Blood Supermoon

6. Bootcamp

She sucked.

The running, the fighting—all of it.

Lue woke Josandra up the next day at six a.m. Josandra was going to make breakfast, but Lue told her that they could eat breakfast later. They started with running laps around the cottage. Josandra thought she'd be doing them alone, but Lue joined her which made Josandra feel a little better. Especially since Lue let her set the pace.

After the first lap, she had to breathe through her mouth. By the fourth, she had to tap out, but Lue didn't say anything about it. She just tossed her the water canteen. As Josandra rested, Lue continued running; there was this harsh, determined expression on her face.

After a few minutes, Lue seized her by the shoulders and ordered her to start running again. Josandra was able to complete four more laps.

When that was over, she was sweating so much. Though it was April and the sun was out, the temperatures were still in the low 40s.

It all went downhill from there. Push-ups, planking, burpees—Josandra struggled through it all. She felt as though she was going to throw up.

She collapsed onto the ground after doing twenty jump squats, gasping for air. The sky was cloudless and sky-blue. Some of the leaves were returning to the trees. Josandra stretched out her arms.

"Get up," Lue said.

"Five more minutes," she said breathlessly.

Lue crouched near her with furrowed brows, "Are you really tired?"

"Hell yeah."

"But this isn't even the warm-up I wanted to put you through. I altered it."

"Well, alter it again. My entire body hurts!"

"Get up."

She was a monster. Josandra managed to get up with a groan. As soon as she did, Lue decked her in the shoulder. Josandra fell from the force of her strike.

"Ow!" Josandra said.

"Why didn't you dodge?" Lue asked.

"When did you even move your hand?" Josandra asked incredulously.

"I'll go slower. Rule number one, pay attention. It'll save you, it'll save me—it's so easy to do," Lue said.

"Okay, but I was taking a break—"

"I don't care. If someone knocks the wind out of you will you just lie there, catching your breath? Will you tell them to stop hitting you because you need to take a break? That's not how it works in the real world. You have to be ready, 24/7, even in your sleep," Lue said.

Josandra sighed, not sure why she apologized to Lue last night anymore.

"Up," Lue ordered and irritated, Josandra stood.

Lue's eyes scanned her body—which made Josandra self-conscious—before she stepped up to her. Alarmed, Josandra stumbled back, but Lue came again until their bodies were only inches away from one another.

"What—what are you doing?" Josandra asked.

"Rule number two, even if you aren't confident, pretend to be. Your posture is throwing me off," Lue grimaced.

A breeze flowed between them as Lue's fingers gripped Josandra's shoulders, straightening them. It was hard to breathe with her so close like this, but Lue didn't notice. Her expression was focused. As her fingers skimmed down to Josandra's arms, her touch seared through Josandra's clothes and into her skin. Lue handled her so roughly. Pull here, jerk there. Not like how a woman should be handled. She could make out the patches of dirt on Lue's face, the swoop of each long eyelash, her chapped lips. When they met eyes, Josandra looked down at her feet.