12. The day after

Continuation of Birthday (chapter 8)

Disclaimer: I don't own Lorien Legacies. If I did, well...I wouldn't have killed any Garde, Pittacus.


I'm eighteen years old.

Yesterday was my birthday and even though I wanted to hide it from the rest, I couldn't. It was the opposite of bad, though. They were kind to me; they prepared a big lunch and we talked and laughed. It was nice to be normal for a while.

Yesterday ended up being better than normal. In the balcony under the stars, Eight kissed me. I haven't seen him since and I spent half of the night thinking. That's why I'm so sleepy today. And it sucks because we have training first thing in the morning and today we are doing one on one without Legacies.

I arrived second in the big training room. Only Nine was there setting up some things for practice. He gets excited with all this stuff. The rest were still eating breakfast. I had only stopped by the kitchen to get a toast. Eight was there and I didn't know what to say to him or what to do, so I avoided him.

"Birthday girl is excited for training?" Nine asks when she sees me.

"It's not my birthday anymore."

"That's a shame. Lunch was amazing yesterday." He grins. "When is the next birthday?"

I shrug, no one has told me that and I decide to leave that as an answer. "For what is all this stuff?" I point to what he's setting up.

"Before and after the fights." He replies. "We need to warm up and I love this. They are like my babies." He takes one of his babies and caresses it exaggeratedly with delicacy.

Of course.

I don't get a chance to say anything else because the others come through the door. My eyes catch Eight's but I quickly look at Six, even though I can still feel his gaze.

During training he often looks at me but I pretend I don't notice. I try to work my hardest, because I know how much I need to catch up to be as good as the others. Training is already difficult and tiring by itself and Eight isn't making things easier.

We get ready for the one on one. Like most of the days, Nine wants to start and his favorite opponent is Six who more than once has kicked his ass, but today he's fighting John. It's a good fight, both seem prepared and fit for it. Nine ends the battle having John in a headlock in such way that he could snap his neck if he were the enemy, but John didn't make it easy for him. He's strong and in training he has learned many things he likes to put in practice and so, with every fight, he is more difficult for Nine or Six to beat him, even if they do it in the end.

I am next. Before starting the combats it was settled who would fight who. I'm fighting Eight.

We go to the center of the room. I take a big breath before I look at him. He stands before me serious, but there's a glint of playfulness in his eyes. He smiles, we start.

I stay put in my place waiting for what he does. He takes two steps forward but doesn't attack. A minute follows and Nine's voice shouts us to get to the action. Eight throws the first blow and I manage to dodge it. After that it's punching and dodging and getting hit. I do some of the things Six has taught me but in sometimes I'm not as lucky. Six showed me a move once and in her opinion it never fails. It got me sometime until I managed it but I have never tried it with someone that wasn't her in training.

There's a first time for everything.

I make as if I'm going to punch him in the face. He blocks it and his attention is there while I quickly use my leg to take one of his and he loses balance and falls on the floor. I kneel over him so his legs are in between mine and I pin his hands to the ground, this way he shouldn't move.

I look at him and there's a faint smile on his lips. My heart bumps faster, because I have the advantage and I'm proud of myself. Eight doesn't look away, in fact, our eyes lock. Suddenly, the rush of the fight is replaced by something else. I'm aware of how close we are and where our bodies touch. I can feel his warm breath on my face and I'm reminded of what he did yesterday.

That takes my attention away from what I should be doing right now and Eight takes the opportunity. He flips us over, now the positions are reversed. He doesn't say anything but he smiles without taking his eyes off mine. He brings my hands close together so he can hold them with one hand, I tried to fight it but his grip is too strong. Then he brings his freed arm to my neck telling me without words that if this were a real fight he would crush my neck.

"I won." He says with a husky voice winking at me.

I was so close to winning and it disappoints and irritates me that I let him that advantage without fully realizing what I was doing. But I can't help it; when I see him smiling at me, my frown is replaced by a smile of my own.


I hope you liked this! Thank you all so much for your reviews! You are all amazing!

But I have some news: this might be the last chapter. The Fall of Five is coming out tomorrow (yay the wait is over!) and I don't know if I should continue with this, so I'd like you guys to tell me if you wanna keep getting more chapters or not.

I have another one-shot in the baking that is going to be a separate fanfic because it's not like the rest of this chapters. Is more comedy and about everyone. It's more to have a laugh with Nine than anything else.

Thank you all so much for your support! Have fun reading the Fall of Five whenever that is! (I, for example, have to wait until September 4th, but I've been spoilered -.-)

Thanks, guys :)

Sonia