we smile at the moon

SIXTEEN | FIGHT SONG PT.1

MY SCREAM OF pain tore through the silent gymnasium, and Theo, who was calmly stretching from his side of the room, glanced over in alarm. Coach watched over me, unimpressed, and the cause of all my torture, Adelina, grimaced as she continued to push me down.

  "This is Duellers' Club, not Dancers' Club!" I yelled as she continued to push me until my head had reached my knees.

  "You're going to tear something if you don't stretch properly," she retorted.

  "I can stretch perfectly well, thank you. I can go completely down with one leg. But not two! You're going to—ow—kill me!"

  And now she finally let go, glancing up at Coach. "There's some improvement."

  He sighed. "It'll do for the competition. Your turn, Adelina."

  And then she did a perfect split.

  I used to be able to do that. A long time ago. And now I can't. It was just sad, really.

  But I really, really just failed to see how this would aid us in duelling.

  Theo voiced my thoughts. "I don't have to do that, right?" he asked incredulously. "That has nothing to do with duelling anyways."

  "Flexibility helps with dodging," Coach said matter-of-factly. "Honoria is slower than both of you, so she might not be able to get into very comfortable positions to dodge. To prevent injuries, she does need to stretch more."

  I let out a curse under my breath. Damn.

  Coach continued, "The Open is in a matter of days. I want all of you in peak condition. I'm sure Caitlyn is practising at home right now. And so are your competitors. I don't expect you all to win awards, especially since this is your first year, Honoria and Adelina, but I expect you to do well."

  Sometimes, I was just really done with Coach. But I didn't say that. Instead, I nodded like an idiot, praying to god actual training could just start already.

  "We're not duelling today," Coach announced. "Today we're going to do some exercise to help with your stamina. I want you all to start with five laps. Go. We don't have much time to waste."

  While I was staring gobsmacked at Coach, Adelina tugged at my hand until I'd stumbled to the outermost of the gymnasium. I let out a strangled, extremely dramatised sob, feeling Theo's look of complete bewilderment linger on me as I started jogging after Adelina at a slow and steady pace.

  Neither of us, it looked like, felt like pushing ourselves to our limits tonight.

  Which was why Theo found it phenomenally easy to catch up even though we'd had a rather large head start. Adelina glared at him as he tried to pass us, growling quietly, "Slow down. Coach is going to realise how slow we're fucking running."

  "Your problem," he said archly, even though he did slow down to run at the same pace at us. "Can't we just get these laps over with and get on with the real deal?"

  I stayed quiet, because I had no intention of speaking to Theodore Yu. Adelina replied, "You heard him. It's stamina practice tonight. Stamina practice. We're not going to do anything else interesting."

  "The competition is in three days."

  "So?" Adelina demanded. "Us running does the same job."

  "Don't think I don't notice you talking over there!" Coach suddenly barked, causing both of them to clamp their mouths shut.

  I just kept on jogging. I didn't want to talk to Theo, didn't feel like talking to Theo. He was dead to me right now, just like Seb.

  Two peas in a pod.