Tag
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 2
There were no classes or dojo on weekends, but he did his tai chi and exercises. After breakfast, Tag read the photography book. He pulled the camera out and checked it out with the different lenses and functions. Tag loaded up the camera battery and left out the back door. After going through 2 memory cards, he felt at home with the camera and was looking for his next shot. Tag headed back to the house and put away the camera. With the parents missing and the help off for the weekend, he spent time with anatomy books looking for clues to help muscle growth.
Tag called Tina and asked if she could add computer skills training to our program. Maybe an hour or two per week with one of her hot female friends. She laughed and said,” You’re too young for that, but she would check it out.” Tag asked how she was doing and if there were any other problems with the idiot jock situation. Tina told him her friends have been stopping by and giving support. But overall, she was fine and said she would see him on Monday. She warned Tag to stay away from the older woman, laughing as she hung up.
He spent the rest of Saturday studying. Sunday started with tai chi, exercises, and then breakfast. Tag wanted to call Grampa and looked at the phone manual for the information on calling. He thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to call from the house, and with nothing but time on my hands, Tag ran to the corner store. We have a nice upscale stop-and-go store with a separate coffee shop for all the commuters. He purchased a large sports drink, found a nice quiet area, and, following the directions, made the call.
Grampa was surprised to hear from him, and we talked about his week. He was really interested in the attack at the University with Tina, but seemed to relax when he finished the story. Tag told him about visiting the different departments with Tina’s friends and about his request for assistance. He was laughing so hard that he had to move the phone away from his ear. After he settled down, Tag asked about the ranch. His questions were many, and we talked for over 30 minutes. Ultimately, we agreed to make Sunday mornings our time every two weeks and said goodbye.
Tag headed back to the house to study more and wondered if we could arrange to sit in a class or two at the University sometime. After ordering pizza for dinner and reviewing the books on chi again, he fell asleep. The dream returned, and he walked around the University, selecting various people from the crowd and reading their thoughts. He was invisible to everyone; they didn’t know or care about him.
Monday started with tai chi and exercises. Then we had our language lesson, followed by breakfast. Tag heard short bursts of voices when he looked at Kim and Maria. Tag kept it to himself and tried to buffer or shield the noise. He remembered reading a sci-fi novel; the boy in the story could read minds, but the noise was so great he had agonizing headaches. He developed a shield to block the noise so he could go to school. Like in the book, Tag envisioned a dome over my head, which worked. He was amazed.
We arrived at the dojo and started training. After an hour and a half, we moved to the backroom. Sensei had a new set of tests and wanted to review the progress by repeating the hand, feet, and heavy bag tests. He felt once every other week would be enough unless no changes were noted. Then, we would check monthly. His strength improved by a pound, and his lift was less. We agreed to check it again in two weeks. The other tests checked how long he could maintain his chi while sparing or with different distractions. It was hard to get a hard read, but it looked like it was 30 minutes long.
He gave Tag some new exercises to do, as well as stretching. We sat down and discussed the program with him, and he felt Tag was making great progress and should step up his training. Sensi felt Tag’s ability to maintain chi would help him grasp the new material. Kim and I drove home and had lunch with a language lesson. Tina arrived, and we discussed his request. Tina said her friend initially agreed to meet with him twice a week. Then, we could reduce it when he had grasped the main/core of the subject. Her friend Pam requested that we purchase a computer and be sure to have the internet connected. She had a list of what we needed, and lessons would start when everything was set up.
Tina left before dinner, and we discussed where to put the computer while eating dinner. The best place was in his room, and tomorrow, we would call to connect to the internet and pick up the computer after the dojo. Tag was thrilled it was moving along so quickly. He also looked forward to having the computer to research without going to the library or bookstore. Tag went to bed and removed his shield to see if he could pick up any voices. He could hear some, but they were weak, so he centered himself and concentrated. The voices were a little clearer. He heard Maria and Kim in the kitchen. Tag wasn’t sure if he was reading minds or hearing conversations, but he needed to verify and keep practicing. Sleep came hard because his mind just wouldn’t shut down.
