Chapter 7: Mixed Emotions 1

By the time Stinky and Woody, both carrying Dennis and Davis respectively, reached Tai Hom Martial Arts School, it was already dusk. Stinky and Woody took the injured brothers to an empty accommodation room. Some students of Tai Hom Martial Arts School stayed here so there were accommodation rooms on the second floor of the school with two beds each in the corners and a window between the beds to accommodate to their staying in the school. Every door had a sign which states whether it was occupied or empty, so no one should mistakenly enter a room that was already occupied.

As Woody opened the door to an empty room, a door to another room opened. One of the students, a girl, came out of the room and saw Stinky and Woody carrying the injured Dennis and Davis. She had purple hair and wore a light orange tank top and dark green shorts. Her footwear was a pair of sleeping slippers. Her hair was untied.

"Oh dear me!" the girl cried as he dashed towards them. "What happened?"

"No time to explain," Woody replied. "Since you're here, help us get some medication for us. Quick!"

"Right away!" the girl immediately ran to the nearest first aid kit attached to the wall at the end of the hallway to get medication. (Most first-aid kits in the Tai Hom Martial Arts School are attached to the walls for convenience's sake.)

Woody and Stinky put Davis and Dennis on the two beds. After a while, the girl arrived with medication of bandages and antiseptics and handed them to Woody.

Woody thanked the girl and asked, "I seemed to have forgotten your name. What was it again?"

"My name's…" the girl started.

"Her name is Jessie," Stinky interrupted.

"Nobody asked you," Woody glared at Stinky.

Stinky crossed his arms and looked away from Woody.

Jessie laughed heartily. "Stinky's right. That's my name. Serves you right for being a busybody though, Stinky." Jessie laughed again.

Stinky couldn't believe it and looked away from Jessie.

"Stinky…I believe you can treat Davis and Dennis' wounds. You do it." Woody instructed.

"Why don't you do it yourself?!" Stinky yelled at Woody. He walked out of the room furiously and slammed the door hard.

"What the hell is with him today?" Jessie scowled.

"Ignore him… Anyway I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to treat their wounds. Is that okay?"

"It's perfectly okay," Jessie replied with a smile. "In fact I'm pretty good at this really, since…well…I'm a girl…"

As Jessie took the medication from Woody and started to prepare for the medication to treat the wounds of Davis and Dennis, Woody went up to the door and locked it.

"Why did you lock the door?" Jessie wondered.

"That slam must have already awoken everyone who was asleep. I don't want any commotion." Woody paused for a while. "And I don't want anyone else to know what happen to their and your masters. At least not now."

"But wouldn't Stinky tell them what happened to our masters?"

Woody thought for a while before telling Jessie, "Nah…Stinky wouldn't talk to anyone when he is angry. I know his attitude."

Jessie spoke as she treated Davis and Dennis' wounds. "Did something happen between you and Stinky?" she asked with a worried tone.

"Something did happen. But I don't want to talk about it."

Jessie then kept her mouth closed.

After a while, Jessie was still busily treating Davis and Dennis' wounds while Woody stood by the window, looking out into the starry night sky. There was complete silence.

"Oh…how can I forget to ask this question?!" Jessie suddenly broke the silence, much to Woody's surprise, who was gazing away at the sky. "What happened to Davis and Dennis."

Woody, still with his eyes looking towards the sky, was silent for a while. Then he blurted, "Someone tried to kill them."

"What?" Jessie couldn't believe what she just heard. "Why?"

"I have no idea. Neither do Davis and Dennis. We don't know what this guy's motive is." Woody looked down. "But I do know we have to find this guy as quickly as possible and get rid of him."

Woody looked out of the window again and continued, "I certainly cannot forgive someone who tried to kill my two best friends. If I do meet him again, I'll be sure that I'll kill him instantly without question."

Jessie was speechless. This was the first time she had heard Woody, one of her and other students' masters, talking about their feelings so straight forward towards a student (which in this case is Jessie).

Woody turned around and noticed Jessie's speechless expression. "I'm sorry that you have heard this. Please forget what I've just said and continue with what you're doing."

Jessie shook off the speechless expression and continued with the treatment of Davis and Dennis' wounds.

Half an hour had passed as Jessie finished with the bandaging. "I'm done. Aren't you going to sleep?"

Woody looked away from the starry sky and looked at Davis and Dennis. "I'll just sleep on the floor here. You can go to sleep now."

"Well…okay. Good night."

"Good night."

Jessie opened the door after unlocking it and closed the door after exiting the room. A 'click' sound was then heard.

Jessie shrugged and was about to go to her room when she heard the sound of footsteps from the stairs. Jessie turned around and saw a boy about the same age as her (about 15) and wearing a yellow cap and yellow pyjamas.

