The Secrets We Hold

Chapter 4

Going back to my dorm room, I see Adira wiggling around on the bed, trying to grab something from Dimitri's hand. Watching them play, I close the door before going to sit on the bed.

"You know, she doesn't really take well to strangers. I'm shocked that you were able to not only get her to laugh, but also stop her cry. I really was expecting to walk into the room with her screaming at the top of her lungs." I say, causing him to look up from Adira.

"So, you were setting me up when you said, 'Try to calm her down'?" He says.

"Maybe. Honestly, it was a fifty-fifty chance. Now, thank you for helping but I really need to get her and myself to sleep."

"Okay. But, you have to wake up two hours before you normally do on the nocturnal schedule. We have to start training you." He mentions before leaving the room, presumably to go to his.

Since Adira was already in her pajamas, I put her in the crib before getting changed myself and climbing into the bed. I quickly set my alarm before falling fast asleep.

Waking up from a dreamless sleep to a loud alarm, I turn it off before Adira can stir. I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and comb my hair. Putting on a tank top with a pair of leggings, I slowly grab Adira from the crib and buckle her into the small carrier. I also grab her diaper bag and leave the room to go to the gym.

I open the gym doors to see Dimitri, whose hair is in a ponytail, holding on to this rope attached to the ceiling with his back to me. He does a backflip while letting go and sticks the landing. Not saying anything, I walk to the side to set Adira's carrier on the ground along with her diaper bag and walk to the center where Dimitri is standing.

"When do I get to learn what you just did?" I ask.

"Maybe soon. Let's first assess how much you can do before figuring out trainings to do in order to better improve you. Did you ever train during your time away?" he says with his, what I like to call, guardian mask on.

"I did a little. There was this gym nearby the place I was living so I tended to go there afterhours almost every day; It helped that I knew the owner. I also used to attend self-defense classes twice a week. I stopped when I was five months pregnant but continued a month after giving birth."

"Okay then. Let's get started." He said and got into position.

Dimitri makes the first punch, which I dock easily before attempting to trip him. The key word is attempting because he sidesteps it with ease. This continued for a while, although I was able to get a hit or two and vice versa. I was able to finally tackle him to the ground and pin his arms, but he flipped our positions and held me in place. Looking at the strands of his hair that fell out of his ponytail, I finally can recognize how attractive he is, the way he has sweat on his brow and his broad shoulders. Shaking my head of those thoughts and admitting defeat, he stands up before holding out his hand and I grab it to lift myself up.

"You did well. Honestly, you are at the same level as your novice class. Now, I have a feeling you had more training so who taught you?" He asked knowingly.

"Damn, you're smart. It was actually the owner of the gym, who also happened to be a guardian. Some nights, she would stay behind with me and teach me some moves. To be honest, I just wanted to defend myself after what happened. So, what's our training going to look like?"

"All I can really teach you is speed. Meaning, you'll most likely be running for the first part of our trainings. Also, if you want, I can teach you some more advanced moves and start practicing with a stake. I believe that the stake is the only place your lacking due to the fact that you never had access to one before."