(Sophia's POV) October
I hit the board before me, crying out in muffled pain. The brown wood stained long ago with my blood. Doyle sat before the house, flipping through a few papers.
"Again."
We were somewhere in central America, Honduras I think. Doyle had moved us around the last two months.
I grit my teeth, punching the large wooden stump again, thankfully most of the rough bark had been beaten away but after three months of this abuse my hands were raw and broken in multiple places.
"The warrior must discover that pain in inevitable, we can't avoid it but we can learn to ignore it." He sips on some tea "When you learn to let go of your fear for pain we can continue."
Day in and day out I would stand here, punching trees and metal blocks. Anything to strengthen my body.
..
..
I sat at the table, my bandaged hands were throbbing. My knuckles so swollen it was hard to hold the thin chop sticks, yet I was starving. Doyle hardly let me have any food through out the day and night time dinners were filled with thin stringy food that were difficult to grab with uninjured hands. I tried a few times, watching the chopped radish fall back on the plate, my hands were shaking too much.
Again.
Again.
Over and over the radish would fall and I growl in frustrated tears. Doyle would spare me a few glances, eating his food with ease.
"Doyle..."
"Would you rather not eat?"
I lift my shaking chop sticks and try again. Again, it fell. In anger I toss the chop sticks away and grab the food with tender fingers. It was painful but it allowed me too scoop food into my mouth. I got about three handfuls before Doyle smacks the bowl away.
"If you want to eat like a dog then go eat off the floor!" I pause, watching his hands pick up his food "Go on." He takes a bite of food "If you wish to sit at the table you will eat like a human being."
I look at the food on the floor and grab the chop sticks with shaking fingers. Doyle watches me for a moment and grabs another bowl, filling my bowl with rice and finely chopped meat.
I walked into the market, a large scarf over my hair. Some people spared me a momentary glance but kept walking. I made my way further up the street and took a left, walking the extra half mile to the older lady house. The market was closer but Doyle said we should support the smaller businesses, so I continued my walk up the hill, my throbbing hands struggled to hold the basket.
"Hola,"
I nod once "Hola Isabella."
I place the basket on the table and hand her the paper.
"La usual?"
"Si."
She nods, standing to place the desired objects into the basket. I turn away, not wanting to look for longer then I had too. The longer sleeves of Doyle's shirts covered up the bloody gauze on my hands. I hear the door open and little shoes come out. I watch a younger girl come up to the table and pause, her eyes widen slightly. I couldn't blame her. The left side of my face was swollen, my eye black and tapped over with gauze. My lip was busted in three places and a cut ran along my right cheek.
Since I couldn't pull my scarf further without showing my bandaged hands she saw most of it. She turns, walking over to the older lady by the house. The grandmother did little more then rock in that old wooden chair, I assumed she was making sure no one swindled her daughter in law out of money.
"Abuela?" grandma
Her head of white hair turns, a large smile on her face "sí mi amor?" yes my love
"¿Qué le pasó a su cara?"
I understood 'happened' and 'face' from that sentence and I turn more when her eyes flicker back to me. Her eyes hold my mostly covered frame and she turns, rubbing her granddaughters face.
"El Silbón."
""¿Qué?" what
Just then Isabella appears, shooing her daughter into the house and had a hushed but temperamental conversation with the lady that was too fast for me to follow.
After a minute of bickering she turns, setting the basket on the table with a light thump.
"Lo siento." I'm sorry
"Está bien," its okay
Isabella had tried to help me a few times, obviously thinking I was being abused by my husband but given the fact that I didn't know a lot of Spanish she didn't get too much information. If she did Doyle would move us and Honestly, I quiet liked the woman.
Isabella goes through the food one more time and nods, placing the smaller blanket over top. I hand her the money, already hating the horrible look of the bloody gauze but she takes it with little problem. After counting the money, she placed it under the table and nods, pity in her eyes.
Before she can say more, I nod "gracias Isabella."
..
..
Doyle was unpacking the food, the shelves too high for me to reach when his eyes find mine "What?"
I pause, wondering if I should ask and sigh softly "Doyle, what does El Silbón mean?"
Doyle stops, smiling softly "where did you hear that?"
"A little girl asked her grandma what happened to me and that's what she said."
"It means the Silbon. It's a popular legend here." Cans are placed on the shelf with a soft thunk "A young boy Silbon murders his father in cold blood, and it's said whoever is close to him will hear a whistling tune dancing on the wind." He placed the last of the food in cupboard and turns to me "It's an omen of death."
