Another Journey Begins
folder
Angst › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
12
Views:
862
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Angst › General
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
12
Views:
862
Reviews:
0
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The Author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.
Focusing
Rio turned and kicked out at Justin quickly before he could get close to her. He whistled his approval after he rose from crouching low to avoid her foot.
"That was very nice," Sven agreed as he stepped into the gym. "Not many can say they deflected him, I am sure."
"There have been some," Justin shrugged.
"Well, do you think you are done for now, Justin?" the blonde man asked. "I would like to begin some sensory exercises with Rio."
"Sensory exercises?" Justin looked bemused. "Why would she need those? She said she wants to learn how to compete in the wrestling ring."
"Yes, well, you and I can vouch for the fact that people are not always what they seem. And I think it is best that she benefit from our own experiences as well."
"What are these exercises like?" Rio asked in a now-flawless Russian accent as she looked from one of her guardians to the other. "Will they be difficult to master?"
"This from the girl who can now use karate, kung fu and tae kwon do interchangeably," Justin rolled his eyes.
"Do not forget that she is now also fluent in Russian and Spanish," Sven added with a chuckle. "It will not take long to teach her the other romance languages either."
"They are very similar," Justin agreed. "But she should probably also learn others."
"Not German," Rio lamented. "It still gives me a headache!"
"I will be sure to add aspirin to my shopping list," the blonde man quipped. "In the meantime, we will work on something new."
"Mind if I stay?" the darker man asked.
"Not at all. In fact, you can help."
"Great," Rio muttered.
Sven led her back to the mat and they all sat down on it together. Rio looked warily back and forth between the two waiting for further instruction. Sven closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths then opened them and nodded at her to do the same. Rio mentally shrugged but did as instructed. After she was done she opened her eyes and looked to Sven for approval.
"That was good, sweet one," he said. "Now I will teach you the beginnings of meditation. It will help you to clear your mind of . . . distractions, so that you can concentrate on what you wish to."
"Distractions?" Rio asked carefully.
"Small one, do not think that we cannot see the trouble you have focusing sometimes," Justin added gently. "We know that you are dealing with many pressures both from within and from outside. We will help you in any way we can. This meditation Sven is talking about is one way to keep calm when something unexpectedly goes awry and you have trouble dealing with it."
"So, the sensory training is another word for meditation then?" Rio asked drolly. She knew they still regarded her as a nutcase.
"No," Sven said emphatically. "It is much more than that. We are beginning with meditation to help you learn to clear your mind whenever it may become distracted. What I intend to teach you after that is how to train your senses to pick up any minute movement or sound so that you will never need to worry about an ambush."
"Ah, very clever, my . . . ah, Sven," Justin tripped over his own tongue. "I had not thought of that. It would be invaluable to her for the rest of her life."
"I thought so," Sven nodded with a cheeky smile playing about his lips.
Rio giggled inwardly at Justin's slip. She noted the slight tinge of color on his cheeks as well. He was plenty embarrassed at the moment and she thought Sven was just delighting in it as well. At any rate, she gave herself over to their instructions, trying to relax her mind enough to focus on her breathing. It was difficult at first, having never really tried clearing her mind before. But soon Rio was breathing deeply and focusing on her inhales and exhales. Sven spoke calmly and serenely throughout, issuing small instructions as they went along. Justin stayed quiet as he observed and participated in the lesson himself.
"That was very good for the first time, Rio," Sven smiled widely. "I do not think I was as patient as you when I first started myself."
"So we can go on to the next lesson then?" she asked excitedly.
"Not yet," he chuckled. "You will need to do these exercises for a week before we move on."
"Okay," she sighed.
"Now, since I have been out here with you two this afternoon, I expect help in assembling tonight's dinner," he smiled benignly.
"Help?" Justin croaked. "I am no good in the kitchen."
"And what did you do before we came to live with you?" Rio asked with a smirk.
"It is not that difficult to find healthy restaurants when one looks carefully," he huffed.
"Well, do not worry, my . . . Justin," Sven said with a laugh as he rose. "I will not ask anything more of you than some simple mashing or slicing."
"I could handle slicing."
"Cool," Rio grinned as she got up to follow the Scandinavian man into the kitchen. "You can make the salad."
"And you can mash the potatoes, sweet one," Sven called over his shoulder.
Rio sighed but said nothing. She knew she'd asked for that one.
