Just the Start. (The Clovers series: Book 1)

Chapter 21

Both Falice and I walked in a circle. It was as though time had stopped. Other than my racing heartbeat, I could hear nothing else. However, I could feel all the hungry stares around us. They were curious about my ability. About how good at fighting their leader was.

Unlike the others who either waited for their opponent to come to them or charge forward themselves, Falice and I met each other halfway. She threw her fist at my face without warning and my reflexes kicked in. I dodged her blow at the last second. I could feel the wind that whooshed past my cheeks as her fist flew past. She's really giving all she's got.

I threw my fist forward towards my right with my strength and Falice blocked it off with her elbow easily. I almost lost my balance as a result of it. Remembering what I've learnt, I placed my dead weight on my hind leg just as Falice's fist connected with my jaw. I stumbled backwards and swung my fist up to block off her next blow in the nick of time. She's faster than before. My jaw was stinging in pain but I tried to ignore it. It'll heal soon enough.

Right. Her foot must have healed. I almost forgot that we're Clovers.
With that, I had no more reason to hold back. I brought my fists close to my face to protect it like how I was taught. Once I saw an opening in her stance, I aimed for it and she stumbled backwards in shock. Before she could recover from it, I threw out a jab at her. Unfortunately, her leg shot up in time to block my attack. Air whooshed out of lungs as she aimed a kick at my torso. When I doubled over in pain, she took the opportunity to perform an uppercut. My back hit the ground and the world around me started spinning. Gasps and cheers erupted from all around me.

I can't go down now. Everyone is still watching.

Gritting my teeth, I clambered to my feet. Before I was stable on my feet, Falice elbowed me in the back, sending me sprawled on the grass.

A jolt of pain ran up my spine and I bit down on my lip until I tasted iron. Using all my strength, I flopped onto my side and her elbow slipped to the ground. Before she could try to pin me down again, I dealt her a push kick and stood up quickly. The distance that I created between us allowed me to catch my breath for a few seconds.

Thankfully I had not broken anything. Yet. By the time Falice's punch flew towards me, I was ready for it. I ducked and swept her standing leg out from underneath her, sending her crashing to the ground. I winced at the impact.

However, she bounced back up to her feet much faster than I could imagine. Stop being so surprise Fortis. Not every girl is as clumsy as you when it comes to fighting.

Distracted, I was dealt an outside kick. My knees buckled from underneath me and I pitched forward. I rolled out of the way as quickly as I could as Falice attempted to hold me down with her foot. I tugged her leg with all my strength and she collapsed down on the grass beside me. Not being taught how to pin someone down yet, I made the mistake of pushing her down against the grass with my palms. She struggled free from my grasp easily and both of us stood up. Before I could process what happened next, my head contacted with the ground with a loud thump. The last thing I heard were shouts and screams before I was dragged down into an abyss of darkness.

******************************

What the hell happened? Why is my head hurting so badly?

"Why isn't she awake yet? Didn't you say that she'll come around today?" an anxious voice invaded my senses.

My eyes fluttered open slightly. A man in a smart white outfit, Ducan and Zander were all gathered at the door. They did not seem to realize that I'm awake yet.

Not wanting to face them now, I allowed my eyelids to fall back closed. I'll face them later when my head is not killing me.

"Stop bothering the doc. He said that she'll come around soon. We'll have to trust him," Zander replied calmly.