..
..
We were sitting at the table, my hands in ice water as Doyle flipped through our daily flash cards.
"Rojo"
"Red"
"Azul"
"blue"
"Naranja"
"orange"
"Purpura"
"Purple"
"Casa"
"House"
"Árbol"
I remove my hands from the water "Tree"
Doyle flips the small sand hourglass, the steady stream of sand falling the other way "Diapositive"
"slide"
"Tachuelas"
"Tacks"
He flips the cards the other way
"Hope"
"Esperar"
"Paper"
"Papel"
He sets down the cards, grabbing the second stack "I want some paper"
"Quiero un papel"
"Where is the bathroom"
"Dónde está el baño"
"What is your name"
"Cuál es tu nom... nombre?"
"Bre" he repeats, adjusting the wording just the slightest
"Nombre"
"Si." He grabs the next one.
..
..
November 23
I looked over the last of the food, watching Isabella cover the basket. "Gracias Isabella. Has sido muy amable conmigo." (Thank you, you've been very kind.)
She stops, eyes widening slightly before she smiles "Eres bienvenido." She holds my arm gently "Si alguna, vez necesitas algo, por favor, pregúntame. No tenemos mucho pero podemos ayudar." (You're welcome, if you ever need anything, please, ask me. We don't have much but we can help.)
"Tu amabilidad es suficiente Isabella. Por favor, no se preocupe por mí, mejorará.." (Your kindness is enough Isabella. Please don't worry for me, it will get better.)
I take the basket, nodding to the older woman in her chair and begin my walk down the road. I could hear the daughter talking with her mother and a car, by the screeching of the tires I assumed it stopped.
Angry male voices hit the air "¡Manos arriba!" (Hands up!)
"¡Dije manos arriba!" (I said hands up!)
I hear more doors slam shut and the tell-tale sound of guns being cocked. There were six guns, in total.
"¡mami!" (Mommy!)
"¡Por favor, no nos lastimes!" Isabella cries and my walk slows to the stop. (Please Dont hurt us!)
I hear the door open and another frighten male voice
"¿Qué quieres?" What do you want?
The sound of metal hitting flesh and a crash has me wincing, one of them most likely hit Isabella's husband.
"¡miel!" honey!
"¡Papito!" Daddy!
I hear more struggling and glance at my bandaged hands. The bones were beyond broken, swollen and raw. Doyle had made me practice on a new tree, saying the old one was 'too soft now'.
"Por favor, ¿qué quieres? Ya pagamos la protección de este mes" Isabella cries (Please what do you want? We already paid for this months protection.)
"¡No queremos a tu dinero perra! ¡Estamos construyendo una resistencia! ¡Necesitamos soldados!" We don't want your money bitch! We're building a resistance! We need soldiers!
"llévate a los chicos." (take the boys.)
"¡No!" No!
"¡Mami!" Mommy!
"¡Mami!" Mommy!
I sigh, when I hear struggling. The scared sounds of her sons being dragged from her house and more sounds of metal hitting flesh. The men scream threats of violence, of death should anyone try to stop them.
I place my basket on the ground and finally take in the scene. Isabella was on the ground, her husband as well, the two of them bleeding. The table was flipped over, food slipped everywhere as two Soldiers dragged her sons towards the jeep. Isabella screamed, struggling against her captures, tears streaming down her face.
"MATEO! NICOLÁS!"
Two of them still had their guns, the other four were holding people. Okay, I can do this.
I'd reached them by then, sending a swift kick at the first one's gun, he twists and I toss out my fist, holding in the silent scream when my knuckles connect with his jaw. He spins going down to the ground. One down.
I counter the next ones punch, the one holding Mateo, ducking under his fist and send a swift hit to his stomach as Mateo's tossed to the floor.
I kick the second gun to my left, spinning again to kick Mateo's guy in the head and watch him go down. two down
The third one fires and I duck, my eyes flicker over to the bullet in the car door. It had missed me by a mile. Clearly these guys weren't trained well, if at all... Either way bad move.
With a burst of speed I jump, ramming my knee into his stomach, my foot kicks back hitting Nicholas's capture rushing behind me and I punch him as well. Three down.
Yet this time I can't help but scream in pain, my wounds had opened up long ago. The blood soaking through the bandages but still I move, grabbing the fourth one's gun. I force the nozzle away from the family and using the strap tied around his body twist it around his neck and flip him over my shoulder. Since I couldn't get a good grip on the gun my flip was light, I sent a quick heel to his face and he was done. Four down.
