Between Gates (The Gate Chronicles Book 1)

Chapter 5: Chenn

“Where did you…” Elise trailed off.

“Next time, you should be expecting your opponent to know what you’re planning and do the unexpected.” He flipped her onto her back, pinning her arms to her sides, and smiling down at her.

Her eyes widen as she looked up into his mesmerizing eyes. For a moment, he wondered why she wasn't breathing, and then he remembered that he was lying on top of her, applying steady pressure to her arms so that she wouldn’t be able to throw him off her.

Not that he thought Elise could. His previous train of thought came back to his mind.

She was too slender and she wasn’t strong enough to defeat him.

He knew it.

The instructor knew it.

And to Elise’s humiliation, she knew it.

Why Indri had even paired them together was beyond Chenn. But he wondered if perhaps the teacher thought he was teaching Elise how to defend herself against a stronger opponent. If that was it, Elise wasn’t learning.

“Alright, Mr. Covalenti. You may release Miss Pearl. You won the match.” Indri stared at the two of them, his usual mask of emotionless professsionalism hiding his emotions. 

Chenn got up and offered Elise his hand. She took it, dropping her eyes with sudden shyness, too stunned to be unwilling to accept it.

“Miss Pearl, I suggest that next time you pay closer attention to your opponent's body language.”

Elise frowned. “Body language? How do I read it?”

Indri sighed. “It's a variety of things, but mostly, it's the little signals in body posture and facial expressions that give away what your opponent will do next. If you had been paying attention to Mr. Covalenti instead of simply trying to hit him, you might've been able to prevent half of the hits he scored. As to how you read it, you start paying attention. When you have observed the person for long enough, you will know what their signals are and only then will you be able to anticipate and prepare for their next move. In time, you'll be able to do it within minutes of assessing a person.”

Elise frowned, but this time it was a different type of frown. She didn’t like Indri, Chenn realized.

He liked Indri and his blunt mannerisms, but then, Chenn had always loved those who were honest, to-the-point, and expectant. His own father had been much like Indri. Sarcastic and demanding, but also willing to praise a job well done.

Chenn knew when he’d done well and earned praise with people like his father and Indri, and it was something he felt was necessary to his well-being.

As soon as Indri was out of the room, Elise sighed. “I didn’t make much of an opponent, did I?” Her voice quavered.

“You were just fine, Elise! You did well enough.” Chenn consoled.

“No, I didn’t!" Her face crumpled, and tears came to her eyes. “I try so hard, but I can never do it well enough. My teachers all make fun of me, and the other agents hate me. How did I ever even manage to get in here? I should go back home. I'm only twenty, and I'm too young for this...”

“You were hired because they saw something in you, and you aren't too young!” Chenn answered, smiling at her.

“Who are they? No one I know sees something in me. Not even me.” She looked down at the blue pads that covered the concrete floor.

“Sounds to me like you are having a bad case of self-degradation.” Chenn remarked, glancing at a clock on a bare patch of concrete wall in between two steel supports.