Chapter 23 - 23. Fitness Journey

The officer finished Taking Asher's statement and kept double checking it. "You really thought that this man was under the influence of a high fever?" He was in awe that this kid had been so blind.

"Of course, why else would someone wear a ski mask in such warm weather? I've only worn them when I was out in the snow. I heard that when someone has a fever they feel cold even in the heat of the summer." Asher was still not fully convinced he had been in an attempted robbery.

"I don't know if you are the luckiest kid I've ever met or just messing with me but you still managed to keep the situation from escalating. We have recorded your information and will forward it to our chief." The officer placed his notepad in his pocket and surveyed the area quickly before readying himself to leave. "You don't happen to want to pursue law enforcement in some way do you?" 'Maybe this kid just doesn't want his powers to get put publicly for when he joins the force in the future. It would make sense'

"Actually I want to aim for a little higher than that. My friends and I have made a deal that we will all become heroes." Asher found that he was brimming with confidence he had never felt before as he said this. He stood taller and raised his head. 'I never noticed how often I look at the ground..' He realized this while looking the officer in the eyes.

'This kid has to be messing with me! I knew it!' The officer's thoughts felt to be confirmed. "Then in that case I will personally have my chief send notice to your school of tonight's incident. Nice job future hero!" The officer slapped him on the shoulder before heading off with his partner and their captured criminal.

'Even the officers are so supportive now. This new world is amazing.' Asher had opened this new door fully. It was time he pursued his new goals in earnest. He had gym class and combat class in the morning to look forward to. 'I will learn everything I can and give everyone something to watch!'

He walked home too energized to sleep. He wanted to go right upstairs and start some athletic training early to tire himself out. "Where. have. you. Been.?" Asher's mother was sitting on the front step with a deadly serious face. The aura of anger rolling off her.

"Well I kind of got held up…" He knew that he was in trouble but he feared what would happen when he told her what happened.

"Oh I heard the conversation with the officer. I thought I would keep an ear out for you since you seemed a little too happy to walk your new friend home. I was just doing what a mother should. But what do i hear when I check again?" Her eyes became much colder. "I hear an officer explaining how lucky you are after an attempted robbery!" She had officially lost her cool.

"Wait mom, you were listening in on Jane and me!?" Asher was instantly red faced and completely embarrassed.

"That's not the point! You have yet to understand your power and you are off getting in to these dangerous things. Even your sister would have been smart enough to run away back here to call the police." The tone bit in to him harshly. This was the special kind of force behind a mother's reprimands.

His energy was burned away after an hour of talking to and finally being sent to bed. Asher collapsed on to his bed instantly falling in to sleep. He could no longer motivate himself to start an early work out. 'I will start early in the morning. I can just wake up earlier.'

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

The alarm blared at a bright and early four in the morning. Asher had sleepily set the alarm early to get in to the proper training. Asher slammed his hand down hitting the stop button on the noise that had invaded his sweet dreams of tacos raining from the sky.

"Ugh, it's so early…" He mumbled to himself as he brushed his teeth and dug out some running shoes. He grabbed an extra pair of gym shorts and an old sweatshirt. Flipping up the hood he left his room only to see that his sister was stretching by the front door.

"What are you doing up this early?" She had never seen anyone but her father awake this early in the house and that was only when he had a work deadline to meet.

"I decided to start working out in the morning. I want to be a hero and I can't get there by doing nothing." Cara was almost speechless seeing that the fire in her brother's eyes had been lit. She swore she saw an emerald flame in his forest green eyes.

"Well if you can keep up to the park I will let you watch my circuits. I work out for an hour then a fifteen minute run around the neighborhood. If you can't keep up don't expect me to stop." She finished her stretches and put on a determined face. 'I'll show you what a real workout is'

The motivation was there so Asher did not hesitate even for a moment. He fell in to step behind her before realizing he was falling out of breath more and more. 'I need to control my breathing.' Asher motivated himself and slowed down. Cara took many lengths ahead but she did not look back.

'She's so fast' Asher resisted the urge to sprint up to her and match pace again. He knew that he would not make it to the park if he did. He fell further behind her but after learning what his natural place was he found some rhythm in breathing.

His sweatshirt was hot and stuffy causing him to sweat much more than he would have if he was in a normal T-shirt. But he had seen on television that boxers and fighters wore them to train so he would too. "Almost...There!" Asher saw Cara drinking from the park's water fountain and allowed his pace to rise in to a final sprint to the water fountain. He found he moved faster than he imagined after reserving some energy.

"Took you long enough. I thought you gave up already. Get a drink then we will do crunches." Cara moved to the open basket ball court which was the perfect flat service for her circuits.

Asher gulped down a few mouthfuls of water before rushing to join Cara on the ground. "Thirty, then switch," Cara said this then started doing basic crunches at a furious pace. Asher tried his best to keep up but realized that when he was on twenty that Cara was already standing up to start doing squats.

Asher followed in this manner the entire time. He was always ten or fifteen repetitions behind his sister. 'she does this every morning?' He was stunned, never had he realized that his sister would be up early working this hard to be where she was in life. 'I wonder if she was like this in the other world too?' This thought entered his mind but was discarded easily since they had not lived well enough to allow either to work out let alone in this way.

After rotating through five different exercises and thirty repetitions of each Cara started over at the same pace. This went on three rounds in total with Asher feeling like his muscles were being burned away in flames. When Cara stood up and took a drink he breathed a massive sigh of relief.

"Come on, let's get the rest of cardio done. I will shower before you get back. Make sure you eat some extra protein at breakfast." Cara was off again. Asher gulped more water and started off running again. His pace was even slower than before but he pushed himself to maintain a light jog. This run may have been fifteen minutes for Cara but was much longer for him. He arrived a full fifteen minutes after her to her already earring breakfast having showered and getting ready for school.

"Asher, go get cleaned up you are going to be late for school if you don't do it now!" His mother was still unhappy with him and gave him some more harsh encouragement to get on the move.

Having cleaned himself Asher grabbed his bag and double checked his homework. He found that his mother had set aside an egg sandwich for him to eat on the walk to school. "Thanks mom!" He grabbed it but stopped remembering what Cara said. He grabbed a package of peanuts to snack on too. "These are protein right?" With his breakfast in hand he left through the front door finding a familiar face...well mask waiting for him. "Good morning Jane!"