Sorry for the delays folks. Here's another chapter with some glimpses of TJ and Natalie's training. Sorry for the typos. Leave me a review with your thoughts.
Happy reading.
Chapter 19
Natalie
I am woken out of my sleep to a loud pang of metal. It is sharp and vibrates hard around my head, making my teeth clench as I cup my hands over my ears. A bright light comes on above me and I feel my eyes strain with irritation. I close them shut and try to roll over on my stomach. Maybe Mom will let me sleep five more minutes. Then I realize I am not home.
I jolt awake and sit up at the sound of the deep, cold drawling sound of Leon's voice.
"You have ten minutes to get ready and meet me in dojo."
I had no idea what a dojo was and I looked over at my brother who was sitting up with his sleeping bag up to his waist. TJ's hair was messy one side and flat on the other. His eyes were focused on Leon who stood in front of the doorway of the room we found. He was wearing the same black sweats from last night and now wore a crisp bright white sleeveless shirt. It hung loosely around his sturdy and muscular chest.
He leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed and his ornate tattoo on his left arm seemed shiny. I watched his dark honey gaze focus blankly on me and I immediately began motioning to get ready.
"I suggest you don't tarry." Leon says turning his back to us. "We have much to do, and if you're late, I will be very disappointed."
He disappears in a blink of an eye and I wonder how could seemingly vanish into air. I wondered if I or my brother could move that fast. I was a little afraid to find out.
I watch TJ fold his sleeping bag neatly and stack in the corner of the small empty room we found to sleep in. It was square with four white walls and gray carpet that had a big mildew stain in the middle. We tried to sleep away from it, but still the smell was slightly revolting. There were many other rooms in the facility, but after last night we found the first empty one that wasn't filled with broken furniture, old empty boxes, or other objects. We didn't say much to each other when we unpacked our sleeping bags. Nor did I have much to say.
My arm was still throbbing in pain from Leon's unbreakable death grip when I moved it. I thought maybe it could be sprained, but I could still flex it too much for that. I'll never forget that pain shooting through my body. I also knew that Amar was right to not try Leon. He showed me mercy last night and only because of my brother. My brother who I felt so disgusted with at his display of fear and begging for my release. I owed my arm and my life to him.
"Hey TJ." I began slowly pulling on a pair of gray sweats. "Thanks for…you know…last night."
My brother slips off his shirt and I watch the ornate faction tattoos move under his meek muscles. He is so skinny I can see his spine through his pale skin.
"Don't mention it." He says slipping on a dark red t-shirt then pulling on his own sweats. I watch him for a few more seconds as he slips his feet into his black boots. TJ takes a white wash cloth, a bar of green soap, his toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste in his two hands. He walks out of the room and across the hall to the bathroom we found last night. It had no shower, but the sink and toilet worked just fine. I'm sure there was a bathroom with everything in it around here though.
I check my watch and see we have six minutes before we have to meet Leon in the main entrance or 'dojo' as he called it. I pulled on my black boots and think about how stupid I was to try to attack someone like Leon with one. I know I wasn't going to try that again.
TJ came back within a minute and I quickly went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. I didn't look at myself in the grimy, cracked mirror as I freshened up, but I felt horrible so I must have looked it as well. My eyes felt puffy and my skin felt tight around my forehead. I splash cold water several times on my face, letting the coolness drip my cheeks, chin, and neck. I gripped the sides of the yellow porcelain sink and tried to breathe.
But a knock came on the door that broke my concentration. I call out "What?"
"We've got a little less than two minutes, are you done?" TJ's worried voice comes muffled through the thick wooden door.
"Yes, I'm coming out now." I say. I keep my eyes focused on the sink drain and watch the fading streams of water circle it. I force myself to move and then I open the door.
When we arrive back inside the entrance space, Leon is sitting in the middle of the floor with his eyes closed. His large hands are relaxed on his knees and I see his chest undulate calmly as he breathes deeply. I look at TJ who looks at me nervously. I'm not sure if we should disturb him.
We move a little closer to him, but still keep our relative distance. His nose flares slightly and I cringe. But then I realize he is taking a deep inhale through his nostrils. He exhales through his mouth slowly. The sound of it is almost like a deep echoing hiss and I feel my goosebumps form on my skin. The air seems to get heavier and hotter as well.
