Burning Daylight

(2) Burning Daylight

The wicked grin returned, as I skipped ungracefully to the double doors and flung them open tripping over the edge of the frame and flying forward into one of the guards just finishing a warm up. Mani laughed bent double "For ... such ... a ... small ... person Lex ... you ... make a lot of ... mess!"

I growled and picked myself off the floor snatched up my bō and stomped over to a space and started stretching a frown pulling at the corner of my mouth, Mani sauntered over and copied my movements, wolf whistles sounded throughout the room and I turned to see a group of soldiers just in from the morning run come racing towards me and grip me up into a bear hug. I laughed as they hoisted me into the air and proceeded to carry me across to one of the rings and plop me down.

"You're leaving us today if the rumours are true and we want to see if you've kept up with your training, so we've all decided that the new guy Ross is going to fight you with whatever weapon you choose" said a gruff voice belonging to Joe a soldier only a few years older than me.

"You have, have you? Well if that's the case I guess I'm going to have to open up a can of whoopass on Ross" I yelled a smile consuming my face.

A great barrel of a man who I assumed to be Ross stepped forward with a grim expression on his face and motioned to my bō I nodded and he hulked off to get his own. Ross was easily more than twice my size, an advantage for me; I'd been training with soldiers my entire life, and my small frame and huge stamina made me faster and more agile than my opponents no matter how much training they had.

As I walked over to the ring I closed my eyes and visualised my movements predicting my opponent's responses and mentally adjusting my movements to compensate. A gruff clearing of a throat brought me back to the present and I peeled back my eyelids and took up a defensive stance. My training taught me that due to his size and my lack thereof he would go for the easy kill; my front. And just as my mind processed this he leapt closing the distance between us quickly and jabbed his bō towards me, my arms threw out in front of me and easily blocked his attack, his eyes narrowed and began to strike over and over getting more and more frustrated as I easily blocked his advances, a crowd had gathered and the men were all shouting and hollering. Ross's breathing was heavy and laboured whereas mine was even, I was tiring him out and suddenly switched to offensive my blows bone jarringly strong and his blocks slowly becoming sluggish and weak. I caught him off guard and spun jabbing him quickly in the chest; he blocked but only just and lost his footing sending him to the ground. The crowd cheered and I chanced a look at them to wink, before turning my attention to the man in front of me. I jumped landing on top of him as we grappled over the floor rolling over each other, pressed closely against each other. I gave him a cheeky wink and a smirk and his eyes widened he hesitated; not the reaction I was looking for, as my bō slammed into his shoulder with more force than intended and he let out a cry as the wood connected with his skin with a sickening crunch.

Faster than I could even think I was off him and shouting for medical help, Ross's arm swelling in front of my eyes! Shit, what have I done?

"Sorry sorry sorry, oh my gosh are you OK?" I questioned, stupidly; obviously he wasn't I'd just broken his shoulder! The spectators crowded round as Lana the resident medic took over the situation.

"EVERYBODY BACK OFF!" she yelled, shocking the soldiers into taking a step back. Lana was a tiny Pilipino woman who barely came to my shoulder, slim but with a foul temper. Looks like a butterfly, stings like a bee; as my father used to say, a phrase once reserved solely for me. The rest of the medics arrived moving people out of the way and hoisting him onto the gurney and taking him to the medical wing.

Joe laughed running his hand over his closely cropped hair, "Well I guess that answers our question. Good onya girl." He said slapping me on the back. I got over my shock and began laughing along with the men as we walked over to the relaxation room. I loved this place it smelled like lavender to compensate for the sweaty man smell, and the lights were dimmed sending you into a calm trance. I don't know how long we sat in there but all of a sudden Mani jumped up,

"Shit! We've got to go, Lex shower and change GO! Everyone else you want to come, shower and change and meet us by the jet in 10 minutes." Before jogging after me but splitting to go to his room.

I ran around my room like a headless chicken jumping in the shower for the 2nd time today and grabbed a new outfit to wear before picking up my phone and heading back out to the private runway where the jet was parked.

As I ascended the stairs leading into the plane I looked back to the castle and gave a half hearted wave,

"Bye dad" I whispered. I'd only seen him twice the whole summer; it didn't used to be this way, we were inseparable, it was him who put me through training and taught me how to throw a good punch without injuring myself. But sadly that all changed after Millie arrived after 8 years of living mostly happily; even the witch wasn't that bad back then, but once Millie came everything changed, I found out the Witch wasn't really my Mum, and my Dad decided with some convincing from Perra that hands on parenting wasn't working and the best thing to do for all parties was to ship me off to Mount High. I suppose I can't complain too much; Mount High is now my home, filled with my family not here where my only friends are my maid, the guards/ soldiers, and Mani.

I wiped the tear that had escaped from my eyes and walked into the jet. I blinked hard, and looked around the small plane; it was filled with soldiers who all cheered as I joined them, even Lana was there almost invisible in the too-large chair. I sighed and settled down preparing myself for the long flight.