Mirror Soul

Chapter Twenty Four: Knocked Senseless

One thousand four hundred and ninety eight, one thousand four hundred and ninety nine, fifteen hundred! Layva lowered herself to the sweaty gym floor, her push ups completed. 

Twenty more! She told herself, not feeling satisfied. She had been in the fifth floor gym for the last six hours or so. Bruce and Kai had taken her favorite training room on the first. The headquarters had plenty of other training rooms, but that was the only one with a bathroom and kitchen in it. When she first moved into the Lively household she found herself spending all of her time there. She still remembered how much her hands had hurt from gripping her blades.

A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. “Hello, hello there!” Came Ravel’s chipper voice. “Come on in Rave!” Layva continued doing her exercises. Her friend rolled into the room with her pink wheelchair, the one she only used in the headquarters. 

“You’ve been here the past couple of years. I thought you might be hungry.” Layva thanked her, still doing her set. “I brought you some coffee too. Black, just how you like it!”

Layva didn’t look at the food. “Thanks, Rave. Tell Ford it looks delicious.” After a few more seconds of Ravel not leaving Layva stopped and looked up at her. “Did you need something?”

Ravel was wearing a pretty gown, as always. Today her friend was sporting a baby blue sundress with her standard leggings. Her auburn hair sat in a neat bun on top of her head. The day Layva had first seen her emerald eyes, made up face, and expensive clothes she assumed she would be living with an obnoxious rich girl. She was surprised when she found the opposite.

“Laylay, I heard about the kaiju incident.” Layva tsked. “Don’t worry about it. Me and Bruce are fine. Not a scratch on us.” “So are broken ribs and bruises all over what you call ‘not a scratch’?”

Rolist and his big mouth. He's gonna want a bigger shield next time I see him.

“Look, I’m sorry I worried you, but how could I have known one would come?” Layva crossed her arms over her chest. “It had an ability to turn invisible, so I literally didn’t see it coming until it was too late.”

Ravel let out a small laugh. “You’re pouting again, Laylay.” 

“Am not.” Layva mumbled.

 Ravel shook her head and rolled closer to her friend. “And I am worried about you.” Layva rolled her eyes. “Still? I’m healed now. You know for a fact this isn’t the first time I’ve broken bones in battle, and it definitely won’t be the last.”

“Oh believe me, I know. And I’m worried because you’re doing it again.”

Layva didn’t budge. “You’ve lost me.” 

“Liar, liar, sweatpants on fire!” Ravel pointed at Layva’s soaked pants. “Well… I don’t think anything could set those on fire right now.”

“Sorry, Lady Lively. Does my sweat offend m’lady? If that's all you have to say I’ll take a shower in an hour or so.” Layva returned to doing push ups.

She found a hand on her shoulder. “Ever since we first met you took losing too seriously. You had to get help from Bruce with the kaiju, and now you’re overworking yourself as some kind of punishment.”

“It's not a punishment! I just want to be prepared so that it can’t happen again. It was a wake up call, Rave. I have been working too casually lately, and it almost got Scythe and… myself taken out.”

“Laylay, you were fighting a kaiju, no matter what the size. Those are the second most dangerous creatures in Limbotory! Only the Council and those selected are allowed to fight them.”