Kimberley and I don’t talk the way up. She sits looking out the window and not even turning her head to look at me. I hold my knees up to my chest feeling like a little girl being torn away from her home.
Kimberley jerks up suddenly and watches something go by. I put my feet back down on the ground and try to look over or around Kimberley’s head. I get a glimpse of the house for about five seconds before we drive through the forest to get to it.
Logan stops at metal gates with lasers going over top of them. Forest surrounded us and we were halfway up the hill on paced road. A keypad came up on the driver’s side coming up close to Logan so he could type on it. “Password please.” A speaker says on the wall. Logan typed on the keyboard then pressed enter.
“Password accepted.” The keypad went back into its hole in the wall then the gates slid open and the lasers turn off. Logan drives the car up the rest of the hill which seems like ages when he finally stops in front of the house. It’s huge. A mansion to be exact.
Kimberley, Logan and I step out of the car onto the paved, circle driveway circling a fountain of water. An arch way led to the back and a bridge was on top connecting the two parts of the house. Kimberley and I look up at the house and are in aghast. It is beautiful and, big.
“Hey, between the two of you, both of you have more than ten bags.” Logan says adjusting one of the three bags he has in his hands. “I could use your assistance.” I’ll miss that about him being sarcastic, but completely serious. I grin and grab two bags out of the trunk. Kimberley then takes three and we follow Logan around the front of the house. It faces the Platinum hill and the lodge. It feels so far away from up here.
Logan rings the doorbell and a man cracks it open. He’s shorter than Logan but taller than Kimberley and I. He has dark skin but has white hair on the top of his head and prickly for his white beard. He wears a plaid black shirt with tan cargo pants and a cowboy hat. He looks about in his sixties or early seventies.
“Jamahoro, so great to see you!” Logan greets him with a smile. “How are you?”
“Living,” the man says weakly. His voice cracked and ragged, like an old man’s would be. Wrinkles sag under his eyes and his forehead. “Come in.” I watch him as he gestures us inside and turns around. I begin to gasp but catch myself at the sight of his right leg. It was gone. He walks with a metal bionic leg. Gel was over it to make sure all the metal pieces stay intact but you can see through it. A bunch of little contraptions were moving around making him walk. I feel little woozy about following him now, but Kimberley gives me a nudge and that makes me move.
Once we step in the house stairs made a crescent shape around a table with two chairs and a vase of flowers in the middle of the small table. The stairs go up each way ending up together in the middle then going straight the rest of the way up. White railings line the stairs with red carpeting. On one side of the house there lies the living room with the biggest TV I’ve ever seen. It is hanging on top of the mantle above a fire place.
There is also windows that touch the ground. Around another wall more house there is to be discovered. Around the back of the stairs is a small sitting room with another TV on the wall. A small couch is facing it with two chairs on either side of it, a coffee table is in the middle. My best guess is if you keep going around to the other side the kitchen would be there. I’m sure the house is bigger than this but I’ll need to explore it afterward.
Jamahoro sits down on one of the big chairs in the living room. A coffee table was also in the middle of the room. On it lies some books, magazines, papers and in the middle some more flowers. A chandelier hangs from the ceiling and another one follows it a few feet away.
Jamahoro gestures for us to sit down by waving his hand towards the brown couch. Decorative pillows were lining the cushions. I sit by the corner and Kimberley took the end. Logan takes a seat next to Jamahoro in another big seat. Silence is pretty much that over takes the room for a few minutes. I can tell Jamahoro is studying us. His eyes move up and down looking from our head to feet.
I see out of the corner of my eye Kimberley is studying him as well, of course. Every new person she meets she studies them making sure they wouldn’t hurt her or try to hurt anyone she knew. Let’s just say she didn’t watch Drake very well. Her nose was crinkling a little and her head is slightly moving up and down.
Jamahoro soon puts his hand under his chin leaning back in his chair. “These are the two apprentices you brought me?” He turns to Logan. “They’re barley sixteen.”
“So, what does sixteen have to do with anything?” I ask.
Logan sighs, “Jamahoro, they have the skills of sixteen year olds. They’re strong, brave, loyal, quick and smart.”
“They are also cocky, stubborn, won’t listen, and believe they are always right.” Kimberley growls under her breath at that comment. Jamahoro turns to us and sees Kimberley narrowing her eyes at him in disgust. “At least when they’re sixteen they listen. They are too young to start the training. Especially that one.” He points his broad but boney figure at me. “How old is she ten?”
“Twelve!” Kimberley spats standing up, “You have no right to talk to us that way. We are human beings as well!”
“No, your children.” He turns back to Logan, “Bring them back when they’re sixteen.”
“Please Jamahoro. You said you would train them.” Logan begs.
“That was before I figure out they aren’t sixteen. They are just children. I don’t train children.” Jamahoro spits. He crosses his arms and the room falls silent for a moment.
“You trained Luka.” Logan finally says. I see Jamahoro blink and the hatred and anger that was on his face vanishes.
“That was long ago. It was a mistake as well.”
“She was younger than them, and you took her in and trained to her to be a soldier.”
“Yeah, and look where that got her. She’s dead now. What do you think makes these two so special they have to train with me?”
Logan is silent. He doesn’t know. We’re not special, we never were. Logan looks down of to the side thinking. Jamahoro is waiting for an answer.