He inhales once more and exhales again slower than before. Then he pops his eyes open at pierces through us.
"Glad you made it on time." Leon says standing up. "From now on, I want you to be awake and present here before I am. You will have warm ups and exercises before we getting started with technique."
My brother and I glance quickly at each other. How were we supposed to know what time he woke up? What kind of warm ups would we be doing? Hopefully not walking across a slate of super heated metal or something crazy like that.
"Sir." TJ begins carefully. "Respectfully if I may ask, what time do you wake up?"
I bite my lower lip and tighten my toes in my boots. Leon sighs and says "That's for you to figure out. Sometimes I may get up before the sun, sometimes a little after. sometimes I may not sleep at all. Which means of course, you don't sleep either."
I shake my head a little and Leon smirks at me.
"I told you, your bodies don't belong to you here. Not yet." Leon said.
"But what if we need to use the bathroom?" I quickly ask. I feel as if that's a valid question.
Leon stares dully at me for a moment. He says nothing as his lips press into a tight line. I feel myself tense and step back a few inches. My shoulder tense with the ghost of pain from last night. I grip it tightly with my left hand.
He stares at me for a few more seconds, then eventually turns around to face the entrance doors.
"Follow me. We have a lot to cover today."
He leaves out of the metal doors and we quickly follow him. We cross the atrium and back into the narrow hallway that leads to the three stone tunnels. The tunnels and pathways are now lit with small halogen lights that adorn the walls and earthy ceilings. I didn't notice them last night in the dark. Where was the power source down here?
Leon walks ahead of us with his arms swinging casually at his sides. His body is both strange and beautiful in the way it moves. His steps are careful, graceful, yet powerful and strong.
My brother is stern-faced and quietly observing his surroundings. I see his bright eyes take in the curves and trace the details of the tunnel we walk through. I wouldn't be surprised if he sketched them when we got free time. If we got free time, that is. The way Leon makes it seem, our bodies will never know comfort or rest while we're here. I shiver from the thought and the strange chill that suddenly drapes over my shoulders. I can feel goosebumps form on my arms and legs.
I also hear something as we walk further along the path. It sounds like something rushing against the stone around us. It gets louder as we get closer to a pair of double metal doors that are rusted on the handles. Leon stops and both TJ and I immediately halt a few feet behind him. He turns around to both of us slowly. He crosses his arms behind his back and bounces a little on the balls of his feet.
"So." He begins looking between us both. "Every morning, you two will come to this room and begin your morning exercises. I have shown you the path. I hope you've remembered it."
I try to make mental notes of the tunnel. I glance quickly at the walls around me and see signs with chipped or faded paint. Some are hard to read and others are easier. But I see the words "Irrigation System" in several of them, which explains the crashing, rushing sound behind the metal doors. This must be where the facility's water supply is. How it is still active, I do not know.
Leon turns back away from us and steps up the small metal stairs leading toward the door. We follow behind him once more and then he opens the doors. He walks in and the doors almost slam in TJ's face but he caught it with his hand. I felt a twinge of annoyance at Leon's inconsideration, but I look at my brother's face which looks blank. I wish he would get angry sometimes.
He holds the door open for me and I thank him with a nod. Once we're both inside the room we go stand next to Leon who's facing a giant glass window. As we get closer we see a massive room with three giant pipes spewing greenish water into separate giant pools. I look down and try to see the bottoms of them, but it is too dark. TJ gasps softly as he moves across the glass window.
"How are these still running?" He asks aloud to no one in particular.
Leon says "When they built this facility during the war, they developed this irrigation system by funneling water from Lake Michigan. It recycles the water in a non-stop cycle. As the water pours out into the pools, it is separated into three functions. The first is for drinking, bathing, and other uses. The second for sewage. The last one helps power certain parts of the facility. It was shut down, but I finally figure out how to turn it back on."
"You restored it?" I ask incredulously. "But how, the lake is still dried up for the most part?"
Leon stares out the window. He turns to me and says "You can always find the elements if you look hard enough."
He turns away from me and walks toward another set of doors on the right of the room.
