"You need to try, Kenna," Rina said through clenched teeth.
Kenna glared from her spot pinned on the floor. "Do you want me to tear through my bandages?"
Rina dug her knee harder into Kenna's back, making the girl wince. "Will your bandages matter when you're fighting for your life?"
Kenna huffed. This was stupid. Basic Combat was stupid. Rina was stupid. She was tossed into a fire pit, for gods sake! Well, near a fire pit, and her burn was nearly healed, but the point still stood. She craned her neck to look up at Brook, who gave her an encouraging nod.
Step one: assess situation. Rina is crushing my spine, I have to pee, there is a rock digging into my thigh. This sucks.
Step two: assess location of attacker. Right knee on my fucking spine. Right foot barely touching ground. Left leg by my left thigh. Left hand holding up my wrists.
Step three: construct plan. Wiggle. No wiggling wouldn't work. Kick her with my heels?
She tried it. It hardly did a thing.
Maybe if I scream as if I were in unimaginable pain.
Rina wouldn't fall for that.
Her left foot is firmly on the ground, but her right isn't. Maybe if I rolled really sharply to the right, I could throw her off balance.
Step four: execute countermove.
Kenna, to her best extent, judged where Rina's weight was: on Kenna's back, and in her left foot. The position Kenna's arms were being held in might help her throw her weight. Suddenly, she jerked to the right with all the force she had (a good amount, thanks to cheerleading). Rina lost her balance only a bit, but it was enough for Kenna to wrestle her hands free and push the woman off.
Kenna rushed to stand and Rina followed in suit.
"Not terrible for a second try," Rina said.
"I preferred when we were all just pretending to punch each other," Kenna mumbled.
Rina smirked. "Just wait until I start trying."
Kenna shook out her red wrists as she joined Brook in watching the training.
"I hate BC."
Brook shrugged. "It's not so bad."
"Tech Usage would be cool if RJ wasn't an ass, and Code of Conduct is just boring."
"That I will agree with."
"John!" Rina called. "You're up."
John sighed sadly and placed his backpack on the ground. He still had the fist-shaped bruise on his scrawny arm from yesterday. As always, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"How's Kledao?" Brook whispered.
"Good," Kenna replied quietly. "He's getting better at grammar."
"That's good." After a moment, Brook added, "And the leaders haven't caught on?"
Kenna shook her head. Over the past week, she'd been getting better and better at retying the knots on Kledao's bonds. Also, she stopped cleaning his wounds—per his request, of course. The alien had grown attached to her and didn't want her to get in trouble.
"No. And Ethan hasn't said anything to anyone, I think."
"Even to Chartreuse?"
Kenna shrugged. "She's too nice to tell anyone, anyway."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
"I can't find any reason to hate her!" Kenna exclaimed in a hushed tone. "She's so nice, and sweet, and I guess, now that I think about it, kinda pretty. Ethan adores her. I don't think he's ever even really looked at me."
Brook didn't reply. She tugged at her shirt collar.
"You really have to get past the whole I-can't-complement-people-or-offer-advice-about-emotional-topics thing," Kenna sighed.
"Sorry."
"It's fine. But Brook, I'm hot. And I'm being nice to Keldao. What's the problem here?"
"Maybe you were too late," Brook replied.
"Wow, thanks, friend."
"See? I'm not good at this."
"Should I just ask Kledao?" Kenna whispered in annoyance.
Brook shrugged. "Maybe."
Kenna rolled her eyes. As sweet as that alien was, he wasn't very bright. Kenna turned back to Rina and John and watched sympathetically as the poor guy wiggled from his spot pinned to the ground. Eventually, Rina sighed distastefully and got up.
"You're going to get killed, John," she said.
"I know," he mumbled.
"We're done for today. Your next class is TU with RJ, same as yesterday. You'll start after lunch," Rina told them. "Now go—I have to go collect group four and get them to help me make sheaths."
