Ignorance (BEING REWRITTEN. SEE 'THE REVOLT')

Chapter Ten

I feel a shooting pain run up the side of my leg as I kick out at the object in front of me, moving my whole body forwards. I stumble as the same leg hits the ground and I feel something shatter inside of it, my hand jerks out to catch the floor before my face does and I hear a laugh behind me.

“Is that the best you can do?” I grab her hand, smiling, and pull myself up, putting all of my weight on the foot that doesn’t feel like it’s been trampled by a train.

“Better than you, Artie.” I grin at her. She isn’t usually here at the training, it’s only the second day but I feel like I’ve been doing it for years. Puck is leaning against the back wall of this large room. 

“I won’t deny that.” She smiles at me and I see the girl that was forced to grow up to quickly. The girl who came here when she was eleven for a reason that I don’t know. She looks happy but at the same time, I think she’s sad. I don’t know how well she knew Jac but the look in Tim’s eyes every time I see him and every time he smiles at me, he looks empty. I sound dramatic but it is true. “They always say I’m crap at all that fighting stuff.”

“I’m sure Puck will protect you.” 

“She always does.” I look back over to the girl leaning against the wall with a vacant smile playing over her lips and I realise that here is the place where she’s grown up, where she’s learnt to fight and learnt to be strong. “I better go,” she takes a small step closer to me, “I’ll see you soon.” I kiss her. I don’t know why I kissed her, I just felt like I should, so I did. I feel her cheeks burn red and I pull away and mumble and apology. I can almost feel Puck’s knife between my shoulder blades.

“Hey, Luca. Aren’t you meant to be preparing for the biggest fight this city’s ever seen and unless you plan to kiss the Solids, get your arse over here and I’ll teach you how to fight properly.” Artie grins at me before leaving and I walk over to Puck. “What the hell’s going on between you two?” She says with a smile on her lips. “Anyway, come here. I need to teach you how to fight properly.”

“I know how to fight.” I say indignantly. 

“Yeah, course you do.” she rolls her shoulders back and puts her hands into small fists. “If you’re up close to a Solid, you want to be defensive. They’re strong. You’ve seen their armour, they’re not exactly easy to hurt.” She shuffles her feet apart slightly, “You want to have your legs shoulder’s width apart so you’re balanced.” I copy her stance, despite my claims, I trust her advice. “When you hit them, go for the face.” She throws her right arm towards me and I duck. “Good reactions.” She says under her breath.

“What if they try to hit me?”

“Do what you just did. Duck.” Now I throw a punch her, my right arm shooting towards her face. She moves quickly to the side and kicks me in the stomach. “Rule number one, Luca, don’t try and hit me.”

“Where did you learn to dodge like that? I didn’t think they really taught the whole fighting thing at school.”

“I’ve been here a few years, Luca.”

“Don’t tell me Zed taught you that? No way is he that quick.”

“I didn’t need anyone to teach me, I’ve had practice.”

“Do I want to know?”

“Probably not.” She says as she moves her feet back and bends her knees slightly. “You want to hit them hard enough to knock them off balance so you can get your knife.” She puts her hand in her pocket and when she pulls it out I expect there to be a blade in her hand but there’s nothing. “Come on, you didn’t think I was going to pull a knife on you?”