"Come now." He says sternly leaving out. I hear his footsteps begin down a staircase and I look at my brother who's still enthralled with the water. I tug on his arm a little to remind him of where we're at. He grimaces at me and we follow Leon quickly out of the doors. We descend down a curving set of metal steps that turns into a long, black bridge between two of the giant water pipes. The water is loud and pounds in my ears. I feel the frigid breeze of it as it rushes on both sides of me. I cover my ears a little and walk forward with TJ who's shivering.
As we walk down the bridge, Leon is standing facing the last pool near the back of the room. He is perfectly still as if he doesn't notice the giant, continuous stream of water pounding in front of him. I look down and see at his feet are four large buckets. They are attached by a hook on thick braided nylon ropes that are tied to the railings.
TJ and I walk nervously over to Leon who stares at us before picking up a bucket near his right foot. He holds it up to us, saying nothing, and then tosses it into the deep pool of water in front of him. We watch him as he begins to pull the rope up. His muscles are tense as he switches arms in deft intervals. After quick seconds the bucket reappears teetering on the hook and full of water. Leon leans and pulls the bucket up to him and onto the floor, sloshing water that rushes the ground we stand on.
He unhooks the bucket and turns to another empty bucket in front of him. He sends it flying over the railing and then it is soon full of water as well. I look at TJ who stares back at me with his eyebrows furrowed and jaw tense. Leon does not speak as he picks the two heavy, water filled buckets up with his hands. I watch his shoulder muscles contract and clench when he turns around. He begins to walk quickly across the bridge away from us toward an opening in front of him flooded with dim light. My brother and I follow him quickly to see Leon standing in front of a very long staircase. I look to my left and see two elevators who's doors are missing. Then it comes to me.
"You want us…to carry water…up there?" I ask softly behind Leon who's balancing the two water buckets calmly in his strong hands.
"Yes I do." He says emotionless. Then he begins walking up the stairs. He moves quickly, but more carefully this time. I see the buckets of water jump and jiggle with the bounce of his steps, but none spills. I look at TJ who says nothing but begins to follow behind Leon. I hear the rush of water behind me and I turn to look at it once more before climbing the stairs.
I count sixty-five steps before I lose count and feel my shins ache. My toes are burning and my knees are stiff as we climb higher and higher. My throat feels dry and my stomach groans. I haven't eaten anything since last night and now it's all I can think about.
My chest burns as we walk up several more stairs. I feel the sweat gather in a crown of beads on my forehead, my arms, palms, and back. I look over at TJ who's dark blonde hair is matted and wet over his brow. His mouth hangs open as he breaths heavy gasps and he wipes his face with the back of his hand. I look ahead at Leon who's balancing the buckets of heavy water easily in his arms. He is three steps ahead of us and then to my relief, I see a opening flooded with light in front of him.
As he walks up the final two steps, he turns around to us. His inscrutable face and gaze narrows slightly when we reach the top. I have to lean against the wall to catch my breath. My hair is dripping with sweat and down my face. The air up here seems thin, which makes my lungs burn and my head spin slightly. I look over at TJ who's crouched on the ground with his hands on the back of his head. His face is flushed and clammy as he gasps for air.
Leon shakes his head and says tersely "You all tire before you even begin. How disappointing."
I have to stop myself from glaring up at him so I curl my fists tightly against my thighs. I chew my cheek and try to take deep breaths.
"Good. You're controlling your temper, girl." Leon says in a small, derided tone.
This time I do look at him, unsure of how my eyes appear, but he is walking inside the opening in front of him. TJ glances at me and rises out of his crouch. He goes forward and I follow him.
We are back inside the tunnels, but suspended over them on a metal bridge with broken railings. The light that floods the space comes from up above and I realize it is sunlight. Soft and just awakening. It is still too early for it to completely immerse the rest of the tunnels below, but I imagine as the day progresses the place will be full of it. I peer up into it and squint. There are giant vent covers with metal bars obscured in the light. I could see small moths and other insects fluttering in and out. As I looked, I could smell the faint scent of grass, humid air, and possibly rain dancing in the air.
"If you're so interested in what's above you, perhaps you should go back up." Came a sharp voice breaking my concentration.
I jumped and looked at Leon who was on the other end of the bridge with my brother who stared nervously at me. I quickly crossed the bridge to join them. Leon's gaze burned into mine for a few seconds before he turned with the buckets still in hand toward an empty door frame.
