Sin of the Saint

CHAPTER SEVEN: COACH BEAU LUTHER

"Well...good luck, Yves," Auden said with an encouraging pat on her shoulder before turning to leave.

She whirled around, "Wait, Auden!"

He turned in the hallway to face her, "Why?"

"Honestly? I'm scared!" Liv said. She turned to a fierce whisper, her voice quivering, "He...he's enormous!"

Auden threw his head back and laughed. "You'll discover there's nothing to be worried about, Yves. You won't meet a gentler guy, I promise."

"Somehow I doubt that," Liv said quietly, but harshly, hearing the painful moanings of the teacher Luther had downed with a single kick.

Auden brushed his hand before him, shooing her into the gym, "Go on. Trust the word of your fellow Saint."

Liv wanted to run back to the safety of the Literature classroom, where she knew nothing could hurt her, save for maybe an occasional paper cut. But paper cuts would be the least of her worries in a class like: "Self Defense with Coach Beau Luther, who will probably be the largest man you'll ever see in your life and could crush a small adult between his thighs."

No thanks, she'd take the paper cuts, she thought to herself though she knew she didn't have a choice. Auden finally pushed her back through the doors when she heard a booming voice like thunder:

"Olivia Yves," Coach Luther called to her, waving her over.

Liv broke out in a cold sweat and gave Auden one last frightened look before moving hesitantly forward, further into the gym.

"Hustle!" he shouted, and she responded at a sprint.

She reached him quickly, standing a short distance away, yet she still had to tilt her head to look up at him. She found herself breathless at his immense size and strength.

"Olivia Yves," he said again.

"P—present, s-sir," she said, gulping.

"Excellent," he said, his voice so deep, it sounded like it came from his toes. He turned to the rest of the class, all students sitting on their knees, dressed in martial arts attire, "This is Olivia Yves. New student at our school. Please be both kind and respectful, as those are our guiding principles in this class. But make absolutely certain that your kindness and respect to this young woman extend beyond the walls of this classroom, as you do your fellow students and friends."

"Yes sir!" they all responded in unison.

"You're excused from today's lesson, but please observe from the back. You may sit, but please see me after class is dismissed, young Olivia," he said, patting her shoulder gently, though she thought she may drop under its weight.

She nodded and went to the back of the group of students, setting her backpack down and sitting cross-legged on the mats.

Liv knew absolutely nothing about martial arts—only that in a pinch, you should use your elbow if you can, as it's the hardest angle on the human body, and you could push your heel into someone's nose to break it or force the cartilage into their brains. Basic things.

But this Coach Luther seemed to be an endless fountain of knowledge about the art of hand-to-hand combat. He demonstrated a technique, showed two students how to use it at a time, and then had them spar each other. They mixed opponents multiple times. The class was not large, but Liv observed each of them, trying her best to memorize the movement. Most of the terms Coach Luther used went straight over Liv's head, but by the end of class, she was eager to learn from him.