Never ownED myself

Chapter 16: going forward

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Always push forward,
look for an opportunity
and gab it.
MJ
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»•» 🌸 «•«    Annie  »•» 🌸 «•«
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Days turned into weeks, Christmas was approaching, and Annie was still far from ready to pass the combat test. She was at a standstill and the date didn't help her mood. She was away from home, away from her siblings, and it was hard.

Even though smiling and pretending was becoming second nature, deep inside she wasn't doing well. Worse, Leah had spent far too much time in the void, often ignoring Annie's cries for help.

Learning to fight was an ordeal in itself, without Leah it was worse. Annie kept pushing the limits of her body beyond what she could handle, assuming that her wolf would heal her, but Leah didn't.

Tom had shown her a healing incarnation instead. Since she often used it to revive her stamina and forget the pain until she was allowed to go to her room. Only there would she really treat her wounds, draining every last drop of energy from her body.

She had stashes of energy water and protein bars, but the reality was that she was getting worse by the day. Lately, Annie was collapsing every night, falling so far that she didn't notice Tom entering the room. Waking her up was another problem.

Tired, Annie slapped her face, trying to come to her senses. 
"I should have seen this coming!" She muttered to herself as she lay on the floor again.

She knew the steps. Like a dance, each one was the predicament of another punch, kick, or block. But her body didn't want to move fast enough. It felt stiff and numb. She had anticipated what needed to be done, her body moving accordingly to counter her opponent, but she was too slow.  Annie groaned and took another second to breathe. No matter how many times she tried, she always ended up eating dust in the ground.

Slowly, Annie stood up, trying not to think about how much easier it would have been if Leah had shown up to practice. Annie bit her lip and drew blood. She couldn't let anyone know. "Happy thoughts! I can do this! It can't get any worse." She told herself.

This time Annie walked in circles around her opponent, looking for an opening. He lunged at her, but Annie kept her mind in check and blocked his attacks by jumping to the side and using magic. She tried not to show that she was out of breath. She glanced at the crowd, hoping they hadn't noticed.

A gust of wind came her way, and Annie moved away with the force of her aching legs. Seeing the fist so close to her face, she yanked her arms up only to be punched in the stomach.

"Protection. Never leave an opening for your opponent. One hand up, the other down. That was your mistake." His voice was calm, without a trace of emotion. The elf warrior never got emotional, no matter how many times she made a mistake. It was one of the many reasons she enjoyed these sessions.

Bending in two, she swallowed the contents into her mouth.

His hand reached out to her. She took it and let him help her once more. It was another kindness never shown by her other opponents. They belittled her even though she could parry or counterattack as long as her energy level was high. The real problem was the elf. He was fast and impossible to keep up with.

His eyebrows made a wicked movement towards the bank, she didn't need to be told twice. Annie rushed over and grabbed some water while taking a protein bar that Lina had graciously prepared.

Tom was rarely around, Lina had replaced him by shadowing Annie everywhere she went.

He had to go, he made time. The tracers had found their trail. They hadn't been as smart as they'd thought, and the enemy had found traces of their scent or magic that led them to the camp. Tom was busy getting them off the trail. They had taken a huge risk by giving them direct directions to the camp and had failed to keep them safe in return. Plans were made for an evacuation, but she had to pass the test first.