"Ricky?!" Jessie was surprised. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

Ricky gazed blankly at Jessie. "I was about to ask you the same question…"

"Nothing important really. What about you?"

"Not exactly important," Ricky implied. "But I saw Stinky outside sitting in the grasses in the backyard. I tried talking to him but he just ignored me. Other students tried earlier but to no avail."

"Hmm….Let me go speak to him."

"You sure you can?"

"Why not? I'm a girl. A girl will be completely different from a boy."

"I don't know…It looks like he is really in a bad mood."

"Well…can't I at least try?" Jessie pouted.

"You're right…you can try…but don't say I didn't warn you beforehand."

"Yeah, yeah," Jessie nodded as she headed to the backyard.

In his mind, Ricky was thinking, "There is absolutely no way she can even communicate with him. I know Stinky better than she does…"

Jessie went to the school's backyard in a starry night. This night just happened to have a full moon. Wind blew swiftly in a certain direction, causing Jessie to shiver slightly.

Jessie looked around in all directions and her eyes caught sight of a dark figure sitting under a tall apple tree. His arms were cross-folded and his head was slightly tilted downwards.

Jessie slowly approached him quietly, not wanting to alarm him of her sudden arrival immediately. Must be Stinky, Jessie thought.

Jessie's attempt to approach Stinky, who still couldn't be seen clearly, quietly didn't work long enough though as she accidentally stepped on a twig, causing it to snap.

The snap alerted the dark figure and he looked in the direction of where the sound came from. Upon seeing Jessie, he frowned.

"Oh come on, Stinky…don't give me that kind of look." Jessie frowned back at Stinky as she got up close to him.

"What is it that you want?"

"Um…er…" Jessie hesitated. Come to think of it…why am I here?

"I'm just wondering where you are," Jessie replied, clearing not really telling the actual truth.

"Oh…so you're worried about me?" Stinky smirked.

"No, I don't!" Jessie blushed.

Looking at Jessie blushing, Stinky laughed hysterically.

"I hate you!" Jessie turned away from Stinky and crossed her arms boldly.

Stinky was still laughing. "Okay…I'll stop this instant." Stinky controlled his laughter and took a deep breath.

"Okay I'm back under control. Anything I can do for you, my lady?" Stinky bowed truthfully at Jessie while smirking.

"Cut that out!" Jessie whimpered.

"Well…?"

"Oh…you heard my first reply."

"Well you see me right here, right now. Anything else?"

"I'm also wondering if I can…sit here and chat with you?"

Stinky looked at his watch and said, "It's seriously getting late. Almost midnight. But what the heck… Anything."

Jessie beamed with Stinky accepting to chat with her.

What is wrong with her? Stinky wondered.

Jessie and Stinky both sat down on the soft grass and looked at the starry night sky.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Jessie was dazzled by the bright stars and the full moon in the sky. "The stars…the moon…"

"Yeah, I guess."

"What do you mean I guess? Of course it's beautiful."

"If you say so." Stinky shrugged.

"Hmph. Not appreciative at all."

There was a moment of silence as Jessie and Stinky enjoyed the scenery of the sky.

"So I've heard Davis and Dennis were targeted by someone?" Jessie asked in a worried tone.

"Not just someone…" Stinky turned to face Jessie. "An assassin. I didn't know it was so severe until I actually saw the aftermath of it."

"I'm so sorry…"

"You don't have to. It's the damn assassin's fault. And I swear I'll kill him if it's the last thing I do!"

Stinky turned to gaze at the starry sky again. "And if Woody didn't stop me from looking for Davis and Dennis, none of this would have happened! It's all his fault as well!"

Jessie was confused. "What exactly happened between you and Woody?"

"I…" Stinky started but then stopped almost immediately. "This is none of your concern. You don't have to know."

"Fine!" Jessie turned away from Stinky and looked at the sky again.

Stinky, seeing Jessie's reaction, decided to hit back by yawning. Jessie turned her head to face Stinky.

"I'm gonna go to sleep now. See you tomorrow." Stinky got up and walked with big steps back to the school.

"Hey! Wait up!" Jessie got up and chased after Stinky.

"Why did you come after me?" Stinky asked as Jessie reached him. "Oh wait…you are afraid of loneliness in the dark, are you?" He smirked.

"No!" Jessie pinched Stinky's right arm.

"Ouch! That hurts!"

"Serves you right!"

As Jessie and Stinky continued to quarrel upon heading back into school, up high at the 2nd storey window stood someone with brown hair filled with grey highlights and wore green shirt and jacket and grey pants. He looked at them enter the school and shook his head.

"When will he ever learn…?"