Renegade World: Future Past (6 page)

“Like what?”

“Like, why is Mr. Hyon a sixth-degree black belt now and
Mr. Schmidt is still a fifth-degree. Like, when did Rebeka Lee start working
for the Schmidts? Like, why won't Rebeka Lee or our parents tell us exactly
what they do at work?”

“I think I can answer your first question.  Mr. Hyon opened
up his studio right after he moved out here to teach criminal justice at the
college. I asked my dad once about requirements for advanced black belts, and
he said that in addition to techniques, forms, sparring, and breaking that you
had to teach classes. Obviously, Mr. Schmidt is too busy to teach on a regular
basis.”

Aaron rubbed his face and looked at the salt and grime that
came off onto his fingers. “I'm going to hit the showers too. See you at
practice tomorrow.”

Thor waved his goodbye to Aaron. “There better be some hot
water left,” he muttered as he walked away.

Aaron saw Naami wave to him as she and her dad drove past.
I see
where Naami gets her strength and explosiveness. I wonder if her mom is anything like Rebeka Lee.

L
eonardo, connect me with Naami, please.”
He and
Erica planned to practice archery at Rebeka Lee's later that day.

Hi, Aaron
, came the thought.
I'm glad to hear
from you.

Erica and I are going to Rebeka Lee's and—

Let me check with Camila to make sure she can bring me.
I think she can, but I need to ask.

Leonardo alerted Aaron that Naami was conferencing in
Camila. Aaron heard Naami asking Camila if she could drive her. The exchange
was in Spanish.

Mr. Aaron? Is this OK?

Yes, it’s OK.

Where is the archery range?

It’s about 12 miles from here. Naami has the location.
She can download it to your vehicle.

When?

One o’clock.

OK.

Camila dropped off the connection.
Naami, remember you’re
just going to watch.

I know. I know.

I'll see you later.
Leonardo dropped the connection
for Aaron.

A
t one o'clock, Rebeka Lee took a break from the report
she was working on and looked out her window.  She saw Erica and Aaron setting
up to shoot at her range as a black SUV came to a stop on the gravel driveway
near them.  Aaron waved at the SUV, and the passenger door opened.
Uh–oh! I
should have asked who when I said that they could bring a young friend to
watch. Naami will probably pester me non-stop to teach her, and she won't want
to hear that she's too young or not strong enough.  It’s amazing how persuasive
she can be. I'm definitely not going over there.

Before she went back to her report, she watched Naami greet
the two teens.
She might turn out to be as smart as her mother, but
s
he’s
so much more social than Anita. Anita still comes off as aloof and awkward, but she’s a lot better
than when we were kids. At least, she tries to make eye contact.
Though
five years younger than Anita, Rebeka Lee had been Anita’s closest childhood
friend.
Agamede, who was that doctor who treated her?

Dr. Shemesh.

N
aami watched Erica, then Aaron, and then Erica again.
Erica was a better shot than Aaron.
Abraham? Are they good?

I will check.

A few minutes went by while she continued to watch.
From
what I scanned, I think people would consider them very good.  I also found
several records of Rebeka Lee for contests that she won, including several of
the last state fair contests. Erica might have come in as high as third in some
of those contests, and Aaron would have been competitive.

How strong would I have to be to use their bows?

You would have to be able to pull 70 pounds. Even then,
I don't think you could use these bows right now because your arms are not long
enough. The draw length of this bow may be adjustable but not enough for you to
use it. Perhaps a smaller bow would work. I will check.

Aaron and Erica started walking down to the targets. Naami
ran after them.

“Thank you for being so quiet while we shot,” said Erica.
“Do you have any questions?”

“When did you start shooting, Erica?”

“When I was ten.”

“When did you start shooting, Aaron?”

“Just last year.”

“Oh, that explains why Erica's better than you.”

Erica smirked at Aaron. “Practice all you want, but you’ll
never beat me.”

Aaron shrugged. “Naami, you might be right, with more
practice, I might beat her.”

