Two days have passed since I got humiliated by a punching bag. I have a disgusting black eye, and Xia said it’s a miracle my ribs didn’t crack.

  I glare at the punching bag in front of me. It’s quiet in the training room; so quiet that I can hear the hum of the fluorescent lights above me. Am I supposed to be in this room? No. I’m supposed to be resting. The urge to murder the shit out of this bag is too strong, though. I throw a false punch at it, as if expecting it to try me again. Hell, it isn’t even on. Why am I doing this? Why am I so pissed at a punching bag of all things?

  Oh yeah.

  Lucas programmed these things to fight back. That’s why. Just thinking about him gets me pissed. I should probably reconcile with him, especially considering I’m living in his bunker-sort-of-space, but my pride is too damn stubborn.

  I can’t bear to think about this right now. I actually took a swing at the bag this time. It automatically turns on. Shit.

  It swings at me, and I leap out of the way. I stand there for a moment, just trying to process. I had completely forgotten what I heard Xia saying before.

  ‘The bag will turn on at even the slightest touch. Be careful.’

  Oops.

  Well, now it won’t turn off until I complete the fifty blows. Fuck it. I’m just going to let it be. Xia can deal with it later.

  The door opens, but not with Xia’s usual confidence. I spin around to see a familiar set of bright blue eyes.

  Wow. I hadn’t seen Finn in a bit.

  I swear he’s gotten bigger–more muscular, I mean. I can feel my face heating up.

  Ugh. This crush still exists?

  ‘Hey. Haven’t seen you in a bit,’ Finn waves, a small smile on his face.

  ‘It’s been a while, yeah,’ I stumble over my words, nodding frantically.

  Finn steps further into the room, and approaches me. His braids are out. His hair is tied back in a puff at the back of his head. It looks adorable.

  ‘So, are you okay after the whole…’ he pauses, trying to find the right words, ‘getting beaten by the bag?’ He gestures to the bane of my existence behind me. I give that bag a side-long glance before responding with a hum.

  ‘Yeah. I’m back for revenge, actually.’ Now is my chance. I can impress him a little. Or humiliate the shit out of myself if things go wrong.

  ‘Really? Man, I was coming in here to blow off steam. I have to see this now,’ Finn backs away from the bag and leans against a free wall.

  Okay. He’s watching. His full attention is on me. Oh shit.

  I take a deep breath, and swing.

  The bag makes a ‘fssh’ sound as the punch lands. That sounded decent. Maybe I can do this second try?

  I bring my fists to my face again, and kick it. It swings right back at me, and I barely manage to dodge a blow to my ribs.

  Come on, Tomi. You’ve got to impress Finn. You can’t have him thinking you’re some weak little bitch.

  I close my eyes for a split second, imagining what Xia would do. Immediately after the bag would swing, her fist would move with the force of a boulder onto that leather.

  I copy exactly that, and I land another hit. A whistle echoes through the room. An impressed one, I believe.

  ‘Nice!’ Finn praises. I can feel his smile, even if I’m not looking at it.

  The muscles in my face move to their own accord, and match his smile. Maybe I should call Finn in here when I’m doing this sort of thing more often; he is a serious confidence booster.

  Three more punches consecutively, and a roundhouse kick. Wait, when did I learn how to do that? I did watch a ton of action movies as a kid, but I never expected them to return and aid me.

  ‘Wow! That was almost like Black Widow,’ Finn calls out with a soft giggle.

  I doubt I look anything like her at this moment, but it's the compliment that counts. I can do this. I can actually do this!

  Another punch. Man, some brass knuckles would be fun to use. I’ve only ever seen them in movies and media.

  ‘Tomi!’ A loud, angry shout comes from behind me.

  Don't tell me Xia walked in as well. I don't need her yelling at me while I'm actually doing good damage on this thing.

  I hear a faint shushing sound from behind me, and Xia shuts up. Perfect. I can focus now; thanks, Finn. I nod as a thanks, although I don't turn my head to him. I leap back once more as the bag hurls in my direction.

  Another kick, two actually.

  It almost feels like I’m no longer in control of my body, like something else inside me is taking over, saying “shut up and sit down”. I won't complain though. I’ve lost track of how many hits I’ve gotten on the bag.

