It’s now Monday morning and the written exam starts in approximately three minutes. I sprint across campus, my bag slipping from my shoulder and pooling at my elbow. I struggle to hold onto it as my legs power ahead.
I sprint past the Combat room, the gym, and a few more classrooms. One more corner and I’ll be safe. I get around the corner and skid to a stop in front of the doors to the Great Hall, just in time to sneak through the door that Ms. Peterson is currently closing.
Crap, that was close.
“Cutting it a bit close, Bianca,” Ms. Peterson scolds as I slip past her. I glance up at her while I catch my breath to find nothing but disappointment staring back at me.
“I know, I know,” I mumble, slinking past her to find my seat. I scan the rows and find the one empty chair left in the room and make my way over.
I feel someone’s gaze boring into me and I reluctantly raise my eyes to meet the extremely unimpressed glare of my favorite instructor. I cringe and give a little shrug of my shoulder and mouth the word ‘sorry’ hoping he can find it in himself to forgive me. I mean, at least I’m on this side of the door and not hating myself on the other.
Rylan presses his lips together and shakes his head. After what feels like a lifetime, his features finally soften and I know I’ve been forgiven.
I take my seat and glance down at the exam sitting on the table and wait for the teacher at the front of the room to give us the go-ahead.
Two hours later, I slam my pen down on the table, relieved that it’s finally over. I get up and search the room for Jacinta when Daniel comes up behind me. “You only just made it,” he laughs.
“Tell me about it. Did you see the look I got from boss man? I swear, he looked as though he was about to give me up to the fey and leave my remains for the wolves,” I say, cringing at the thought.
“Yeah, I caught that. You’re lucky he’s crazy about you. I swear, you just got away with murder.”
We make our way out of the Great Hall and find Jacinta and Trey waiting on the other side before figuring out what to do for the next few hours as all classes are canceled for the day.
Just as we head off to grab an early lunch, we hear the annoying shrill voice of Nora calling for Daniel’s attention. He cringes but slinks away to join her. “What was that about?”
Trey gives an amused smirk. “That was Nora tightening her leash on Daniel,” he laughs.
“Huh?” I say with the same confusion on my face that Jacinta has on hers.
“Nora has the shits that you guys never showed up for their shopping trip over the weekend and she’s taking it out on Daniel because he didn’t try hard enough to make it happen.”
I shake my head in disbelief as Jacinta screeches. “That’s ridiculous.”
“She really is crazy,” I laugh. “Though, I’m starting to feel sorry for Daniel. It mustn’t be easy being the object of Nora’s affections.”
“No way. He knew what he was getting into when he started this whole thing. We gave him plenty of warning,” Jacinta reminds us.
“Nah, I disagree,” Trey says. “I think he’s putting on an act and he’s really starting to like her.”
“What makes you say that?” I ask, my brows dropping in horror.
“Because he comes back from seeing her all giddy and happy like some lovesick fool, and not to mention, Nora stopped bothering Jacinta months ago yet he’s still dating her. It’s only around you guys that he puts on that big act. I think he’s falling for her.”
“Nooooo,” I whine. “But it's Nora.”
“The she-devil is going to be my sister-in-law,” Jacinta cries as we wrap our arms around each other, making a show of our sadness and paying tribute to our fallen friend.
“Cut it out,” Trey groans with a roll of his eyes.
“Fine,” I say, letting go of Jacinta. “I’ll be happy for him if he truly is falling for her. Hell, I might even try being nice to the witch. But, if this is all still a game to him, then no deal. In fact, if he’s still playing her then that’s actually kind of mean, stringing her along for months when he doesn’t actually like her…I don’t know, doesn’t seem right.”
“Hmm…you know Daniel has a big heart,” Jacinta says, thoughtful. “I don’t think he has it in him to actually date someone for months if he didn’t have feelings for the girl.” She pauses, smirking at me. “It’s just weird seeing him pine for someone that isn’t you.”
“Hey, he promised me I will always be his favorite girl. So long as that doesn’t change, then I’m all good,” I declare.
“Seriously? Are we still discussing this?” Trey whines.
“Of course,” Jacinta defends. “It’s very important that we know what’s going on with our boys.”
“Why don’t you just ask him?” Trey says as if we were stupid for not having done this already.
“Like he will actually tell us,” Jacinta scoffs, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“You’re right, there’s no way in hell he will tell us,” Trey says to Jacinta before turning his gaze to me. “But you, Bianca. He’s always been honest with you. I think he’ll tell you exactly what you want to know.”
I think back on my relationship with Daniel and realize that Trey is right. Daniel has never lied to me and if I’m curious then all I need to do is ask. But on the other hand, Daniel has always come to me when he needs to get something off his chest, maybe he isn’t ready to share this yet, or maybe things are changing between us and he suddenly feels that he can't.
“You’re right. I’ll have a talk with him,” I say, a little unsure of what that conversation will hold.
We head into the cafeteria and grab something to eat before taking our lunch out into the sun to enjoy our last bit of freedom before the week of excruciatingly hard combat midterms truly begin.
Chapter 4
I find myself sitting in a small room off to the side of the shooting range. My legs bounce in nervous anticipation as I wait my turn to be called. I take slow deep breaths as I go over my speech on gun and weapon safety over and over again, making sure I don’t miss a thing.
Then finally, what feels like an eternity later, Rylan opens the door, gracing me with his presence. “Bianca, you’re up,” he declares.
I get up from my spot, take one last calming breath and head over to the door that Rylan holds open. I do everything in my power not to touch him as I pass in fear of forgetting everything I’m here to do. I walk down the long hallway which leads to the shooting range. “Relax, would you?” Rylan scolds from behind me. “I can feel the nerves coming out of your body. You’ll do great. You’ve got the best target skills I’ve ever seen.”
An unladylike snort sounds in the back of my throat. “You mean, apart from your target skills, of course?”
He gives me a small laugh and a smile which doesn’t reach his eyes. “A few months ago, I would have agreed and then I shot you,” he murmurs, reaching out to brush his thumb over the small, raised scar that remains on my upper arm.
His comment is ridiculous and I express my thoughts with yet another snort. “Don’t be stupid. You saved my life that day, and besides, I’d take that bullet a million times over if it means getting the special treatment I received afterward.”
Rylan rolls his eyes in exasperation, leans in and gives me the gentlest kiss on my lips which is over as quickly as it started. “Are you ready?” he asks.
I give a firm nod and watch as he turns and leads me down the rest of the hallway. “By the way,” I smirk, as he begins thumbing in the code for the door. “My scar is totally badass.”
He glances down at me, raises his hand and rubs his thumb over my scar once again, which over the last few months, he must have done at least a million times. “That, it is,” he says, pausing at the door. “Head in the game, Bianca.”
“Always,” I say as he pushes the door open.
On the other side, I find three older men dressed impeccably well with The Guard’s emblem on their suit jackets
, letting me know these are The Guard officials. I step deeper into the room and sense Rylan following behind. He finds an empty space on the wall to prop himself against which gives him the best view of my impending doom, though I wouldn’t have expected anything else.
The three men stand at my advance, whether they’re just being chivalrous or if this is standard procedure…who knows?
One short, one fat, one bald.
Shorty takes a step in my direction, holding his hand for me to take, I give it a quick but firm shake and hold his gaze. “You must be Bianca,” he starts. “We’ve heard some wonderful things about you.”
Crap. They’ve heard about me?
“Indeed, we have,” Baldy says, cutting Shorty off. “And we hope you can live up to that expectation,” he says in a manner that makes me think anything less than perfect will not be tolerated. I give what must be my twentieth firm nod, agreeing with him, not for their benefit but for my own peace of mind.