“Well, I'm going to be better than you and Erica… and
better than Rebeka Lee too!”

Aaron grinned at Erica. “I wouldn’t bet against Naami,
would you?”

She looked at Naami. “You’re going to have to work really
hard to beat me.”

“I already know how to work hard. My dad says I’m the
second most obsessive person he knows. When I want something, I don’t give up.”

Abraham interrupted.
There are small children's bows
that pull only ten to fifteen pounds that you could use, but I can't tell from
my scan whether they would be accurate at this distance. I suggest that you ask
Erica what bow she used when she started.

“Erica, what kind of bow did you use when you started?”

Erica looked at Aaron. They both guessed where Naami was
headed.  “I had a youth bow that pulled about eighteen pounds.”

“Do you still have it?”

“Yes, but even if you were strong enough to pull it, your
arms wouldn't be long enough to draw the string to the correct draw length.”

“How old would I need to be?”

“I think it will be at least two years, probably more.”

They started walking back and Aaron said, “Don't worry;
there are lots things you can do until then. You're starting Tae Kwon Do this
week, right?”

“Yes. Will you come watch me?” she pleaded to Aaron.

“If I can. When you know what class, invite me.”

“OK.”

Aaron and Erica set up to shoot again, and Naami stepped
back to watch.
Abraham, I want to shoot Erica's bow in a year. How can I make
sure that I'm strong enough?

I will research this.

Find out the draw length for a bow like Erica’s. I want
to know how much longer my arms need to be. I don’t want to wait a couple of
years.

She watched them shoot, and a few minutes later Abraham
came back.
You will mainly need strong triceps and shoulders. Strong core
muscles are good too.

Do you know what I would need to do to strengthen those areas?

You already work your core enough. The hanging leg
raises and bicycle crunches are good for your core. The yoga that you do with
your mom is good too.

I think that you also work your lats enough by doing all
those pull-ups and kips. The muscle-ups that you started doing after Aaron
showed you are good for the lats, shoulders, and triceps. Walking on your hands
also strengthens your shoulders.

Isn't there anything new I can do?

Well, you could borrow some of your mom's bungee cords
and some more of your dad’s dumbbells.

What would I do with them?

You could use the dumbbells to do lateral arm raises,
bent over arm raises, and military presses. You could use the bungee cords to do
reverse butterflies and rowing.

Show me later after I do my other exercises.

Noted. As far as draw length, there are many youth bows.
Why don’t you find out which bow Erica has, then I can estimate how far you are
from being able to draw it. Your draw will be about your wingspan divided by
two and one-half.

Aaron had missed the bullseye on his previous three shots. She
watched Erica take her turn. Her release hand seemed more relaxed than Aaron's.

Before his next turn, Naami yelled, “You should relax your
right hand more before you release the arrow.”

Erica stepped over to where she could better watch his
release. His shot was just low and left of the bullseye. “She's right you
know.”

Aaron stuck out his tongue at Naami as she giggled.

“Watch my right hand,” Erica said as she drew. She aimed
and released. The arrow struck dead center.

“Aaron tried to relax his right hand on his last two shots
of the day.” He got both of them into the center circle.

Naami said, “Thanks for letting me watch. Can I come again
sometime?”

“Sure,” said Aaron, and he laughed. “Maybe with you coaching,
I could be as good as Erica.”

She waved goodbye, ducked under the fence and walked up the
grassy incline to where Camila was waiting. At the top, she turned and waved at
Rebeka Lee, who had been watching from behind her kitchen window.
Abraham, I
don’t think she knew I could see her.

As she got in the car, she said, “You got a haircut,
Camila. I like it.” Without thinking, she blurted out, “It kind of makes you
look younger.” 
Oops. Should I have said that, Abraham?

Before Abraham responded, Camila smiled and said, “Thank
you, Naami.”

Abraham, how old is Camila? I have trouble telling how
old people are, but I think she looks much younger now. Tell me what you know
about her. I know she came from Mexico.
Camila had just started working for
them a month ago.
Is she married? Does she have kids?
Naami liked her
much better than the two temps who she had replaced.

