Stop it. You're just imagining things.
Probably like when she was a kid and had thought the coat-rack in the corner of her bedroom was a giant stick monster because its shadow was so creepy in the moonlight. She was grown now, though, and had long since learned that monsters weren't real.
But that reminder didn’t stop the nightmares from coming...
Chapter 13
The knock at the door the next morning came two minutes before they were prepped to leave for breakfast. When Izzy opened it, she was stunned to see Dean Cassandra, herself, standing there, her features impassive.
"Ladies, gather round. I'd like to speak with you all for a moment."
Ashley and Aiko had already left for class, which was ironic, because Izzy had a very good idea why the Dean had come and she was pretty sure Aiko was at the root of it.
She, Max, and Rebecca all gathered around the Dean, who stared at them for a long, uncomfortable moment that had them all fidgeting like nursery schoolers.
"Let’s cut right to the chase. Who was behind this plan of yours?" she asked, flicking a gaze across them each before letting her eyes settle on Izzy. "Was it you, Isabelle? Wanted to see if you could outrun a bear, did you?"
Izzy swallowed hard and shook her head, cursing Jake to the fiery depths of hell in her mind.
Snitch.
“Actually, ma'am, it was--" Izzy elbowed Max in the gut, cutting her off before nodding.
"Me. It was my idea. I know it was stupid and I won't let it happen again, Dean Cassandra. I can't believe how foolhardy it was. I put my roommates at risk, and I'm so embarrassed."
The others fidgeted even more aggressively, but didn't out her, despite the Dean's intense scrutiny.
"And you? Izzy's little minions? Did you think that was a good idea?"
Rebecca held up a finger. “To be fair, I…” The Dean sent her a quelling look and Rebecca cleared her throat. “I think it was a terrible idea. It was wrong of us, and like Izzy said, it won’t happen again.”
To Izzy’s surprise, the Dean’s face softened.
“Well, I must admit, I’m heartened that you all are standing up for one another, girls. That’s commendable. But don’t think that gets you off the hook,” she said, wagging a manicured finger. “If I let you get away with this, then it will be pandemonium and someone could do the same and not be so lucky. Until the rogue bear has been captured, we need to be extra diligent. Izzy, starting tomorrow, your class will be upping your weapons training to five days a week. You’ll stay after class for the next two weeks and clean all the weapons for your team and prep them for the following day before you’ll be allowed to join the others in the cafeteria for dinner. Next time you break the rules, and put any of your classmates at risk, you’ll be expelled.”
Izzy bit back a groan. That would cut into her extra training time, for sure. She forced a tight smile and nodded. “Of course, ma’am. Happy to do it.”
The Dean turned and started to sweep from the room when Izzy called after her, unable to help herself.
“Dean Cassandra, did Jessica say why she tapped?”
The Dean turned and met her gaze. “Unfortunately, she didn’t have what it took to stay the course. Her ego was a major issue and curtailed her learning. It’s for the best.”
With that, she exited the dorm, leaving the three girls staring behind.
“Phew, she’s one tough cookie,” Max murmured, slumping from her extra militant stance.
“But fair,” Rebecca said. “I mean, things really could’ve gone horribly wrong out there. I just feel bad you took the rap for all this, Izzy. Why did you?”
“Because I’m top of the class right now out of all of us and felt like I stood the least chance of being expelled if it came down to it,” Izzy said grimly. “I didn’t want any of you guys to lose your scholarships.”
Max’s eyes welled up and she threw herself at Izzy. “You’re the best, Izzy. And I’m gonna make it up to you. Aiko and Ashley will, too, once we tell them. And Rebecca, you didn’t even come with us. You guys are the best friends I’ve ever had.”
Izzy returned her embrace, and then pulled away. “It’s been really great having you all here for me, too. Makes it a lot less hard to be away from home,” Izzy admitted.
“Group hug!” Rebecca shouted, and then came in to wrap her arms around both of them until they were all laughing.