The next thing he remembered was Kim knocking on his door. He was rushed to get ready and was pissed he overslept. When he reached for his shoe, it moved into his hand. Needless to say, he was freaked out. It took a minute to calm down, and he rushed to meet Kim for tai chi and exercises. When we finished, it was a language lesson, and we had breakfast. Kim called to schedule internet for his room, and we were off to the dojo.
Sensei had us go to the back room, where he said our new training would occur. He explained the new exercises, and we started slowly. It was like learning a whole new martial art. Ultimately, he explained that this new program would allow him to grow and adapt faster to the new challenges he would be facing. We thanked Sensi and headed off to purchase the computer and parts listed on Pam’s sheet.
Kim called Maria to let her know we would be late. After spending 30 minutes with a salesperson, we had everything and drove home. We ate a quick lunch and moved the computer and boxes to his room. We had just finished when Tina arrived with a box of books that ended up in his room. She helped us set up the computer to be ready for the internet connection. The box of books was unpacked, and she set them up in order for Tag to read them. Kim told Tina the internet would be connected on Friday. Tina said Pam wanted him to read all seven books before starting our lessons. Tag figured a week from Monday would give me enough time to inform Tina.
We started his lessons and finished before dinner. We were graced with an appearance by his parents, who thanked Kim for handling everything. Tag went to his room, sat in the lotus position to gain his center, and looked at the dormant area of his brain. He could see vibrant colors as if a lot of activity was happening. Looking at the other areas, it seemed less vibrant, almost like they were not as active at the moment. Tag looked at muscles and bones and wished they would grow. Then, he picked up the first computer book and read it until he fell asleep.
Tag woke up early (5 a.m.) and reached for his shoes. Nothing happened. He concentrated hard and held his hands open, and the shoes moved. It will be something that will require a lot more testing. Tag decided to keep the mind and moving of articles private because he was afraid someone would spill the goods, and he would be in real trouble. He felt the centering and chi issues that Sensi and Kim knew about were enough of a risk. There was no need to expose himself more. He dressed and met Kim for tai chi and exercises, followed by language training and breakfast.
We left for the dojo, met Sensi in the back room, and went through the new forms faster. When they finished sparring, he could barely lift his arms. Tag’s legs felt like cement, and Sensi said the more we practiced, the less soreness would be felt. Tag managed to make it to the car, and we headed home. After lunch and language lessons, Tina arrived, and tutoring began. We finished eating dinner and went to bed. Tag was wiped out, but he had to finish the computer book before sleeping.
Tag awoke early (5 a.m.) again and centered myself. He checked his muscles for damage and wished for quick healing. He took a hot shower and got dressed. Kim arrived, we did our normal routine, had breakfast, and left for the dojo. Sensei asked how he felt, and we proceeded to speed up our sparring. We stopped early so we could talk. Sensi wanted to check the lotus chi measurement again.
There was very little difference, so we headed home for lunch and language lessons. Kim told him we had reached a finishing point on the Japanese lessons, so we spoke in Japanese through lunch until Tina arrived. Tutoring lasted until dinner, and we ate and retired to bed. Tag started the second computer book and almost finished it before he fell asleep. His dream returned; this time, he was moving things in his room at will, no matter the weight. Just when he started to reach out for another item, he woke up.
Our routine stayed the same through Friday. When the weekend arrived, he was excited. The internet was hooked up, and he had two free days to play with his new skills. Tad started Saturday off by finishing book two and started book three on computers. He took a break, ate lunch, and played in his room while moving items around. Tad started with small objects like pencils and balled-up socks. The socks worked out to be the safe bet. He could call or direct the ball anywhere in the room. Tag tried to direct it faster against the wall, like throwing a ball against the wall and catching the return. It moved real fast towards the wall and fell after impact.
