Cardinal Tower (Trinity Central Book #1)

Chapter 16

Jacoby's sitting at this point, rotating his shoulder to undo any damage I may have caused the joint. Thinking my job was done, I walk around the group of students, their eyes still fixed on me, and find my seat in the back, returning to my prior, outstretched position.

Jacoby stands up and dusts himself off, pretending as though nothing had happened, "Clearly, since I wasn't the one who assessed you, I don't know enough of your physical or mental prowess. Rather than make assumptions and think that you're like every other class, I'll reevaluate you to get a clearer understanding of your skill sets. First, we'll spar. I want to see how each of you fight to know what each of you needs to improve on. I'll arrange the pairings based off of your physical test scores."

He was handed a clipboard, and flipped to the third or so page. He started calling out names in twos, listing those who will spar and the order they'll be sparring. As he called them, I noticed the smaller, weaker of the group stood up before all else, meaning he was reading the test scores in order from lowest to highest. One lanky beanpole with glasses who looked easily frightened was paired with a short girl in pigtails and a timid aura surrounding her. The two girls flirting with Kent and Silas earlier were paired up together, giddy in their steps as they hugged each other, and sat down with the other pairs. I didn't bother listening to or remembering any of their names because I knew there was no point.

Soon, there were only ten people left. Us five prisoners stood alongside three bulky men and two athletic women. The men were all about the size of Jacoby, the women carrying themselves the same way I would, each with obvious combat training..

"Susanne and Emiko," he called. The two confident women exchanged a nod of the head, a silent agreement being made between the two. They stood up and walked down towards the other pairs, leaving eight trainees left.

"Sawyer and Hunter." Two of the large men walk away, leaving only - whom I assume is - the top of their class. Looking around at the six of us left, I notice that Aria seems out of place. I mutter a prayer under my breath that she isn't paired with anyone dangerous. For her sake and theirs.

Jacoby looks around at the group, eyes shifting between me and the large trainee. He grasps an idea, evident in the smirk that creeps across his face.

"Cynthia and Aster," he says. Cynthia just rolls her eyes as Aster attempts to worm an arm around her shoulders. She brushes it aside, and he chases after her with an unwavering smile.

That leaves the four of us. One of us three unstable, dangerous, experienced fighters, will be paired with a sweet little girl. Secretly, I was hoping that Aria would be paired with Cynthia since she seemed the least threatening.

"Aria and Grayson." The sound of her name alongside the one of the maniacal prisoner makes my heart sink. Aria struggles to her feet, stepping with her head down, staring at the ground. Her eyes show shock and uncertainty.

Before she gets a chance to walk away, I reach up and grab her sleeve. "Remember what I told you," I whisper, referring to our conversation earlier. "You're strong, show him that." She smiles a meek smile, and walks to where the other pairs are waiting. Grayson follows close behind, his jaw tight in disappointment.

Grayson has no reserve; he'll kill Aria. Even without weapons, he can still break her. I'm not sure how she'd fare with the other two left though. The remaining trainee looks like the epitome of strength. I can't go easy on her now that Jacoby knows that I can fight. Maybe Grayson has a conscience that I just don't know about yet. In all honesty, I'm a bit more scared for him than her.

"Finally, Blake and Castelle," Jacoby says, turning around to discard of the clipboard. "Now, everyone line up along the mats. You each have two minutes to get your opponent to tap out, or hurt them bad enough that they can't stand up. This won't affect where I place you, I just want to see what you guys can do as of now. But, if you do horribly, it's going to take a lot to impress me again."