The most difficult part of training was teaching Helena to control her
temper. The physical part was easy, the emotional was harder. Helena was
staring at Barbara in the training room
"You want me to what?"
Barbara rolled her eyes. "I want you to take the Escrima sticks and I will teach you how to use them. Your hand to hand combat is progressing nicely. I think it's time I show you some basic weapons."
"All right. But I am telling you I am not coordinated enough." Helena picked up the sticks and she twirled them around. She dropped one on her foot. Helena hopped around. "Ow."
Barbara chuckled. "They aren't batons, Helena. You hold them like this." Barbara showed her the correct positioning and some basic moves. "You ready?"
"Bring it on!" Helena said and got into a defensive position.
Barbara put some easy strikes on Helena who blocked them.
"Good.", Barbara said. She tried some more difficult moves and some of them got through Helena's defences. "All right let's change this up. You attack me."
Helena went naturally into attack mode. Every swing and strike was blocked effortlessly by Barbara. Helena became frustrated to no end. Helena slammed the sticks to the ground in anger. Her eyes changed to cat-like.
"Pick those up." Barbara said calmly.
"No!", Helena replied angerly. "This is stupid using stupid sticks to fight!" Helena crossed her arms and stared at Barbara in defiance.
"Helena, using these stupid sticks is one of my main ways of defending myself. Weapons can be very useful in the right way." Barbara explained.
Helena took the sticks again and attacked with fierce determination. She landed a blow to Barbara's right shoulder. Barbara winced and compensated by pulling her sticks closer to her body. Helena moved faster, furiously swinging both arms. Barbara blocked all the blows, except one. Helena landed a devastating blow to Barbara's left temple. She fell heavily to the floor and the chair over her.
The girl released the sticks and they fell to the ground. Her hands went to her mouth. "What have I done!" She whispered. She ran to Barbara and pushed the chair out of the way.
"Barbara? Oh God, Barbara, please be okay!" Helena gingerly touched Barbara's face and put her other hand in the back of her head; her hand came away bloody.
"Oh no.Alfred!!" Helena screamed. "Alfred I need help!!!"
Alfred was downstairs and he heard Helena screaming. He went upstairs as fast as he could. Alfred ran into the gym to see Helena crying over Barbara's head on her lap caressing her hair.
"Don't go please, don't go, I need you." Helena sobbed.
"Let me see Miss Helena, what happened?" Alfred kneeled next to her.
"She made me practice with those sticks and I hit her in the head. Help her please Alfred. There is so much blood." Helena looked at Alfred with her eyes full of tears.
"I need take her to her room." Alfred said calmly. He had seen situations like this so many time that he was unphased by them. He noticed Barbara had a large gash in the back of her ear and a fast growing lump just above her temple. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and placed it over the gash to stop the bleeding "Go to the infirmary and bring me the box on the second shelf." he said. "it is the emergency kit. Also, get some ice there is an ice bag in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom."
Helena did as she was told and ran to the infirmary.
An hour later, Helena was pacing like a caged tiger in Barbara's room. It seemed like Barbara had been unconscious an eternity. Alfred had bandaged Barbara's head. The gash was not that deep so it didn't need any stitches. He had gone to clean the gym while Barbara recovered her sense. Helena constantly turned her head to look her mentor and watched the clock on the nightstand. She would check occasionally just to make sure Barbara was still breathing. She continued to pace at a furious rhythm.
She stopped to move when she saw Barbara move slightly, she ran and kneeled on the side of her mattress. Barbara frowned and groaned weakly; her head throbbed terribly.
"Barbara are you okay?", a worried Helena asked.
Barbara opened her eyes slowly and took her hand to the back of her head. "What happened?" she mumbled feeling the gauze with her fingers.
Helena felt ashamed "I am so sorry, it's all my fault"
Barbara closed her eyes and remembered, "You were too fast I didn't even see you swing."
"Sorry, I never will do it again.", Helena replied.
"It's okay Helena.", Barbara read the fear in the girl's eyes. "It was just an accident."
"You had me so worried I don't want to loose you too." Helena said as she hugged her..
"It was just a training accident Hel." Barbara noticed the kid was trembling
"It doesn't matter if I train or not, I will never fight again." Helena looked at her with fear.
Okay. Helena calm down and listen to me." She took her face between her hands "I would never force you to do something you don't want to do but you can't let your fears stop you. This was just an accident understand? An accident!"
"But."
"It's time that you faced your fears. You can't step back and hide every time you feel scared."
"I don't hide."
"Yes you do. I'm going to support you, but I'm also going to help you turn this weakness into a strength in you. I will do that for you if you want me to. Okay? You are too strong, stronger than you ever would have realize. Take out that strength, kill your fears."
"But I."
"You can do all the things that you propose to do in your life and more. I'm not going to sit around and let that the fear control your life" Barbara said her with firm voice "You are an excellent fighter but as soon as you feel fear you stop. You need to free yourself of the chains of the fear. Understand? We are going to keep training. This was just an accident, it was not your fault and you are not going to surrender just because of this. I'm not going to let you."