We walked inside to a wide room with a concrete floor. It had a stale odor that made my nose crinkle. The walls were bare and unimpressive. In the middle of the floor where two large ceramic bowls on wooden blocks. I looked anxiously at Leon who walked over and sat the buckets of water down in front of them. I moved a little closer to stand in front of them next to my brother who looked confused and still nervous. The same look his face has had all morning.
Leon says nothing, but simply looks up at us. He puts his hands on jutted hips and sighed. He yawned a little and I felt the air suddenly become warmer and heavier around my shoulders.
"Alright then." Leon said beginning to pace in front of the bowls. "Pick up the buckets."
TJ and I look at each other, then walk forward to the individual buckets brimming with the greenish water. I grip the thick, metal handle and barely can left the bucket to my knees off the ground. I tilt slightly and some water sloshes out onto the concrete floor. I expect to be yelled at, but Leon stands still now watching us with a blank stare. TJ has to drop his bucket slowly to the floor to reposition his hands around the handle. He can't really pick it up at all.
"You mean to tell me you can't raise that, boy?" Leon exasperates coldly. TJ shakes his head and says "No sir, I can."
I watch my brother's face flush deep red as his thin arms tremble and shake as he raises the bucket off the ground. It floats only inches off the concrete and water splashes violently on the floor around TJ's ankles. His dark sweats become stained and Leon growls irritably.
"Pour the water into the basins, before you both spill it all over the place!" He snaps at both of us, his eyes now fierce and dangerous.
I struggle to tip the heavy bucket into the large ceramic mouth of the bowl. The water splashes and circles around until it is filled to the brim. There is still half of the water left in my bucket when I lean it back. It is much lighter, but still makes my muscles cry out in agitation. I look at TJ who's now dripping in water as he slips and slides in the pool of water around him as he messily pours his now half empty bucket inside the basin. When I look over, his bowl isn't nearly as full as mine, but not by that much. His bucket is also completely empty now.
TJ raises up and holds the bucket in his shaking arms. His face is wet and the muscles in his cheeks are jumping nervously. Leon moves to him in a dark blur. His eyes are so intense as he glares at TJ's face that I think my brother's face will melt. I know he will cry at any moment.
"You have no muscle whatsoever. Are you aware of that?" Leon asks in a frigid drawl.
TJ averts his gaze down slightly and he nods slowly. He lips tremble as he responds "Y-yes sir."
Leon keeps glaring at him and I see his nostrils flare. He asks "Do you want to be strong?"
TJ looks at him quickly and opens his mouth to say something. But then he bites down on his lips and I see his eyes gloss over.
"I asked you, do you want to be strong?" Leon says more darkly.
My brother nods his head curtly and yelps slightly "Yes, sir."
Leon moves away from him a few steps and says "Then you'd do well to waste resources like that anymore. You will be needing them."
TJ nods and says "Understood, sir."
Leon moves back behind the bowls and his intense eyes meet mine. He paces again briefly before he says "Sit. On your knees."
We sit out buckets down and get to our knees in front of the water-filled basins. I shift on my hips to get more comfortable, but the weight and position is already making me ache. We look up at Leon who still walks the floor back and forth. He strokes his chin as he looks up into the ceiling lights overhead.
He clears his throat and says "While you're here to learn about physical combat and your abilities as Resurgent, you will learn that fighting is merely a focus of energy."
Leon pauses and then turns to look down at us. He seems more taller and intimidating than he already is while I'm on the floor.
"As Resurgent, we have the ability to focus and harness our physical energy beyond the limits of other humans. Our muscles define more quickly, our bodies adapt and learn easier than most, and we must understand that power to properly manipulate it. You all have both experienced what it's like to have the enhanced strength. Your bodies will respond to danger and adapt accordingly. You may find you can do things you thought you never could, move faster than can imagine, or even see, hear, touch, taste, or smell things that others may be unaware of."
I raise my eyebrow at him and he smirks at me. "Don't tell me you're still skeptical, girl. After all Amar tells me your eyes are special."
I cringe slightly when I remember the images I saw of my brother's fears. How I caused it. I didn't want to know what that power was. It disgusted me.
"The first step to harnessing your abilities, is to not be afraid of them. They are you." Leon says sternly.
TJ looks at him and asks "But how when we don't even know what they are?"
