My Living Nightmare

“Good morning, Alex,” an annoyingly perky voice called out, waking me from my peaceful slumber. I moaned and buried my head further into my pillow.

The next thing I felt was my entire bed shaking. Someone was jumping on my bed.

“Rise and shine, Alex, it’s a beautiful day out!”

Why wouldn’t that voice just shut up?!

“Shut up voice or I’ll eat you! And quit shaking my bed!” I threatened, my mind still befuddled with sleep.

The bed stopped shaking, and the voice quieted down. Just as I was on the edge of falling back into sleep a terrible sound reached my ears and pierced at my skull.

Hollywood heiresses who can’t sing shouldn’t record with record labels for the sake those who were born with good music taste and sensitive ears.

“Turn if off!” I screamed, jumping out of bed and seeing an evil-looking Tory standing next to my stereo, remote in hand. She switched it off and grinned.

“Morning,” she said brightly.

I shook my head of morning hair, muttering.

“I can’t even sleep peacefully! This is the third time this week. First Camille, then Sapphire, and now you! This world is seriously corrupted! Everyone’s turned against me! If butterflies ruled the world everything would be so much easier! They would see-” my rant was cut off as I slammed my bathroom door shut and locked both doors. I picked up my toothbrush.

“Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning,” Tory commented as we walked down the stairs to the kitchen for breakfast.

“No, someone was awoken by an evil minx playing noise at eight in the morning,” I mumbled. I refused to acknowledge that as music.

“Normally I’d wake up Sean, but he was already awake, unlike you, and I thought you earned it.”

“Wow, I’m feel so honored,” I said sarcastically.

“You should,” she said.

Wait, did she just beat me at my own game?

She’s good, she’s really good.

“Morning, Jamie,” I said as we walked into the kitchen, blatantly ignoring Sean, who was sitting at the island eating a bowl of muesli.

“Mmph,” Jamie said through a mouthful of cereal, his jet black hair sticking up in all directions.

“Eww, don’t talk with food in your mouth!” Tory exclaimed.

“Whatever Tore, whatever.”

Tory went to the cupboard and took out two bowls and a box of cornflakes, and then she got out two spoons. I went to the fridge and took out a carton of milk.

“So what’s on the agenda for today?” I asked as I poured some cornflakes and milk into my bowl.

“Well, our karate instructor comes at ten during the summer, and it’s a two hour class. Do you have your gi here or do you want to borrow one of mine?” Tory asked.

That’s right; she had said that the instructor came around every Wednesday. Wow, I had really lost track of time.

“No, it’s fine, I packed it in complete with the mitts and belt.” It was one of the sets of clothes Camille had left out. Luckily I had noticed and packed it in.

“Wait, you do karate too? Cool. What belt are you?” Jamie asked.

“You’ll see,” I said, rolling my eyes at the question that always seemed to be asked.

“She’s probably a white belt or something,” Sean said patronizingly.

Erm, who asked him?

I glared daggers at him, aimed straight at his heart as usual, but I didn’t give him the satisfaction of replying to his jibe.

“Shut up, Sean,” Tory said in my defense.

I ate quickly, and then placed my bowl and spoon in the dishwasher.

“I’ll meet you guys in the gym, okay?” I said, running out of the kitchen and back up the stairs, but not before taking a bottle of distilled water out of the fridge.

I ran up to the third landing and into my bedroom. I immediately went to my closet and took my gi off from the rack.

I slipped my white gi pants on and slid it up. Then, after switching my regular bra for black sports bra, I slid my arms into my gi top. Tying it at the sides I made sure the left side was on top, with my Karate badge directly over my heart. I smoothed out the wrinkles while looking in the floor length mirror.

I picked up my belt from the dressing table and halved it, then tied it around my waist. I put a black hoody over the top.

I swung my bag with my pair of mitts, a hand towel and the bottle of water I had swiped from the kitchen onto my back before proceeding up to the gym.

“Look who finally decided to join us,” Sean said as I walked through the gym doors.

He’s looking all hot and fine in his gi.

You again! Why can’t you leave me alone?

I’m merciless!

I have noticed!

“Oh, quit being a jerk Sean, it’s not even ten yet. Alex, you can put your bag over here,” Tory said, leading me over to a silver locker. She was silent for a moment and I suddenly knew what was coming. “I don’t know what’s up with Sean, he’s never this rude.”

“You don’t have to make excuses for your brother, Tory,” I said, putting my bag inside and taking off my hoody.

“I’m not making excuses, Alex; he’s really never acted this way before. Maybe he’s going through a phase or something,” she said.

“Yeah, and maybe I have a tattoo of George Bush on my butt,” I said, sardonically.

Just then the double doors opened and Jamie walked in, followed by a middle aged man. He was tall and well-built, with red hair and held a boyish charm even though he looked stern. He was wearing a gi with black gi top and white pants like all Sensei’s wear. Or at least the ones that I knew, anyway.
“Morning, kids, line up please,” he said in a cheery voice, which was a real contradiction to what I first thought of him. Just goes to show, you really couldn’t judge a book by its cover.

