I stared at the green door of the temple. It seemed so… normal. Was I really in the right place? After pausing for a minute, I frowned.
"Standing here all day won't make a difference, you know," I gently chided myself. But then again, I couldn't help it. What if they didn't like me? Or, what if they thought I was annoying? Or worse. What if they thought I looked gross?
I looked down at the sundress I had thrown on, just before leaving the airport. It looked cute…right? I groaned. A knot of anticipation and nervousness was growing in my stomach, and I felt horrible.
No, Jeni, you have to shake this off. Come on, you're better than this. I sighed: that annoyingly logical voice in my head was right; it wouldn't do to try and stall. I would have to go in.
With a final deep breath, I clutched the doorknob, and pushed….
Only to come sprawling onto the floor on the other side. What the heck? How do doors even open that qui—The sound of immediate laughter filled my ears, and I sprang up angrily, looking for the source of the noise.
"Um, way to have sympathy!" I snapped, brushing myself off in a flustered manner. What a horrible first impression. Ugh.
"Huh," replied a guy's voice, "I didn't know people were actually that clumsy." With a glare, I looked up—and stopped. Standing before me, with his arms crossed, was the cutest guy I'd ever seen. He had wavy, brown hair, a lean, athletic physique, and the prettiest green eyes I'd ever seen. Dressed in casual jeans and a sweatshirt, he was looking at me with an annoyed expression, which… suddenly cleared?
"Wow," he suddenly said, and with a wink, "Where have you been all my life?" I rolled my eyes.
"Oh please," I retorted, "That line's as old as my pet dinosaur."
He grinned. "And which pet dinosaur would that be?"
"The one that can kick your butt," I shot back, walking towards an open door on the right.
"Oh wait," I said, turning around to look the boy in the eye, "That's all of them, isn't it?" And with a smirk, I spun around, and left.
"Dojo, please summon the other Xiaolin warriors," Master Fung requested in a gentle tone of voice. As the green snake—Dojo—slithered off, Master Fung turned to me, once again.
"It is time to meet your new team mates," he said. I smiled, but only outwardly. On the inside, I was freaking out. The same worries that had been buzzing around in my head this morning had returned. If they didn't like me? Or what if they were just annoyed at my presence? They had all been working as a team of four, so…what if I wasn't welcome?
"Troubled?" Master Fung's calm voice interrupted my frantic thoughts. I attempted a smile.
"A little," I confessed, and then cringed, startled by the sudden sound of a gong.
"Don't worry," Master Fung said, noticing my anxiety, "That's just Dojo, calling everyone. They'll be here soon."
I bit my lip, worriedly. Did he have to rub it in? Okay. Well, it wasn't time to panic, I guess. Should've gotten over all these nerves on the plane. But, I guess better late than never. Steeling myself, I summoned up my old lessons in meditation. What had Master Jennings said? Something about proper breathing… Deep breaths…
Breathe in… and out… It was almost as if I could hear Master Jennings' soothing voice in my ear, and I could already feel my heartbeat slowing down to normal—a good sign.
"Very good," Master Fung noticed, with a light smile upon his face. His voice had a note of surprise, as if he hadn't expected my knowledge of meditation. I smiled inwardly. Well, he had a lot he didn't know about…
"Master Fung!" Came an exasperated girl's voice from the hallway, "Please don't tell me we have another mission already! None of us have really recovered from that last Shen Gong Wu; it's not as if those giant turtles were very easy to--- Oh!" She stopped, looking surprised as she caught sight of me. "We have a visitor? And yes, it's a girl! Thank God! I didn't know how long I could possibly stand it, stuck with all those guys." With a quick roll of her eyes, the petite, fast-talking Japanese girl sat next to me and stuck out her hand.
"I'm Kimiko. And you're…?"
"Jeni, with an I," I replied. Kimiko seemed extremely friendly. Talkative, of course, but for some reason, it was actually kind of nice.
Next, a tall well-built blonde boy came swaggering into the room, accompanied by a short squinty boy with yellow skin and an enormously bald head.
"Clay and Omi." Kimiko gestured lazily, "Guys, this is Jeni." She smiled apologetically.
"Why, I'm mighty pleased to meet you, little lady," Clay said, with a huge grin, and a Southern twang to his husky voice. I couldn't help grinning in return. Clay reminded me of a big panda bear, and I had a feeling that we'd definitely get along.
Omi shuffled up behind the enormous Clay.
"Jeni, I am most happy to meet you!" He said, and at first, I was taken aback by his voice. He had a Asian accent, it seemed, since he would over pronounce some words, lengthening them out in a drawl, while shortening the rest into harsh, abrupt syllables. But, I laughed.
"Nice to meet you too, Omi," I grinned. Although the tiny monk seemed a bit strange, it was kind of cute, in a way.
"And… where is Raimundo?" Master Fung said dryly, although it sounded as if he already knew the answer.
"Probably being a lazy butt, like always," Kimiko replied, "Hang on, I'll get him." Rolling her eyes, as if annoyed, Kimiko rose from her spot.
"He's so irresponsible." She muttered under her breath as she walked through the door.
We soon heard voices growing louder, as the two returned, bickering.
"Honestly, Rai," Kimiko groaned, "What if it had been important? So much of a leader, you are!"
"Well, I knew it wasn't," a familiar-sounding voice grumbled back, "Kimiko, you're so naggy…"
"Excuse me?"
Kimiko stomped in huffily, trailed by a lean, athletic guy in a sweatshirt and jeans. His eyes widened as he saw me, and I briefly wondered if the expression on my face was the same.
"You?" I choked out. Was he kidding? This couldn't be happening! Of course the one jerk that I had met would be my teammate. And of course he had to be the one that saw me face plant into tile. …Wonderful.
"I see you two have met already?" Master Fung said, a slight question coloring his tone.
"Just in the courtyard at the front," I muttered, and glared at Raimundo. He better not mention—
"I see you found your way here, alright," he smirked, "Didn't get into any more near-death accidents?"
"I could ask the same thing," I replied, "Run into any scary dinosaurs on your way here?"
He grinned. "Touché, new girl, touché."
"So, Jen," came a guy's voice. I sighed, irritated.
"Oh, please, don't pretend like you're not flattered," he continued. I could hear the smirk in his tone, and refrained from smiling; that would only encourage him even more.
"Yes, Raimundo?" I finally relented, turning to face him. He was leaning casually against a wall; head tilted back, and leg bent at an angle. I let out another annoyed sigh.
"What do you want?" I said, flatly.
"Master Fung asked me to get you," he said, switching into a more serious tone of voice, "There's a new Wu." At this, I immediately snapped up.
"Really? Which one?"
"I don't know yet. So, why don't we head over to Dojo and find out?" He held out his hand.
"Um… no, thanks." I said, feeling awkward.
"Oh god, don't be stupid, Jen," Raimundo rolled his eyes, "I'll fly you over to the other side of the temple; it'll be faster."
"…Oh." I felt stupid. Of course he wasn't trying to hit on me. Well, not like he hadn't tried over the past few days, but obviously he hadn't just now. Oh god. I bet he thinks I'm an idiot now. Ugh. Again.
"Okay, let's just go," I snapped, feeling flustered. Newly annoyed with myself, I snatched Raimundo's outstretched hand. "Do your thing, Fly Boy."
"Fly Boy…" He mused, "Hm, I like it." He chuckled to himself. "Now what am I gonna call you? Moody girl? –Ow!" He complained, as I smacked his head.
"Raimundo, just go."