"Hey Eddie!" Jerry waved at his friend. "What's new?"
His friend blinked, then narrowed his eyes. "We were just at school."
"Yeah so?" He threw his bag on the floor.
The pair had just arrived at the Bobby Wasabi dojo, Eddie coming a couple minutes before Jerry. Rudy was probably on the toilet (again), while Kim, Jack, and Milton would probably enter within the next few seconds.
"We walked together from school to the mall, then you told me to go first while you grabbed a corndog," Eddie patiently reminded him.
"Oh!" He beamed. "I wondered why I had corndog breath."
The other boy shook his head as the other three approached, Milton rushing ahead of the (unofficial) couple.
"Guys hurry up!" He yelled, his arms flapping. "If we're late today Rudy might have an apoplexy!"
The pair caught the hint and began shoving stuff into the lockers. Jack and Kim were bemused by their actions.
"Milton, it's just practice. You know, something we do every day?" Kim reminded with a hint of mockery.
"Yeah, it's not a big deal," Jack agreed.
The three boys simultaneously wheeled and stared.
"NOT A BIG DEAL?!" They shrieked in chorus.
Puzzled, Jack and Kim leaned away.
"Guys, Rudy's always chill, why are you acting like this?" Kim demanded.
Jack paled. "Wait. Did I forget his birthday again?"
At that moment a loud scream echoed from the office.
"Go go go!" Eddie, Milton and Jerry shoved Jack and Kim towards the back of the dojo.
"Why?" Jack cried out. He let himself be pushed, totally bewildered by his friends' behaviour.
Rudy marched out of his office. As the gang froze at the change room entry, he walked right past them, chattering on his phone.
"It's fine!" He squeaked, his voice going higher as he paced with anxiety. "No, seriously, I'm fine! The dojo's fine, you don't need to come at all! Please!"
The sensei was flipping out, and it was enough to put them on edge.
"What's his deal?" Kim hissed.
"We had an incident a while ago," Milton confessed. "Black Dragons put cockroaches in the dojo."
"Right before the health inspector came," Jerry shuddered. "She went loco."
"Ever since then, we've been getting surprise inspections," Eddie ended the story in a hushed tone.
"If she calls ahead then it isn't exactly a surprise, is it?" Jack whispered.
"She calls a few minutes before she arrives," Jerry responded. "Just to psych him out."
Eddie shook his head. "She scares me more than Kim."
"Hey!" Kim almost began ranting, but Jack covered her mouth.
Fortunately Rudy was still oblivious to their presence.
"Please I'll even sign the paperwork oh my gosh," Rudy had turned to face the door and stopped in horror.
An imposing woman stood outside the glass pane door.
The man dropped his phone, hands trembling. "Miss Mohindra!"
She entered, clipboard in hand and a Bluetooth headset on her ear.
"Mr. Gillespie," she greeted him formally.
The petite Indian woman wore an attractive blue pantsuit, along with glasses with rectangular frames. Her makeup was subtle, yet tasteful, and her hair was perfectly coiffed.
"If I were being polite, I would undoubtedly spout nonsense about it being nice to see you, but I'd be lying," Miss Mohindra sneered slightly. "I would also pretend to actually care about this situation you've found yourself in, but I prefer being honest."
The teens gaped while Kim mouthed SAVAGE.
She shot Rudy a laser glare. "And where are your so-called students?" Miss Mohindra interrogated. "Still under the discipline of their great teacher?"
Everyone took this as their cue to withdraw clumsily, waving their arms, tripping, and generally attempting to be stealthy (but failing).
"They're just getting changed, they'll be here sooner than you think," Rudy gulped, pretending not to notice the noise.
One by one each of the teens ran out in their uniforms in record time. Jerry stumbled at the back, causing a domino effect that toppled them all over. Kim barely escaped.
Miss Mohindra raised her eyebrows, her face inscrutable.
"Like I said…sooner than you think," Rudy reiterated awkwardly.

As the kids practiced their katas, Miss Mohindra explored the dojo with her eagle eyes. She even dared to march the boys' locker room, undaunted by the rumours of its smell…or bacteria. Rudy was left trailing in her wake like a puppy, trying to peek at her clipboard as she took notes.
"C'mon Jack, we need to do something!" Eddie's enthusiasm propelled him to suddenly attack the black belt.
Within seconds Jack threw Eddie over, proceeding to perform a flipping combo that propelled him to the other side of the mat.
"Like that?" he questioned sardonically.
Abruptly an alarm began to sound while Miss Mohindra reentered the area, scowling.
