by Dave Ferraro
Chapter Six: Blood Warrior
When we made it back to the house Nelly was sitting on the back porch, as if she’d been expecting us. She probably had, considering that this was the time of day our Mother always made me “practice”.
Upon seeing us, Nelly gave me a big smile. I was surprised to feel a huge weight lift off of my shoulders. I guess I hadn’t realized how worried I’d been that she might be angry with me about the fight earlier. I smiled back and then took a deep breath, preparing myself for what was to come.
Ahead of me, Nelly’s smile faltered, and I knew what that meant. I swung around fast, and just barely managed to dodge a strike from my Mother.
I spun to the side and my hands went up. I met her eyes. The woman who had just led me through the forest was gone; now she was just a predator. I was used to this look on my Mother, and it never failed to scare the shit out of me.
But, somehow, today was different. I was still scared, and my Mother hadn’t changed any from yesterday or the day before that. It was me that seemed changed. I felt that maybe today, when my Mother stood across from me on the destroyed grass that served as our “practice” area, she might just feel that she too was staring down a predator.
She didn’t move again, and neither did I. We stood there for several seconds, just watching each other. Looking for a weak point; an opening.
She broke first, rushing forward and swinging with all power and skill. Seeing this made me think of Riley, and that seemed to release something in me. The world slowed. I dodged, moving with what felt like superhuman speed. And then I saw it.
My opening; her weak point.
At that point, everything became a blur. Now, instead of slowing down, the world had sped up, pulling me along with it. I remember moving as I had been trained, throwing all of my weight and strength behind my fist, the motion all too familiar. I remember it connecting, crashing hard into what seemed to be a solid surface. But I didn’t feel any pain. Not right at that moment. I didn’t feel any pain.
Then my Mother was on the ground, lying in much the same position as Riley had been just hours earlier. And I was standing over her, not quite sure I could get my muscles to move. Not really trusting myself to move.
So, I just stood there, until Nelly spoke from somewhere behind me. “Mom, are you okay?” Her voice was calm; maybe a little too calm.
My Mother sat up and gave her head a sharp shake. A red welt was already swelling up on her face.
I finally found my voice. “Mom, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” she replied. “Well done. I can’t believe you inherited your strength.”
Beside me, Nelly nodded in agreement. I furrowed my brow in confusion. What an odd choice of words. Inherited your strength.
“Although, I do have to say I feel sorry for that Brockman boy if he took a blow like that,” she continued, pulling herself unsteadily to her feet. “You need to be careful with whom you choose to fight. Not everyone is built as sturdily as we are.” She started heading back to the house. “And be careful who sees you fight too. Your strength may seem…. unnatural to them.”