My hands were dripping blood, screaming at me in pain but I rush the fifth one, kneeing him in the chest, I toss another bloody hook and watch him go down. That's five.
I pause, looking for the sixth one and see him, fists up in a fight. He eyed up my hands, blood dripping to the ground and smiles.
I engage him, sending a kick to his stomach.
He tosses a punch which I counter.
I back up, going in for another punch which he blocks.
He sends a hard hit to my chest and I cry out, my feet forced back.
I send another kick watching him go back and continue the move, sending a swiping kick his way but he back up.
I block his punch and do a side twist, my leg wrapping around his neck and force us both to the ground, my thigh now clamped around his neck.
I send a weaker punch to his face, then another, my blood smearing with his and tighten my leg. He struggles, biting my thigh and I scream, punching him again.
I hear something crack but between the pain I wasn't sure if it was from me or him.
I send one more punch to his face and when his head hits the ground with a smack, he falls limp.
I keep my leg there, making sure he wasn't faking and stand. I wasn't sure if it was the pain or the blood loss but I see spots, the world fading around me.
"Mamá!" (momma)
I watch the kids huddled around Isabella, fear on there faces. A high pitched ringing echoed in my ears as I stumbled backwards
"¡Pierda! ¡Pierda!" Issabella tries, her hand up as she slowly approaches me (Miss! Miss!)
I fall to the ground, my body hardly registering the fall or the calming waves trying to lull me to sleep. Isabella moves over me, her hands holding my arms
"Aférrate..." her words echo around me "solo espera..." (hang on... just hang on.)
..
..
The world spun around me, loud noise filled my ears, I blinked, taking in the blurry outline of a figure and a blood bag attached to a metal pole.
"How is she?"
My eyes catch the blurry outline of trees and clouds around us. Were we in a helicopter?
"She lost a litre of blood but she'll pull through."
"Good," I see a flash of red hair "Have Doctor Umesawa ready when we arrive."
..
..
I blink, my eyes felt heavy. I wince, the pain in my hands hits me full force and I bite back the scream. I try again, opening my eyes more slowly and see a blurry figure.
I swallow a few times, trying to wake up my throat.
"donde..." The figure beside me moves what
"Hmm?"
"Dónde... estoy?" What happened?
The picture clears a little more and the smell of cigerette smoke hits my nose "Sorry sweetheart, but I don't speak whatever it is you just said."
My nose crinkles in disgust. Japanese? Did this person just speak Japanese?
I wince, forcing my eyes open again and turn my head. God my body felt like I'd been hit by a truck.
After speaking Spanish for two months it took me a moment to remember my words "What happened?"
"I fixed your hands, that what happened." I take in an older man, brown short hair, a receding hairline and a bottle of alcohol. He looks me over for a few minutes "I have to admit I'm surprised. I've seen a lot of injuries in this job, crazy ones believe me, but I never thought I'd see a girl with injuries like yours." He blows a cloud of smoke at the window "What the hell were you doing punching trees with broken hands?"
"Getting used... to pain..." I groan, my eyes finally flicker down to my hands and I see there in thick white plasters.
The more my body woke up the more the pain radiated down my arms. Fucking hell! Had he done this with no medication?
"Well, you're gonna have to stay off those hands for at least a month miss pain."
Despite my pain I can't help but smile, painful tears leaking down my face "That's might high talk for a doctor that drinks on the job."
The bottle stops half way to his lips, the surprise was obvious yet that slowly melts away to a smile "fair enough," he takes another swig "But you still have to wait a month."
Doyle appears at the door, leaning on the entrance. He simply stares at me, eyes searching for something I couldn't place. After a few moments he moves, placing a thin syringe into the IV on my arm. The clear liquid almost shone in the light.
Pain meds? He's never given them to me before... he removed the needle with expert practice and hands it to the male beside him. I was half tempted to believe I was still dreaming, passed out in Isabella's arms.
"Why am I here?"
"Because you passed the test."
"Test?"
His smirk twists my stomach "Did you really think I'd let you out unattended?"
"You were testing me?" his smile only grows, the tears returning from a different kind of pain "So Isabella was..."
"No, Isabella was real, but the attack, that was on me. -I wanted to see what you would do. Run from pain or embrace it."
He sits on the edge of the bed and I fight the urge to push him off. God I wanted to punch him in his stupid smug face. I probably could with these casts on... "So what happens now?"
"Now, you heal and learn. Then when you're healed, we work on phase two."
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