Ch 3: Kiribati
My birth wasn't extraordinary. I weighed in at an average 7 lbs 8 oz, born at St. John's Hospital to two adoring parents. It was who my parents were that was extraordinary, although no one at the hospital knew it.

As soon as my mother was released from the hospital, they started the preparations for our move to Kiribati. The Republic of Kiribati consists of several tiny islands in the Pacific, about 700 miles south of Hawaii. We would actually live on one of the outlying islands, with little contact from the outside world.

It was necessary since I would attend the Mataanoano Kura, just as my mother had many years before. This was actually one of the most accessible of such schools. My father had attended one of the others, but I never did learn which one. I would stay here until the age of 12.

My parents were required to stay at the school and help with instruction. After all, they had as much knowledge to pass down to the students as the permanent instructors. This was the only payment required for my education.

It was at M.K. that I made my first friend, Yuki, but we weren't really allowed to become too attached as that could hurt us later. We didn't have personal time anyway, so developing a deep friendship was nearly impossible. My closest friend was probably, Duke, a pit-bull that roamed around our campus with his mate, Duchess. They were there to intimidate any outsiders that might approach, but there was never anyone for them to threaten.

The daily routine was strict since we had to learn so much in a short time. By the time I left, I knew two martial arts in addition to several other fighting styles and submission techniques. I was also skilled in communications, learning several languages. Target practice was our only recreation. I could handle a cross bow and several types of guns.

Not only did I train physically, but also mentally. Meditation and concentration exercises were stressed. I was taught to use each of my senses individually. I could recognize any edible substance by taste alone. My hands can detect temperature changes of only a couple of degrees.

One morning, when I was eight years old, I was jerked from my bed, hands tied, and blindfolded. I knew from the smell that I had been enclosed in a pine box, and was being carried down three flights of stairs and across the courtyard toward a wooded area.

As the sounds of the ocean subsided, I realized that I was being taken underground. By this time, I had freed my wrists and removed my blindfold but could see only darkness through cracks in the box.

I heard shouts in a language I didn't yet know, although it sounded like it belonged to the Sino-Tibetan language family – the same one that Chinese belongs to. Then I was suddenly dropped. A scraping metallic sound and pop, the lock on my pine box had been broken, were followed by quick footsteps.

I lifted the lid of the box, and peered into the darkness. I could see nothing for a few seconds, and then I noticed that Yuki was climbing out of a similar box.

"Where are we?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"In the cave, I think," I replied, standing and jumping out of the box. We knew this cave was used regularly for training exercises, but we had never been allowed inside.

It was at that moment that we heard the growling, and saw two pairs of glowing eyes moving toward us.