Blue Dragon

five tries before he could do the wall-running, but once he had the skill he could float off the wall easily.
    ‘My turn,’ I said, moving forward. ‘I want to have this right.’
    Everybody moved back and I ran to the top of the wall. ‘What do you think is the highest I could go?’ I called down to them. ‘Could I make it to the top of a skyscraper?’
    No , John said into my ear. You could probably manage about five, six, storeys and then run out of energy and fall off. Don’t try it; you wouldn’t have any energy left to slow your fall! Be very careful with this.
    I didn’t reply, I just hurled myself from the top of the wall. I concentrated on moving the energy centres upwards to slow my fall. I had it. I held out my arms, rotated, and floated gently down to land on my feet.
    ‘Oh my God, that feels so good,’ I said softly. I glanced up at John. ‘How about if I jumped off a building? How high could I do that safely from?’
    ‘Once you have the skill, there is no limit,’ John said, amused. ‘Slowing your fall requires much less energy, just more control. The Tiger and I have taken energy studentsskydiving without parachutes more than once—it’s great fun.’ He smiled. ‘When I return, I’ll take you up and we’ll try.’
    ‘Where will you find a skydiving plane in Hong Kong?’ I said. ‘There isn’t space for small aircraft.’
    His smile didn’t shift. ‘It won’t be Hong Kong, unless that is your wish. And I won’t need a plane.’
    ‘Me too,’ Simone said softly.
    John grinned. ‘Okay, sweetheart. Now, who wants to learn to fly?’
    ‘ Me first! Me first! ’ Simone squealed, jumping up and down. She ran and tackled her father hard, nearly knocking him over. ‘I want to do some too!’
    John hoisted her high and she squealed again. He lowered her gently. ‘Let Emma try first, you watch. Then you can try.’
    ‘Okay.’ Simone gestured to me. ‘Come on, Emma.’
    I went forward. John led me to the obstacle course. ‘This will do.’
    It was a military-style obstacle course, with walls, ropes and nets. ‘Ignore the obstacles, we just need the space,’ John said. ‘Run alongside.’
    He stepped back to stand next to me, still facing the obstacle course. ‘Run. Run fast. At the same time, lift the centres. This should be easier than slowing your fall; the centres are moving in the same direction as you.’ He grinned. ‘Lift yourself. Not too high—you’ll probably manage some good momentum, if you fall you’ll hit the ground hard.’ He gestured. ‘Try it. Watch carefully, Michael, Simone. Emma will probably have it correct first time.’
    I ignored him. I readied myself, concentrating, then threw myself forward and ran as fast as I could. I felt a thrill of shock. I hadn’t run like this ever before—there wasn’t space and privacy to do it in Hong Kong—and I was moving extremely fast.
    I used the centres to lift myself. My feet cleared the ground. I had it. I flew about five metres, then landed. It was like a huge running stride, but as light as being in water. It was incredibly exhilarating. I kept the motion for a few more metres, then carefully slowed, stopped and turned.
    I was a good three hundred metres away from them and I’d only run for about five seconds.
    If you’re wondering, John said into my ear, you did the first hundred metres in about three seconds. World record?
    I shook my head. I felt ridiculous.
    You look like a cartoon, Simone said. You fly, but your legs are still moving like you’re running. You look really stupid.
    ‘No more Sailor Moon for you,’ I said softly.
    I heard that .
    I ran back to them. I managed about two hundred metres of it in the air, and carefully didn’t run while I was flying. I just let myself hang off the energy centres, revelling in the sensation. I landed, ran, slowed and stopped.
    ‘That is one of the most fun things I have ever done in my entire life,’ I said, gasping through the huge grin. ‘What a shame there’s nowhere to do it back home.’
    ‘You are incredibly fast,’ John said, glancing at his watch. ‘You did the last fifty metres in two point five seconds.’
    ‘Why don’t any of the students ever compete in the Olympics?’ I said. ‘If the training can make you that fast?’
    John smiled indulgently at me. I turned away. ‘Damn.’ I turned back to him. ‘What’s the fastest any of them has done?’
    ‘A very good student can be close on the time of a world-class athlete,’