Echoes of Yore
"I heard there was a school over there with a principal named De Suaz—pronounced 'The Suza,'" Vince smirked.
"Hahaha, fart!"
The kids' laughter echoed inside Teezae's head. He was dreaming back in his young days. Back at aloe ridge primary, in the year 2017 where he was a grade 4 learner.
"Sir, can I go to the toilet?" Vince was jumping up and down, his urgency obvious.
"No! You always want to go to the toilet. Sit down!" The teacher's face turned red as a tomato
Vince had no choice but to obey. He slumped into his seat, frustration simmering beneath his skin.
"Sir! Vince peed himself!" one of the kids shouted, their voice ringing with shock.
The classroom erupted in gasps and stifled laughter.
***
Teezae's eyes flashed open. He sat up straight, fists clenched, teeth grinding as he realized it was just a dream—a memory from long ago.
"I'll never know why that teacher hated me," he muttered under his breath, his voice thick with anger.
He glanced to his left and saw Nasiphi still asleep, her breathing steady. Quietly, he stood up and left the room, heading straight for the training facility.
The facility was empty, the silence almost palpable. Teezae began his workout routine: 100, 150 crossover crunches and 100 squats. After finishing, he took a short break, the sound of approaching footsteps pulling him from his thoughts.
*Who's coming? Everyone should be asleep. This place has enough rooms to be a hotel,* he thought, turning to see who it was.
"Boy, you're up early," Curl said, rubbing his eyes with his left hand.
"Do you have a problem?" Teezae tilted his head, resting it on his right shoulder.
"Well, no. Anyway, I told you and Nasiphi that you're qualified now, but your training is incomplete. I'm afraid I've taught you too little."
"And?" Teezae shrugged.
"In the next six months, after you two complete your mission, you'll be sent to a secret corps. There, you'll learn new moves."
"New moves, huh? I hope it's taijutsu or something to improve my fighting techniques," Teezae said, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"Probably."
"Alright, cool. I'm fine with whatever it is," he smirked.
"Hmm. You'll also need to discover your spiritual animal for your fighting technique."
"I have animals."
"I see. What type?"
Teezae walked over and whispered into Curl's left ear.
"Alright. Since we don't have many teachers here—most of them are controlled—we'll download some videos and store them in our database. They might be helpful, but you'll lack guidance."
"It's not a problem. See ya—I need to shower," Teezae said, walking out of the training facility.
"I think I should teach him boxing to sharpen his skills," Curl muttered under his breath.
***
*30 Minutes Later*
Nasiphi woke up just as Teezae finished showering. Their eyes locked for a moment.
"Oh, you're awake?" Teezae tossed his shirt onto the bed, a towel wrapped around his waist.
"Yeah, just a bit tired," she said, sitting up straight.
"Hmm, aight," he replied, grabbing his assassin uniform and heading to the bathroom.
"Vince.. ?" she called out softly.
"Yeah?" He stopped and turned to face her.
"Uh…" She hesitated, unable to find the words.
"Nasiphi, I think I'm gonna put you back in school. Traveling right now seems tough. You've got a future ahead of you, and I… well, I still hate school," he said with a faint smile.
"Uh, I didn't drop out."
"Seemed like it," he said, slapping his forehead.
"No worries," she burst into laughter. "I see. You've got a lot on your mind huh."
"Yeah, honestly, I do. Let me go change. See you at headquarters in an hour," he said, disappearing into the bathroom.
"Okay," she replied, standing up from her bed.
***
Nasiphi finished dressing and made her way to the headquarters. Vince, Curl, Jason, and the rest of the team were already there.
"Hey!" Nasiphi greeted with a smile as she approached them.
"Hello, Nasiphi. You're awake?" Curl responded warmly.
"Wassup?" Jason nodded in her direction.
"I'm coming," Vince said, slowly walking into the room.
"What's up with him?" Jason asked, intrigued by vince's demeanor.
"We don't know. Probably traumas, but he'll be back," Nasiphi explained.
***
Teezae layed outside in the grass, the wind brushing over him as his thoughts raced. His mind reverted back to primary.
"Damn, boy, you're ugly," Siyabonga's voice echoed in his memory,one of his classmate
Teezae had just sat there in his desk , staring at Siyabonga, refusing to engage.
"Vince, just slap him. He won't disrespect you again," Lindo said.
"Nah, we're in school. I don't want to get in trouble," Teezae muttered.
Now, his fists clenched the grass tightly, his blood boiling like lava. The world felt like it would end if he let his anger explode. He took a deep breath, stood up, and returned inside the headquarters.
***
"Welcome back, Teezae!" Curl called out.
Teezae remained silent.
"Okay. We've heard your request regarding Nasiphi, and yes, we've reached a decision. She won't be traveling with you. She still needs to undergo a longer process," Curl explained.
Vince stayed quiet, giving a thumbs-up.
"But before you leave, you're assigned to a mission. Not just you two—you'll need a team," Curl added.
"A team?" Vince 's voice rose, disbelief evident. He's used to working alone.
"Yes. You'll be assigned a team—your previous classmates."
"They don't have experience. I barely do in combat."
"This chip will help them gain some experience," Curl said, holding up a small, glowing chip.
"Uh? I'm lost."
"This chip allows the user to learn things quickly—for a limited time," Curl explained, extending his arm to show Vince the device.
"Aha, I see. Can it make me learn martial arts quickly?" Vince asked, a sly smile forming.
"Nope. For now, it's only for coding and hacking," Curl replied with a smirk.
"Oh, I see. Not interested, though. I won't ask too many questions. I'll just see how it goes. Anyway, who are we testing it on?"
"Nelson," Curl said, turning toward the hallway.
"Nelson?!" Teezae's eyes widened in shock.
Footsteps echoed as Nelson entered the headquarters.
"Long time no see, bro," Nelson said, a smirk playing on his lips.