“Right,” Fatty says with a scowl, clearly not the friendly one of the bunch. “Enough chitter-chatter, let’s get this started.”
Shorty, Baldy, and Fatty take their seats.
“Okay, Bianca,” Baldy starts. “Please describe to us your knowledge of gun safety and the procedure you would use to prepare your firearm, then proceed with your explanation on daggers.”
My heart beats rapidly in my chest, but I don’t allow myself to be intimidated by these officials, officials who were rude enough not to offer their names. I take a deep breath and fix them all with a look of pure confidence, finally setting free the speech that I've practiced a million times.
Twenty minutes later, Rylan hits a button that returns my last target sheet for the examination. He releases the sheet and takes it straight to a table that holds six more of my completed sheets from the various exercises I’ve performed.
The three officials gather around the targets and in hushed whispers, discuss their findings. Another ten minutes later they turn in my direction.
I stand straight as they prepare to give me my accuracy rating. Rylan pushes off the wall and takes a step in my direction, sure enough to hear the results first hand.
Fatty lets out a low huff and meets my gaze. “Congratulations, Miss Bianca Moore,” he says in a flat tone. “You have now completed the target skills element of your physical midterm examinations. You have received a pass mark with an accuracy rating of 98%.”
I hear Rylan suck in a breath beside me and I quickly shoot my eyes in his direction to see nothing but pure pride. I aim my gaze back at the officials and plaster on a pleasant smile.
“Thank you for your time,” I say ever so politely, doing my best to hold in the grin that’s begging to escape.
“It was our pleasure,” Shorty says. “You have certainly demonstrated a fierce knowledge and understanding of the material in which you were provided. So far, you have shown a lot of dedication to honing your skills. Let’s hope you have put the same efforts into the other aspects of your training.”
They each fix me with a nod, dismissing me from the room. I turn and head for the door, as Rylan breaks away from my side to begin setting up the target sheets for the next student. I catch his eye and receive a nod, this one kind and encouraging. He follows this up with a discreet smile that sends a million different messages, though the main one being – you killed it!
Chapter 5
Tuesday and Wednesday fly by in an exciting blur of fights and training. I’ve finally made it to Thursday afternoon and am currently preparing for my last fight, against Trey of all people. I’m almost certain they have left the two strongest contenders for last, just to make sure The Guards entertainment goes out with a bang.
So far, I have won all of my fights and I’m ecstatic with my results. I know there’s no way I would have made it this far without Rylan as my mentor. He’s been my saving grace. I strut down to the oval which has been set up as some kind of stadium as I work on keeping my nerves calm. The noise coming from the stadium blows me away. Each day of these trials has been magnificent. I think there have been close to two thousand people each day, today being no exception. The stands are full and overflowing, while people stand around the edges, not even bothering to find a seat.
I glance over to the designated family section and find mom, Millie, and Jacinta next to Trey’s parents and other family members of my classmates. I give them a smile and a quick wave. I get a tight, nervous smile from mom, who I know is absolutely hating seeing me in action. Millie doesn’t even notice me as she zones her attention in on a few boys I don’t know and I make a mental note to drill her on that after the fight.
Jacinta gives a nervous wave back as her eyes scan the oval, most likely searching for Trey. She’s been a mess all day. Since Trey has also won all his fights, it’s now down to this moment, the deciding factor. There can only be one winner. Though the ranking will also depend on our other test results, so even if Trey beats me today, there’s still a chance that I might come out on top. That’s assuming I kick Rylan or Ben’s ass tomorrow in the weaponry skills fight.
I weave through the crowd which is currently cheering for two of my other classmates, who by the sound of it, are coming close to finding their winner. I push through the last of the crowd and get a glimpse of Daniel fighting Alex.
Daniel has him down on the ground and delivers one last sequence that puts Alex out of commission. Daniel gets to his feet with a grin plastered on his face and I cheer as loudly as possible, but my voice is drowned out by the hundreds of screaming people surrounding me. The crowd erupts into laughter as he makes a show of taking a bow before finally heading out of the ring.
