Unbecoming Humans

Chapter 19

Saturday morning, I rose with the sun to go for a quick run. I passed by Nima's room on my way out. Her door was shut and there were no noises coming from inside. Hopefully, she was still asleep.

As I set an easy pace around the yard, I thought about the tournament and what was to come. If Nima couldn't play today, she would automatically forfeit the next match against Hagan, the 14-year-old Egyptian boy. He would be the next challenger for the title.

I wouldn't mind him or any of the others being the head honcho, but I was worried that no one would be able to beat Justine. I would not allow her to take charge. I didn't want to take over the tournament, but if Nima couldn't play I would have to.

It would do no good to worry about it now. I finished my two laps and went back inside to figure out what we were dealing with for the day. Nima's door was still closed, so I went straight into my room to change.

As I stood in line, waiting to go to breakfast, I hard Nima's heavy, yet graceful gait behind me. I turned to check on her. Her ankle was wrapped, but she didn't walk with a limp. That had to be a good sign.

"Face forward!" Ilya roared from in front of the line, before I could get a good look at Nima's ankle.

"It's alright," Nima whispered behind me as we started to move. Breakfast was very normal; quiet and orderly as usual. The whole affair took about half an hour, and then everyone trickled out to the tennis courts. I followed Nima out of the dining room.

"How does it feel this morning?" I asked, nodding at her ankle.

"A strong 80%," she replied, testing her weight. "These genes are incredible! I twisted my ankle in high school once. It took a week to heal. If I don't make it worse, I could be totally healed by the end of the day."

"So, you're not going to play today?" I probed cautiously.

"Oh no! I still have to beat her." There was fire in her eyes again.

"Just don't overdo it," I warned her. "I know you feel like Superman right now, but you haven't completed your treatments yet. Your body isn't all the way there yet, and you're not invincible."

"Yes, mom," Nima droned sarcastically.

"Whatever. Get out there and kick some butt," I chuckled as I pushed her playfully. As she walked onto the court with her racket, she turned and gave me a smoldering, seductive smile. It was a heated tango between two secret lovers. I feared my heart would leap out of my chest, and I would die right there on the side of the court.

Instead, I did the practical thing, and took a seat in one of the chairs lined up against the fence.

"I'll serve," Nima announced. With only five matches left for her to win the tournament, it was the safe move. She couldn't risk allowing people to take advantage of her injury more than she had to. She hurtled her first serve to Hagan's side of the court, but it went long. She was more conservative with her second serve, and they settled into a short rally. Hagan took the first point, and Nima served again, acing the first shot and taking the second point. The first set continued that way for about half an hour, with Nima taking the win by a small margin.

By the second set it was clear that Nima was warmed up, because she smoked Hagan in a matter of minutes. She won that match, and moved onto the next. Her next competitor was Hagan's match, Darya. She was fiery and competitive, but tennis was not her forte. She preferred contact sports like rugby and soccer. She made for a worthy opponent, but after another hour of play, Nima defeated her as well.

Now, it was Kyle's turn to test his mettle against Nima. His expression was vacant as he took the court. His unmoving features and styled, wavy brown locks made him look statuesque. He would have been handsome, if he had not possessed such a cold heart and an empty soul. His ruthlessness was so blatant that you could see it just by looking at him. Nima's expression as he took the court was unphased. She looked as if she had achieved a state of zen, neither afraid nor overconfident. Simply ready to react to whatever was to come.