how to react quickly to it."
I took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Ok... Let's do this."
"I'm so glad to hear you say that!" He wrapped me up in practice gear. Off we went to the fields. We practiced for hours and hours on end. The carpenter shouted words in different orders to teach me how to respond quickly. After a while, he had his sparing partners come at me from all directions. I was to use the moves that were called out to knock them to the floor. "Right, upper, knee, head" he called. I followed the directions perfectly. He told me to watch what they were doing and know how to respond. Suddenly, as the sparring men were coming at me, the carpenter was silent. I assumed he wanted me to react on my own this time. As one of them threw his leg at my head, I took him out at the knee. The next tried sweeping my feet from under me. I jumped and kicked him in the chest, knocking him back. On it went until all of them were on the floor. "Stop... Well done, Alice."
"Thank you." I started to take apart my sparring gear.
"Hang on. We're not done. Don't take that of just yet. You have one more person to fight."
"You?"
"No, you'll be fighting Cat."
Gabe (I love that I know his real name!) walked out of the forest covered in sparring gear. He was ready to roll.
"But, I don't want to hurt him."
"You won't." Gabe told me with a wink.
Carpenter shouted "Ready? Go!"
Gabe was faster than the other guys. I couldn't figure out what he would do next like I could with them. He was back and forth in a blink. Before I knew it, I was on the ground. "Geez, now I know how your sparring partners feel, Carpenter."
The two guys laughed.
"That's it for now. You two need to spar whenever you have the chance. I don't care if it's 3 in the morning or 11 at night. Alice, you need the practice. Other than that, you both are free to leave or stay as you please."
"Are you ready to go?" Cat asked.
"Yeah. I'm kind of hungry too."
He laughed. "I'll cook."
"Not without my help."
"Sure... Thank you, Carpenter."
"You're welcome, Cat. Good luck, Alice."
"Thank you." That was it for the day. Gabe and I were headed back to the safe house in the jungle.
*** Nothing else really happened that day. Gabe cooked dinner that was amazing as usual. I didn't say much after we got back to the house, which bugged him as much as it bugs me when he's quiet. I was just tired. We went to bed right after dinner. We had a long journey ahead of us. We wouldn't make it all the way. He and I would have to stop at a safe house in-between this square and square seven, where we were headed. As I went to sleep, I wondered what we would say or do when there was no one else around. Would it be totally quiet? Would he talk more? I wasn't sure what would happen, but I know I definitely didn't expect what was thrown my way next...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Intro
*** I missed you guys! I've been writing a book for actual publishing, but it's different. I don't get to post each chapter and hear your awesome comments. I love them, especially the ones that give constructive criticism. That is extremely helpful. I love hearing what you all think. It gives some insight on what to write next. Don't forget to comment at the end of the chapter. I heart you all.
Special thanks to-
Ariamas, Hope, Jacky, Kamkam, Lasy, Heather, Mel, Tiadedos, and BEAUTY, for the amazing comments.
*** Maybe it really was just a dream after all. It had to have been. Cat wouldn't tell me his name, or would he? I decided to get up and head into the kitchen. Something smelled amazing. My stomach was growling so loud. I could have sworn it echoed down the hallway. As I turned the corner I saw Cat cooking something on the stove.
"I'm sorry." He told me.
"You're sorry for what?"
"Leaving you before you woke up. I wanted to have breakfast ready before you came out here."
"Oh, it's ok. Thank you." It wasn't a dream after all. His name is really Gabe. He really does look like a picture in a magazine. I wasn't sure what to think of it all. "Hey, Cat..."
"When we're alone, you can call me Gabe, Alice." He winked.
"That's just what I was going to ask you."
He served whatever he was cooking on our dishes and sat down next to me. It tasted so good. I felt like I was in a five star restaurant. "Where did you learn to cook like this?"
"Not sure." He laughed. "Are you ready to try again?"
I knew what he was referring to. He was asking about the Carpenter's training. I was ready. In fact, I wanted to go back. I felt like nothing could stop me today. "Absolutely."
We finished up not too long after and left for the Carpenter's house.
*** He was out in his front yard, just like the day before. "Welcome back, my dear. Are you ready to get started?"
"Yes."
"Good. We only have today."
"Wait, what?"
"We only have today."
"To get me ready to fight an army, we only have one day?!"
"Yes." He said confidently. "Listen. You don't need to be a ninja assassin. You just need to know what to look for and how to react quickly to it."
I took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Ok... Let's do this."
"I'm so glad to hear you say that!" He wrapped me up in practice gear. Off we went to the fields. We practiced for hours and hours on end. The carpenter shouted words in different orders to teach me how to respond quickly. After a while, he had his sparing partners come at me from all directions. I was to use the moves that were called out to knock them to the floor. "Right, upper, knee, head" he called. I followed the directions perfectly. He told me to watch what they were doing and know how to respond. Suddenly, as the sparring men were coming at me, the carpenter was silent. I assumed he wanted me to react on my own this time. As one of them threw his leg at my head, I took him out at the knee. The next tried sweeping my feet from under me. I jumped and kicked him in the chest, knocking him back. On it went until all of them were on the floor. "Stop... Well done, Alice."
"Thank you." I started to take apart my sparring gear.
"Hang on. We're not done. Don't take that of just yet. You have one more person to fight."
"You?"
"No, you'll be fighting Cat."
Gabe (I love that I know his real name!) walked out of the forest covered in sparring gear. He was ready to roll.
"But, I don't want to hurt him."
"You won't." Gabe told me with a wink.
Carpenter shouted "Ready? Go!"
Gabe was faster than the other guys. I couldn't figure out what he would do next like I could with them. He was back and forth in a blink. Before I knew it, I was on the ground. "Geez, now I know how your sparring partners feel, Carpenter."
The two guys laughed.
"That's it for now. You two need to spar whenever you have the chance. I don't care if it's 3 in the morning or 11 at night. Alice, you need the practice. Other than that, you both are free to leave or stay as you please."
"Are you ready to go?" Cat asked.
"Yeah. I'm kind of hungry too."
He laughed. "I'll cook."
"Not without my help."
"Sure... Thank you, Carpenter."
"You're welcome, Cat. Good luck, Alice."
"Thank you." That was it for the day. Gabe and I were headed back to the safe house in the jungle.
*** Nothing else really happened that day. Gabe cooked dinner that was amazing as usual. I didn't say much after we got back to the house, which bugged him as much as it bugs me when he's quiet. I was just tired. We went to bed right after dinner. We had a long journey ahead of us. We wouldn't make it all the way. He and I would have to stop at a safe house in-between this square and square seven, where we were headed. As I went to sleep, I wondered what we would say or do when there was no one else around. Would it be totally quiet? Would he talk more? I wasn't sure what would happen, but I know I definitely didn't expect what was thrown my way next...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Intro
*** I missed you guys! I've been writing a book for actual publishing, but it's different. I don't get to post each chapter and hear your awesome comments. I love them, especially the ones that give constructive criticism. That is extremely helpful. I love hearing what you all think. It gives some insight on what to write next. Don't forget to comment at the end of the chapter. I heart you all.
Special thanks to-
Ariamas, Hope, Jacky, Kamkam, Lasy, Heather, Mel, Tiadedos, and BEAUTY, for the amazing comments.
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