The Lost and the Hidden

Chapter 5

We're supposed to be finished with breakfast at 6:45 o'clock. The four of them took me to the training quarters with them. Twelve insists on taking care about me and letting the others train. His words not mine. He is now standing in front of me with these same things in his hands, he boxed against yesterday. I have no idea how they're called. I, actually, don't know half the names of the whole things in here. I don't even know how to call these things. Equipment?

"Punch them." Twelve demands, tearing me out of my thoughts.

I form a fist and punch the... I still don't know what to call them. Targets? Punching bags? They aren't bags, so that won't w-

"I said, punch them, not give them a high five. Harder." i should consider punching him. It probably wouldn't even bother him, he'd just complain about me punching him the wrong way. I must admit, he is very annoying as a trainer, so harsh.

I punch the things again, this time I make him sigh. I must be a very frustrating student. Well he isn't as good of a teacher too.

"Give me your hand." I could imagine he'll punch me if I don't. However, I don't. I want to see what he'll do, if only because I'm bored. He suddenly goes down and brings me off my feet with one of his legs. He gets up again and offers me a hand. Normally, I'd be upset now, but I provoked it, and he's just crazy, I knew he'd do something like that. I take his hand.

"See, wasn't that hard." he smiles.

"You're insane." I say as he pulls me up to me feet.

"You have to hold your hand like this" He pulls a little at my middle and index finger so that they'd hit the target before the others. "That way it will hurt less and you'll have more strength behind the punch." He takes up the things again--I didn't notice he put them down. "Now punch them." I do, but he, still, doesn't seem satisfied with it. He lays the things down again. "You're standing wrong." He walks behind me and kneels there. He puts one of his hand on the side of my thigh and the other one on my calf. I don't let him move me. "Lorelai" I groan but give in. He pushes my left leg forward so that I'm standing a little sideways. "You're punching with you're right hand, so you stand with your left leg front." He gets up, but stays behind me. Then he puts his left hand on my waist and grabs my arm with his right. "Now, when you punch, you can twist like this" He tugs at my waist and pushes my right arm forward. "It'll give you more power with less effort." He takes the things up and stand before me. "Again." This time, when I punch, he doesn't seem completely disappointed. With him, I'd say that's a beginning. He doesn't criticize everything about my punching anymore. I must say--even if I would never admit it out loud to him--that he's helped. Punching is easier the way he's shown me.

He has put the things down for a while now, blocking my punches with his forearms.

"Why do you have to train? Who would you have to fight against?" My breath is a little troubled, while his hasn't caught ones.

"Less talking, more fighting." It doesn't even catch when he speaks. "You're punches are weak, you wouldn't even hurt a little bird with them."

"Lower your guard and I'll punch you in your annoying face." Annoyingly handsome. I wouldn't say that, though.

"That's your problem, you need me to be uncareful so you can land a strike. If you need my defense gone, make me ." Again, he pulls that move where I land on my back. "Offense is important, but your nothing without defense." He explains, pulling me up.

We start again. I feel it is useless, I don't land a single punch. He ducks down to avoid another one of my punches and I can almost feel it coming. This time, before his leg can connect with mine, I jump. "Good", he says, and somehow his praise makes my heart flutter, because I have done something right, "You're learning."