Alex♤
I didn't sleep a wink last night.
Blair had gotten back to the academy late last night and all I had wanted to do was ask her where she had been but the passive look on her face instructed me otherwise.
I laid there on my make shift bed, still on the floor, and I had pretend to be asleep as she got changed in the bathroom and then climbed into bed.
Once I finally peeked open my eyes her back was to my face with the duvet just covering her. The slow rise and fall of her back told me that she had gone to sleep almost straight away.
I watched her for a while with questions whirling around my head but what had overridden those questions where the urges I had.
I wanted to feel her warmth, from those times she had held my hand the warmth of her skin had melted my heart and made me feel safe and seen. I wanted to just climb into my bed beside her and wrap my arms around her waist pulling her close to my chest so our breaths could fall in sync but I didn't and I held back.
Those urges confused me because why would I have them?
She's a friend, only friend and yet that night my eyes never once drifted away from her.
"Stop doing that."
I jump out my skin thanking the Lord that I'm stood on the arena floor otherwise if I had fallen it would have hurt. Looking up I see Eric stepping over the rope and I angle my body away from him as I supress a grin, watching him heave his heavy body is too comical for me to bear.
"Take those wraps off your hands boy you won't need them," he orders and I frown as I un wrap them.
"Why won't I need them?" I question throwing the fabric to the side.
He looks at me with set eyes and replies, "cause we ain't hitting nothing today."
"Stand in the centre and remove your shirt."
I stare at him wide eyed. I do as he says and tug my shirt over my head and toss the material to the side along with the wraps. I try not to shiver as the cold morning air greats my skin, it's almost December now and the days are only growing colder, it won't be long until it snows.
Eric walks up to me and I eye him carefully. Despite me being taller than him and stronger I shrink inside at the disapproving stare he has on. I glance down quickly at my lower half. What's there to disapprove of? I have abs and my chest is alright.
"Tell me Ace why do we use our mental shields?"
I groan inside and shake my head, "Eric we don't need to go over the basics I know this crap."
His glare hardens, "if this is the basics then tell me why you aren't using your mental shield."
"I am using it you know I do."
"Do I?" He raises a brow. "Because that fight with Fernando was a shamble, a disgrace to the academy name."
I ignore the sting his words leave behind and I shove my anger behind my mental shield, see that Eric I can do it, and I clench my jaw. I don't know what game he is playing but it is working.
"You let your fear cloud you and you played defence. Defence? You are not Max, your fighting style is expandable so your choice of technique should not have not been to defend."
I stand there like a scolded child. What am I supposed to say. The raw disappointment in his tone churns my stomach and I feel guiltily for losing.
"You have a name to regain and a title to win back. Your next fight will have to be with Fernando again and you better pray that you win."
I can't win, I know that but will I tell him that? Are you crazy?
"Why do we use our mental shield?" He questions again.
I sigh and answer, "so they block our emotions and prevent a cloud of judgment."
He nods, "good, they block our emotions away from our heart and direct them to our minds so we can tame them, discourage them. We raise our fists with technique not anger."
He moves behind me so I can't see him and I go to turn but he stops me and orders me to face the front. This is so different from the other training sessions I have had with the guys.
"What was the mistake you made when fighting Fernando?"
I hate talking about this and I know damn well what mistake I made. I think about it all the time and kick myself whenever I do. It was a stupid mistake, one that could have easily been avoided.
"Well, are you going to answer me boy?" He sounds agitated and I ignore him.
"Fine, I'll re-jog your memory then shall I? You gave up too quickly, you took one look at Fernando and because he was taller than you, stronger than you, you freaked out. You accepted the pain and the hits because you had no fight in you, you want to know why?"
I hold my breath still not answering.
"It's all because of that bitch."
I have never turned around so fast in all my life and I force my face right in front of his.
"Call her that again and I'll kill you," I seethe. He only smirks before pushing me back around so my back is facing him again.
"Where was that anger when I needed it with Fernando? You defend some chick and yet you can't fight for yourself. She's making you weak," he goads and I crack my neck from side to side.
Control it Alex!
"I warned you not to fall in love with the girl and you have done just that. She is making you a feeble mind, a mind easy to influence and now you accept that pain."
My hands ball into tight fists and I dig my nails into my palms as far as they will go.
"A lesson you must learn is if you accept the pain then you will never fight back."
With that said I feel a fist strive straight through my back and I collapse to my knees in agony. The pain of the punch spreads throughout my whole spine and I lean forwards wheezing for air.
Eric moves in front of me and I try to glare at him through the pain but instead it comes out as a wince. Since when did he have such a strong punch?
"The fuck was that for?" I manage to splutter out.
In response he sends a kick to my chest and I am ricocheted backwards onto the arena floor. The soft material flattens the blow but the air is still knocked out of my lungs and again I falter at re-gaining that oxygen back. I try get up but my whole body has just given up. Every twitch of my muscle is like a burn and I groan through the pain.
"If you want to defend then you must learn to accept the pain, be pathetic, be weak and this is what it'll bring you."
With my body unable to retrieve itself from the ground this puts me in a very vulnerable position. He stomps down onto my abdomen with the heel of his boot and he does so again and again with as much force as he can muster, which is a lot.
The oxygen can't reach me and it doesn't try. I gasp and gasp but all I intake is more pain. It feels as though all my insides are crunching together creating some sort of bloody mess.
Again and again he repeats my little fighter's name, insulting her and I make no effort to attack him. Why? Because I can't. The pain is blinding and my vision goes grey. She is my saviour and all I can do is close my eyes and picture those beautiful pale blue eyes.
Kick.
Kick.
Think of her!
Kick.
Kick.
Think of her!
Eventually I tune the kicks out and I'm surprised Eric can keep beating the shit out of me for this long.
I open my eyes and my vision is now blurry.
Through what left I have of my senses I register the sound of the rain from outside hitting the roof.
But it does not compare to the pain of the rain of which is the water of my very own tears.
This chapter basically made me cry. I love Alex so much and I hated picturing him in pain.
I think we can all agree now that we hate Eric.
Do we think Alex will recover from this?
Please comment, vote and share.
Happy reading <3