Leon chuckles softly and says "You will know soon enough. No more questions. Now look at the water in front of you."
I peer down inside my basin at the brimming water that reflects my face. There are slightly dark circles under my eyes and my cheeks look a little sallow. My forehead is wrinkled and creased. I see my hair is wild, unkept, and dirty. Where I used to see my mother and some of my father, I see a stranger. I do not know this girl who stares at me. She frightens me and angers me. She is weak.
The water ripples out suddenly and I gasp a little. I look up at Leon who eyes me curiously. He walks in the middle behind the basins and he says "You will learn to call upon your strength outside of being placed in a dangerous situation. You must learn how to harness it and be its master, not let it master you. Also, you must learn how use your enemies' strength against them."
He stands with his feet planted firmly on the ground and his hands behind his back.
"Hit the water. Alternating between your palms until the water is gone." Leon says slowly.
I suppress a snort inside my mouth. This is what we walked all this way for? I feel intense heat form on my face and I look up to see Leon's blank, but dangerous look leer into my skull. I must be careful with my thoughts it seems.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Leon snaps at both of us icily. I look over at TJ who's still soaked place his left palm on the surface of the water. I mirror him, using my right hand. The water is freezing and I recoil my hand back instantly. The skin on my palm stings with bitter cold and I rub it against my sweatpants.
"It is the water that should fear your touch." Leon says sharply. "Not the other way around."
I look over at TJ who's taken his hand away from the water as well. Leon looms over us, his face stony and eyes ablaze. His nostrils flare again back and forth as I feel the air once more grow unusually warm and heavy.
I place my palm back over the basin, the cold engulfs my skin before it even touches the water. TJ slowly brings his own hand back as well when I look at the corner of my eye.
"Hit the water." Leon says.
I bring my palm down as hard as I can against the pool of gelid water. It makes a smacking thud as water splashes over the brim. My hand stings with the impact and temperature.
"Again!" Leon's deep boom resounds throughout the space. "Harder, this time. Don't stop."
I smack my hand down into the water. My thrust springs back slightly against the surface as more water splashes on the floor. I feel it spray my shirt and sweats with extreme coolness and I can't help but shiver.
My teeth clench together as I hit the water with my other palm. Over and over with both hands. I feel my hands burn from the water and I see my skin has turned violent red. TJ grunts as he hits the water, hesitating between each blow. His face is contorted, focused, and florid.
Leon watches us hawkishly and stands completely still with his arms folded. I see the intricate black ink on his forearm glisten under the lights. His scars almost look leathery from this distance. They are long, narrow, and curve in perfect lines on his skin.
"Don't slow down your pace, keep going." He speaks blankly.
The water is nearly gone out of our bowls and now my arms reach into the mouth completely. I hit the now shallow pool three more times, ending on my right hand before the water is gone. I am drenched and freezing as I look up at Leon who's focus is still on my brother.
I watch him and see his bowl almost to the middle. His thrusts are too slow and careful. Leon walks over and stands in front of him. TJ stops suddenly and looks up.
"Did I say stop?" Leon asks acidly.
TJ shakes his head stiffly and pants for air. He thrusts at the water again with his right palm, sending water sloshing down his front. His wet shirt clings to his scrawny chest and becomes more damp as he continues.
He doesn't finish until about ten more minutes. I feel my knees ache from the pressure of sitting on them too long. My arms are burning along with my palms that I keep trying to warm by wiping them on my pants. It doesn't really help. The cold is still so strong under my skin and in the bones of my fingers.
Leon shakes his slowly disapprovingly and sighs at TJ.
"You move this slow, boy, and you might as well let the DGD capture you."
TJ looks down into his empty basin and breathes hard. I see him clench his fists on his thighs and the muscles in his jaw stiffen.
"Can't even allow yourself to hit a bowl of water. What do you expect to be able to do with the people who captured your parents?" Leon mocks quietly.
My brother shifts slightly on his knees and I see his shoulders tremble. There is something rising in him now that I rarely, if ever have seen. Anger.
Leon must notice this as well because he leans down closer to him with his eyebrow raised.
"Your diminutive anger amuses me." He derides slowly. "Perhaps if you put it in your fists, instead of your cheek, it could grow."
