The students were exhausted and sweaty by the time class was finished. Zyn was starting to wish she hadn’t signed up for Tai Chi. She watched jealously as the class cleared out after taking off their gear and wiping it down, done for the day.

{We still have two hours!} Zyn said to Ren telepathically.

{Don’t worry, Zyn. Tai Chi is perfect to do after a Kung Fu warmup!} Ren replied. {And then we can stretch after. It’ll be so nice!}

“Tai Chi class, to the Tai Chi Studio!” Ak-tu called, waving for the students to follow him outside the Kung Fu Studio.

He led the way to the familiar Tai Chi Studio, which often stood empty. Zyn and Ren trailed right behind him, chatting about the fun Kung Fu classes as they went. They knew Sarala wasn’t doing Tai Chi, but when they got into the studio, they were quite surprised to see that nobody else had signed up.

“Umm…”

Zyn and Ren stared around, as if another student would appear out of thin air like the Kung Fu uniform Ak-tu had summoned.

Ak-tu nodded sadly. “Not many people are interested in Tai Chi—at least, not many people your age. Plenty of elderly people find Tai Chi beneficial to their old joints, but kids hardly like the sound of moving slowly and calming down.”

{Jeez, if I didn’t sign up, you’d be alone, Ren!} 

Ren glanced sidelong at Zyn, but made no response. She instead said to Ak-tu, “Well, I know what kind of benefits Tai Chi gives, from better stability to a tranquil mind to stronger joints…there’s just so many benefits! All of those other students are missing out.”

Just then, the door opened, and C3 came in. He stared at the mostly-empty room. The Tai Chi Studio was a bit smaller than the Kung Fu Studio, only holding a large mat and no personal training rooms. There wasn’t any equipment, either, as anything for Tai Chi would be stored in the Kung Fu closet. C3 blinked in surprise, then cleared his throat.

“I apologize for my tardiness,” he said awkwardly. “I had to use the bathroom.”

Ak-tu smiled. “You are more than welcome here. I thought I had more than my own children. Now, as I said in Kung Fu, Tai Chi ranks and tests work the same way. The uniform is a white top with sleeves, and a white fringe instead of a sash.

“Rather than learning techniques, you will be learning a form of self-defense movements. We have forms in Kung Fu, which are a series of techniques linked together, so it’s pretty similar. But in Tai Chi, you have to move slow and low. It’s a very intricate art, as you will soon see through empty-full movements, and using the body instead of just the arms or legs.”

They spent the Tai Chi hour learning the stances and the beginning of the form. At the very end, they did a bit of qigong exercises to cool down. There were many types of qigong, which targeted different areas of the body but always focused on controlling the breath. Qigong was said to have great healing qualities like Tai Chi.

The second Tai Chi class was all about the combative, push hands. Since there were only three students, Ak-tu got to jump in the mix to drill with them. Push hands was all about feeling the opponent’s energy, and redirecting or deflecting their attacks. Zyn found it very difficult, more so than Tai Chi’s slow movements. It was restraining in that they had to stand in place, and, if they lifted their foot and stumbled back, they automatically lost the point.

Once class was over, the bell rang for dinner. Zyn, Ren, and C3 were bone-weary at this point, and they were slow to get changed back into their normal clothing. By the time the trio reached the Eating Hall, there was a long line again.

“Look—there’s Sarala!” Zyn said, pointing.

Sarala was at the head of the line. Zyn led the way over to her, ignoring C3’s complaints behind her that the sisters were cutting.

“How was Tai Chi?” Sarala asked as they approached.

“Eh,” Zyn grunted with a shrug. “It’s way harder than it looks.”

“It’s fun though!” Ren said, her purple eyes lighting up as she grabbed an açaí bowl.

“I was trying to work on that astrology homework,” Sarala muttered. “But…I didn’t get very far.”

“We still have a week,” Zyn pointed out, snatching a bean patty sandwich.

“I know, but…” She shrugged and fell silent.

Zyn frowned, then asked Sarala, “Where did you go, if not back to the tower? After all, you don’t have the key—though we easily could have opened the door for you if you came with us.”

“I didn’t want to get stuck going to Tai Chi,” Sarala said, adding a bread roll to her tray.

Zyn snorted in laughter. “Wow, you really don’t want to take it, do you?”

She made a small grunting noise in reply.

The three finished grabbing their food and went to sit down at a table by the door. They ate and chatted about their first day of classes for a while, then decided to do homework together the following day. After eating, they went back to the tower.

“I’m glad to see you’re opening up, Sarala,” Ren said, as they stopped outside the tower door to unlock it. 

Sarala stared at the ground and made no reply. Once the door opened, she hurried inside and went up the stairs. Zyn and Ren remained by the door, frowning after her.

“I think you scared her off,” Zyn noted dryly.

Ren looked concerned. “Did I say something wrong?”

Zyn shrugged. “I dunno. Well, I’m tired. I think I’m going to bed. Do you think we could try to summon my magic tomorrow?”

The door opened behind them and Ak-tu came in. Zyn immediately tensed. Did her father hear her? Did he now know that Zyn still had yet to summon her magic?

“Oh, you just want to jump right into learning magic, don’t you?” Ak-tu chuckled. “I’m afraid you’ll have to follow the rules, just like every other student. No magic outside class for the first month!”

Zyn laughed lightly, acting like she wasn’t on high alert. “Sorry, Dad, I’m just so excited to learn!”

Ak-tu ruffled her hair, making it lose some of its spiky look. “I’m very happy to hear,” he said proudly. 

Zyn pushed Ak-tu’s hand away. “I’m going to bed now. See you tomorrow!”

She bounded to the spiral staircase, before Ak-tu or Ren could reply. She soon slipped inside her room and closed the door quietly behind her, her heart racing. Going to the hammock in the center of the room, she collapsed on it, her mind and body too weary to think or move. 

Her room used to have a bed in it, until one of the students broke their bed. Zyn offered to give up her bed to the student, and instead got a hammock (she still didn’t know why her father allowed this, considering there were many empty rooms with extra beds). When Zyn didn’t feel like sleeping in the hammock, she would simply lay on a blanket on the floor. She didn’t care much where she slept.

Her room was painted orange. There were lots of posters across the walls, depicting different regions of the world: Galia’s thick rainforests, sandy deserts of Sin Tarayib, a volcano in Mlima wa Tai, palm trees in Lua Pele, tall peaks in Fènghuáng Chéng, a mountain range with a brilliant sunset in Aakaash Parvat… 

Above the wardrobe was a large board with photos of the Caihong family in different locations: the beach, a water park, a thick jungle, tall mountains, even a huge bowling competition! Zyn often woke up to the sight of adventurous memories. 

There were a few shelves around the room. Some held sticks and stones, while others had enchanted souvenirs from around the world. Books sat on one shelf, most of them full of fantasy adventures—adventures that Zyn missed taking.

Zyn focused on the posters, paintings, souvenirs, and books, trying to calm down or focus on memories of traveling. Dad doesn’t know… Dad doesn’t know…

She repeated the phrase in her head, reassuring herself until she fell into a dreamless sleep.