--------------------------------------------------
Rio lay in her bed staring at the ceiling again. It had become a nightly ritual for her. She was running over her lessons in her head again, picking them apart for what she'd done wrong and what she could improve upon. Both of her trainers had said they were pleased with her progress, but she knew she could work faster if they'd let her. But patience was quickly deserting her as she mentally ran over the bills she had to pay. The mortgage and land taxes were her largest worries, as the utilities were down to a minimum since no one was there to use them at the moment. But the insurance money wasn't meant to last forever and she'd already gone through most of the savings she and Ben had stashed away for a rainy day.
Sighing to herself, she knew there was no other way. She was going to have to ask Justin where she could find a job so that she could sock some money away for the time when the insurance money ran out. She just hoped he and Sven didn't try to dissuade her. After all, even when training was done, who knew how long it would take for her to make her way up the ranks in the Mexican wrestling organizations. Well, the two would have to understand that she needed to do this.
Turning onto her side, Rio looked out her window and to the stars. She wondered briefly if Seka had time to look at the stars now that she was home. Rio had spoken to her on the phone earlier in the day, and she was always a little calmer after those conversations. Seka had let her know that university had started for her and she was thrilled. Her American experience had helped her get into a better school than she'd originally hoped for and her parents were very pleased about that. She again thanked Rio, well Tara actually as she didn't use the accent when speaking to the Japanese girl, for taking her in when she might have otherwise been forced to return home. Rio told Seka that without her help she wouldn't have made it away from her stalker alive, but Seka refused to take any credit for saving her.
Still, Rio mused, it was nice to know she had a friend somewhere in the world. A real friend, too. Not someone who wanted something from her then left after she gave it. And not someone who pitied the poor, nutcase. No, Seka was a real friend, and even if they never met again, they would always be friends. How different would Tara's life have been if she'd had Seka in it when she was growing up? Rio then marveled at how easy it now was for her to think of Tara in the third person and not as herself. It made things easier to cope with, she decided. Sven was right.
Still, there was one person from Tara's life that Rio couldn't distance herself from, and she wasn't even sure if she'd want to anyway. Ben. He was never far from her thoughts and she knew that someday, no matter what happened in her life, she would return to Chelsea, Massachusetts to visit him. No, he would never be forgotten. And neither would her unborn daughter. The life she'd always dreamed of was hers, if only for a short time. But it wasn't meant to stay hers, and Tara had finally been able to rest, letting Rio slowly learn the ropes and take charge for a while.
"That was very nice," Sven agreed as he stepped into the gym. "Not many can say they deflected him, I am sure."
"There have been some," Justin shrugged.
"Well, do you think you are done for now, Justin?" the blonde man asked. "I would like to begin some sensory exercises with Rio."
"Sensory exercises?" Justin looked bemused. "Why would she need those? She said she wants to learn how to compete in the wrestling ring."
"Yes, well, you and I can vouch for the fact that people are not always what they seem. And I think it is best that she benefit from our own experiences as well."
"What are these exercises like?" Rio asked in a now-flawless Russian accent as she looked from one of her guardians to the other. "Will they be difficult to master?"
"This from the girl who can now use karate, kung fu and tae kwon do interchangeably," Justin rolled his eyes.
"Do not forget that she is now also fluent in Russian and Spanish," Sven added with a chuckle. "It will not take long to teach her the other romance languages either."
"They are very similar," Justin agreed. "But she should probably also learn others."
"Not German," Rio lamented. "It still gives me a headache!"
"I will be sure to add aspirin to my shopping list," the blonde man quipped. "In the meantime, we will work on something new."
"Mind if I stay?" the darker man asked.
"Not at all. In fact, you can help."
"Great," Rio muttered.
Sven led her back to the mat and they all sat down on it together. Rio looked warily back and forth between the two waiting for further instruction. Sven closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths then opened them and nodded at her to do the same. Rio mentally shrugged but did as instructed. After she was done she opened her eyes and looked to Sven for approval.
"That was good, sweet one," he said. "Now I will teach you the beginnings of meditation. It will help you to clear your mind of . . . distractions, so that you can concentrate on what you wish to."
"Distractions?" Rio asked carefully.
"Small one, do not think that we cannot see the trouble you have focusing sometimes," Justin added gently. "We know that you are dealing with many pressures both from within and from outside. We will help you in any way we can. This meditation Sven is talking about is one way to keep calm when something unexpectedly goes awry and you have trouble dealing with it."
"So, the sensory training is another word for meditation then?" Rio asked drolly. She knew they still regarded her as a nutcase.
