An: Hello. I'm such a horrible writer. I haven't updated for over a year! I know I keep on making lame excuses on why I don't update fast. To make things worse, my chapters are awfully short. I sincerely apologize. I will make my chapters longer and more concise (if that's the right term) from now on. The reasons behind my one-year absence are college and anime. I have gotten myself attached to anime once again after 3 years of being inactive from the otaku world. As for college… Well, everyone knows how stressful college can be, both emotionally and academically. Anyway, I'm back and without further ado, here's your chapter!
CHAPTER 9:
"Where the hell is my purse?!" Christina screams from the other room. 'Dear God, I just woke up and this is the first thing I hear.' I groggily got out of bed and rubbed my eyes. Christina then bursts into my room, demanding where her purse is.
"I don't know. You probably left it at Zeke's place." I mumbled. She huffed then stormed out of the room. I then put on my training clothes and went to the dining room for breakfast.
"Christina, why are you blaming me for the loos of your purse? I wasn't at Zeke's party anyway." Will defended himself. "Who knows? Maybe you were interested with what's in it." Christina pressed the matter. "Where on earth did you get that idea? It's not like I had anything to do with the contents of that blasted purse of yours!" Will exclaimed.
I walked over to where Dustin was. "How long were they like this?" I asked him. "Since Christina woke up. The hangover must have taken a toll on her." He said while popping some bread in the toaster.
Soon after, Caleb emerged from his room with a very smug expression plastered on his face. "Good morning, Caleb." I said. Caleb mutters a good morning and sat down. "What time did you get back from last night? You don't seem hung over." He asked.
"At around one in the morning, but that was because Christina started puking all over the place."
"I did not! I don't remember such a thing!" Christina said after finishing her argument with Will.
"Well of course you don't. You were too drunk to remember." I said. Christina huffed again, and drank from a mug right in of her.
"It's good that you were able to control yourself, Tris." Caleb said. I looked up at him. "Do you doubt me being responsible enough?" I arched an eyebrow at him. "As a matter of fact, I don't. But you're a teenager, and teenagers often do regrettable things." He said. I snorted at his comment. "Shouldn't I say the same to you? I get that you're older, but that doesn't change the fact that you're a teenager too." I said. Caleb scowled at me, knowing I was right.
The rest of breakfast consisted of discussions regarding the training regimen, and the schedule for today. We had hand-to-hand combat, and sword wielding today, which made Dustin very excited. As for after-training activities, we have a mission simulation test. "What happens in mission simulations?" I asked.
"They make you drink a certain serum then they'll have you wear a helmet that would stimulate your nerves. After that, they'll have you enter your name and then proceed to test." Will said. If I were to be asked, it sounds fun. However, I can't help think about the actual simulation. Who knows, what kind of mission test they're going to give me.
The training room was already filled with other trainees when the lot of us arrived. We apparently have Garret as an instructor today. Once all of us had settled down he gathered all of us, and explained to us how training would be like today.
For hand-to-hand combat, Garret paired all of us off with one another for sparring. He wanted to have us fight each other first, because he wanted to see how we defend ourselves. I looked at the paper Garret posted on the bulletin board to see who I'm up against. I was paired off with none other than Ivan. I also checked who my friends are paired up against.
Uriah vs. Marlene
Lynn vs. Peter, 'Well, this should be fun to watch.'
Christina vs. Dustin
Will vs. Sylvia
Tobias vs. Caleb, 'What another exciting match...'
Once we got to know our respective opponents, Garret called out the first pair to fight. "Would Lynn and Peter step into the ring?" Garret called out. Lynn had a sadistic smirk on her face while, Peter looked bored. "I'm fighting a girl? This should be easy." Peter said. Not good for him. Lynn made an offended face, and her sadistic smirk turned into a sadistic grin. "We'll see about that." She said. Peter scoffed then lunged toward her. Lynn easily avoided him by stepping sideways.
"You're too slow." She said then brought her right leg up and kicked Peter's head. The boy fell flat on the ground. He slammed the floor in frustration, and got back up. He went into a fighting stance, and attempted to kick Lynn using his left leg. Unfortunately for him, she caught his leg and threw him over her shoulder.
Seeing Peter struggle with his spar with Lynn made me smile. He deserved the humiliation that came with it. It was just right or a prideful person like him to get humiliated like that.
He stood up and delivered a jab to Lynn's right cheek. Seeing that Lynn had no intention to move, she probably allowed him to hit her just this once. My assumptions were correct as she didn't move from where she was standing. Lynn staggered back from the impact.
Peter was about to punch Lynn again, but she skillfully blocked his attack. She then elbowed him on the chest, and sent her right knee to his midsection. She then kneeled down and gave Peter, what seemed like a karate chop to the neck, to knock him out.
"Impressive, but you didn't have to know him out." Garret said as he gave Lynn a slow clap. Others followed suit. Lynn grunted and hopped down from the ring, and stood beside me. "You did a great job over there with Peter." I said. "Thanks! You know very well that he deserved it." Lynn answered back. I chuckled lightly in response.
The match between Will and Sylvia didn't last very long. It was obvious that the girl was stronger than he was. It seemed that Will didn't even bother to come up with a strategy that could beat Sylvia. It probably wouldn't have worked in case he did given the situation he was in. He had more brains than brawns. His tactic would have involved a bit of muscle, but sadly, he doesn't have much. He was lucky that Sylvia was kind enough to not beat him to a pulp.
