Cat, Zhen, and I met Jiraiya-sensei at the fence enclosing the Forest of Death, as we had been told to do the day before, by way of falcon mail. Never mind that all three of our window sills were now covered in falcon crap...no, Jiraiya-sensei doesn't care about that. All of our stomachs were grumbling, and Cat held up a small bag of Reece's Pieces and shook it in front of mine and Zhen's faces. We glared at her. Then, I pulled out a small bottle. "Know what this is, guys?" I asked.
"No, Chessy, we don't know what on earth you are carrying around half of the time..." They answered, their stock-in-trade response to my inquiries about my personal possessions.
"This is Caffeine." I held up a breath spray bottle. "It's called Primer. Three sprays has the same caffeine content as a can of Red Bull." I winked. "It's my secret weapon."
They rolled their eyes, knowing that any time I used that phrase, it meant complete and utter chaos.
We walked up to Jiraiya-sensei and stood there, waiting, watching the sunrise reflect itself in his white hair.
"You guys need to eat better," the Pervy Sage joked, "if you ever want to have any kind of stealth. I knew you were coming a mile away. Your stomachs sounded like a percussion section."
We growled. Literally.
"Easy, ladies. The exercise hasn't begun yet..." He looked off at the sunset. "Ok. Let's get started. On my mark..." He put an alarm clock atop one of the stumps. "You have until noon. Get set....GO!!!"
Cat, Zhen, and I sprang up and darted into the forest, clearing the tall chain-link fence with a good two feet to spare. We separated quickly, having discussed strategy on the way in.
**earlier**
"We'll meet up at the tower in the middle of the Forest of Death and wing it from there. It's the most defensible position in the Forest, after all." I said to Cat and Zhen.
"Okay." They chorused as we went back home after our usual communal dinner at the Ramen Shop.
**in the Forest of Death**
Cat, Zhen, and I raced through the forest until we reached the Tower. There, we waited for a while.
"Okay, what now, Chessy?" Zhen looked at me with an odd expression.
"Now, the fun begins," I answered, holding up a small remote with a big red mushroom button on it. A button clearly labeled "Do NOT TOUCH."
"What's it do?" Cat asked.
"Why don't you find out?" I smiled and tossed the box to her.
Cat pressed the button.