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one. | DANGEROUS LIES
A PAIN SHOT THROUGH HER BODY AS she bounced back, landing on the solid blue mat beneath her feet once more. It had been two years since joining the academy, but never once had she gotten use to the physical training. She regained her balance, sweat trickled down her forehead as she placed her protected hands up to attack and defend herself from her sparing opponent. The rest of the class gathered around to watch closely to the match.
Her opponent smiled smugly to herself when she watched Meadow struggle to control her breathing. The opponent skipped forward, attempting to send a powerful kick to the stomach. Meadow stepped back enough to grip her opponent's ankle and sending a kick of her own to her torso. She stumbled backwards, groaning at her, now, aching ribcage. She rages towards Meadow with a roundhouse. Meadow ducks, sending a strong left to her jaw. As her opponent went down, her leg kicked out, sweeping Meadow off her feet. She landed back on the floor with a groan and a massive headache. Both went back up on their feet, dancing around in a circle on the mat. Her opponent steps up to send a low punch to the torso, but Meadow dodges and twists her opponent's arm behind her back, sending her face first to the mat. She taps her hand on the mat, indicating that she gave up. Cheers erupted from the crowd as Meadow released the girl, putting her hand out to help her back up.
The girl stared at it, deciding whether to take it or not. And she did, congratulating Meadow on her win. They parted ways to their required location. Meadow soon arrived to the infirmary, laying down on the small gurney. She felt as if her ribcage was broken into bits and pieces, but her spirit could handle more than her body could take.
~
"WE'RE GOING TO GET CAUGHT. WE'RE GOING TO GET EXPELLED." The boy — named Chandler — babbled as Meadow rolled her eyes at her hyperventilating companion. It was another plain, average — quite dull— day at the agency. Endless days of training, learning and experimenting have all become a routine for the teenage girl. But she nonetheless continued to resume her ways of the only fun she could squeeze from the solid, gray walls that isolated her and the rest of the juveniles from the real world.
The two sat in the strangely small lunchroom. As usual, they sat by one another, alone. Chatters filled the air. Meadow was one of the top junior operatives, but it still didn't change how her peers viewed her. Even the day Meadow had arrived was dawning to the most, but the others frankly didn't seem to care.
Chandler had been side-eying the wardens in the room, being everything but subtle.
"For God's sake man, pull yourself together. We'll be fine. I'm ninety-eight percent sure that I left no trace of me ever being in the headmaster's office. Besides if we were caught, the agency loves me too much to let me go." She stated, sending him a sly wink.
