Learning to run(1)

In the days to follow we tried to find out the location of a dojo. It took us an entire week to find the location of a potential dojo. The bad news was that they changed locations every few months so if we want to start training we need to hurry. The only problems were how to approach the people there and how to get out of the house at night to go there.

It was pretty weird for a couple of twelve-year-olds to go alone there so we needed a way to make it less awkward and to decrease the chances of them rejecting teaching us. The four of us wracked our brains in order to come up with a solution. In the end, going with the truth was the best choice, we were going to say that we want to learn to defend ourselves from the oppressive benders and if it came down to it I would just spout some bullshit about the fact that my parents were killed by benders before I even knew them, but I would prefer to avoid that.

About the last problem, well we didn't come with anything concrete, we didn't have a good excuse to go out at night so we needed to sneak out which could prove to be challenging, but after more thinking it wasn't that big of a problem, Zanes and Nyas parents worked at night so if they came back before dawn it was no problem, Kai had only his father and he usually came exhausted after work, and went to sleep immediately after dinner and his sleep was very profound so there is no problem there. I had it the hardest because the floors at home were old and would squeak so loud that they could wake up Noami so I would have to go out and come in through the window.

After we finished the preparation we waited for night to come and see if they were in vain or not.

It was about eleven pm and I was standing on my bed looking at the ceiling, approached the door, and held my breath. Hearing light snoring I almost jumped from happiness. I quietly approached the window and I slowly open it. I can feel the night-summer breeze on my face, my excitement grew. I look at the street and then at the other house to see if there is anybody there. I see nobody. I step out on the roof of the shop as stealthily as I can and drop down. I look around me to see if anybody noticed something. There were no movements so I continued to the spot where I would meet my friends. It was a fair bit away from here so I needed to hurry. I started to lightly jog and ten minutes later I was under a statue of an earth bender with three individuals wearing rags. Those individuals were Kai, Nya, and Zane.

Before we went home in the evening, I told them to dress in sports clothes and put over them a layer of old clothes and dirty them a little so they look like homeless people and attract less suspicion on the street at night.

We made our way to the warehouse district and started to search for the appropriate one. After about 15 minutes we found it. There was a person at the door that I instantly recognized.

'Isn't he Amon's second in command?! Wait this is perfect! If I can convince him to teach us I'm set.'

"Guys let me do the talking."

They look at me and nod, they didn't think it would be this scary to come to learn martial arts.

"Hello, mister!"

"Who are you?" He said while looking at me frowning.

"I'm Ethan. Mister, are you part of the Equalists?"

"Why are you asking kid?"

"Well, I want to learn to defend my family and friends from those nasty triads. I want to stop being afraid when a bender threatens. I want to be able to fight back those that oppress us."

He looks at me, I could see his eyes getting bigger. I smirked in my mind.

'Didn't see that coming did you!'

"Ok kid, you have a nice dream and all, but what does this have to do with the Equalists"

"Well, mister I heard that the Equalists have the same dream I have and they are willing to teach people how to achieve that dream."

"How old are you kid?"

"I'm thirteen mister."

"And your friends?"

"Thirteen as well."

"You asked me if I'm an Equalist and the answer is yes now go home kid and take your friends with you."

"I don't think I'm going to do that mister." I say that while I sat down on the cold concrete. "It took us a great deal of effort to get here and I'm not going anywhere." My friends do the same after I say this.

He looks at me and sighs. "This is no place for kids, you can get hurt bad here if you're not careful."

"I know that mister and I'm a little afraid but I also know that without this I'm going to get hurt more in the future, my friends are going to get hurt, my family is going to get hurt if I don't learn to fight now."

He looks in the distance with melancholy and regret in his eyes and then he looked at us.

"Ok kids, I'm going to give you a chance if you start to complain you're out, if you can't keep up you're out, if I'm not satisfied with what you do you're out."

"A chance is all we need mister."

"Kid, from now on you'll call me Master Wu."

"Yes, Master Wu." We respond together.