  I've started to be able to predict its movements. After every three to four blows, it will start to act up again. It's simple, really. So far, it has tried to take me out seven times. That means I’ve done around twenty one to twenty four attacks. Halfway there.

  A smile makes its way onto my expression. This isn't so hard after all, now that I know what exactly to expect.

  The memory of this thing beating my ass a couple of days ago worms its ugly way into my mind, and I scoff internally. I can't believe I lost to something as predictable as this junk.

  Should I try and do something fancy? Or will I end up on my ass? Worth a shot.

  I hop into the air, and kick it. The bag, of course, swings at the perfect time as I’m midair. I shoot backwards, and land perfectly on my ass. The wind gets knocked out of me, and I let out a strangled gasp.

  Finn is immediately at my side, kneeling, while Xia just snorts.

  ‘Well that was stupid,’ Xia comments. I glare at her. My gaze softens as my eyes land on Finn, though. His expression is one of pure concern: his eyes are soft and his lips are pressed into a tight frown.

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  ‘Are you okay? That looked like it hurt,’ he comments.

  I nod, pushing myself back off the ground. I need to finish off this dumb bag. Then maybe dismantle it later–

  Nah. Xia, or Lucas, would probably tie me on a stake and burn me like a witch in the 1600s.

  Finn steps back as I rise, and puts his hands up.

  ‘Well, I guess you're fine. Keep going at it,’ he encourages.

  ‘Oh yeah. By the time I’m done with this thing it'll be on the ground–’ I speak while gritting my teeth.

  ‘It better not be, or Lucas will have you executed,’ Xia adds from the doorway.

  Okay, I figured. I shrug and get back into a fighting stance.

  Halfway done with this thing, and then I will finally have my revenge! I hold back an evil cackle at the thought of having this thing burned. There are so many more around the room…

  Nope. Lucas would have me executed. As much as I hate him, I don't want to be on his bad side too much.

  Anyway, I have to focus. Get my revenge, impress Finn and maybe earn some respect from Xia. It's more likely that I’ll get a lecture though about proper rest and all that shit.

  The pattern is the same: four solid hits, and the bag fights back after those. Once it's done, I go in for more. It's a really repetitive thing, but gives me the opportunity to practice various techniques I saw Xia using.

  Most go to shit, but I can pick up a bit of her style. I grin to myself; this fighting thing really isn't so hard after all.

  ?

  Nope. I stand strongly corrected.

  I had finished off the punching bag. The excitement overwhelmed me; I was like a child getting her presents on Christmas morning. My confidence skyrocketed as well. My idiotic, stupid brain decided that it would be a good idea to challenge Xia. Seriously?

  ‘Pfft–okay. If you say so,’ Xia stepped into the arena in the middle of the room.

  She starts to tie her curls back into a ponytail, and politely asks Finn to hold her jewelry. Of course, like the gentleman he is, he doesn't object. I can't help but feel a small bubble of possessiveness bubble up in the pit of my stomach. I have to push it down. Down. He isn't mine, nor will he ever be. Unless God himself decides to give me a miracle.

  My hair is already tied, and I didn’t bring any jewelry to the bunker, so I can’t ask him to hold anything. A scoff nearly leaves my lips, before I have to swallow it back like a stone.

  I bring my fists up to my face, and Xia does the same.

  ‘Are you ready?’ Xia asks while stretching her legs out.

  At this moment, I knew, I fucked up.

  I nod in response, and make the first move.

  I charge forward with a low punch aimed at her stomach. Terrible mistake on my part, because she grabs my arm and swings me above her, slamming me to the ground. Holy shit. A shooting pain goes through my back as it hits the linoleum. A sharp gasp escapes me, and I just lay there for a moment. My life decisions were so dumb. Oh my god.

  ‘Come on, is that really all you have? I’ve fought toddlers with more resilience,’ Xia crosses her arms above me.

  Okay, that was a low blow. My lips press into a thin line. I know she’s just trying to piss me off and get me up, but god damn is it working. I slowly sit up, and move from that position to my feet. Now I know. Do not go for the first move. Ever.

  Xia charges at me this time. Holy–

  Before I can even process, I’m on the ground. Her speed is almost inhuman. I wonder if she got vistite treatment, because this is not normal.

  I let out a sharp cry as her elbow slams right into my chest.

