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6

Chapter 6

The next morning, the sun was hanging high in sky, the dry heat engulfing me the second I would step outside. My father had gone back to work, checking on all his businesses, restaurants, bars and clubs he owned around the country. One in Montreal as well. My mother and aunt took the babies out for the day, probably to some national park. Jake woke me up at the crack of dawn to get started and get a decent amount done before everyone came home.

I was dressed in Nike pros, a sports bra and tank top, not sure what to expect from today but expecting to sweat. I walked down stairs, through the kitchen and to the back of our property, where jake and I agreed to practice, out of sight on anyone.

I found jake leaning against a tree, facing opposite the house, cigarette hanging loosely between his fingers. I turned around and couldn't see my house, knowing however far back we were was safe enough from getting caught.

The crunching of the dirt under my feet gave away my presence, making him turn towards me. He took one last drag before throwing it to the ground and crushing it beneath his black boots.

"Ready?" he asked as he made his way closer to me.

"Yeah, where do we start?" I asked shifting my weight between my feet.

"First, you need to know how to stand properly." He chucked taking in my awkward and uncomfortable stance, making me roll my eyes in response.

"They're going to get stuck in the back of your head one day." He sarcastically remarked before walking behind me. He pressed his hand flat over my left shoulder and collar bone, pushing lightly so I would stand up straight.

"There you go. Now, can you throw or block a punch?" he asked as he moved back so he was facing me.

"Uh, no I don't think so."

"Ok well, I'm going to throw a fake punch, and just react to it, ok? We'll fix it after."

He went to punch me in my jaw and my instinct was to drop to the ground. I laid on my back, groaning from how hard I fell before opening my eyes to see him standing over me, doubled over with laughter at the view of me on the ground.

"What was that?" he asked in between laughs.

I pulled myself up and stood up straighter than before. "Vaffanculo! Just throw another one." I scowled back at him.

He went through the same motions as before, I grabbed his fist in my hand with full force stopping it about 3 inches from my face. He stared back with wide eyes at my sudden strength, before using his other hand to aim at my stomach. I knocked it out of the way with my forearm before bringing my knee up and meeting his groin with full impact. His right hand still in my grasp as he fell to the ground, moaning in absolute pain.

"Oh my god! I am so sorry." I yelped in surprise at my actions, dropping to my knees to rub his back and make sure he was okay.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go again." He grunted after a few minutes of his laying on the ground with his eyes screwed shut.

The next few hours were spent with him throwing punches and me deflecting them. I was shown how to grab someone's arm and snap it in two, if I found it in me to use that much strength. I could dodge them and punch back before he could think twice about what I was doing. I was picking it up rather quickly and was sufficiently proud of myself.

The sun was now starting to set and there was no doubt that everyone would be home by now.

"Let's go for a run. It'll look suspicious if we go back completely normal and dressed like this." He said before starting towards the path leading further back into the property.

We ran 3 miles, and by the time we reached the house I was panting, covered in sweat. My hair was sticking to my face and every inch of me felt as if it was on fire. The lights from the kitchen were on and the loudness of my family and the workers could be heard outside. We made our way through the backyard before entering the house through the back door, making everyone's heads turn in our direction.

"There you two are, Jake, what did you do to my poor Sophia?" my father joked given my appearance.

"She needs to get in shape." Was all he said before he made his way to the fridge to get us water bottles. He tossed one to me and I caught it before gulping down all its contents.

"Hungry?" my mother asked us from her post at the stove.

"I think I'll throw up if I eat right now, ma." I replied before plopping myself down on the closest chair to me. My father and uncle chuckled at my lack of cardiovascular stamina. I was still gasping for breaths, now mixed with burping from drinking so fast.

My mother walked over to me, placing a wine glass in front of me and filing it with Pinot Noir. Regardless of what I had just said, going to bed on an empty stomach was not an option in my family. She placed a full plate of chicken and pasta in front of me, and sat down across from me with her dinner, to make sure I ate it. I rolled my eyes and picked up my fork before taking small bites of food.

Everyone was talking about their day, chatter filling the kitchen. My father, uncle and jake sat at the island discussing work most likely. My mother aunt and I sat around the table. My aunt had the kids next to her, occasionally cutting their food for them. Other men were scattered about the kitchen having their own conversations.

"So, what made you want to go for a run?" my mother asked halfway through dinner. No one else noticed but when I glanced up at her I saw jake in the corner of my eye looking our way, awaiting my response.

"It wasn't really my idea, but jake was going and I'm sick of being in the house all day. I kind of regret it now." I laughed lightly, not completely lying.

My mother and aunt laughed softly and smiled back at me, "I think going for runs will be good for you. They're a good way to clear your head." My aunt added.

I nodded in response before finishing off my wine, looking over at jake who looked physically relieved. This whole sneaking around thing might be easier than we thought.