I walk around the perimeter of the ring to where Rylan and Ben stand to check over both Daniel and Alex for any injuries. Alex scowls at me as I approach while Daniel sends a beaming smile my way. “Did you see me kick his ass?” he asks, hooking his thumb in Alex’s direction.
“I sure did,” I smile, reaching up and delivering Daniel with an award-winning high five.
“Are you ready?” he asks, fixing me with a serious look.
“Please, I could do this in my sleep,” I say in an attempt to mask my nerves.
Daniel laughs away my comment, however, Rylan, who’s been intently listening to our conversation, scoffs as he sends me a look that suggests he can see right through my bullshit.
“Hey, man, nice fight,” Trey says from behind me, coming up to Daniel to give him one of those bro hug, clap on the shoulder things. “So,” he says in a sly tone as he turns his attention to me. “Are you ready to do this?”
I fix him with a menacing look. “Oh, I was born for this. It’s you I'm worried about. We better keep the first aid kit on hand for when I whoop your ass,” I say, smugly.
He scoffs at me and takes a step in my direction, throwing his arm over my shoulder and turning us away from the piercing stares of the small group around us. “Seriously though, no hard feelings, alright? We both have a lot riding on this so don’t hold back, okay?”
“Trey, of course. You’re one of my best friends. And besides, you know I would never hold back and I expect the same from you. If I leave myself wide open, I expect that you would take that opportunity, just as I would do to you. Though you should know, I don’t make mistakes. Your ass is mine.”
“Please,” he laughs, “I could take you with my hands tied behind my back. You’ve got nothing on me.”
“I guess we're about to find out,” Rylan says, cutting off my retort, suddenly behind us. I poke my tongue out at Trey who pretends to dig through his pocket only to pull his hand back out with his middle finger raised high and proud. I give him one last smirk as Rylan steps between us. “Alright, we don’t have time for this shit,” he says. “Trey, you’ve got two minutes with Ben and then it’s time to take to the ring.”
Trey gives a simple nod and disappears. And just like that, shit gets real.
Nerves begin to flutter through me. After all, Trey was right, there is a
lot riding on this. Rylan notices my sudden change and places his hands on my shoulders, making sure to keep the rest of his body away from mine. I instantly relax and he smirks at my reaction. “I didn’t think you’d need a pep talk today,” he questions.
I let out my last shaky breath and mentally get my shit together. I’ve got this. I have literally done everything possible to prepare myself for this moment. I look up into Rylan’s eyes. “I’m good,” I declare, he raises a brow in question. “Really, I am,” I promise him.
“Okay,” he says with a slight nod, glancing down at his watch. “It’s time,” he says, indicating towards the ring. “Go and give them a show to remember.”
I give him one last look and take a step towards the ring with Rylan following right beside me. “You know, I would never have gotten this far without you,” I tell him.
Rylan groans. “This is no time for your girly shit, Bianca. Go and be the badass I know you are. You can tell me how amazing I am when you’re done.”
“Deal,” I smile as we wait at the side of the ring for my name to be announced, which not two seconds later happens. He squeezes my shoulder and raises the ropes for me to climb through to our makeshift ring.
The crowd roars my name from the stands. Apparently, being the only girl, who has so far kicked all the guy’s butts, I’ve become somewhat of a celebrity around here.
I glance up to the family and friends area once more and find mom and Jacinta on the verge of passing out, while Millie looks so excited she could burst. I give them a reassuring, cheesy grin and turn to Trey who seems to be doing exactly the same thing.
An instructor from the junior campus steps between Trey and I, speaking into a microphone while going over the rules and regulations of the fight. He pumps up the crowd by reminding them that Trey and I are both undefeated and what’s at stake.
Heart and Revenge: Slayer Academy (Book 2) Page 4