I spun in a circle, examining the area. It did have a certain calming quality to it, so I could see why it was her own little getaway. "It looks manmade."
"My parents had it commissioned for me."
"It's nice; I almost feel like I'm back home." I had a nostalgic smile.
She came closer, narrowing the distance between us. "You're really not going to inquire as to why my parents constructed this area for me, or why I reside alone in a diminutive cabin in the first place?"
"I told you, I don't care about any of that."
She was silent for a moment. "You really are strange."
"You’re not exactly Average Joe, either." I frowned.
Noir suddenly broke eye contact, which was rare with her always looking you directly in the eye; she could beat a mannequin in a staring contest. "I'm only going to say this once, so listen close." She took a breath and released it. "Months ago, during the training demonstration... I may have gone slightly overboard -"
"Slightly?" I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. If she was going to apologize, I wasn't going to let her do it half-assed.
Her head snapped to me, and she squinted in annoyance. "I did go overboard, and I apologize for my transgression..."
I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder, smiling. "Don't worry, you only almost killed me."
She returned it, then grabbed my outstretched hand and flipped me, making the whole world turn as I hit the soft ground without a sound.
"Rule number one, never let your guard down."
I looked up at her from my upside-down view. "Thanks for the tip." I said calmly. I didn't know which was sadder, the fact that I was getting used to being on my back or that it didn't even phase me anymore.
"No problem." She nodded.
"Noir?"
"Hm?"
"What was that for?"
"Your first training lesson."
Funny, I don't remember signing up for her demented training lessons. "What are you talking about?"
"You have potential, Adin. But you're still too raw, too inexperienced. I can help you. Think of it as repayment for returning my belonging.”
She was talking about that green ribbon. My initial reaction was to decline her offer, but I paused. Even if it was just a little, she had opened up to me. Sure, she had some obvious issues, but I didn't think she was the monster everyone made her out to be. Maybe I could use these training lessons as a way to chip away at the giant wall she had up. "What makes you think you're so qualified to teach me?"
"For one, I've been trained in two different martial arts, firearm combat, and tactical infiltration since childhood. And two...” She held up two fingers. “Well, I can always just give you another demonstration." She smiled sweetly, but it gave me goosebumps.
I blinked at her. "No, it's cool. I’ll take your word for it."
She bent over and offered her hand.
I eyed it suspiciously. "How do I know you're not just gonna flip me again?"
"Because I won't."
It was stupid after what she’d just done, but I believed her anyway. There was a certain authenticity to Noir like there were no hiding sides of herself like most people did; it reminded me of Shawn back home. I eventually took her hand.
She smiled and pulled me up. "Are you ready?"
A feeling of Deja vu passed over me. I thought that I had been before; ready for a new world, a new purpose, a new life. I was taking everything in stride now, but how would I fare when things got real? When the actual missions started? Would I be so gung-ho then? Her question symbolized more for me than she knew.
I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, but the world isn't going to wait for me, is it?”
Chapter 24 – Gauntlet Pt. 3
Eat, train and sleep, that’s all I did for the next couple months as I underwent vigorous training with Noir and don’t think I’d ever been so busy in my life, when not in classes, training and when not training, dreaming about it. And whenever I did have a free moment, I’d use it to speak to my family. It was tough, but the private lessons with the French girl were really paying off, and I could actually hold my own against her now.
Hope would even join our sessions from time to time. When I inquired about how they became friends, they were kind of vague about it, but I did learn Hope was actually Dean Dexter's daughter, having adopted her when she was still young. Everything hadn’t gone completely smooth during the two months stretch, however. I had shown up for training that day and could immediately tell Noir’s energy was off and asked her what was wrong, but she just brushed me off.
I wouldn’t call us best friends, but we had gotten closer over our training nearly every day, so it threw me off when she would have her mood swings. Anyway, the beating she gave me that day made the first fight we had look like horseplay. Of course, it triggered a transformation, making Noir stop when she noticed the change. I brought the syringes that day like always and managed to get her to administer the medication before anything happened, which was probably the most embarrassing moment in my life.
I replayed the conversation we had in my head afterward. We were sitting a foot apart on her bed. Apparently, she had carried me back unconscious. When I came to, she hadn’t said a word, just handed me water and sat back down.
“You’re not gonna ask what that was?” I stared at the cup in my hands.
“Should I?”
I didn’t know. “That’s what people do...”
“Everyone has secrets, Adin. You’re hardly special.”
I leaned back against the wall and felt the coldness seep through my tank top. “What’s your secret?”
She looked back at me with her big, green eyes; I still found it difficult to meet her gaze at times, feeling like a small mouse and she was a snake staring me down. “Why do you care?”
I shrugged. “Because we’re friends.”
She broke eye contact with me, then sounded the word out. “Friends…”
I put my hand on her shoulder; she stiffened at my touch. “You can talk to me, you know.” It was obvious she had something going on, and I was tired of getting beat up.
She abruptly bounced off the bed, letting my hand fall. “I apologize for my outburst today and understand if you wish to discontinue these lessons –”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” I said, then left.