"A locker room that's actually sanitary is rare these days," she remarked, using a remote to deactivate the siren. "And your detectors are in near perfect condition."
Rudy shifted uneasily. The reason the detectors were so good was because he'd just got them changed and the locker room was clean thanks to the hazmat team he'd paid for out of his own pocket.
The things he did for his dojo…
"It seems that my constant evaluations have caused you to sharpen up, Mr. Gillespie." Mohindra commented. "I'm impressed. This is quite satisfactory…for now."
The sensei pasted a smile on his face. "For now?"
She spun briskly, propping up her glasses as the teens stepped closer, eavesdropping. "I do not hold grudges, despite what some people may think. If you keep up the good work, we'll see each other much less often."
"Like never?" Jerry quipped.
Milton moved forward as the others hit Jerry. "What he's attempting to ask is if your unexpected assessments will continue to occur—"
"Easy brain box." Kim cut him off before her voice turned sugary sweet. "Miss Mohindra, thank you for coming. Please feel free to come back…or don't…whatever your preference."
The woman met each of the teens' gawking, finishing with Kim. Her eyes were full of iron power that made the boys retreat. She held Kim's gaze as the girl resisted looking away.
"All right, I'll leave," Miss Mohindra stated coolly. "I know when I'm not welcome. I'd tell you when to expect me next, but then that wouldn't be a surprise, would it?"

Everyone let out a huge sigh of relief as the intimidating woman left, taking her fearsome presence with her.
"Holy Christmas nuts!" Milton gasped. "I was terrified she'd make us clean the restroom with toothbrushes…again."
Eddie nodded assent. "The last time I did that, I couldn't brush my teeth for a month."
Jerry shook his head. "Naw man, I still can't brush my teeth."
Jack sighed. "Jerry, you never brush your teeth anyway."
He reflected with a smile. "Oh yeah…"
"Her charisma is no joke," Kim noted as they shambled back into position. Someone's phone beeped.
Eddie rushed to his locker. "Sorry guys, I'll only be a second."
He opened his cell and his face darkened.
"It's your actual cellphone, not your wallet, right?" Jack cracked.
Kim elbowed him, noticing their friend's somber expression. "Shut up. Eddie, what's wrong?"
All of a sudden a sharp noise crackled through the air. The group jumped and spun.
A strict woman had materialized during the few inattentive moments after the inspector's visit. She wore a long black dress and carried a cane, gripped tightly in both hands. Faded brown hair was pulled into an impeccable bun, and her mouth twisted into a scowl.
"Oh my gosh it's the Grim Reaper!" Jerry screeched, his tone jumping an octave. "I'M NOT READY TO DIE YET!"
The woman ignored him, and pointed her long cane at Eddie. "You!" she screamed in a Russian accent. "Where is she?!"
Jack chose to step up while everyone was bewildered.
"Whoa, lady, calm down," He began to approach her then stilled as she aimed the cane at him. "I know he knows where she is!" She launched herself at Eddie, but Rudy caught her, struggling to hold her back. The stranger writhed, her dark eyes wild.
"Madame Riker, I can't help you," Eddie tried to placate the woman. "I'm telling the truth!"
"You good for nothing leech!" Madame Riker screeched. "Juliana is my greatest accomplishment, and YOU CORRUPTED HER!"
The accusation hung heavy in the air. No one understood what was happening, but it was evident by the way Eddie slumped that Madame Riker's words hit him hard.
"Get out before I call security," Rudy was serious for once, forcing her towards the door. "This is my dojo, and what I say goes."
The woman met his stare for a dangerous moment, before looking away. "Fine," her accent was thick as she withdrew. "But you do her no good in hiding her from me!"
Madame Riker dramatically took her leave.
"Somehow I doubt that the whack job over there will leave us alone," Jack remarked shrewdly. "Can you explain what that was, Eddie?"
The kind boy fiddled with his phone, extremely uncomfortable. He'd never told his friends about this part of his dark history, and for good reason. It'd been a short, mysterious part of his life, and never seemed that important…until now.
"Eddie, you can trust us," Milton reassured him. "We won't judge you."
The other teen hesitated. "Well, while I was at the dance academy there was a girl in the advanced ballet class. Juliana. I can't say much, but Madame Riker is her mom and her teacher…and I guess now Juliana's missing."
Kim snorted. "No kidding, I'd run away too if she was teaching me 24/7. But why did Madame Riker freak out at you?"
Eddie inhaled deeply before speaking. "Juliana's…my ex-girlfriend."