"Are you alright?" Asher asked.
"Kash... is... here... I can feel him." She said.
"But there is no one here." Asher said.
She sighed. "Maybe I'm over reacting. Now, tell me why you hurt yourself like that?" She asked.
"Aren't you going to forget about this?" He asked.
"No." She answered.
"That's just what I do whenever I get pissed off." He answered.
"Well, stop doing that. It's scary!" She snapped and he smiled.
"So, what did you come here to do?" He asked.
"I'm here for you to train me, of course." She smiled.
"Is it lunch over already?"
"Yeah. It's our free period and I didn't want to waste it so I decided to come here." She answered.
"Alright," He stood up. "Grab a weapon you know will be light for you." He said.
He led her to the weapon stand and she looked around. She saw daggers, swords, slings, bows and arrows, etc. Cassie picked a sword and smiled. "This looks good. I bet that I'm gonna look better using it." She said and he chuckled.
"You aren't using any weapons yet, so drop it." He ordered.
"But, you asked me to choose a weapon." She whined.
"I was only trying to see which one you would choose and as expected, you chose the one greater than you." He chuckled.
"A sword can't be greater than me." She huffed.
"Okay, your highness," He bowed and she laughed. "So, let's begin, there are different types of martial arts," he began.
"We have the Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Krav Maga which put an emphasis on grappling, ground and pound, and submissions. Krav Maga also covers stand-up striking and weapon defense."
"Cool!" She exclaimed.
"Next is Muay Thai. It is a stand-up discipline from Thailand that emphasizes punches, kicks, elbows, and knees," He said and she nodded to signify that she was following. He continued, "Lastly, we have the
Wing Chun Kung Fu, Taekwondo, and Karate concentrate on stand-up striking, which includes punches and kicks."
"So, among all these that you've mentioned, which one can be used for self defense?" Cassie asked.
Asher smiled and answered, "You can use all martial arts for self-defense, but Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, and Krav Maga use the most practical tactics and concentrate less on ceremony and "set-up" scenarios."
"This is great. So, which one do you think would work better for me?" She asked.
"Think about your personality. If you don't like hugging people, for instance, you might not want to choose a martial art that focuses mainly on grappling. If you like using your hands, you might not choose one that involves kicking. It all comes back to you. You'll have to choose the one you're comfortable with." He said.
"So, if I choose Kung Fu, when am I gonna use the weapons?" She asked.
"When you're ready." Asher answered.
"Alright. Teach me then, I can't wait to kick the àsses of bad guys." She said and Asher bit his lip. He hoped that he wouldn't be a bad guy.
He gave her clothes to change into while he did same. After that, he began his lesson. She wasn't experienced so it was pretty hard but he tried to be patient.
Kash watched everything closely so as to make sure she doesn't fall or get hurt by mistake. He had turned invisible just to keep an eye on her, so she wouldn't think that he is being too clingy. Good thing she was the only one who could feel him. He had to admit, Asher was pretty a good teacher but... he could teach better. He smiled at the thought of him teaching Cassie. She was a good learner and listener too, so it shouldn't be that difficult, right?
"Let's stop here for today. You did great." Asher smiled and they did a high five.
"Thanks. You're a spectacular teacher." She said.
"I'm flattered." He winked and threw her a towel, which she used to wipe sweat away from her face.
"Alright, I'll see you later then. Bye." She smiled and left, heading for the ladies bathroom.
Immediately she left, Kash became visible.
"I must confess, that wasn't bad at all." He said.
Asher faced him. "So, you were here?" He asked.
"What do you think?" Kash smirked.
"Cassie was right. She did feel you." Asher said.
"It's normal for her to feel me. After all, I am part of her," Kash chuckled and turned invisible again. Asher turned but didn't see him. "Don't get scared, Asher. I'm leaving." Kash said and left.
"Damnit!" Asher exclaimed. "What did he mean by he is part of her?" Asher muttered to himself.
***
Cassie entered the bathroom and washed her face. She wiped it and came out, only to see Crystal.