  ‘Damn don’t crack my ribs–’ I wheeze, body going completely limp. I can’t move anymore. She’s incapacitated me.

  ‘Oops. Are you okay? I forget that you guys aren’t enhanced yet…’ Xia slowly crawls off of me, and I continue to lie there.

  I feel like death.

  ‘Enhanced? Huh?’ I ask as my hands tingle. Am I going to pass out again? I pray not.

  ‘Mhm. Lucas didn’t tell you? After enough training, you’ll get an extensive vistite treatment. To help you defend yourself,’ Xia shrugs, as if this is common knowledge. Even Finn raises an eyebrow.

  ‘Wait, what?’ Finn is suddenly in the conversation.

  ‘Of course he left that out,’ she rolls her eyes, ‘well at least now you know.’

  Well at least now I know. I continue to just lie there. There is no possible way I can get up anytime soon, especially after my ribs were absolutely mutilated. My poor internal organs; my ribs won’t be able to hold them anymore with how much they’re being bruised. I really need to take a rest.

  I can’t rest, though. There’s so much to get done, for me to not get my ass beaten every time I spar. I try to sit up, but my limbs are made of tungsten at this point, so I can’t make myself move. I let out a quiet fake cry.

  ‘Oh come on, you big baby. Get up,’ Xia grabs my arm and pulls me into a sitting position. I flop back onto the floor, though. I must look like such a toddler right now.

  ‘I’m sorry… I can’t bring myself to move, like at all,’ I apologize, words slurring the slightest amount.

  ‘Finn, could you be a dear and carry Tomi to her room? It’s clear she can’t get up on her own, and she needs some rest,’ she turns to Finn, and he simply nods.

  ‘Nononono–I can do it…’ I murmur and force myself into a sitting position, only to collapse again. I’m seriously like a ragdoll with spaghetti noodles as bones. This is dumb.

  ‘No you can’t, Tomi,’ Finn tries his hardest not to laugh, before entering the ring and scooping me up. His hands hold my thighs securely, and my body practically melts into his.

  I can feel my face already; I bet it’s as red as a ripe strawberry.

  My eyes close of their own accord as he starts to walk.

  ‘You’re surprisingly light,’ Finn comments under his breath. I resist the urge to squeal.

  This has to be a dream. There’s no way I can feel this happy after getting my ass beaten. This has to be synthetic of some sort. I pinch my arm.

  Ouch.

  It’s definitely real. Even though I can’t seem to comprehend that.

  ‘This is your room, right?’ Finn gestures to the door with one hand.

  Did he just–he was carrying me with one arm for a moment.

  That is hot.

  ‘Yep–yep yep yep,’ I nod frantically.

  Finn opens the door, careful not to drop me, and steps in. The room is still almost exactly as I found it, even after two weeks or so of living in it. He carefully sets me down on the bed, and sits at the edge.

  ‘Are you okay? You look like a strawberry,’ Finn looks over my face.

  Oh my god oh my god oh my god–

  I can’t even form words, so I just nod. I somehow manage to find the strength to roll on my side, and cover my face.

  ‘It seems like you want me to go,’ he suggests with a quiet snort.

  I suppress a groan, before gesturing toward the door.

  ‘Okay, okay–’ his snort turns into a full blown laugh, before I hear the sound of rustling and footsteps toward my door. Once I’m sure the door is shut, I uncover my face.

  What is wrong with me? I’m eighteen, for gods’ sake! I shouldn’t be acting like I’m twelve when it comes to this boy.

  I check the time. It’s around 8PM. I don’t want to seem like a grandma, but I probably need some sleep. I haven’t been getting good sleep anyway. I burrow into my blanket, and close my eyes. All it normally takes is twenty nine deep breaths, and I’m out like a light.

  I start to count them.

  One… two… three… four…

  What Xia said earlier crossed my mind for a split second. How would the vistite affect me? If I really do have that V-manipulator gene or whatever, would it mess with that? It’s such an unknown topic, that I can’t help but worry.

  Eighteen… nineteen… twenty…

  This is a topic to worry about tomorrow. I’m just trying to sleep. Let me sleep, stupid brain! I really focus on my breathing by this point. All other thoughts must be completely shut out. Just. Breathe.

  Twenty eight… twenty nine.