Suddenly I feel movement. Kimberley stands up and stares Jamahoro straight in the eye. “We are special because we survived from our own mother’s murder, by our father. We are special because I fought for the first time with somebody who was more qualified than me in fighting and I won. We are special because Ronnie also beat that person.” She walks towards Jamahoro and leans down so she is at his level. “The real question is what makes you so special that Logan needs you to train us?”
Logan looks shocked by the speech Kimberley just made. Jamahoro, though, looks amused and chuckles. I am a little surprised as well but get up and walk beside Kimberley crossing my arms. Jamahoro then shrugs. “So . . .”
Kimberley straightens up and turns her head to a skinny vase full of flowers on a table by the wall. It is a couple feet away. She nods her head over to it, “Is that vase valuable?”
Logan and Jamahoro both turns their heads to where she was looking at. “No,” Jamahoro says. Suddenly Kimberley rips out a knife from her boot and throws it towards the vase. It splits the vase in half and send water flying everywhere. The flowers fall to the ground along with the broken pieces of the vase.
Kimberley heaves a sigh in accomplishment then turns to Jamahoro. He looks at the knife pinned against the wall. “Great, you just killed at vase. But what about her.” He nods his head towards me. I step forward not afraid. “Show me what you can do.”
I look at Kimberley. I need a knife. She understands but rolls her eyes as she reaches for her other knife in her other boot. She flips it up to me and I grab it with my fist. I look around for any target, and find one. The house has two wooden pillars in the middle, holding the ceiling up, with one of the wood designs making a small circle. I sigh pinpoint the direction, and targetthen throw my knife as hard as I can, making the blade pierce the circle design. I sigh in relief.
I look up at Kimberley. Her face shows the signs of surprised and shocked. She gives me a small thumbs up. I sigh and turn to Jamahoro. He nods and turns to us. “Well, you both have proven you are something special.”
“Does that mean you’ll train us?” I ask eagerly jumping in front of him. Kimberley settles me down by putting a hand on my shoulder. I stop immediately realizing how childish I must be sounding. Jamahoro stands up as well as Logan. Jamahoro turns to him and grins. “I’m not making any promises. Let’s see how you both do for your first month. If I can stand you then I will give you my word to train you.”
“But will you train us during this month?” Kimberley asks.
“Yes, but not permanently. Let us just see how your first month goes. So far, I am seeing some promise.” He smiles at us. I grin enthusiastically. Kimberley just grins and nods her head. I roll my eyes. She never seems happy about anything anymore. I can’t remember the last time she was really happy about anything. Maybe when we found our cousins, or when Logan became our mentor. Or when she finally beat Logan in training.
“Thank you Jamahoro-” Kimberley says.
“Call me Jama.”
“I’ll go get the rest of your stuff from the car.” Logan says walking back out the door. Then we were left alone with Jama. I feel uneasy with just him and Kimberley with me, but I’ll soon have to get used to that.
“One thing you two must know is that Daisy, my maid cleans the bedrooms every Wednesday and the house every weekend. The cook is named Kathy. She is an excellent baker and if you are ever hungry go to her. She’ll probably have something for you.”
We both nod in understanding. Logan comes back in carrying three more bags. “There is still some more, give me a second.” He says.
“How many bags do we have?” Kimberley asks walking over to the bags that were already by the wall.
“Well we had to provide some weapons for you two. They’re in one of these bags.” He drops the bags on the hardwood floor. “Almost done.” He walks back out the door to collect the rest of the bags. I sigh and twiddle my fingers nervous about what else to talk about with Jama. I shouldn’t be. After all, I’ll have to be living with him for a month, if not longer.
When Logan brings in all of the bags he wipes his hands together showing he’s done. “Alright, well I think it’s best if I get going.” He stares at both of us. He is trying so hard to hold the tears back but some start to come out. He wipes them away quickly but holds out open arms.
I don’t resist the urge to hold back and run into his arms crying like I did when I was little. I cry like a little girl. I don’t want him to leave us but I know how much he wants this for us. I know he’s doing what’s best for us. I expect to feel Kimberley’s body come up next to mine but nothing comes. I turn my head looking at her. Logan lifts up his head looking at her too.
She stands there, next to Jama. Arms crossed and leaning on her right foot. Her face shows no sign of regret or sadness. It shows anger and stubbornness. I back away from Logan and allow her to give Logan a hug, but she doesn’t.
“Bye Logan.” She just says shrugging her shoulders. “Say high to everyone back at the Lodge for us. I hope I don’t die before we can see you again.”
I wait for the moment when he’s supposed to snap at her but there is no look of anger or shocked in his face. He just stares at her and she stares back. “Goodbye Kimberley, and don’t worry, you won’t. I have full confidence in you.” She shows no gratitude. Instead she lowers her eyelids.
Logan turns to Jama and half salutes half wave’s goodbye. “Thank you Jama. Keep them safe.”
“Don’t worry about them Logan, I think they know how to manage themselves.” Jama turns to us. I smile back at him but Kimberley just keeps her eyes on Logan, an icy glare.
“Ronnie, Kimberley I’ll see you later. I love you both.” He waves goodbye then shuts the door. We hear the car start and he drives off down the driveway again. I run to the window watching him go down the road towards the lodge. Kimberley is right. It does seem like a million miles away. I sit there for a moment looking at the lodge. Then go back to Jama and Kimberley.