Leon stands up straight and TJ still looks down into the empty basin. His eyes are narrowed and dark. For a second I think I see the basin in front of him tremble slightly.
"You all will do this every morning. Two buckets of water each. You will carry it from the irrigation system, up the stairs, and begin." Leon says facing the door we came in at. "I want it done before we begin for the day. If it is not complete, along with your other exercises you will get this week, then you will not learn what I have to teach you that day. If you continuously neglect this task or any others, you will leave here and find your way back to Amar."
I look at him and then at my brother. I swallow hard when I imagine the long staircase we walked up. I was exhausted without even having any buckets to carry. How was I going to do that? How would TJ?
Leon spins on his heel back toward us and says "You will learn how to focus your strength and speed first. Then we will focus on form and technique. However long we get the latter, is completely up to you. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir." TJ and I say in sharp unison.
He smiles softly and says "Good. Now grab your buckets and go back for water. I will be waiting for you in the dojo when you're done here."
He disappears before I can blink. I listen for his footsteps on the metal bridge but I hear nothing but faint rushing water in the distance.
I look at TJ who watches the opening expressionless. His hair is wet and flat against his head. I see his palms are still bright red and trembling.
I rise and say "I can carry your bucket for you."
He says nothing and picks up his bucket, cringing a little when his palms touch the handle. My brother leaves out the room silently and heads back across the bridge. I get a glimpse of his once bright eyes now dark and full of something I cannot connect to.
This training may break our bodies. But I had a looming feeling, it would break our minds as well.
I see my brother's changing already.
I am afraid of it.
Hitting water every morning before the sun fully rose was not even the worst of our exercises. In fact, it was the most mild of them all.
The next couple of mornings after we did the water basin exercise, Leon directed us to a room down an unmarked tunnel full of sandbags around the walls. The middle of the floor was roped off into a big square full of rough sand that we had to walk around at least two-hundred times. The sand went up to our ankles as Leon directed us how to step firmly with each foot in front of the other. It curdled and cut between my toes as I dug deeper into the grainy sand with my toes and heel. I felt my skin scratch and tear with each grunt I made.
My brother was always ahead of me stepping firmly, putting his weight on his knees as he lunged with the form Leon taught us. When we would get done in the sand, he would make us move the sandbags on the wall to the other side. They were extremely heavy and were as big as potato sacks. My shoulders screamed in pain after each bag thrown over them.
We left the room and found ourselves another room, this time full of wooden slates and bricks. The first day we got there, our palms aching from the frigid water, our toes bleeding from the coarse sand, and shoulders tight from the sandbags, Leon stood in front of a relatively thick wood block mounted between two stands.
I hobbled over to stand with my brother who bounced slightly on his heels. I looked down at saw his bleeding toes still slightly covered in sand. We tried to wash them off before Leon came and got us, but we barely had enough time. I looked down at on a pile of wood blocks were a plate of small banana nut, blueberry, and chocolate muffins. They seemed homemade and I could see wisps of steam rising from them. Next to them were two large bottles of water and smaller bottles of thick and pulpy juice.
"Eat." Leon commanded without looking at us. We didn't have to think about his directions. My brother and I devoured the plate of muffins within five minutes. I unscrewed the cap on the water bottle and drained it to its middle. I wiped the crumbs on my sandy and damp clothes. My stomach pained for more.
"Drink the juice. It will fill you up." Leon said adjusting the thick wooden slate between the stands. I took it into my hands and uncapped it. It was pink and speckled with dark pulp. I sniffed it hesitantly. It smelled of cranberries, avocado, apples, and something leafy.
I tried to drink it in one gulp, but the bitterness of the cranberries and something strong like garlic gags me. I sputter and choke slightly I struggle to swallow the frothy, chunky brew. It goes down and my throat burns a little. I shake my head to get try to rid myself of the taste, but it doesn't escape me easily. When I turn to TJ, his bottle of juice is completely gone, crushed in his hand. His face is slightly contorted and his lips are pressed into a tight line.
"Your stomach seems strong at least anyway, boy." Leon says eying TJ curiously. He looks at me and the juice in my hand. His eyes examine my face sternly. I swallow hard and feel my throat still slightly ablaze from the swig I just drank. I don't think, I tilt the bottle to my mouth and down the rest of the liquid quickly. I want to cough and spit once I am done.