We lined up according to the grade order.

Unfortunately.

First was Jamie, then Sean, me and then Tory.

We stood facing the instructor, whose name I had yet to learn.

“Sensei rei,” Jamie said.

He bowed towards the karate instructor. We all mirrored his movements and waited.

“Students rei,” said the instructor.

We bowed to our partners, and then fell back into our previous positions.
We stood up.

“I don’t believe we’ve met, young lady. I’m Sensei Brian,” he said to me, smiling lightly.

“Alexandria,” I said, returning the smile.

He nodded and then turned to Sean.

“Sean, take warm ups,” Sensei Brian said.

“Take a run,” Sean began.

An half an hour later he called us back. We were all sweaty and hot. Sean had us run around for a good ten minutes, then do sit-ups and push-ups, jack knives and squats, and then, finally, stretches.

“All warmed up?” Sensei Brian asked.

I snorted. Wasn’t it obvious?

“Okay, we’ll start with the combination kicks. Mae geri, mawashi geri, side thrust and ushiro geri. Jamie, show us,” he went on.

Jamie did it, almost perfect, but not quite.

“Okay, who can tell me what he did wrong?”

No one answered, so I raised my hand.

“Yes, Alexandria?”

“In the front kick he got his foot movement all wrong; his toes were pointing in the wrong direction; up. It’s the balls of his feet that was supposed to be facing forward, because when your toes are pointing up all the force and energy goes up, instead of where you want it to go,” I said.

“Correct. Now, as Alexandria has just explained, when your toes are facing up all the force you’ve been building goes up, and this lowers the effect you want your opponent to receive. James, I’ve been telling you this for years now; work on it. I want you all to spread out and practice those four kicks.”

I moved off into a corner, away from everyone else. I practiced the kicks; mae geri (also known as front kicks), mawashi geri (also known as roundhouse kicks), side thrust, and ushiro geri (which was also known as the back kick).

I didn’t actually have a problem with the kicks, but there was a noticeable difference between the quality of the kicks with my right leg and the kicks of my left leg.

“You’ve got a good technique, Alexandria; though you seem to favor your right leg.” someone said from behind me. It was Sensei Brian.

I grinned.

“Never been able to fix that,” I said.

“Then we’ll have to work on that… I tell you what, since this is your first class with me you get to decide what Semi Free to do next, kumite or randori?”

“Kumite,” I said immediately.

“Kumite it is, then. Alright people, get your mitts on and partner up.”

I got my red mitts out of the locker then put it on, closing the Velcro straps securely. I partnered with Tory, and Jamie with Sean.

“No, think we should make a change here, to even up the disadvantage.”

What disadvantage? And why does that not sound good?

“Jamie, you swap with Alexandria.”

Holy crap…

“But, Sensei-” Sean started, sounding annoyed.

That pissed me off.

“But, Sensei nothing. Now get in your place. Okay, guys, remember, control. I don’t want you guys hurting each other.”

Sean nodded sulkily and moved.

“Okay, ready?” Sensei asked.

We faced each other, me trying to find anyplace else to look but at his face. And failing to find that spot.

“Bow,” Sensei instructed.

We bowed.

“Begin.”

Immediately we started circling each other, maintaining a certain distance between us. We moved around, slowly, yet precisely. Then I swung into a roundhouse kick, aimed at his head. Regrettably, I didn’t hold much of an advantage over him, and he ducked in time, my foot missing his head by a hair’s breath. Without delay I moved into my next attack, faking to the face and catching him in the chest with a chest punch. He grunted but shook it off and defended at once with a side thrust to my solar plexus. It had enough force to knock me off my feet.

And ouch, it really hurt.

I heard Sensei Brian call out.

“Sean, control!”

He didn’t even acknowledge him; he was too far gone, we were both much too far gone. But there was something in Sean’s eyes… Worry? No, I was just seeing things.

Just as he came forward to land a face punch I hooked my right leg behind his knees and swept him off his feet, jumping up quickly. He rolled over before I could get a good kick to the groin and was on his feet in no time at all. I moved back, giving myself just enough room to attempt another roundhouse kick, but Sean moved too quickly, clearing away before I had a chance to even try. I moved to the side, dummying a stone strike. Unfortunately for me he caught hold of my hand and used my own momentum against me, throwing me up into the air. I heard a collective intake of breath, but I ignored it, managing to turn the throw into a perfect front flip. Barely giving me time to get back on my feet, he came at me again, this time with an uraken, and then a reverse punch, all in quick succession. I dodged the uraken, but got hit with the reverse punch in the shoulder. I moved my arm back, absorbing the punch and instantly shot back with one of my own. He blocked it with an opened hand block and grabbed hold of my hand.

And that was his mistake.

I flexed my arm, pulling him towards me and kneed him in the groin. Hard. Very, very hard.

He fell to the ground, grunting in agony.

“I win,” I said, smirking.