Right after leaving her cabin, I had made a beeline for the dean’s office and begged for any progress on stopping the virus, but the only answer he had was that he might have found something related to the Vita Project and was working on it. That had been a couple weeks ago. Thankfully no more mishaps had taken place, and somehow, I had gotten closer to Noir after that. Although her random streaks of violence and aggression lingered on my mind, I had to focus on my current objective.
The third Gauntlet was here in full effect. At the moment, Team Umbra was following our usual routine, getting ready in the outfit room. Today’s event was close quarters combat; a one-on-one match between two Salamanders of the team’s choosing, and the first to be incapacitated or thrown off a platform would lose. Noir was our best fighter, so naturally, our team had nominated her, but I had a different plan in mind.
“Hey, guys…” I closed my locker and faced them.
Everyone turned to me.
“I know we chose Noir for this Gauntlet, but I’d like to volunteer.”
There was silence as they exchanged glances between each other.
I quickly spoke again, noting their doubtful looks. “I’ve been doing extra training, and I know I can win.” I stole a quick look at Noir.
“You do know you'd be going against, Guy, right?” Bianca had a worried expression.
I didn’t blame her for being skeptical. I’d watched him fight in the Gauntlet before – he had dismantled his opponent. “I can win.” I nodded at her.
Her face turned from worry with a frown to a small smile. “I believe you.”
“Thank you.” I returne
d her smile with my own.
“Call me crazy, but I believe you too. That little speech you gave a while ago was very convincing. But it isn’t up to us.” Mina gestured to Noir. “The final say is hers.”
She smiled playfully at me. “What to do, what to do…”
My eyebrow twitched in annoyance. “I’ll buy you lunch for a week.”
She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then back at me. “Two weeks.”
“Two weeks!?”
She shrugged. “Fine, I guess you really don’t –”
“Fine!” I yelled. “Two weeks, you evil woman.”
The room suddenly filled with laughter as everyone watched our exchange. After a moment, I joined in. It was worth it. I needed this, needed to prove I belonged. With each punch, I would solidify my place in Team Umbra, and with each kick, I’d force everyone to acknowledge my existence. Out in the range, I stood in the middle of the platform, my eyes never leaving my opponent. We stood close in height and even slightly resembled one another, although his spiky hair contrasted from my short hair. It was funny; it really was like I was facing myself.
“Gooo, Adin! Woo!” Candace waved in the crowd surrounding the platform; heat rose in my cheeks at her sudden cheering.
“You both understand the rules?” Mr. Lockhart was refereeing again and stood between us, his bushy mustache wrinkled as he talked.
We nodded at the same time.
“Good, shake hands and begin.”
I took his gloved-hand in mine, then backed away. It was time to show the hard work and dedication I’d put in these last grueling months.
We advanced towards each other one careful step at a time. Our faces were harder than stone in intense observation, ready to strike like coiled cobras at the slightest opportunity. I started things off with an aggressive left hook. He lifted his arm up blocking it, then countered with a straight jab. I veered my head left, barely dodging it and launched another hook which he avoided by dipping his own head.
While he was still low, I threw a swift knee into his midsection, causing him to grunt and shrink back. But he recovered quickly and released a blinding high-kick at the side of my head. I dropped to the ground, feeling the cool air of the dome hit my face, and swept my leg in a wide arc. He hopped over it and sent another powerful kick straight at my head.
It slammed into my hands as I batted it away and jumped back up, wincing at the pain in my hand. The short but intense exchange already had me fatigued, so I shuffled back to catch a breath and noticed he didn’t pursue me, meaning he must’ve felt it too as he wiped his glistening forehead. After a short while, we started the process over and closed in on one another.
This time, he started off with a waist-high kick that I skidded back from; it grazed my stomach, undoing a strap on my training vest. I responded by throwing a hard, straight punch that he grabbed to spin me like a merry-go-round. The crowd and surroundings of the range blended in my blurred vision as I did, and the second I rounded back on him, I threw a fast, straight kick that he kicked away.
The action caused him to loosen his grip on my arm and allowed me to rip it free. I rolled my shoulder trying to ease the dull pain creeping in, and we continued to exchange blows. Letting go a hard punch at his abdomen, Guy contorted his body to the left dodging it, then returned the favor with a spinning elbow that dug into my shoulder with shooting pain.
I shoved him back, gritting my teeth, but he stayed with me and launched a kick that I raised my hands to block. At the last moment though, he dropped his leg and rocketed a hook at the side of my head, causing it to viciously jerk to the side. My knees buckled too, threatening to collapse like two demolished buildings.
Some people who went through near-death experiences said you could see your life flash before your eyes. And while I wouldn’t exactly say what I was feeling right now was as dramatic as that, all the hours of training, all the sweat, and pain I’d endured over the past few months played like an instant movie in my head. It was happening, wasn’t it? I was losing again.
The black sludge of failure bubbled up inside my body, filling me. My eyes shifted down at his fist flying towards me to finish the job, everything moving in slow motion. If I didn’t rise here, if I didn’t stand up here, when was I ever going to do it!?
