The Mentor (Regenerate #4.5)

Part IV

Danny is terrible at hand to hand combat. We've been trying to train at the base for several hours now, and he has yet to do anything remotely promising.

Just as we decide to take a break, Thalia and Mikayla come in. They pause for a moment when they see us. Then Thalia says. "Lorna told us we had a new recruit. You must be Danny. I'm Thalia."

"I know," Danny says. "I mean, nice to meet you."

"I'm Mikayla," Mikayla says as she sticks a hand out.

As he shakes her hand, I say. "Maybe you should try sparring with Mikayla."

Danny looks faint at the thought, but he says, "Sure."

"Don't go easy on him," I tell Mikayla. "He can't feel it anyway."

Mikayla doesn't need any more prompting to drag him off to the sparring ring.

Thalia and I watch as Mikayla flips Danny onto his back after about three seconds in the ring.

"You seem a little more like yourself today," Thalia says.

"Is that a good thing?"

She frowns. "Why wouldn't it be."

"I wasn't under the impression that you liked me that much." I say.

"That would be an incorrect assessment of the situation," she says. "But I suppose even super geniuses miscalculate from time to time."

I wish I knew what she means by that.

"We're sort of a mess, aren't we?" I say as mikayla slams Danny to the ground for the ninth time since this conversation began.

"Yeah," Thalia says. "But a hot mess."

I can't help grinning. "Are you saying you think I'm hot?"

She rolls her eyes. "I haven't seen your face."

"You've seen half of it."

"It was dark," she says.

"What you mean to say is that you had your eyes closed. Because you were kissing me." I've been so caught up in the banter that I realize a second too late that I probably shouldn't have brought up that kiss.

She doesn't seem to care. "You're just bitter that you can't find substantial evidence to support your claim that I think you're hot."

"You sounded like a regular scientist right there," I say.

"I guess I've been spending too much time with you," she says.

"I don't believe there's any such thing," I say.

She studies me. "Is that why you've been avoiding me for a week? And don't pretend you haven't been."

"I won't pretend," I say. "I was avoiding you."

"Well I hope you're done with that nonsense," she says. "Because it's only a matter of time until something else happens, and we're going to need you to lead us. And because I miss teasing you."

I miss being teased.

"I won't disappear again," I say.

"Good," Thalia says. "Now you should probably go stop Mikayla from pounding on that kid before his confidence is gone forever."

"Agreed," I say. "Maybe we should go show them how it's done."

Thalia smiles. "Let's go."

And for the first time since Siryn, I feel like things are a little bit back to normal.