The Protector

FORTY-TWO

"You sure you're ready for this?" Francesca snarled, shaking her shoulders out like a prized fighter. She had already stripped her black T-shirt over her head so she stood in her black sports bra, showcasing her broad shoulders and the row of incredibly toned muscles on her front... and her back. The gym was silent aside from the occasional roar of thunder, and the heavy rain pelting the windows. I slowly stripped my own shirt over my head, glancing pointedly at Kyler who stared down at the combat mat with his arms crossed. I ignored his bland response and instead focused on the several cat calls that were flung in my direction by other Academy prospects.

"No wonder everyone likes your sister so much more. You talk way too much," I taunted with a laugh, and by the way Francesca shrieked as she barreled towards me, I knew I hit a nerve. I stood still, stuck in place, bracing myself for impact. I knew I had to take a few punches from her, make her think I was weak and incapable. I was banking on the element of surprise, a strategy Jin Sung had taught me the first week of training. People who are born powerful, and raised entitled, become complacent. As strong and prepared as I thought I was, the impact of Francesca's fist on my face was surprisingly painful and it jolted my head backwards. I fell to the ground and she was on me in seconds. The gym erupted into cheers as I half covered my face, taking blow after blow beneath her heavy body weight. I thought I heard Kyler's voice above the noise, but it could've been the rapid concussion I was developing.

"Schillings, you must stop this at once! Prospect Andrews isn't evenly matched with Prospect Radulov. This is nothing more than a senseless beating," Kyler demanded. My eyes wanted to roll back into my head and were almost completely swollen shut, but I fought to remain conscious. If I blacked out, this would be over. After a few more cracks to my eye sockets Francesca relented, her shoulders drooping, growing fatigued from her physical tirade. She relaxed for a split second, and I saw my opening and shoved against her, using all the strength I had, tapping into the dark thing inside of me. I marveled as her thick body flew backwards onto a combat mat three sections away. 

Stunned silence blanketed the room as I staggered to my feet. Lightning flashed again, landing too close to the window this time, and Francesca's redhead Protector "friend" screamed. I limply lifted my hands to my face, drawing upon the empathy hiding somewhere deep below the dark surface. I focused all of the energy to my hands and the tortured flesh my palms encountered there. I felt the warmth spread like thick honey from my fingertips, and my once broken jaw smiled easily as my cloudy vision became clearer. I blinked to clear the moisture, and noticed the shocked look in Kyler's eyes and the way his thick pink lips hung open, amazed.

"Is she healing herself?" a female Protector next to me hissed to her partner. "I thought we couldn't do that," she said as my cheek slowly stopped bleeding.

"We can't," the other Protector responded, shocked, and the white light dimmed from my fingertips as their tremendous work was finished.

"That's impossible," Francesca growled, crossing the mats in large strides to get back to me.

"Would you like to forfeit now or later?" I asked, glancing down at my crappy manicure once more. Her footsteps got louder, and I felt our mat shift a little beneath her weight.

"Never!" Francesca screamed, hitting me square in the nose, causing more blood to run. She just ruined my freshly healed skin.

"Cute," I yelled, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. "But now, now it's my turn." I stalked towards her to the rock music blaring in my head. The rain had now transformed into small hail, pinging against the glass windows like a million angry pebbles.

Francesca didn't look as afraid as she should be. She didn't know the darkness had taken over, filling my veins black as I dodged her wild swings. I slowly danced towards the wall of windows watching as the lightning illuminated her face, making her even more hideous.

"Quit dancing around and hit me, you bitch!" Francesca demanded. I chuckled, but it didn't sound like me, it sounded oddly like the way Beth used to laugh.

"Careful what you wish for," I spat as I scaled up the windows, running sideways along the panes before I flipped myself onto Francesca's broad shoulders, my legs wrapped around her neck.

"Very good, Ms. Andrews!" Schillings cheered, her voice carrying above the rest of the crowd, but I barely heard her from the pounding of the darkness. I continued to squeeze my thighs around Francesca's throat like a boa constrictor while my fists relentlessly pounded on her face and the feeling was intoxicating. Keep going...the darkness whispered. She clawed her fingernails frantically, ripping at my thighs, but her attempts grew weaker and weaker the more I squeezed her neck. I felt like I could twist her head off her body if I wanted. I flipped myself forward, growing bored of her inability to protect herself, and flipped us both through the air in a somersault until she was flat on her back and I was on top of her. I punched her again and again and relished the way her nose bled, like mine.

After several minutes, her arms finally fell limp, but still I pulled my fist back. Kill her...the darkness hissed in my head. I hesitated, my fist in midair, finally feeling something aside from the darkness. I felt Kyler. His life force reached out to me, brushing against my subconscious like a forbidden whisper. I closed my eyes momentarily. The feeling was small, but disarming. The darkness reached out to me, desperate to pull me back under, but I pushed further into myself as I licked the steady stream of blood running from my nose onto my lips. Francesca's broken body convulsed beneath me, and I quickly rolled off her. I did this. I hurt her. 

My frantic eyes met Kyler's across the gym. Everything suddenly felt muted, aside from him, and the way he looked at me, worry lines creasing his eyebrows. I didn't register the frantic cheering of the crowd, or the way the Healers pushed me aside to help Francesca, or my hot wet tears that washed the dried blood from my face. I was not really there. I was lost in Kyler's eyes, curled away from the darkness and curled into him.