The Beast Inside

Routines

Ari

"Damn." I let out a string of curses, my right hand cradled in my left. Blisters had taken form over the last week, turning into rough callouses, callouses that ripped and bled with every new day. Hissing through my teeth I grab for the medical tape. I wrap the tape around the base of my fingers, biting at the tape between my hand and the roll. "Arghhh." I wave my hands frantically in the air as blood seeps through the sticky canvas.

"Everything ok over there?" Tony questions, a crooked smirk caught on his face.

"Yes, thank you very much." I pace back and forth with my chin held high, perfectly nonchalant, before giving up and hissing in pain and waving my hands around again like I was signaling for an incoming plane.

He laughed, his joy ringing through the cramped living space. He sat sprawled on a couch, dressed in thick sweatpants, a book resting on his bare chest. He was intently studying a thick volume on the art of war. Occasionally he would give a fact he found especially interesting, his voice lilting at the end, suggesting a question. But now his attention rested fully on me, pacing beside the leather couch he resided on.

"Do you need help?"

When I ignored him he came over and gently unwrapped the tape, his hair brushing my arm, I grunted as he pressed a wad of cotton to my injuries and rewrapped my hand.

"Better?"

"Yeah." I mutter, "Thanks."

We had become close, he was like a brother to me, his gentle touch and sweet, caring eyes always on me. He made me feel loved in this loveless place.

"Come on, it's time to go."

Rachel sashayed out, flipping her straight blonde hair behind her shoulder. "Already?" She rolled her eyes dramatically and huffed, making a show of rummaging around in the kitchen.

Tony rolled his eyes and dropped back to the couch, mouthing to me something about Rachel. I laughed and recieved a withering glare from the blonde bejeweled queen.

"Help me up?" Tony questioned, his hand outstretched.

"Really? You can't even get up?" I walk over and grab his hand and pull hard, slingshotting him across the room.

With a glare and a smile he berates me for always being so mean to him, playfully punching my bicep. "And you're so strong too, I can't even defend myself." He pouted, cowering behind his hands.

While we had been here no more than a few days we had all quickly learned our place and fell into a routine.

Get up. Work out. Weapons training. Lunch. Combat training. Free time. Dinner. More free time. Go to sleep.

As ashamed as I was to admit it, it was not all that bad. I was getting stronger, the fat under my skin hardening to taut muscle, my mind and memory sharper than ever before, I felt badass. I could take out a full grown man with my bare hands and had good enough aim to take down a slowly moving target. Not to mention that I had managed to avoid Brian and his piercing gaze.

He frequently came behind me to wrap his arms around my waist and lean his chin on the top of my head. I successfully pushed him away each time, despite the spark I felt every time we touched. His eyes always roamed my body, his steps always brought him closer to me, the heat radiating off of him infecting.

Tony pulled me by the arm and led me outside to start the day. Groaning I stumbled after him, I fell through the doors of the gym, a grimace on my face. There Castillo stood in all her glory, her hair tied back in a tight bun, her stance wide and her arms crossed. She was as strong, cruel and impassionate as a she-wolf that ate her pups.

She pointed at the whiteboard on the wall. Upon seeing it my body crumpled.

Two mile run.

---

After the agonizing workout we dragged ourselves, breathless and sweaty, to the knife throwing range. Metal safes with thick chains and a heavy duty lock stood at one end, hard black targets with white rings stood at the other. I took my place beside Tony at the last metallic safe closest to the forest.

Tarren appeared in the door of the small shed at the end of the range. Throwing us keys he began barking orders. I knelt down and twisted the key in the lock, water seeping in at my knee from the rain fall the night before. I felt a presence above me, and I slowly stood, careful not to headbutt the man in the stomach.

"Sir."

"Ms. Vanlee."

I nodded and turned back to my knives, my eyes downturned, my heart pounded as my sweaty hands grappled with the handle. He stood only a foot away as I began my practice, his crew cut blonde hair shining in the sun, his large body blocking out the light. Nervously I missed all of my targets, my hands shaking and my breathing rapidly increasing.

"Here, let me show you."

Standing close to me, his body miming my movements exactly, he guided my hand to direct my throw. It hit the center of the target. I gulped and tried to step away.

"Perfect." He smiled, his perfect teeth flashing. My nerves screamed. He scared me, despite being the master of the knives he was more than capable at handling a gun, bow or himself in a fight.

He was always there during practice, his presence more distracting than Brian's. He loomed above us all, his glare and pleased smile equally disturbing. Me and Tony had discussed this man before, the fear he struck into our hearts without ever lifting a finger. I was petrified, frozen, and now he was studying my every movement closely, giving one word pointers, his head cocked sideways and arms crossed, emphasizing the bulge in his arms.

He moved away after an eternity of frightened sweat and multiple misses. He critiqued Julianna quickly before correcting Rachel, Tony, Brian and shooting Sam a disdainful look.

When we finally left the range, all my knives on the ground beneath the target, I breathed deeply and Tony came up behind me, lightly punching me in the arm, his evil cackle in my ear. "Scared much? What was that all about?"

"I don't know, but I never want that to happen again."

"Dude, he is...intense."

"Yeah I noticed."

He threw back his head, his hair catching in the breeze as he cackled again.

After eating lunch and a hand to hand combat training session in which Ms. Castillo took great pleasure in landing many well places hits and forcing me into a chokehold while simultaneously insulting my inability to fight. Exhausted and beaten I slink out of the humid room as Ms. Castillo hit Brian with a perfectly executed round house kick, spinning her body effortlessly and landing the kick with the power of a hungry tiger.

Free time. I gasped and let a smile widen on my lips. I ran to the beach, my hair whipping in the wind of my speed, my hands flung out behind me, a cry of joy bubbling out of my lips.

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Bye (: