Page 88 of In Between Darkness
I wince as I pull myself up, trying to concentrate on the key things Ryder has been teaching me, all the while keeping up my defences. I lunge forward and place a quick jab to Trina’s left side. She anticipates it and blocks it, deflecting my arm back.It’s all about focus.Try and focus, Asha. I jump back to increase the size of the gap between us. I can hear the sound effects of the students on the sidelines flinching and wincing every time one of us makes a hit. Their voices are loud enough to warn me when she is going to make a move, but they also prepare her for all my attempts as well. I landed a few hard hits to her chest in the firstfew minutes, but she just shook them off. I suppose if the pain of her heartache is excruciating, she’s probably somewhat numb to physical pain. Thanks a lot, Lexi.
She launches towards me and executes a double kick combo, a move Mr Martyr taught us last week: step forward with your weakest leg, shifting your weight onto it, and use the momentum of the movement to propel your dominant leg into the side of an opponent’s ribcage. Whilst in the motion of the kick, outstretch your dominant arm and apply a quick jab to the centre of the throat. I spin my body away from her kick and force her leg in the other direction, causing it to swing around the sandpit, taking her body down with it. Now she’s the one with a mouth full of sand. Did I just correctly predict her movements? This small feat gives me a boost of courage. The power is within me.
Whilst Trina is recovering on the floor, still a little disoriented, I take this moment to close my eyes and focus like Ryder has taught me. I mentally align myself with her, the shape of her lean but muscly frame, how her hair is fixed into a tight bun on the top of her head, the gleam of her lip and nose piercings reflecting the light, the way her chest inflates every time she draws air in to her lungs and the light grunt that slips out of her mouth when she exhales deep. I copy her breathing, her stance as she gets up; I rise with her. The world goes silent. I try to isolate each background sound from all the noise. I can hear the quiet munching sounds from the girl in the third row nervously chewing on a long strand of her hair, the way it squelches with the help of her saliva. The quiet whoosh of each blade of grass as the wind sways them out of place. I pivot my head quickly at the sudden crumpling of a crisp packet that Toby is scrunching up and shoving into his pocket a few metres away. The entirety of my body tingles, and my skin erupts with tiny electric shocks, causing me to inhale a little deeper. The sound of Mr Martyrclearing the phlegm in his throat makes me shudder as it grates on my eardrums. I centre myself and think of Ryder’s words again.It’s not about what you see; concentrate on what you feel.
Apart from the subtle cries my ribs make when I bend in any way, I guess I feel stronger. For the first time, I am comfortable in being different.
Concentrate on the shifts in the air caused by movements, feel your body tell you the direction of the approach.Ryder has drilled this into my head over and over again, but it’s never made sense to me, my body never told me to move when Alex was laying into me like a punching bag and Ryder’s training is harsh and brutal, but he is soft when it comes to me, I know he could easily fuck me up when we fight, one of his punches could probably leave me unresponsive, but he holds back for me… So, trying to focus through real pain is something we have not touched on in training. He doesn’t get frustrated when I fail to deflect his hits again and again. He simply says, ‘Oneday it will make sense. ’
A cool shiver runs down my spine, and the hairs on my neck stand to attention as my jaw spins again, and my face hits the sand with a bang. The ringing in my ears is deafening, and the dull ache in my head returns.Listen to your body.A small pool of blood gathers in my mouth, and I expel it onto the sand. I watch as it drains through each molecule and dyes them a slight pink colour. I feel the tingles again as her footsteps vibrate through me. The air is moving with her, with each step. I close my eyes again.Your eyes are only a fragment of the puzzle; rely on your other senses.My ribs argue as I breathe in deep, but a sense of calm washes over me. She leans above me, and my body tingles again. Her right arm reaches for me, and I roll out of the way, my eyes still wired shut. I stand with a newfound energy and wait patiently for her to attack. Her footsteps vibratethrough me again, left foot, then right, about a metre away from me. The sand shuffles loose as she steps, and even though I refuse to open my eyes, I can feel her. I can feel the way she trudges towards me, how far away she is, the slight tension in her muscles before they flex for a jab. I can feel it all… and time feels slow, like I am in control.
A cool light breeze runs over my left shoulder, and I feel like she is going to aim for it. I change my stance and deflect her jab with my left arm, aiming a swift jab to her neck with my right arm. I make contact and hear her splutter. I open my eyes but continue to focus on my other senses. She keels over to catch her breath before straightening out and reaching for me again. This time, the tingling sensation tickles my right temple and nose, so I use one hand to block my temple and the other to block my nose. She aims, but I deflect the punches. I duck low and launch two hard hits into her torso, an uppercut into her solar plexus and a sucker punch in the soft of her side. She groans loudly and hits the floor with a thud. I go to finish her off, to land one last punch to her jaw or nose while she is on the floor, but I hear three taps into the sand. She has tapped out. I breathe a sigh of relief. Did I just successfully foreshadow?
I fight the urge to smile, thinking about how Ryder will react when I tell him and continue walking over to Trina, sand flicks between my toes as I extend my arm out to her, she gives me a smile and grips my hand to pull herself up.
“Well played,” she says, giving me a nod, and she walks back to her friends on the sidelines.
I turn my head and make eye contact with Nala, who is smiling from ear to ear at my victory.
She can’t contain her joy as she runs over to me.
“I gotta say… for a minute there I was a little worried,” she says, feigning wiping sweat from her brow. “But I knew you would win!”
She cheers and smiles, the weight of her arms wrapping around my shoulders. “And just in time for lunch!”
I laugh loudly. I pity the person who tries to separate Nala from her one true love, food.
We reach the dining hall and take our seats at the long oak table. River is sitting at the table across the other side of the room. He keeps peering over at me past his baguette. I divert my eyes and start assembling a baguette of my own. Nala is sitting opposite me with an empty seat next to her that she is saving for Charlie. She has already made her sandwich and is cupping it with both hands and staring at it with loving eyes. I think she loves that baguette more than she loves Charlie. She takes a bite, and I giggle to myself. She looks over at me, mouth full like a hamster, with a puzzled expression.
“What?” she asks, her eyes wide.
I shrug. “I just think Charlie might have some competition.”
She looks confused for a minute, but then I gesture to her baguette, and she laughs.
“You know what they say, boyfriends come and go but food stays forever,” she jokes, saying the last bit to her baguette, which makes me chuckle.
I turn my attention back to the table and start loading my baguette up I add some chicken slices using the metal tongs provided and then some salad before squeezing mayonnaise gently over the top of it. My mouth salivates, and my stomach rumbles; combat sure is hungry work.
“Speaking of boyfriends…” Nala smirks with a raised eyebrow. “Who’s the lucky guy?”
She looks over at me, and I shuffle in my seat, closing my baguette and pushing on it so that it remains shut.
“What are you talking about?” I ask uncomfortably.
“Oh, please. I know you’re seeing someone, and I know it’s not River.” Her stare becomes more intense. “All that sneaking around and disappearing.”
I look away from her.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice that you weren’t in your bed last night when I got up to pee.” She waves her finger in my face, and I look around awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I take a bite of my sandwich, hoping she’ll change the subject.
“Question is… Why don’t you want me to know who it is?”
I gulp my food down and then hold my breath, not wanting her to figure me out.
She leans in closer. “You’re not dating Alex, are you?!”
