The Black Pawn • The first book of the Black Academy Series

11. Kiss

AZALEA SELENE WAS standing in the weapons class. Blood all around her. Even during the Selection, they were to have training sessions in between the stages.

Azalea held a gun in one hand and a small dagger clutched in the other. Blood was still spurting from the body that lay on the floor. The face was covered in blood, a bullet in the middle of the body's forehead. She remembered her opponents' names. She remembered all of them. She had fought a boy, his name Nathaniel Vera.

Nathaniel Vera. Another familiar name. They had not liked each other per se, so Azalea wasn't all that broken up over his death. Dagger wounds scattered around the figure. Azalea sucked in a deep breath as she made her way off the mat. Victoria's words that she had overheard ran through her mind.

'The killing will become easier for her', Victoria's unbothered voice echoed in the girl's mind, 'She's deadly if trained properly.'

Azalea's feet touched the cold wooden floor as she made her way back to the chairs sitting in the corner of the room. There were hands flying, along with specks of blood, and weapons. She sank as she watched the fights, pushing Victoria's voice away from her mind.

There is no way I'm letting her haunt me. She's already too freaky, I don't need this.

She continued surveying the fights. She might just end up having to kill one of them or all of them by the end of the Selection. Everything was fine. There were sounds of grunts and war cries around the room. Sounds of weapons clashing. Bodies hitting the floor. Some really bad trash talk.

Then she heard the thump of a body, a weapon clattering, and an all too familiar voice muttering, "Give me a second."

Azalea realized the voice belonged to Elizabeth. The blonde rushed out of the room. Azalea looked to see Anna commencing a new battle. She had to go after Elizabeth. With no other thought, Azalea sped out of the room and into the hallway, not caring about Ms. Avaria's shouts.

Azalea could only hear her footsteps for some time until she heard soft mumblings and erratic breathing. Azalea turned the corner to find Elizabeth hunched over in the corner. Her legs pressed to her chest, she was rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet.

"Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth's head snapped upwards. Azalea rushed towards the girl and crouched in front of her. The blonde continued to shake as Azalea went into panic mode.

Asking herself ridiculous questions she knew the answers to.

"What do you do when someone is panicking?" Azalea wondered aloud, her voice traveling octaves because of her nervousness, "Get yourself together Azalea."

Azalea breathed in deeply once more and wiped her clammy hands on her legs. She shakily put one of her hands on Elizbeth's shoulder, the other newly wiped hand going under the blonde's chin and pushing her head up so that she would look at her.

Pushing the girl's head up Azalea smiled weakly and said, "Lizzie? You're fine— hey! You hear me, Liz? You are fine."

Elizabeth looked up at her with her blue eyes still scared. She looked at her friend that continued to speak. Azalea didn't notice the cerulean eyes on her she just rambled pointlessly, "You are fine Lizzie, 'kay? You need to stop panicking because I am."

"Breathe with me 'cause I don't think I'm gonna kiss you."

She hoped that the humor might just help her friend. But it didn't. Big surprise there.

Elizabeth calmed down more and more as Azalea rambled on. Elizabeth's blue eyes focused on the things around her. Focusing on the things around her, focusing on the things that were real. The black panels underneath her, the ones that creaked with her every movement. The stone wall behind her. And the rambling girl right in front of her.

"See if you die because of your panic attack, you aren't going to be able to live it down— that makes sense right? Anyways without you, Anna and I will go crazy, and — You're fine."

Elizabeth nodded weakly and smiled. It didn't reassure Azalea. But she smiled back nonetheless. Azalea watched her for a moment before gathering up enough courage to ask, "What happened in there? — I mean I know that you panicked but — why?"

Elizabeth breathed in once more before she said, her voice hoarse as she did, "The blood got in my mouth and I guess I just — just snapped."

Azalea looked disgusted as she said, "Blood in the mouth? That's harsh."

Elizabeth chuckled weakly as she nodded, agreeing, "Yep."

Azalea chuckled along with her. Azalea took a moment to take a close look at her friend's face. Seeing the lines around her eyes, and the faint dark circles around the girl's usually bright eyes.

"I guess that with my freak outs I didn't notice all of this." Azalea huffed as she motioned towards Elizabeth's tired eyes. Elizabeth chuckled once more as she cocked her head to the side before nodding.

Elizabeth shrugged, shifting on the floor she said, "I don't particularly like blood, and the pressure is just so much."

Azalea huffed out a laugh as she said, "You're stressed? I haven't slept ever since this all started."

Elizabeth looked at her as she laughed once more. Azalea chuckled with her. There was nobody in the hallway but the 2 friends that were laughing hysterically. Azalea calmed down as Elizabeth's eyes got foggy.

"I just — I can't — I don't think that I'll be able to do this," Elizabeth got out, "I mean have you seen yourself and Anna? There is no chance that I'll —"

Azalea interjected, "Don't you dare finish that sentence, Liz."

Elizabeth huffed, "Come on Azzy, you and I both know it's true — admit it there is no chance that I'll make it out."

"Then please explain to me how you made it this far?" Azalea asked as she looked sadly at her best friend, "You can make it Lizzie, and You will."

Elizabeth looked up at her. Azalea was still crouched in front of her. There was a moment of silence before Elizabeth murmured out a soft, "Thanks."

"Your welcome." Azalea said with a sad smile, "Now we're us for god sake! We don't do this sappy shit."

Elizabeth chuckled as Azalea straightened up and pulled Elizabeth to her feet. Elizabeth nodded and said, "Yeah! Get yourself together you dumbass."

"Right on it idiot," Azalea said as she pulled the girl down the hallway and back to the class they had both fled from. The black floorboards creaked as both girls clad in their signature black uniforms made their way back to the weapons room. Where a very angry pale blonde awaited them.