GLASS || The Catalysts Series, #1

XL || The Duel

Too late, Lena feels the pull of gravity, falling with increased velocity with only little glass shards as her companions.

She groans. Her ability may have to do with glass, but she's been having a lot of company these days. First the train, then now. They may be her —only— weapon, but that doesn't mean they do not hurt. The tiny shards bite into her raw skin, leaving her with little cuts and nicks.

Lena crashes to the ground, hitting solid earth, and even the soft grass does not comfort her fall. Although she's managed not to land on her feet with the horrible momentum that might shatter her bones, that doesn't imply the rest of her body is superior, either. She rolls and rolls along the grass and over bushes, all the way until her head strikes the wall of the Academy.

She continues to lay there, in a daze, as her head tries to put two and two together. She may as well have a concussion, and the insides of her head are banging so badly she trembles when she merely tries to sit straight. Lena thinks if someone were to see her the condition she is in right now, she is quite pathetic.

Several seconds later, a rustle of bushes increases Lena's senses, and she jerks up so fast she hits the wall again. Azalea appears, but she nearly trips over something, stumbling ever so slightly. Despite so, she carries herself like she normally does: like a queen.

She huffs, muttering, "That certainly worked."

Azalea then turns her attention from her open palms to Lena, who is still somewhat sprawled on the ground. The elder girl considers her with something near amusement, like a predator stalking its prey and thinking how best to devour it.

Then she strikes so quick, without warning, that her kick misses Lena by a hair—if not for Lena's fear taking over, she might have taken the impact. Her eyes widen and as she rolls to the side, scrambling across little shards of glass as she dives into another bush to buy herself a few more seconds. Sure enough, Azalea comes striking the bush, but Lena is already some way away, regaining her feet.

A smirk forms on the corner of Azalea's lips, slightly playful, but full of mischief all the same. She is waiting for Lena's next move, Lena realises with dread.

She wants to run. Is it legal to simply force someone into a duel? Not that Lena had denied, but she did mention she will commit to the duel when she is ready. Though she has to admit that she never really thought about the duel ever since being challenged—it wasn't exactly her priority. Ironically, now it is.

"Can we talk about this?" Lena pleads somewhat hopefully, though her voice is as weak as a whisper.

"We're done talking!"

At that, Azalea strikes again, aiming another kick toward the bush right before Lena where she had once rolled into. She stomps it furiously at glares at Lena, her fingers playing at the air. To throw her attacker off, Lena instinctively flings the shards of glass at random. Minuscule and probably harmless, they take Azalea by surprise anyway, and the girl backs off, giving Lena time to move out of harm's way if she decides to kick again.

Lena doesn't know much of Azalea and her abilities, but knows enough of her attitude and her ferocity to run out to the open. She heads to the open field where the fountain stands, avoiding cramped up spaces that increases the probability of getting her cornered and possibly receiving another head smash.

Lena feels weightless as she trudges out in the open, lightheaded and dizzy. Clutching whatever tiny pieces of glass she managed to grasp, she sets her resolve. Whatever Azalea's playing at, Lena will at least try to fend for herself.

As if on cue, Azalea comes stomping over, a hand over her face. She appears furious. Because, apparently, Lena's many minions successfully cut Azalea's cheek.