Adventures

Summer Doesn't Mean Break (Polar Expressions Shortlisted)

Word Count: 744

"Look alive, Seyrés!" a voice calls to my right.

I don't respond, too busy focusing on evening out my breathing as I narrowly dodge Summer's attacks. The training centre, only one out of many, is vast, and we are certainly not alone.

Each training centre has ten-foot walls of stone, the colours determined by our divisions and a variety of greys. My division's colour is aqua, and the top of the walls are connected to a clear one-way glass dome.

Summer and I fight in the open area in the training centre, along with the other trainees. The wall behind us holds racks of various weapons, both close and long range. Beside them, the trainer dedicated to the aqua section, Daxton, leans against the wall as he watches, specifically keeping his eye on our fight. He's the one who told me to look alive. I'm on the defensive, and despite that being understandable, it isn't good. After all, I am facing the Summer Sass Moonstone, a member of the purple Elite division - the only division that is selective. Anyone who holds one of the few spots in the Elites is incredibly respected.

Considering the circumstances, I'd say I'm doing okay but not well enough. Summer has the offensive advantage and somehow, I need to take that from her.

In one smooth movement, I roll towards the racks on the wall, snatching a pair of twin daggers; however, Summer is ready for me, having whipped out a hidden knife. Anticipating my next moves, she knocks one of my daggers out of my hand as I swing at her, causing me to dive out of the way when she swipes her knife at my head. As I'm about to roll out of my painful dive, Summer grabs my fallen dagger and throws it so that it penetrates the floor directly in front of my body. Luckily, I end up halting just in time, narrowly escaping decapitation.

I clutch my remaining dagger tightly in my hand as I swiftly shift into a more stable position, staying safely grounded low to the floor. Summer strikes repeatedly with her knife and I automatically raise my dagger up to block, never daring to lower it after each blow.

On Summer's last stab, she whips out another knife hidden in her sleeve and sweeps both in an arc that causes my remaining dagger to fly out of my hand. I refuse to let it end this way, so I use my fast reflexes to my advantage and snatch my dagger where it's still stuck hilt-up as Summer follows through with her powerful arc.

In a wild sudden lunge, I pin Summer by her throat on the hard floor tiles. One of her knives is in my hand and pressing lightly against her neck, the other trapped under her back - hopefully just out of reach from her fingers. It's a final position in a fight, a move that would immobilise most people. Of course, Summer isn't most people.

"Wow, you got me. Congratulations." Summer's words, instead of bringing me praise, confuse me. For a moment, I do believe I beat her, but then I remember exactly who she is. Playing dead is the oldest trick in the book, and I will not fall for her ruse.

I ignore Summer's words and analyse her options. If she can get me to loosen my pin, she can easily slip out her arm from under her back and either grab the knife I have or the one she has trapped.

Something glints out of the corner of my eye. Looking down, I notice something on her hand, which can easily be freed with not too much movement – I mainly have her upper body and legs pinned. Brass knuckles.

It happens too fast for me to dodge. All I see is Summer's fist, the brass knuckles menacing, as she delivers a rolling punch with a glancing blow to the side of my head. I collapse and fall back, naturally, and Summer effectively reverses our positions. I can barely see through the pain and exhaustion, but somehow, I manage to keep a hold of my dagger. I attempt one last swing at Summer, but she blocks it with her knife and efficiently lands another blow with her knuckled fist, this time to the outside of my forearm. The dagger slips out of my hand with the blow, and the fight is officially over. I've lost.