Champion

The Battle Rounds

Chapter 8

"You've got strengthen your core to put any force behind your blows" Bryant repeats.
I try again but he shakes his head. "You're not strengthening you core"
"What the hell is my 'core'?" I finely hiss. Bryant looks as frustrated as I am.
"This" he says placing his hands on my waist. I gasp. Realizing he broke the unspoken rule between us, not to touch me until I give my answer. Bryant drops his hands and steps back. He looks directly at me, rubbing his neck uncomfortably; but he smiles slightly. If the rule was not an unspoken one, he might have apologized, but I doubt it.
I turn to the bag, not knowing how to fuse the sudden tension between us. I tighten the muscles in my abdomen and try the punch again. The punching bag swings back into the wall.
"Good" Bryant says. "That was great" he talks quietly as I do. "Let's take a break"
I nod and sit on the bench in front of me, Bryant joins me. We don't say anything for a moment.
"How long have we been here?" I ask. "Do you know?"
"An hour of so" Bryant says.
"I mean how long we've been at Bend" I clarify.
"Six months" he says. "A little over maybe, hard to tell when you're not allowed to take a stroll outside to see the seasons change" I nod.
"It's just an endurance test" I say.
Bryant glances at me. "I never thought of it that way" he rubs his hands together. "I guess your right. It's a new tradition if that's it. Dad talked about the track being outside when he was here"
"Why change it?" I ask.
"I don't know" he admits. "Lots of things change with new rulers, but the Queen wouldn't have any say over what happens here I don't think, so it must be the officers"
"Got hit in the head to many times?" I suggest. Bryant laughs, looking at me. "Have you met her?"
"Who?" He asks puzzled.
"The Queen" I say.
"I've seen her" he says. "But I've never talked to her"
"What's she look like?"
"She's not half as pretty as you" he looks me right in the eye as he says it.
I actually blush, but not because of what he said, because I actually think he meant it. "She must be quite ugly then" I say.
"No. She's very beautiful" I simply smile, not sure how to respond; why does he keep saying those things? I glance at him, he's still staring at me. At least his eyes are handsome, I think. As well as everything else about him.
I stand and start toward the stairs. "I'm going to turn in" I turn to say goodnight, to find him right behind me.
"I'll walk you back to your room" he says. I nod and we walk up together. I stop at the door to the girls quarters and open it.
"Goodnight" I say, I start closing the door but he stops it with his hand.
"Your not going to kiss me goodnight?" He asks innocently.
"No" I scowl. "I won't tell you a bedtime story either"
He laughs. "If you get scared" he says. "You can come sleep with me"
"My hero" I mock. I push harder on the door. "Goodnight" I say.
He let's go of the door. "Goodnight" I close the door, then lean against it. Why is it so god-damned fun to talk to him like that? I cross to my bunk and slip under the blanket. I wasn't very tired.

...

I pull my boots on silently and lace them up. My hair falls over my face and I push it back, searching for my ribbon, where had it gotten to? I curse inwardly and pull my bag out from under my bed, I'll just have to get a new one out. I feel around in my bag and draw another ribbon out. I replace my bag and plat my hair into a firm braid. I stand up and straighten the blanket over my bed, then I sit back down. And wait.
If Bryant was right last night when he said we'd been in Bend a little over six months, then that meant the Battle rounds were coming up. I'm not worried about the battle rounds, thanks to Bryant, I hold Second in almost every activity we've been taught, swordplay, boxing, knife throwing, wrestling, all hand to hand combat, and the most recent: war strategy. I was the best at swordplay, and wrestling, and I was picking up war strategies almost too easily. War and sisterhood had many astounding similarities; for the other girls, maybe not, but Ranya and I were sworn enemies since childhood, we hate each other passionately though we pretend to be friendly for father. I was shocked when I received a letter from Ranya the first month we were allowed to write our families.
The letter was short; it said news of my defiance had spread like wildfire, everyone had heard of me taking the avail to the bottom of the trench and staying under for several minutes. The little kids were doing fine, father was sick, and Hamish was unusually quite and wouldn't eat unless forced. I sent a letter back telling them I was doing decently, but that I doubted I would make it to the top eight. Another letter from Ranya told me that Hamish was suddenly well again after hearing my letter, I cursed wickedly at Hamish for this, he knew torturing himself would make me want to come back, and he didn't want me to make it to the top eight, I didn't know why.
I finger my collar impatiently, the gong was going to sound soon. I glance out the tiny window, the only one in the girls quarters. I'd never really cared to look through it, besides, after training each day the girls would crowd around it to see anything outside of Bend. They were all depressed from the cage like sleeping quarters and stale air, the entire fortress smelled like a prison. I didn't really care what Bend looked like, my room back home was whitewashed and had a single bed and dresser with nothing more, I didn't even have a pillow. I can stand Bend as long as I have to, it was just a place I had to endure until Elimination, after that I'll be sent to the palace where I'll compete in the Tournament then earn a seat on the Queen's council as a high officer. Bend was just a crossroad on my way to a better place.
The gong sounds and I stand. I smooth my shirtwaist and run a hand over my hair, then I cross to the door and leave, slamming the door loudly so the other girls woke up. The door to the boys sleeping quarters opens up and the boys fallow me down the hall to the steps.
I sprint down the steps lightly and stand in line and wait for the officers to appear. "Got a chill this morning?" Lauren asks falling in beside me.
"I'm always this cold" I say.
He chuckles. "Would a smile hurt you too badly? Just a warm acknowledgement of a friend?"
I raise an eyebrow. "We're friends?" I ask.
"After six months of talking every day, yes. That makes us friends" he says.
"The only reason we talk every day is because you talk to much, and someone has to tell you to shut up" I reply.
He nudges me with his elbow, and I push him back. The doors to the Den swing open just as the girls come down the steps and fall in line.
"I don't know why you're all just standing there" officer Brooks barks. "The track hasn't disappeared over night. Get on it!"
We all start running down the track.