Ascension

Chapter Nineteen

I finally started to catch up on sleep. For once in the last several months, I slept without nightmares. For once, it was peaceful. Well, until a few loud bangs came at my door. I immediately shot up in the bed, gripping the covers at my chest. When I didn't respond, they came again. "Daniella! Get up!" Gavin shouts and hits my door again. "Dress for a work out and meet me in the gym!"

I was immediately put back in a bad mood.

After the disaster that was supposed to be a welcome dinner, the last thing I wanted to do was train with Gavin. I plopped back down on the bed and sighed loudly, only to hear him chuckling outside of my door. This man was making it a point to annoy me now.

I forced myself out of the bed. It was still dark outside, though the sun was just peeking over the horizon. It was first thing in the morning. I'm sure we were the only ones awake in the house, at least I hope he didn't wake anyone with all that banging at my door.

This was going to be a difficult process. The adjustment. Moving on. Dealing with the most sociopathic person I've ever met in my life, and of it just before breakfast.

After settling on some black leggings, a sports bra, a light jacket to temporarily wear over it, and some flat workout shoes - I quickly got ready. As much as my mind refused to go down there, I knew the quicker I had got it done, the quicker it would be over. With a quick brush of my teeth and throwing my hair back into a ponytail; I was ready to conquer Gavin.

I wasn't exactly the athletic type, but with everyone disappearing for the year I had found a love for it. I started running long distances just to get the dark thoughts out of my mind, doing light lifting in the gym helped get most of my frustration out. I shake my limbs out before I make my way out of the door, feeling my nerves start to spike as I make my way down the hallway.

Distracting myself was the best way I was going to get out of this slump. It's only been a couple of days, it wasn't going to be normalized anytime soon. I Just had to make the best out of this, otherwise I was going to be miserable. That doesn't mean I was going to allow these people to run all over again. Especially Gavin. No, I was going to make it a point to make his life a bit difficult.

I padded through the kitchen. The house was silent. Perhaps he didn't wake them up. I found the basement door and turned on the lights on my way down. He must not be down here quite yet. The gym was just down one more flight. I walked past the many glass windows and pushed on the door. One side of the gym had all of the equipment and free weights, the other side had a punching bag and a mat. A grappling mat.

The punching bag was human shaped. I walked around it at first. There was no damage on it, it must be new. There was a bench right behind me. There were already a couple of towels, a small black bag, and a few waters set up. I kicked my shoes off underneath it.

No one was around, maybe I could get a little warm-up in.

I held my hands in the air and punched at the bag. I remember a couple of techniques that Abel had shown me a few months back. I shrugged the tension out of my shoulders and punched at it with little force, over and over again. I do combo punching like he had shown me. I moved around my target and at one point - my hand sliced the edge of it and caused a burning sensation across my knuckles. I shame my hand and hiss.

"That's why you wrap them." I whipped around and saw Gavin standing in the doorway. He approached the bench and grabbed at the black bag. Inside he had pulled out some bandages for our hands. He wore a simple pair of black gym shorts and a gray muscle tank. At an angle I could see the contours of his toned stomach, his skin complemented with tasteful tattoos. I could see that his shoulder was still wrapped up, tightly wrapping around the upper part of his bicep. It must have still been bothering him, and hard to heal. My cheeks burn and I turn before I get caught staring.