The Turn: Chapter Five

The Turn

Chapter Five

~Cornbread Etiquette~

Three Years before the Turn

The warning bell rang as Zara pulled up to the school. She hurriedly locked her bike and ran up the steps. Zara suddenly turned around back to her bike and grabbed the little doll sitting on her handlebars. Since she had woken up late, she had had no time to drop Shuppet off.

Zara ran through the hallways to her locker to get her books before going to class. She opened her locker and placed Shuppet on the top shelf. It sat there as Zara crammed books into her back pack. Zara slung the bag over her shoulder and slammed the locker shut.

“Hello.”

Zara jumped as she was putting the lock back on her locker. She glared at Chaud who was leaning against the locker to her right.

“You didn’t call me,” he said after a few seconds.

Zara rolled her eyes and started walking down the hallway, “It was practically midnight. I didn’t think you were up.”

“I was up doing calculus.”

“Are you going to turn in your homework this time?”

Chaud smiled. He kept up with Zara’s pace in easy strides, “Do we really need to go there?”

“You could have told me that you were a Galaxy.”

“Wow. I don’t go to class but at least I know enough to know that I am a human being and not a galaxy.”

Zara paused unsure if Chaud was talking sarcastically in the moment or literally in the way he felt at home. She shrugged it off when she glanced at the clock. There were two minutes left until the bell. Zara picked up the pace.

“Seriously though,” Chaud sped up to match her, “what do you think?”

“Can’t we talk about that later?”

Chaud sighed, “Fine. Is there anything I can do in the mean time?”

Frustrated, she said something to get rid of him, “I don’t know. We need a place to train don’t we? Find a place!”

“Roger!” Chaud fell behind.

His sudden disappearance surprised Zara. She briefly looked behind her and saw no sight of him. Without a second though, she ran into her classroom seconds before the bell rang. She sat in her seat as the teacher started roll call. Zara sat in her usual seat by the window at took a glimpse outside. She caught sight Chaud on the grounds below. He was walking away from the school. She watched him stop and turn around. He seemed to know she was watching him and smiled at her. He nodded before he continued walking.

“Zara Uzek,” the teacher called.

“Here,” Zara answered, eyes still staring where Chaud had disappeared to.

“Now if we can begin…” the teacher’s voice went on.

Zara sighed and looked away. This was going to be an interesting two weeks.

IOIOIOIOIOI

“I found a place,” Chaud stated as he arrived at the lunch table. Surprisingly, he was late.

Deontay looked up from his chili, “Really?”

“Already?” Zara asked with mild shock.

“Yeah, already,” Chaud looked at her sarcastically, “You do realize we have less than two weeks right?”

“Yeah,” Zara said with equal sarcasm, “Did you know we are supposed to stay on school property during school hours?”

“Yes,” Chaud said even more sarcastically, “as a matter of fact, I did.”

Zara opened her mouth when Deontay raised a hand, “You don’t want to do that. He wins every time. The only way to win is to make him think he’s won when you really won. Believe me; I’ve been working on it for months.”

Zara looked at him, “Have you worked on a solution yet?”

Deontay shook his head, “Nope. I’ll get back to you when I do.”

“See, that’s what I don’t get,” Zara looked at Chaud again, “You’re smart—”

“I know,” Chaud was taking a drink of water. He looked at the faces staring at him, “What? It’s true.”

Zara shook her head and continued, “I just don’t see why you don’t just go to school and make something of yourself.”

“All the good jobs are taken,” Chaud looked over at Naru’s uneaten cornbread, “You going to eat that?”

Naru shook his head. Chaud grabbed the piece and ate it in one bite. Vicky snickered at Zara’s disgusted look on her face. Hina looked at him with a ‘get one crumb on me and die’ look while Deontay, who seemed used to this behavior, casually finished off his meal. When he looked up he noticed everyone looking at Chaud. He looked over just as Chaud was practically chocking on the bread. His shoulders slumped.

“Man, how many times have I told you to not eat cornbread whole!? Every black person alive knows that!”

Zara rolled her eyes. This seemed like a recurring issue. Deontay started slapping Chaud’s back trying to clear the airway. Hina complained about Chaud’s eagerness to eat, saying that their father wouldn’t have ever allowed them to eat the way Chaud was eating now.

“Um, excuse me,” Vicky spoke up, gaining Zara’s attention, “Do you know where we will be meeting?”

Zara shook her head. That information was stuck inside Chaud’s throat. Chaud was getting a little blue around the edges. Hina looked like she had had enough and slapped Chaud in the back herself using her powers. A purple flash appeared as she hit him. The force was enough to get the cornbread out. And in was enough to send pieces of cornbread across the table where Zara was sitting. Surprised and disgusted, Zara flailed her arms.

“Gross!” she was at the point of gagging, “I think some went in my mouth!”

“What was your mouth doing open?” Chaud asked when he could speak.

Zara stared at him a moment, “Are you saying that it was my fault for getting sprayed by food?”

“Well—” Chaud started.

“No!” Zara grabbed the closest napkin and wiped her face and clothes. It was dead silent at the table until she finished, “Okay, where are we meeting, Chaud? Let’s get that out of the way and call it a day, alright?”

“It’s at the old Native Shrine, get there ASAP after school. Oh, and bring your weapons,” Chaud said but his eyes weren’t on her, they were on the nearby piece of unsuspecting cornbread on her tray.