Tad looked up on the internet to find out what moving items with the mind was called. It’s called Telekinesis, so now he knows it. He remembered what he read in the first book and deleted his internet search history. Then Tad powered the computer down and rebooted it. He checked the history and emptied the trash. He could not afford to have this get out. After double-checking everything again, Tag looked for private search engines that did not share search histories. He found one, downloaded it, and powered down the computer.
Tag spent the rest of the day reading and moving the balled-up sock around the room. Towards dinner time, he ran to the stop and rob to see if they had anything he could use to practice with them. He found a Nerf ball and a bag of marbles. He purchased them with a sub sandwich and a sports drink and headed home. The marbles were definitely an outside play toy for tomorrow. The Nerf ball was fun, with a basketball hoop to hook up over a closet door. He played basketball while eating dinner, finished book three, and started book four. The subjects in the books were really interesting, and he could hardly wait to try them out. Tag finally got tired enough to fall asleep.
He woke up, exercised, ate breakfast, and continued reading book four. Tag finished it and went outside to see if there was an area to test with the marbles. It looks like a good spot around the back side of the garage. No neighbors backed up to the area, and he looked beyond the fence to see a heavily wooded area. It was perfect for what he wanted to test. Tag grabbed the bag of marbles and went around the fence to check if anyone could see him. To be sure, Tag reached out with his mind and found no one nearby. He held one marble and sent it as hard as possible toward a tree 25 yards away. Tag heard a loud crack and looked around to see if anyone came looking. He waited for 15 minutes before walking to the tree. The marble was inside the trunk about ¾ of an inch. That concluded his testing for the day.
Tag needed to find a remote area where he could practice without notice. He will definitely be carrying a few marbles with me at all times. He returned to the stop-and-rob, picked up two more bags and a spare Nerf ball, and returned home. He grabbed a knife and a screwdriver from the workbench and returned to the tree to remove the marble. I didn’t want someone to find it and ask questions. Tag returned home, started on book 5, and completed it within an hour. He started book six and got halfway through before breaking for dinner. Tag order Chinese and played Nerf basketball until dinner arrived.
After finishing dinner, Tag went to the computer to practice some of the things he learned. He went into the start menu and checked the programs installed on the computer. It was loaded with a bunch of crap programs that was slowing it down. He looked at the computer manual, went online to the forums, and asked if someone could guide him on the necessary programs. Al answered me and said to give him the list. Tag copied and sent it to him with the computer’s name. He answered right back by listing all the programs that were crap and some tips to speed up the startup.
Tag thanked him and said he was studying at the university, and listed the books he had finished and to be read. Al was impressed and gave Tag his email address to contact him if he had any problems. Tag thanked him and said he would forward his email when he finished setting up the computer. Tag logged off, started deleting the programs, and went to the startup to change those settings. When he finished, Tag rebooted the computer, and it was fast. It booted up right away.
He powered it down and finished off book six. He picked up book seven and fell asleep before starting it. The dreams continued with him sitting across the table from some people in suits, and they looked really mean. Tag tried to read their minds, but I hit a stone wall. Then the pain started, and he remembered his shield. Tag raised it, opened his pocket, and directed marbles as hard as I could at them. The look on their faces was funny until they passed away. He looked at the carnage to see if he could locate where we were. Tag checked their pockets and all the cabinets and drawers in the room.
He awoke and had their driver’s license and some paperwork from the office. Tag quickly scanned over the paperwork, put all the information in his desk drawer, and hit the shower.
Kim and I went through our exercises and had breakfast. We talked with Maria for a while before heading to the dojo. Sensi met us in the rear room, and we started with forms in slow motion, then increased our speed until he was going as fast as he could. We stopped and took a rest. Then we started sparing at half speed and progressed to full speed. Tag about passing out from exhaustion.
Kim and I made it home for lunch and conversed in Japanese while we waited. Maria came and sat down, and he changed to Spanish. Tina came in with someone, and Maria, Kim, and I waited to be introduced. Tina looked at us and remembered to introduce Pam, who had come to check the computer. We went upstairs to my room and powered up the computer. Pam was surprised it came up so fast and started to check hardware and software.