They broke apart a few seconds later and headed to breakfast. Izzy’s mind wasn’t on food, though. She had already been burning the candles at both ends to get to the top of the class, and now she had this extra work that would only make it harder to get in the additional practice and training she needed to bridge the gap and overtake Jake in first place.
She managed to force down some eggs and oatmeal, but only because food was fuel and she needed as much of that as she could get. Morning classes began a few minutes later with the class heading right to the gym.
“Today, we’ll be doing hand-to-hand combat sparring to break up the days of weapons training,” Baxter said as he pulled out a piece of paper.
Izzy wanted to weep with relief. She loved weapons training, so far, and was pretty good at it, but hand to hand meant no cleaning and prepping the weapons for the next day tonight. More time for an extra training session later.
“The sparring matchups are written on this paper, so come and take a look, pair up with your partner, and get in line,” Baxter continued.
In the weeks since his challenge to the kids, no one had managed to hit him with a pencil or pen yet, and all but a few stubborn souls had even ceased trying.
Izzy considered getting one out of her bag and taking a shot. She was getting lightning fast, but then Jake walked into the gym and her playful thoughts evaporated under the flaming heat of anger.
Izzy glanced at the sheet. Part of her hoped she was about to get a chance to give that snitch Jake some stitches. The other part hoped she didn’t have to even look at his stupid face right now, and also knew that Jake had a very good chance of beating her, which could affect her rank.
In the end, she got the worst of both worlds in Trent. She couldn’t—or wouldn’t, at any rate—get to take out her anger on him, and he still had a good chance of beating her to a pulp.
She glanced for Jake’s name on the list, out of curiosity, and noted he had been paired with Rebecca. She felt a little sizzle of apprehension and then shoved it away. This was sparring, not MMA. He’d go easy on her, and hopefully teach her a thing or two. As mad as she was at the jerk, he wasn’t a total monster that he would hurt a kid so much younger than them.
Izzy strolled over toward Trent, who was still waiting to see the paper, and waved him over. He smiled and walked with her.
“Seems like you got the short straw, buddy,” Izzy said with a wide grin. “I apologize in advance.”
Trent laughed. “I could say the same to you.”
The pair waited to line up for Rebecca, who was walking with Jake to join them. “Tattletale,” Izzy muttered under her breath.
If Jake heard, he didn’t let on, but Izzy was surprised to see that Rebecca wore a face of determination completely contrary to the terror she had expected to see.
When everyone lined up, Baxter stood in front of the line and motioned to the single large painted circle that was set up for them to spar in.
“Your goal is simple. You must force your opponent out of the ring. There’ll be a timer on this screen, here. If, after five minutes in the ring, no one has managed to do that, the match will be called a tie. If you’re injured and can’t continue, you can also tap out and the match will end. You’re allowed to use striking, as well as grappling but, obviously, there’s no eye gouging or intentional hits to the… nether regions, allowed,” he mumbled awkwardly. “Remember, we’re fighting, but don’t get crazy. Pull your punches a little. We’re expecting bloody lips, not concussions, all right?”
He shot a glance at Molly, who gave him a thumbs up.
Baxter grabbed glov
es and headgear that had been sitting on the ground, and handed them to the first two students in line.
“Rebecca,” Izzy whispered, motioning her over as she stepped a few feet away from the line.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Don’t be a hero. It was an unlucky matchup and it isn’t worth getting hurt over, so if it gets too intense, just let him push you out of the ring.”
“I’ll never learn if I don’t try. I’m going to do my best,” Rebecca replied with a brave smile as she stepped back into line.
Izzy shrugged as she walked back over to Trent. The first match had just ended and they were now second in line behind Molly and a tall girl named Sarah. Molly was way outsized, but since her injury a couple weeks before, she’d been improving at the physical stuff by leaps and bounds.
“You got this, Molly!” Izzy said, patting her friend on the back as she walked up to the ring. Molly turned around and shot her a toothy grin.