Leon grins a little and says "That will keep you energized until lunch. Now come."
We turn and face him as he stands in front of the wooden board. I feel the aches in my body as I we wait, my neck stiff and sore as I rub it gingerly.
Leon look at us, then at the suspended wood. He says "You will continue to condition and strengthen your bodies until you can summon your abilities at will."
We nod at behind him. TJ coughs a little into his palm and I see his eyes are watering. The strange concoction we just drank did get to him.
Leon touches the wood softly with his long fingers. He glides his fingertips gently over the wood and pauses in the middle. The wood is mahogany colored with earthy grooves on it the surface. It is chunky and sturdy looking.
What comes next makes me jump.
Leon curls his fist up in rapid motion and thrusts it through the wood block. He punches through it with a sickening crack and keeps his arm extended through the hole he made. I'm not sure how many knuckles or bones he may just broken, but I prepare myself to see the blood.
He retracts his arm out of the split and open wooden slate slowly. When he turns to us, his arm and fist are perfectly intact.
I cannot help but gasp and cup my mouth with my palm. TJ is shakes his head nervously while gaping wide-eyed at the board with the now gaping hole.
Leon says nothing and goes toward his left to roll two hovering boards on stands out. The wood on them is significantly thinner than the one he just punched through, but it is still thick enough for me to know it cannot be easily broken. Not be me anyway.
Leon raises his open palm toward us and asks "Now, can you all do that?"
I look at the boards in front of me wildly and then at Leon. He is a lunatic.
"Well?!" He snaps irritably. I jump again and shake my head stiffly along with my brothers.
"How do you know?" He asks again in his usual deep drawl.
We say nothing. I look at my cracked and cut feet still covered in light sand. The floor underneath them is cold and clammy.
"Well…we don't know, sir. But I'm not sure." TJ mumbles.
"Then you don't know then do you!" Leon snaps again loudly making us both shift our gazes downward.
Leon wheels the boards in front of us and stands between them. We look slowly up at him in his toffee bright eyes that are narrowed. He raises his left fist up at us and says "Since your bodies are in my possession, I want them strong. I want them focused and sharp."
He brings his fingertips from both hands lightly to the middle of our chests. I recoil and tense up at his touch. His cinnamon skin almost radiates a brewing intense heat through my shirt.
"What if the person, who had your parents was this close to you?" He says darting his eyes back and forth between us slowly. "Would you push them in hopes of them letting your parents go? Or would you—he turns in a dark blur toward the boards behind him and punches through another one with a loud snap—-punch right through them?"
He doesn't give us time to answer, nor do I think he wants one. He walks toward the door and pauses against the frame. We turn to him and he looks at us fiercely.
"Make your arm and strength belong to you. I will come collect you both later. Now begin." He says with a final snap in his tone. Leon vanishes again and we are left alone in the room full of wooden boards and slates.
My board in front of me has the large imprint of Leon's fist through it, but it is still wide enough for me to make another one. I turn to TJ who's face is pure white and sweaty. He turns to his own light wooden board. As he raises a shaky hand toward it, I see his fingers tremble and slip against the surface. I almost don't recognize him as he curls his hand into a fist.
Then he hits the board with a sharp thud. He hits it again and again. He stops as his knuckles turn from pink to angry red. I hear his gasp of pain before he begins hitting the board again.
I turn to my own and look at the wood. I try to image the body of our parent's captors in front of me. I try to see the grey and yellow uniform that destroyed my home. I feel the hot anger begin to surface in me.
I hit the wood. I hit with everything I have. I hit it until I feel the skin of my knuckles begin to scrape and peel.
I hit the wood. I hit it as my blood smears across the wood.
I imagine my parents' blood running on the floor in a lab somewhere. Somewhere I need to be strong enough to enter.
I hit the wood. My brother hits the wood. I see his blood paint across the panel. He doesn't stop.
Soon we find a rhythm in our blows and our cries. I wonder if he is thinking the same thing I am. I wonder if he is feeling what I am feeling.
The need. The desire now. To be strong.
To make our strength belong to us.
I watched some of my favorite martial art films to get some inspiration, i'm sure some of you all may be able to tell. TJ's viewpoint next. The end of the memory flashbacks are near!