After War Storm

Mare

When we arrive in the training centre, most of the arenas are occupied. There is one spare and Cal heads straight their to make sure we get it before anyone else does.

"So, what type of training are we doing?" I ask.
"I don't mind really. Target practice? Sparing? Hand to hand combat?"
"Let's spar, just because I'm really in the mood to win," I say with a wink.
"Sure. Do you want to change first?" I look down at my outfit and realise that I'm still in my Pyjamas. How could I have gone to a meeting wearing that?

Luckily I was in sweat pants and a cropped T-Shirt so I don't look totally unpresentable but I do need to change to spar.

"I'll change, you keep our arena. Then you can change and I'll stay here." Cal nods.
"Sounds good," he says and sits down on the bench outside the arena. "There should be a training outfit for you in the locker room. They always have new kit there for people to use and take."

I find my way to the locker room and inside I see a wall lined with a range of training outfits. I find one the right size, one of the smallest hanging up, and quickly change into it.

The outfit.

There's a loose grey T-shirt to go over it but I don't put it on. I don't like to wear loose clothing when training, especially when fire is involved in the fight.

I walk back out of the locker room, with my clothes, and a feeling of satisfaction runs through me as I notice Cal's jaw drop slightly. He closes it and smiles at me. "You look gorgeous," he says.
"Thank you," I say blushing. "Now hurry up and change so we can start." He laughs and walks off in the direction of the locker room.

I spot Cameron in one of the other arenas fighting a man twice her size. I don't think any abilities were being used otherwise she'd have him flat on his back by now. Her hand to hand combat must have significantly improved for her to be fighting him.

They have attracted a slight crowd of people and hey all clap when Cameron is knelt on the mans back, knee pressing down on his spine, with him face first in the ground. A moment later she helps him up and they set up their stances to go again.

Just then, Cal reappears, looking very hot in his special training suit that doesn't burn when he creates his flames. I didn't think about that. Oh well, I rarely needed to radiate a current over my body.

"You ready?" He asks when he reaches me.
"Of course," I reply doing a few stretches for effect. He rolls his eyes and presses a button on the control panel to the side of the bench. The force field disappears and we enter the arena. The force field flickers back to life, sealing up inside. Well, Cal at least, I could walk through it.

"On three," he says. "One..."
"Two..."
"Three!" A fireball shoots directly at my head and I dive roll underneath it. I charge at Cal but just as I reach him I slide under his legs, stand and kick him in the back of the knee. He gals forwards and I'm on top of him in a second.

"Give?" I ask punching my knee into his back.
"As if," he scoffs. Suddenly, his back grows hotter, a lot hotter and I have to jump off him to avoid a severe burn.

I bring my lightening to my fingertips as I back away from him, creating some distance between us. "Let's go," I whisper before send great webs of lightening straight at Cal. He dives to the side but my lightening spread my slightly too wide, he lets out a hiss of pain as it catches his arm.

A wall of fire , the width of the arena starts to make is way towards me. I can't see Cal anymore; he's one the other side. I can't do anything about the wall of fire. "Give?" I head Cal call when it's only two metres away from me. I'm not giving up that easily. I builds a forcefield around myself just as the fire hits. "I told you I wanted to win!" I yell to Cal. I hear him laugh.

I make the forcefield grow but stand right at the edge so I'm ready to tackle Cal. The fire disappears once the forcefield has grown a significant amount. I'm stood right in front of Cal and before he has time to react, I still rid of my forcefield and dive star tight at him, knocking him to the ground. I hear the air go or of him on impact.

I have him pinned with his hands trapped under his body. "Who has the advantage?" I ask with a smile.
"Me," he answers. I look at him confused. I have he advantage. My moment of distraction is enough for Cal. He twists and knocks me off him. Now I'm the one pinned by his body. "I have the advantage because I happen to know you are easily distracted."
"That is not necessarily true," I argue.
"Give?"
"Not a chance," I whisper.

I form clouds about Cal's head and make a great bolt of lightening crash down about a metre to our left. "You're a bit wide. Maybe you lost your touch," Cal says with a smirk.

The next bolt lands to our right, half a metre away from us. Cal's face becomes more worried whilst mine forms a smirk. I form a forcefield to or side so Cal can't escape.

On our left, a foot away.

On our right, 25 centimetres away.

Left, 20 centimetres.

Right, 15 centimetres. Cal looks worried.

Left, 10 centimetres.

Right, just skimming the outside of Cal's leg. Not enough to do any real damage but enough to cause him some pain.

"Do you want me to keep going?" I ask.
"You wouldn't."

I build up the clouds above Cal's head to prepare for my biggest bolt today. It is aimed directly about his head and he knows it. He hears the crack of the lightening and yells "Give!" I stop the lightening and inch above his head.

"You're good," he whispers leaning in for a kiss and I kiss him back. I hear a round of applause and pull away to see what it is. A large crowd has gathered at the edge of our arena. I think everyone in the training room is watching us.

Cal and I stand up and I feel the blush on my cheeks. The forcefield disappears as someone presses the button and Cal and I make our way to the crowd. "Nice one, General," one of the men says slapping Cal on the back.

"Way to show her, Cal," another says.
"You wanna try?" I ask with a smile, wiggling my fingers at him and letting my purple sparks run across them.
"Sure," he says, cocky sauntering up to me. He was going down. "But not abilities. I am Red after all."
"I'm fine with that," I say stepping back into the arena. "Come on then," I beckon to him with my index finger. I notice Cal smirking and he shakes his head at me. I wink at him. This Red clearly didn't know who he was dealing with.

"What's your name?" I ask as Cal calls:
"On three."
"Charlie," he tells me.
"One..."
"Well, Charlie, you are going down."
"Two..."
"Or maybe you will, Miss Barrow."
"Three..."

Charlie runs forward and throws a punch but I duck to the right and catch his arm, twirling him round. I kick him in the back of the knee and he falls to his knees. I put all my weight on him, which I admit isn't much, and force his face down into the dirt. His arm, that I haven't pinned to his back, reaches round and grabs onto my hand. His grip is very tight. There was a sharp, brief pain in my arm and my grip loosened but he still called: "Give."

I stand up and help him up from the ground. "You are good, Miss Barrow." Charlie walks off and I head over to Cal with a smug smile on my face. "Tomorrow we spar with no abilities," he says. I pull a face.
"But then you'll win."
"Maybe not. I haven't seen you fight in awhile."

"I'm hungry," I say and Cal laughs.
"Ok, let's go eat."

We head to the dining room and I am shocked by who I see.