"No," Sven said emphatically. "It is much more than that. We are beginning with meditation to help you learn to clear your mind whenever it may become distracted. What I intend to teach you after that is how to train your senses to pick up any minute movement or sound so that you will never need to worry about an ambush."
"Ah, very clever, my . . . ah, Sven," Justin tripped over his own tongue. "I had not thought of that. It would be invaluable to her for the rest of her life."
"I thought so," Sven nodded with a cheeky smile playing about his lips.
Rio giggled inwardly at Justin's slip. She noted the slight tinge of color on his cheeks as well. He was plenty embarrassed at the moment and she thought Sven was just delighting in it as well. At any rate, she gave herself over to their instructions, trying to relax her mind enough to focus on her breathing. It was difficult at first, having never really tried clearing her mind before. But soon Rio was breathing deeply and focusing on her inhales and exhales. Sven spoke calmly and serenely throughout, issuing small instructions as they went along. Justin stayed quiet as he observed and participated in the lesson himself.
"That was very good for the first time, Rio," Sven smiled widely. "I do not think I was as patient as you when I first started myself."
"So we can go on to the next lesson then?" she asked excitedly.
"Not yet," he chuckled. "You will need to do these exercises for a week before we move on."
"Okay," she sighed.
"Now, since I have been out here with you two this afternoon, I expect help in assembling tonight's dinner," he smiled benignly.
"Help?" Justin croaked. "I am no good in the kitchen."
"And what did you do before we came to live with you?" Rio asked with a smirk.
"It is not that difficult to find healthy restaurants when one looks carefully," he huffed.
"Well, do not worry, my . . . Justin," Sven said with a laugh as he rose. "I will not ask anything more of you than some simple mashing or slicing."
"I could handle slicing."
"Cool," Rio grinned as she got up to follow the Scandinavian man into the kitchen. "You can make the salad."
"And you can mash the potatoes, sweet one," Sven called over his shoulder.
Rio sighed but said nothing. She knew she'd asked for that one.
--------------------------------------------------
Rio lay in her bed staring at the ceiling again. It had become a nightly ritual for her. She was running over her lessons in her head again, picking them apart for what she'd done wrong and what she could improve upon. Both of her trainers had said they were pleased with her progress, but she knew she could work faster if they'd let her. But patience was quickly deserting her as she mentally ran over the bills she had to pay. The mortgage and land taxes were her largest worries, as the utilities were down to a minimum since no one was there to use them at the moment. But the insurance money wasn't meant to last forever and she'd already gone through most of the savings she and Ben had stashed away for a rainy day.
Sighing to herself, she knew there was no other way. She was going to have to ask Justin where she could find a job so that she could sock some money away for the time when the insurance money ran out. She just hoped he and Sven didn't try to dissuade her. After all, even when training was done, who knew how long it would take for her to make her way up the ranks in the Mexican wrestling organizations. Well, the two would have to understand that she needed to do this.
Turning onto her side, Rio looked out her window and to the stars. She wondered briefly if Seka had time to look at the stars now that she was home. Rio had spoken to her on the phone earlier in the day, and she was always a little calmer after those conversations. Seka had let her know that university had started for her and she was thrilled. Her American experience had helped her get into a better school than she'd originally hoped for and her parents were very pleased about that. She again thanked Rio, well Tara actually as she didn't use the accent when speaking to the Japanese girl, for taking her in when she might have otherwise been forced to return home. Rio told Seka that without her help she wouldn't have made it away from her stalker alive, but Seka refused to take any credit for saving her.
Still, Rio mused, it was nice to know she had a friend somewhere in the world. A real friend, too. Not someone who wanted something from her then left after she gave it. And not someone who pitied the poor, nutcase. No, Seka was a real friend, and even if they never met again, they would always be friends. How different would Tara's life have been if she'd had Seka in it when she was growing up? Rio then marveled at how easy it now was for her to think of Tara in the third person and not as herself. It made things easier to cope with, she decided. Sven was right.
Still, there was one person from Tara's life that Rio couldn't distance herself from, and she wasn't even sure if she'd want to anyway. Ben. He was never far from her thoughts and she knew that someday, no matter what happened in her life, she would return to Chelsea, Massachusetts to visit him. No, he would never be forgotten. And neither would her unborn daughter. The life she'd always dreamed of was hers, if only for a short time. But it wasn't meant to stay hers, and Tara had finally been able to rest, letting Rio slowly learn the ropes and take charge for a while.