Uriah and Marlene's match was rather…..amusing. I was expecting that they wouldn't even dare lay a finger on one another. But then, my expectations were crushed when they started going at each other. "You maybe my girlfriend, but I won't let my ass get kicked by you." Uriah said as he charged toward Marlene.
"The same goes for you. And besides, this is a perfect chance for me to prove that I'm no sissy." Marlene said as she dodges Uriah's punch. She twisted his extended arm and sent him to the ground, pinning him down. Uriah then managed to roll, therefore switching places with Marlene.
"You don't have to prove that you're no sissy. I know that you're strong." Uriah said, smiling. Marlene scoffed and said, "I'm flattered, but if you're using that cheesy line to distract me, it's not going to work." Uriah's smiled faltered as she smirked and sent a knee to his groin. Uriah curled up like a ball in pain. By the look on Marlene's face, she might have hit him harder than she intended. Marlene was declared the winner of the sparring session.
Marlene ushered over to help Uriah get up. I hear her mutter apologies to her boyfriend and how she didn't mean to hit him that hard. It was followed by Uriah telling her that it was fine and it was 'no big deal', but anyone can tell that he was lying since his face was still contorted in pain. They both managed to get off from the ring.
After that match everyone seemed to be uncanny about their little display. Even Garret thought it was weird. "Get used to it. They're really annoying back in the dorm. I don't even need to tell you on how annoying they can get." Lynn said. Just imagining a couple like Marlene and Uriah together in one dorm would most likely be hell, especially if you're their roommate. "I feel so bad for you." I say. "Too bad we can't transfer rooms. If ever I could, I'd get a dorm all to myself." Lynn complained.
I then hear Garret call out mine and Ivan's name. Our match was next. We both head towards the center of the ring. "I know what you're capable of, Ivan, so take it easy on her." Garret said. "There's no need for that. Ivan is well aware of what it can do." I said before smirking. Ivan returned the smirk and nodded. Garret sighed, and had us begin our match.
Ivan and I stared at each other for a good minute before making the first move. That is how we always are anyway. After sometime, Ivan charged at me with a clenched fist. I blocked his punch, and he immediately targeted my side. Luckily, I was able to block that as well.
I immediately came up with a plan for me to be able to defeat him. I decided to stick on the defensive side to wear him out. Once he's tired I can switch to my actual attacks.
I figured that this would be a perfect plan, since I have never used this tactic whenever we sparred. I was always on the offensive line. However, since we have been training with each other for almost six years, he would have read through me easily. So, going full on defense is not a very good idea. I decided to add in very few attacks to mask my true intentions. I'm hoping that he won't be able to guess the ideas I have in mind.
Ivan then delivers a punch to my stomach. I crouched momentarily in pain, and got up again. I tried to kick his side with my left leg. He blocks it and moves to attack me. He goes for an uppercut, but I immediately ducked, avoiding the punch.
"Looks like we're back with our old ways, huh, Tris?" Ivan said amusingly.
"I couldn't help but think that you missed me." I said.
"I missed you, alright…. I missed kicking your butt." Ivan said and grinned at me. The grin suddenly disappeared from his face, and it was replaced with a frown.
"I think I've already figured out what you're trying to do." Oh shit. I frowned at him as it can't be helped. Looks like it's time for a plan B.
"Don't even think about having a plan B. You know that I'm able to read you like an open book." Ivan kept that smirk plastered on his face. Damn, he's right!
"Okay, then I'll change my style of fighting." I said. Ivan never knew that I secretly learned a specific type of Taijutsu in secret with Aunt Edith as my teacher, or sensei, as she would have preferred.
Ivan raised an eyebrow, wondering what I was planning. Seeing his reaction, I figured that I can use it as a distraction. There's my plan B! I lurched forward to attack him. Sensing some tension in him, he's as good as puzzled. He blocked the attacks for as long as long as he could. I thought that maybe I can just stop here and let him attack me.
I decided to follow with my gut and broke myself apart from Ivan. By the time we broke apart, we were both panting heavily. I can see that Ivan is already somehow tired. He regained his composure and surged at me with impressive speed.
The rest of the match lasted with us attacking and counter attacking each other. Fatigue is starting get the best of us. If this match lasts any longer than ten minutes, we'll both be knocked out because of being worn out.
I decided to finish the match my sending a chop to the side of his neck. My hand was already fifty millimeters away when Garret caught my hand.
"That's enough for both of you." The man said with the smile on his face. He let go of my hand, and I let it drop to the side. He told Ivan and I to get down from the ring and rest on the floor. Normally we wouldn't object, but we don't have the energy to do so.
We both got down from the ring and sat on the floor. "You did well." Ivan huffed out. "Thanks. You didn't do too bad yourself." I replied.
"That was awesome! Who knew you can do combat so well." Christina said as she walked towards us. "I guess I'm surprising like that." I smiled back at her. Christina also waved at Ivan and he soon followed the motion. Then I remember that they were the ones partnered up during Prom. Come to think of it, I never knew how or why Christina and the others were there. I made a mental note to ask Christina about it later.
The next match is between my brother and Tobias. I suddenly remembered Caleb telling me to stay away from Tobias. Until now, I don't know why he told me to do that. It was weird. Did something happen to them that I never knew of? That was the most probable reason after all.
Both boys went up to the ring once their names were called. They gave each other cold glares which made me wonder what really happened between them in the past. It was weird and intriguing. Garret let out a sigh.
"Begin!"
An: Yes, I am a cruel author. I'll try to update as often as I can (I know that's what I said last time.). Also, if you have any suggestions for the next chapters, don't hesitate to tell me about it. Thanks guys!