"Gosh! Crystal, where have you been?" She asked.
"I've been around. I went to do a few things, that's why I came late." Crystal said with a smile.
"Oh! I thought you were... you know, avoiding me." Cassie said.
"Not at all. Why would I avoid you when I'm your first friend, huh?"
"I don't know... maybe you were scared of me because of what happened between I and Lily." Cassie said.
"Forget about that, Cassie. Lily deserved whatever she got from you. I'm just happy that I have a friend who is ready to defend me." Crystal replied.
"Really? You aren't scared of me?" She asked.
"Why would I be when you're my helper right now." Crystal said with a meaning attached to it and a smirk, but our naive Cassie didn't notice.
"Thanks. Let's get to class, we have Algebra!" Cassie smiled.
Crystal groaned. "Man I hate Algebra." She whined.
"It's not like we have a choice." She smiled and they left.
When they got to the class, Crystal met a guy on her seat resting his head. She looked at Cassie and Cassie smiled.
"He is the new guy that just resumed today. He has been keeping me company since you weren't around." Cassie said.
Crystal frowned a little. "A new guy?"
"Yeah. His name is Kash and he's cute." She answered.
Crystal laughed. "Hmm, cool." She tapped the desk and Kash who was meditating looked up. She almost stumbled backwards and her eyes widened.
Kash looked at Cassie.
"Hey, this is my friend, Crystal. She is the girl I told you about. Crystal, meet Kash." Cassie said, smiling at them.
Kash looked at Crystal and analyzed her from head to toe. He furrowed his eyebrows like he was trying to remember something before he smiled and stretched out his hands for a handshake. Crystal was still dumbstruck at the beauty in front of her. Cassie had to take her hand and placed it in Kash's hand before she returned to her senses.
"Nice to meet you, Crystal." He said and she smiled dreamily.
"Nice to meet you too, K... Kash, right?"
"Yeah," He answered and withdrew from the handshake. "Well, since your friend is here now, I guess I'll have to find a seat then." He said, and stood up, then picked up his school bag and flung it over his shoulder.
"Thanks for keeping me company." Cassie smiled.
"You're welcome." He smiled back and looked around to find an empty seat.
The students noticed that and an argument for who he would sit with ensued.
"Kash! Hottie! Come and sit with me."
"No! Sit with me. You'll enjoy my company."
"Pfft! He wouldn't sit with a weirdo like you."
"Neither is he gonna sit with a frèak like you."
"Let him sit with whoever he wants to sit with." Cassie cuts in and they all turned to look at her.
"She's right." Kash said and used his eyes to search for a seat. He found one at the centre. It was on same line as Cassie's so he decided to sit there.
When he sat down, the students started murmuring in dissatisfaction.
"Why must it be Diego?"
"He is so lucky to have Kash sit with him."
"Yeah and the worse part is that, Diego is an introvert."
Kash sat down close to Diego, a cute and pale looking guy who doesn't interact nor talk to anyone in class. He was a reserved kind of person but very smart and intelligent. When Kash sat down, Diego didn't move or act like a person sat close to him. Kash watched him closely before looking away. Disturbing the guy wouldn't look cool now.
Cassie waved at Kash and sat down with Crystal.
"Where in the world did you find such a hot guy?" Crystal asked and Cassie laughed.
***
After school that day, Cassie bade Kash and Asher goodbye before heading home.
*
She got home and met Aunt Maggie meditating in the living room. She used that opportunity to shower and put on home clothes. By the time she returned, Aunt Maggie was already done meditating.
"Good afternoon, Aunt." She greeted as she grabbed a fruit from a bowl.
"Welcome, sweetie. How was school today?" Aunt Maggie asked.
"School was amazing today! You told me that I was going to meet someone in school today, and I did. Aunt, his beauty is out of this world." She squealed happily.
"What's his name?" Aunt Maggie smiled and asked.
"Kash."
"That's him." Aunt Maggie said.
"Really? So why did you say that I can meet him?" Cassie asked.
"He's your guardian."