Baxter blew the whistle and Molly was off like a shot, rushing at Sarah, legs churning, head down. She hit the other girl center mass and Sarah was so thrown off by the speed and suddenness of the attack, Molly easily knocked her out of the ring in less than two seconds flat.
“Go, Molly!” Izzy and Rebecca cheered. “You’re getting so good, it looked like you were tapping into your ability for strength there,” Izzy said, high-fiving Molly as she walked past the line.
“Yep, I was. I only learned how yesterday, so I was hoping I could get it to work. I’ll never be as strong or as fast as some of the others, but at least I’m not a total wimp now!” she said with a grin.
“And you’ve got that stellar sniffer,” Rebecca reminded her, touching her fingertip to her own nose.
Baxter motioned Izzy and Trent to the circle, and she eagerly put her headgear and gloves on and stepped in.
Trent smiled and shook her hand before Baxter blew the whistle for them to start the match. She was getting stronger by the day, but if he got his hands on her, she knew she’d be dead meat. Luckily, the ring was just large enough for her to try to outmaneuver him. She stepped cautiously around the perimeter of the space, waiting patiently for him to make the first move. After a few moments of doing the same, he lunged at her, going low for her legs. She easily sidestepped to the right and ignored the potential opening for a blow to the back of the head or neck in order to continue circling. His endurance ability made it a waste of energy to try to land strikes on him. There was only one way to win, and that was speed.
He walked slowly towards her, hands raised. She lifted her own in a defensive position, suddenly feeling very small as he towered over her. Geez, he was like a brick frigging wall.
She was still sizing him up as his ham-sized fist snapped out. She used her forearm to block his first punch, but it came at a price. She staggered as pain shot up her arm like she got hit in the funny bone. This fight was going to be even harder than she thought. There was no way to easily get around his massive frame and arm span, and continuing to block those crushing blows was going to be a study in pain.
Come on, Izzy, think.
But there wasn’t much time for that as Trent lurched forward, sending another heavy punch towards her face. This time, there was no block needed as she dipped it easily. She continued circling the ring as they boxed, trying to create an opening to slip around him. She avoided a few more of his punches before Trent got wise to the fact that it was going to take more speed than he had to hit her. He grinned, hunkering down, and then came rushing at her the same way Molly had done to Sarah, only with his hands extended to shove her bodily from the ring.
This was her chance.
On a dime, she tapped into all of the speed she could muster as she crouched low and darted under his right arm. He tried to stop short, but momentum was on her side. That, plus a swift, strength-enhanced shove to the back, and he was face-planting onto the gym floor…
Outside the ring.
The place exploded into whistles and shouts as Izzy made her way over to Trent and held out a hand.
“Holy shit, that was a good move you pulled there. I got too impatient,” Trent said with a chuckle as he shoved himself to his feet with Izzy’s help.
He was an anomaly, she marveled, as she stared up at his still-grinning face. Almost impossible to hurt. Nothing kept him down for long.
“You did well, too, I’m not sure I’d win if we went again,” Izzy said, giving his hand a squeeze.
Baxter patted Izzy on the back as she walked back towards the line. “Excellent display. You’ve really improved a lot at enhancing your strength. Don’t think I haven’t noticed the hours you’ve been putting in to get there,” he said.
“Thanks a lot, Professor Baxter,” she replied, her heart swelling with pride.
Rebecca shot her a nervous smile from her place next in line, her bravado from earlier clearly dwindling now that her match was upon her. “You killed it out there!”
“Don’t be scared. Like you said, just do your best.”
Secretly, though, she hoped the younger girl took her advice and ceded the match. Rebecca was brilliant and had many gifts. But, while her strength was more developed than the average girl her age, due to her Enhancement abilities, to date, she’d shown nothing to suggest she could match an all-around beast like Jake.
It was going to be a slaughter out there. Thank god for the pads and headgear.
She watched, stomach pitching, as Jake silently walked into the ring. He donned his gear and then squared up. Rebecca did the same but the whole scene looked ridiculous. A pretty scrawny fifteen-year-old kid versus a veritable man nearly twice her weight, made of sheer muscle and a solid six inches taller. Izzy sent a questioning look at Baxter, hoping he would see how silly this was, but he was already blowing the whistle for them to start.