“What are you waiting for, Adin!? Kick his ass!” A female voice screamed from the crowd, probably Candace.
She had the right idea. Today would be my redemption. I firmly planted my feet into the ground and pivoted in front of him, letting his punch sail inches from my head. Then, I pressed up against him and yanked his collar, causing his head to fly forward. I cocked my fist back right after and met his approaching face with crushing impact.
A guttural scream escaped my throat as I drove him back, each punch brutally forcing his head back like a rag doll, then out of nowhere, he started to fall. I let go of him as I nearly fell over too, but after a quick balancing act landed on my butt. Sound returned to my ears in the form of clapping as my teammates and Candace rushed towards me.
I craned my neck past them to see Guy sitting up on the ground outside the platform, being checked out by Mr. Lockhart. When they reached me, they pulled me to my feet, jostling me in their huddle.
“That was epic, dude! I thought you were done for.” George patted me on the back with his large hands.
I tried my best not to grimace at all the contact.
“You scared us half to death, man.” Josh chimed in, smiling and shaking his head.
I chuckled. “Would I look cooler if I said that was part of my plan?”
Candace suddenly pulled me into a suffocating hug.
I glanced at everyone from my position on her shoulder, embarrassed. She soon released me, then punched my arm.
“Ow! What was that for?”
“Oh, nothing. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
I rubbed my arm. “You have a real sadistic way of showing it…”
She responded by flashing her teeth at me.
“When did you get so good?” Bianca eyed me with wonder.
I looked over at Noir who was standing on the outskirts of our group; she met my gaze, then after a moment averted her eyes. “I had a little help.”
Chapter 25 – Team Python
Three more months blinked by while I continued to train and juggle school work, and our fourth Gauntlet match had already arrived. After my victory in the last one, things had really picked up with Team Umbra. We were clicking on all cylinders, and I managed to get one up on Vince and Hope during training, so even things on that front seemed to be going well.
“I know we’re going against Team Python today, but they haven’t messed with a team like ours before, so let’s kick their ass.” I stood up from the plastic bench of the outfit room; everyone’s heads shifted in my direction.
“Hell yeah!” George yelled next to me.
Even Josh who was usually quiet before matches spoke up. “Yeah, they’re gonna pay.” His head was down, but I could see the determination on his face.
Apparently, Team Python had gone out of their way to engage in extracurricular activities that put a few members of Team Umbra in the infirmary the year before. It was safe to say this wasn’t your ordinary match for them, or me.
“Don’t look so glum, chums. We got this.” Bianca put her arm on Mina's shoulder.
“Please, refrain from touching me.” She pushed her off, cheery as usual.
“Don’t worry, Bianca, I’m sure Mina is just saving her energy.” I winked at Mina.
She responded by closing her eyes. “Oh yeah, I’m just ready to explode.”
George turned to her, grinning. “Let me know if you need help with that.”
I put a hand over my face.
Mina smiled with her eyes still closed. “Maybe when you grow an inch - or five.”
“Hey! I’m still growing…” His face turned the same shade of red as a tomato.
“I don’t think you have much room left.�
�� Hope commented seriously.
I managed to keep from laughing. No matter what I did, I couldn’t help but get nervous before these matches. Today, we’d be going against Team Python; that meant going against Vince's brother, Eric who was the leader. I glanced at Vince as he sat on the bench across from me, staring at the assault rifle laying in his lap; he had barely spoken a word since this morning. It was obvious he had some sort of grudge against his ogre of a brother.
Switching my gaze to Noir showed she had headphones in her ears and seemed to be in her own little world; I wondered what she was listening to.
Waving to get her attention made her eyes lock on me. I then motioned for her to remove her headphones, and after a few seconds, she removed one. Still a work in progress. “Scouting report.”
“I already read it.”
I could see everybody watching our interaction from my peripheral vision. The awkwardness when Noir was around or mentioned was undoubtedly better, but it was still there.
“One more time, Noir.”
She audibly sighed through her nose. “Aye, aye, captain.” She put her hand to her head in a soldier’s salute.
Hope who was seated next to her giggled. “That was funny.”
Noir pulled out an electronic pad and began reading from it. “Team Python, number one in rankings for the past two years, led by Disciplinary Squad leader, Eric Riley –”
Vince twitched at the mention of his brother’s name.
“They deploy a wide range of tactics in order to confuse opponents and once the opponent is rattled, they advance aggressively to eliminate them.” She finished.
“Thank you.”
“Happy to help.” She smiled sweetly at me.
I could practically see the sarcasm oozing off of her. The outfit room suddenly filled with flashing, red lights and sirens; it was time to go. The door to the right of us slowly slid open, causing light to hit me in the face, but I didn’t feel its warmth. “Okay, guys, stick to the plan and stay focused.” I raised my voice.
Mina would be leading Team B, which consisted of George, Josh, and Bianca. They would be our speed unit and flank the enemy. My team, Team A was comprised of Hope and Vince. We would advance directly into the teeth of the enemy as the heavy fire squad. And we were at a slight disadvantage number wise, but I had other uses for Noir.
Sixty-Seven Salamanders Page 17