I will check.

Camila Rojas Martinez was nineteen when she married Carlos
Garcia in Juarez in 2152, so she is twenty-eight now. The marriage documents
show her married name as Camila Martinez Garcia. Their son was born in Juarez
in 2153, and the name on the birth certificate is Raul Martinez Garcia. Carlos Garcia
was a Juarez police officer for six years before he immigrated to Albuquerque,
New Mexico three years ago.

Carlos enlisted in the Army one month after he
immigrated, and is currently somewhere in the Middle East. Camila and Raul
immigrated two months before Carlos. She worked for a private clinic in
Albuquerque for one year. My quick search found no records of her since then.

She goes by Camila Martinez not by Garcia. Are they
divorced?

There is no record of a divorce, but all of her U.S.
documents list her as Camila Martinez.

She looked over at Camila and smiled
. There’s more to
you than meets the eye.

A
aron got an invite from Naami.
Aaron, this is odd.
Naami invited you to her first class, but tomorrow’s class at that time is for
children green though brown belts.

Aaron didn't want to interrupt his study to talk with her.
Send
her a tentative accept, but request confirmation that she sent the correct day
and time.  And Leonardo, don't interrupt me until I'm done studying unless you
think it’s urgent.

Aaron spent the next hour reading, listening, and viewing
information on amino acids for tomorrow's test. He was confident that he would
remember all of the twenty amino acids and which eight were essential. He
wouldn't be able to call on Leonardo during the test, but Leonardo would
reinforce his memory during the night while he slept. Leonardo kept track of
which concepts, definitions, and facts needed reinforcement as Aaron studied.

After Aaron finished studying, he asked Leonardo whether
Naami had confirmed the class day and time.
She called back herself, and I
stood in for you since you didn't want to be interrupted. She said that the
date and time were correct, but she said she wasn't going to answer any more
questions, that you would just have to come see. Oh, and you are also invited
to a short birthday party at her house after class.

Did you say I'd come?

Yes.

The next day Aaron grabbed his backpack and carefully
packed his uniform, belt, and sparring gear. He wasn't going to take class, but
Mr. Hyon would likely ask him to help teach if he showed up to watch.

He slipped on the backpack and ran out into the garage. 
The garage door opened as he grabbed his bike down from its storage bracket. He
pulled on his helmet and sped out through the door; it closed behind him.
Leonardo was anticipating him more and more every day.

Six miles later, Aaron pulled up to the studio and put his
bike into the bike rack. As he walked into the studio spectator area, he saw
Naami. She wasn't wearing a beginner's white belt, but rather a green belt with
a stripe.

He called out, “Happy Birthday, Naami!”

Naami turned around and grinned at him. “See, I told you
that it was the right time!”

Aaron squatted down and whispered, “How did you talk your
way into a green belt?”

“I didn't have to talk my way into the belt. My dad has
been teaching me for over two years. I passed both gold belt tests and both
green belt tests. Mr. Hyon's uncle tested me. Mr. Hyon wouldn't let me start
here until I was five, but I don't have to start over. That would be silly.”

Aaron stood up as Mr. Hyon approached.

“Mr. Lieber, I was just hoping that someone would come
around to assist me with this class. You brought your uniform I hope?”

Aaron took off his backpack and lifted it up. “Right here.”

“Change quickly then.”

Aaron slipped off his shoes and ran down to the small
locker room at the other end of the studio. He quickly changed and came out
just as Mr. Hyon was lining up the students.  Mr. Hyon called role, and
Leonardo captured a face and a name for the five students who Aaron didn't
know. There were three green belts, three purple belts, and eight brown belts.

Aaron stood next to Mr. Hyon facing the students.  “Feet
together! Bow!” They all bowed. “Ready stance!” Mr. Hyon strolled down to one
to the green belts. After adjusting Jennifer's wrist, he looked at Naami, but
she had correct form all around including eyes focused straight ahead.