Guardian

Chapter Eight

Yang stared at herself in the bathroom mirror and poked at the dark circles forming under her eyes. "That's two nights in a row I've barely gotten any sleep," she grumbled around her toothbrush.

She stayed in Blake's room for hours after she fell asleep. She would have stayed there all night if she could but she worried that it would raise the suspicion of Blake's parents if they caught her walking out of their daughters room in the morning. So when she started to doze off herself she carefully slid Blake off of her and made for her own room where she hoped to get some sleep herself. After tossing and turning for who knows how long she finally sat up and turned on her holoscreen. She crashed at some point during a movie but her alarm went off at six in the morning like it did every day.

"At least couple hours is better than nothing," she told herself as she left the bathroom.

She shouldered through her bedroom door and grabbed her water bottle and a pair of gloves before heading back into the maze of hallways. It was quiet in the Belladonna house, only a few guards roamed the halls. "That snoring has got to be Ghira," she winced as past his and Kali's room on her way to the basement. "Now I know I saw a punching bag around here yesterday. Aha!"

Yang filled up her water bottle at a nearby sink and set it in the floor, out of her way. She did a few stretches, some breathing exercises, and jogged in place for a minute to get warmed up before she taped her hands and threw on her pair of old, torn, yellow and black gloves. She gave the bag a few test punches to test it's durability before going through the motions of her exercises. Staying light on her feet she seemed to dance around the punching bag as her fists moved with deadly accuracy and speed. She dodged imaginary attacks and performed expert flips to avoid weapons that weren't there. Finally she stopped the swinging bag with one hand and bent down to pick up her drink. A subtle cough behind her told her she wasn't alone.

"No wonder you came highly recommended," she spun around to find her spectator to be Kali. "I don't think I've ever seen hits that quick. But I'm glad that old bag is getting some use in. Ghira bought it ages ago and has never really used it."

"That was just some light stuff," Yang grinned over her bottle. "I didn't want to risk ripping it from the ceiling. You'd be surprised how many punching bags I go through at the gym."

"Your boyfriend must be terrified of you."

Yang violently coughed as she choked on her water but she covered it up with a laugh. "Oh I don't have a boyfriend." I'm sort of dating your daughter.

"I see," there was something in Kali's voice that sounded almost like she was testing something. Her father used the same tone when he asked her a question he already knew the answer too. "Well I'll be making breakfast here in a bit dear why don't you come up and join us."

Yang stared at Kali in confusion. "I was under the impression I would be eating with the other guards."

She laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "Oh don't be ridiculous Yang. Our guards usually eat at their own homes when their shifts are over."

"So they don't stay here?" She asked as she followed her upstairs.

"They have the option to, gods know we have the room, but most choose to return to their own home. They all know they can stay here if something ever comes up though. Saber is the only guard who actually lives with us but he's more like family than anything. He joins us for breakfast sometimes if he's awake which hasn't been often lately since he's been taking the night shift," she gestured to a seat by the small island in their kitchen for Yang to sit at. "You aren't just one of our normal guards Yang. We hired you to protect our daughter though we both hope you'll be good friends." She eyed Yang out of the corner of her eye as she reached into the cabinet.