Jake leapt off his mark like a shot and tried to grab her to throw her from the ring, but Rebecca managed to duck and move sideways, landing a kick to his thigh, albeit an ineffectual one. She was making progress at using her ability for speed, but strength was clearly still an issue.
Jake was a shrewd fighter, and didn’t allow her to escape his range as he continued trying to grab her without success. Izzy stared at the timer on the screen, willing it to be over.
When a minute had passed to no avail, Jake’s jaw flexed as he dropped back into fighting stance and Rebecca gulped. He threw a lightning-quick jab at her chest, which she managed to dodge, but then followed up with a massive right hook aimed at her middle. It was slow enough that she got both arms in front of the blow in time, but it was enough to send her sailing into the air.
Izzy watched in shock as Rebecca landed in a heap a good three feet over the red line.
Chapter 14
The class of students, that had been chattering excitedly a moment earlier, went completely silent and watched in shock as Jake yanked his gloves off and bent to help her up. “Good job, Bex,” he said.
“You too,” she sputtered after she finally found her breath again and stood.
“You too? You too?” Izzy snapped as she stormed past the line of students and over to where he was standing, rage making her whole body shake. “No, it wasn’t. It was terrible,” she said to Rebecca before turning her outrage on Jake. “What the hell was that, you jerk? She’s only fifteen and weighs as much as a wet mop, and you throw punches like that at her? If your ego wasn’t bigger than your stupid muscles, maybe you’d realize how silly that just made you look.”
Jake’s nostrils flared and his throat worked, but he said nothing. Instead, he pushed past her without a word and it took everything she had not to follow him.
Her murderous thoughts were interrupted when Rebecca approached and put her hand on her arm.
“It’s okay, Iz. I wanted him to go all out, and I’m fine. I just want to get treated like everyone else,” she said as they walked back to where she had been standing, Izzy glaring at Jake’s retreating back the whole way. “Besides, the punch didn’t
really hurt that bad because I blocked it. It was more the landing that stung a little,” she said, rubbing her bottom with a wince.
Izzy didn’t want to make her friend feel bad, so she didn’t press the issue, but she made a mental vow. The next time she and Jake went toe to toe, there would be no holding back. If he whooped her butt, so be it. At least she could get some of this ever-building frustration out on that stupid face of his.
By the time classes had ended and the day was over, Izzy's anger hadn't cooled even a single degree. Despite the grueling day of hand-to-hand combat, she was scarfing down dinner as fast as she could, already looking forward to some one-on-one time with the heavy bag.
She wondered if she shouldn't draw a picture of Jake's face on it, just for extra motivation.
"I still can't believe you did that for me," Aiko was saying as she shoveled a meatball into her mouth. "If I didn't think it would get you into more trouble for lying, I'd go into Dean Cassandra's office and fess up. I feel like a piece of garbage."
"I went willingly along with you," Izzy said with a sigh. "We all did. No point in everyone getting punished. What good will that do?"
Miguel slung an arm around Ashley and squeezed. "So long as my girl didn't get hurt, I'm not mad at you, Aiko."
Ashley's cheeks went pink and she leaned into him. "It was definitely scary, so you don't have to worry. I won't be going out there again anytime soon. But thanks, Izzy. We'll find a way to make it up to you."
Jake picked that moment to prowl past their table and out of the cafeteria, his perma-scowl in full effect.
"Want to make it up to me? Figure out how to get that kid to tap. He's worse than Jessica, I swear," she said, shooting a glance at Rebecca. "How's your abs feeling?"
Rebecca laughed and forked up a piece of pineapple from her fruit salad. "As fine as they ever were. I told you, it wasn't as bad as it clearly looked. And did you hear? He told me I did a good job and called me Bex." She let out a dreamy sigh and held her hand to her heart before plugging the chunk of pineapple into her mouth.
Nightgrove Academy Book One Page 11