Helena looked her without saying a word and just nodded.
* * *
"You want me to what?"
Barbara rolled her eyes. "I want you to take the Escrima sticks and I will teach you how to use them. Your hand to hand combat is progressing nicely. I think it's time I show you some basic weapons."
"All right. But I am telling you I am not coordinated enough." Helena picked up the sticks and she twirled them around. She dropped one on her foot. Helena hopped around. "Ow."
Barbara chuckled. "They aren't batons, Helena. You hold them like this." Barbara showed her the correct positioning and some basic moves. "You ready?"
"Bring it on!" Helena said and got into a defensive position.
Barbara put some easy strikes on Helena who blocked them.
"Good.", Barbara said. She tried some more difficult moves and some of them got through Helena's defences. "All right let's change this up. You attack me."
Helena went naturally into attack mode. Every swing and strike was blocked effortlessly by Barbara. Helena became frustrated to no end. Helena slammed the sticks to the ground in anger. Her eyes changed to cat-like.
"Pick those up." Barbara said calmly.
"No!", Helena replied angerly. "This is stupid using stupid sticks to fight!" Helena crossed her arms and stared at Barbara in defiance.
"Helena, using these stupid sticks is one of my main ways of defending myself. Weapons can be very useful in the right way." Barbara explained.
Helena took the sticks again and attacked with fierce determination. She landed a blow to Barbara's right shoulder. Barbara winced and compensated by pulling her sticks closer to her body. Helena moved faster, furiously swinging both arms. Barbara blocked all the blows, except one. Helena landed a devastating blow to Barbara's left temple. She fell heavily to the floor and the chair over her.
The girl released the sticks and they fell to the ground. Her hands went to her mouth. "What have I done!" She whispered. She ran to Barbara and pushed the chair out of the way.
"Barbara? Oh God, Barbara, please be okay!" Helena gingerly touched Barbara's face and put her other hand in the back of her head; her hand came away bloody.
"Oh no.Alfred!!" Helena screamed. "Alfred I need help!!!"
Alfred was downstairs and he heard Helena screaming. He went upstairs as fast as he could. Alfred ran into the gym to see Helena crying over Barbara's head on her lap caressing her hair.
"Don't go please, don't go, I need you." Helena sobbed.
"Let me see Miss Helena, what happened?" Alfred kneeled next to her.
"She made me practice with those sticks and I hit her in the head. Help her please Alfred. There is so much blood." Helena looked at Alfred with her eyes full of tears.
"I need take her to her room." Alfred said calmly. He had seen situations like this so many time that he was unphased by them. He noticed Barbara had a large gash in the back of her ear and a fast growing lump just above her temple. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and placed it over the gash to stop the bleeding "Go to the infirmary and bring me the box on the second shelf." he said. "it is the emergency kit. Also, get some ice there is an ice bag in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom."
Helena did as she was told and ran to the infirmary.
An hour later, Helena was pacing like a caged tiger in Barbara's room. It seemed like Barbara had been unconscious an eternity. Alfred had bandaged Barbara's head. The gash was not that deep so it didn't need any stitches. He had gone to clean the gym while Barbara recovered her sense. Helena constantly turned her head to look her mentor and watched the clock on the nightstand. She would check occasionally just to make sure Barbara was still breathing. She continued to pace at a furious rhythm.
She stopped to move when she saw Barbara move slightly, she ran and kneeled on the side of her mattress. Barbara frowned and groaned weakly; her head throbbed terribly.
"Barbara are you okay?", a worried Helena asked.
Barbara opened her eyes slowly and took her hand to the back of her head. "What happened?" she mumbled feeling the gauze with her fingers.
Helena felt ashamed "I am so sorry, it's all my fault"
Barbara closed her eyes and remembered, "You were too fast I didn't even see you swing."
"Sorry, I never will do it again.", Helena replied.
"It's okay Helena.", Barbara read the fear in the girl's eyes. "It was just an accident."
"You had me so worried I don't want to loose you too." Helena said as she hugged her..
"It was just a training accident Hel." Barbara noticed the kid was trembling
"It doesn't matter if I train or not, I will never fight again." Helena looked at her with fear.
Okay. Helena calm down and listen to me." She took her face between her hands "I would never force you to do something you don't want to do but you can't let your fears stop you. This was just an accident understand? An accident!"
"But."
"It's time that you faced your fears. You can't step back and hide every time you feel scared."
"I don't hide."
"Yes you do. I'm going to support you, but I'm also going to help you turn this weakness into a strength in you. I will do that for you if you want me to. Okay? You are too strong, stronger than you ever would have realize. Take out that strength, kill your fears."
"But I."
"You can do all the things that you propose to do in your life and more. I'm not going to sit around and let that the fear control your life" Barbara said her with firm voice "You are an excellent fighter but as soon as you feel fear you stop. You need to free yourself of the chains of the fear. Understand? We are going to keep training. This was just an accident, it was not your fault and you are not going to surrender just because of this. I'm not going to let you."
Helena looked her without saying a word and just nodded.
* * *