As he reached for it, Zara grabbed it and stuffed it in her mouth. For a moment she enjoyed the distraught look on Chaud’s face. But then, she couldn’t breathe. Deontay sighed loudly.

“I correct myself; almost every black person knows you don’t swallow corn bread whole.”

Naru pulled out a water bottle and handed it to her. As she was drinking, Vicky thought that she would be useful and slapped her on the back. Water and wet cornbread got all over Chaud. Zara couldn’t help but smile.

“Gross,” Chaud muttered.

IOIOIOIOIOI

Zara biked to the other side of town after school. After biking to a bus stop, she boarded a bus that took them along the ocean. There were two ‘native’ shrines on the Island. One was a newer one that was built as compensation for the new foreigners that were settling on the Island and another one, the one that she was going to, that was built long ago by the original settlers.

Shuppet looked out the window toward the ocean as they left the big city behind. Zara frequently looked at the slip of paper that she printed out with directions on it to make sure she was headed in the right direction. There was one road with room for only one car or bus.

The bus finally stopped and Zara stepped off via the back left. She stood at an old wooden bus stop shelter as the bus pulled away. The bus kicked up dirt from the gravel on the road. Zara coughed as she squinted ahead of her through the smoke and dust. There was a well beaten grass path that wound its way through the thick forest. A green lantern hung on a red post near the entrance.

Zara took a quick look to her right to see if she could see any trace of the city, she couldn’t. She kept forgetting how big the Island was with is mountains, deserts, forests, plains, and canyons. The bus ride alone took almost forty-five minutes. With a sigh, she straightened her backpack, tucked Shuppet under one arm and crossed the street.

She followed the green lanterns as she walked. They were at regular intervals and at curves and bends in the road. There was a crushing waterfall. She and Shuppet stopped on a faded red bridge to watch for a few moments. Soon though, she was on her way again.

Zara continued walking and just when she was about to give up and go home she found herself in a clearing. She looked at shrine. It hand stone steps leading up to the shrine itself. Large round wooden columns held up the ceiling. The wood was a rich brown as if the wood were cut the day before. There looked to be at least three floors. The wild grass in the clearing was cut short. Piles of stones dotted the landscape. Flowers sprouted here and there. Butterflies and bees flew around as Zara made her way to the large open entrance.

The inside was large a welcoming, at least half the first floor was open space to welcome guests. The floors were smooth and waxed; a modern invention. Freshly picked flowers that hung from class vases on a small wooden podium alternated with an old piece of paintwork on old paper. Across from the doorway were black plaques that read the names of those who were currently staying. Zara took a step over the threshold to take a closer look.

“Please take off your shoes,” a voice requested.

Zara stopped and saw a man in a corner with a broom in his hands. He was sweeping away at a stubborn cobweb and didn’t look up once when he spoke. He wore a large black robe. Around his waist was a black sash, a sword’s sheath hung from the sash. His black hair fell to his shoulders and no longer. He stopped his sweeping suddenly and looked at her. Zara quickly slid off her shoes.

“Place them outside, please,” he said as if he were incredibly board.

Zara did so. The man looked like he was in his early forties but was fit and very healthy. He took the broom and walked across the room, barely giving her a second glance. Zara walked back in barefoot. She was about to ask him where Chaud was.

“He’ll be in in a minute,” the man said before she had a chance to speak, “Have a seat.”

Since there were no chairs, Zara assumed he meant she should sit on the floor. She placed her weapons and bag down and placed Shuppet comfortably on the floor by the wall. Then she sat in the middle of the room and waited. She watched the man ignore her and carry on with his chores. This carried on for an agonizing five minutes.

“Hey!” Chaud walked out of one of the adjoining rooms, “I see you’ve met Crow. He isn’t much of a chatty type.” He said the latter as a side comment.

Crow grunted silently signaling that he heard the comment and disapproved. Zara stood up. Chaud was grinning so wide that Zara started to feel uneasy. He shifted uneasily as if he were hiding a really good secret that he wanted you to ask about. Zara eyed him skeptically.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why he’s here?” Chaud hinted.

“No,” Zara flatly stated. The man seemed to hide a small smile.

“Aww! Come on! Ask me!” Chaud pleaded.

Zara crossed her arms, “If you want to tell me so bad then tell me!”

“Fine! You will be so proud!” Chaud’s grin unbelievably got bigger. Zara stood there expecting him to say something, “Crow is willing to train us!”

“We don’t need training,” Zara sighed, “That is why you go to school, to train!” train

“Yeah, but its mass training. The teachers don’t care if you make a tiny mistake each time but it’s those tiny mistakes that win or loss battles. That is what Crow is going to help us with the first week.”

“And the second week?” Zara still wasn’t sure she liked this idea. There was already a lot on her plate; dealing with Chaud was one of them.

“Then we start team training,” the victorious smile was still on his lips, “I am so good. Told you I can take care of the details.”  Chaud saw the skeptical look on her face, “Fine let’s just try it out for one day and then make your decision. Besides I kind of paid him for the day already.”

Zara raised an eye brow, “Really? How much?”

Chaud shrugged, “5,000.”

“5,000!?”

Chaud answered nonchalant, “Yeah, its pocket change. It’s what happens when you’re the rejected kid of a rich family and gets in trouble a lot and saves every check your parents throw your way for good behavior. So yeah, no biggie.”

Zara shook her head. A shadow moved over the door.

“For Pete’s sake! Take off you freaking shoes! Kids nowadays!”