Elementals: Entwined

Chapter 12: Amy

I ducked as Tiffany's fist flew towards my face, smirking when she let out a growl of frustration. She staggered slightly, and I automatically used it to my advantage to sweep her legs from under her. Tiffany hit the ground with a thud.

She groaned when I leaned down and reached out a hand to pull her up, panting with exhaustion. We had been in the training room for the past hour, with me trying to teach her basic defence moves. Although she seemed to be okay with originally learning the moves, she wasn't as great putting them into practice.

 "I suck," she muttered, walking to the edge of the training mat to pick up her water bottle. She wiped sweat from her forehead and glared at the floor.

 I couldn't help but be slightly amused. Tiffany wasn't the first person I'd encountered who'd thought that the training would come naturally when she had superpowers. "You've only been at this for an hour, T. I've been doing this since I was nine and I'm top of the class. It's not like a movie montage - you're not suddenly just going to become better in five minutes. It takes time, determination, and a lot of bruises."

 Tiffany snorted. "You sure as hell were some nine year old," she muttered, shaking her head. "Most kids would've given up."

 I smiled slightly, though the mirrors across from us showed that this time there wasn't much humour in it. "I wasn't most nine year olds." I shrugged, taking a sip from my own water bottle. "I guess that's where the determination part came in."

 Tiffany studied me before biting her lip slightly, clearly nervous about asking. "So.... what gave you the determination at the age of eight?"

 I didn't look at her when I replied. "Lily." I sighed, knowing full well that Tiffany was going to start asking questions in 3...2...

 "Lily? As in Lily Ashton, Lily?"

 I winced and stared back at the mirror, not wanting to face the judgemental look I was sure she would give me. "Unfortunately, she used to be my best friend before Uri came here."

 Tiffany's nose scrunched up in confusion. "How? She's such a bitch and you don't even like her!"

 I closed my eyes and leaned back, facing the ceiling. "Mythos. You get entered for three reasons: reason one is having extra powers. Reason two is that you're top of the class for some subject, and reason three is rich or influential parents. Lily isn't the best fighter. It annoys her, actually. She studies like crazy and does all the work, but the one area she doesn't excel is in practical situations. Anyway, she got put into Mythos and we were friends until she decided being popular was more important." I said this all nonchalantly, but at the time it had shattered my self-confidence, especially combined with my father not wanting me to come home for yet another Christmas holiday.

 Tiffany didn't respond. I turned to her, opening my eyes to find out why. My best friend was furious, her face turning an interesting shade of red after hearing my story. Finally, she spoke. "That bitch!" she shrieked, sounding even angrier than she had when Dan slapped her butt in her maths class. "She's worse than I thought she was!"

 I considered her words. "Not necessarily. I think she just craves attention and recognition. I tend to attract the wrong kind thanks to my powers. Lily always feels like she has to be the best at everything, no matter what school she's at. Her and Toni aren't really friends - they're more like acquaintances plotting to kill each other."

 Tiffany looked at me like I was mad. "Are you nuts? You're defending her?"

 I shook my head, a wry smile coming to my lips. "Oh believe me, I'm not defending her. She had no right to go telling my secrets to the entire school. I'm just trying to explain her motivations."