Surprise

Chapter 14: Training

“Come on, Maya,” Stella begged as we walked back to the pack house.  “What happened?  Where’d you go?”

I shrugged.  I didn’t want to talk about it for some reason.  “Places.”  She put on a pouty face and so I changed the subject before she could ask one more question.  “So what should I expect in training,” I asked.

She shrugged.  “Stuff.”  She had the same tone of voice as I had a second before.

I groaned.  “Come on, be serious here!  I just don’t want to talk about it, that’s all.  Tell me about training!”  I grabbed her arm and pleaded, and she started laughing.

“Alright, fine!  On Mondays and Fridays it’s all about physical self defense.  On Wednesdays you work on your people skills and any tips you might need for recruiting for the pack.  Remember, you need to convince people to join us.  But today you learn how to kick butt with the Beta.  Don’t worry, Brandon’s cool.”

I laughed at her disgusted face.  “What should I wear?”

“I’ve got some shorts you could use.  I wear them when I work out or whatever.  They’re really comfy.

I nodded.  “Thanks.”

We were already coming up to the pack house after two minutes.  For the first time, I noticed how empty the street around the solid house really was.  It was peaceful in so many ways.

“So, the wolf shock’s completely gone,” she asked.

I nodded.  “I think so.  I’m not stumbling over my own feet anymore.”

She smiled.  “Good.  I would hate to send you to training if you were still not one-hundred-percent healthy.”

I nodded.  “I can only imagine.”

“What time is it,” she asked.

“I don’t know.  Probably five o’clock or something like that.”  I thought for a moment.  “I miss my cell phone.  I always knew what time it was.”

“Well, too bad,” she said.

I frowned.  “Meany!”

She rolled her eyes at me.  “Whatever, Maya.  Grow up.”  She laughed a bit at my immaturity as I crossed my arms over my chest.  I broke into a sprint to the house’s front door, planning to lock her out, but she was faster than me.  She stuck her tongue out at me, just before I reached the door, and she herself shut me out.

I went and tested the knob; locked.  “Stella, come on, unlock the door!  Not funny,” I called.

“You sure,” I heard her say.  “’Cause I’m laughing.”

I growled loudly through the door.  “Let me in, Stella!”

I waited a minute, no response, and then I heard, “What’s the password?”

“I don’t know!  Lotion?  Cheese?  Rabid squirrels?  Tyler?”

She threw open the door.  “Okay, you are a really bad guesser.  Just get in here now before I change my mind.”  I did as told and she closed the door behind me.

I looked at the clock on the wall.  “It’s five-thirty,” I offered.

She laughed.  “Thanks, Maya.”

We went up to her room and she started finding me the right clothes for training, throwing them at me.  “So the boys will be way ahead of you, along with most everyone else.  There are only a few beginners.”