Chapter 5

Raven

I dodge the blows of my opponent. He is larger and stronger than I am, but I’m more agile. He uses a pattern while he fights, three quick jabs to the lift of my torso, his aiming for my ribs, followed by an uppercut from the right. He finishes it off with a kick aimed at my right ribs. He tries to mix it up, by switching sides, but that’s just of his moves. He can also pass for the tree since he has been rooted to almost the same spot the entire fight. I dodge all his attempts to hit me, but I can’t dodge forever. Eventually, he will land a punch and judging by the hulk size biceps, it’s gonna hurt. My body and muscle ache and I don’t have much strength left. If I can get him off balance, I might have a shot. Where is Reign when you need her?

“This lump of lard is one of their best warriors? Goddess help us.” Reign says as she rolls her eyes and pretends to yawn. I stifle a laugh.

“Come on Reign, this is our last test. If he gets us on the floor, it’s over. And if he gets one good hit in, on the floor is where we will be. I need you to focus.” urged her.

“What you need is to tie one arm behind your back, just so that this is an even fight. Then after you make this walking vending machine re-evaluate his life choices, you need a bath! Preferably with industrial soap. I just don’t know what we are gonna do with the bath water. I don’t think we are equipped to handle chemical waste. Do you think we can borrow bestie’s hazmat suit?” Reign howls in laughter in my head.

“Hey, smearing that disgusting stuff all over me was your idea!” I bit back. “Now, just remember, if I smell, you smell and the sooner you help me with Bulldozer Arnold over here, the sooner, we can go take a bath. I even you the bombs you like so much”. I can’t believe I have to negotiate with my wolf to help me in a fight.

“If you through in the candles I like, you got yourself deal.”

“Seriously, yes, I even put on background music, we can make it a thing, now help me you annoying overgrown fluff ball!”  I yell at her as I dodge yet another round of hard jabs to the left.

“Well, there is no need for name calling young lady” Reign replies in her best attempt at a southern accent and I can feel her energy and strength surge through me.

Ok, time to get the job. Bulldozer Arnold goes for an uppercut, I take a quick small step bag, just enough to make him overshoot and start to lean forward. That’s my opening, I drop down and kick his legs out, he nearly fell, but was quick to land on one knee. As he gets up I run towards him, with the momentum of my run I step and turn to lift my one in a high kick, hitting him on the side of his face just as he looks up. He drops like a log.

“Aren’t you supposed to hell timber?” Reign asks sarcastically

I just smile at her and look at my opponent on the ground. Shit, his not moving, we have to get him to the ground does not knock him out. Fuck. I step forward to help turn him to his side.

“Uhm….” I say look at my dad.  The sheer panic I was feeling must have been evident on my face because he just laughs and says, “Nice kick, good balance, great strength and perfect execution”.

I smile and release the breath I didn’t realise I was holding.

“Thank you, Miss St James. That was your last assessment. You can go wait at the cool-off area to get checked out. Once you are cleared you are free to go take a shower….leave, you are free to leave. Be back at 12:00” Colton says, and I can see how hard he is trying not to laugh at the shower comment.

“Come on you heard the Alpha, we need to go get clean up before we become an environmental hazard,” Reign says in a serious. Do I really smell that bad?

“I just like he passed out due to the smell, no way she knocked him out! He’s nearly as big as the Alpha.” One of the trainees comments as I walk past them. Well, I guess that answers my question.

I grab my stuff and head toward the homes, for a well-deserved…“Bath, with the Pine Musk bath bombs and Forest Rain scented candles” Reign finishes my train of thought for me. Like she would have let me forget about the stupid bath bombs.

After a nice long soak in the tub, I’m back at the training field in the cool-off area near the gym. I look at my watch for the hundredth. It’s only 11:35.

“Urggg…” I sigh in frustration.

“Well, someone is in a good mood” I hear an all too familiar voice behind me.

“Hanna! Slept in, did we? And if you were in my position, you would have been bouncing up the walls” I say.

Hanna has been my best friend since we were 8. Our parents used to joke that we were so joint at the hip, they were sure that not even our mates could separate us. Even though we are besties, we are very different. Hanna is a few inches shorter than my 5.8 feet. She had brown curly hair, olive tan skin and the most beautiful hazel eyes you have seen. Hanna is also what you would call a genius with a degree in mechanical engineering and some intense hacking skills, Hanna is the type of girl that would fix up your 1968 Ford Mustang and then transfer it to her name. Not a joke, she did that once. In Hanna’s defence, he didn’t want to pay her for fixing the car up. She is currently trying to convince Alpha Colton that the EAS needs an IT and Engineering team. She also has a killer idea to track the Dark Moon Pack.

“Look I know I said I would be here, but you know I’m not a morning person. But I don’t know why you are so stressed about this; you are for sure making the team” she said apologetically while sitting down next to me.

Hanna is dressed in black skinny jeans, a black crop top, red flannel long sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and black combat boots. She pulls off the mechanic meets IT genius very well.

“I know Hanna, I just joking. And no, I don’t know that I’m gonna make it. I think I messed up. I knocked out my opponent when the very clear instruction was to get him to the floor” I say looking at the floor. Why did I kick him so hard?

“Of course, you did” Hanna giggled, the amusement evident in her voice.

“It’s not funny, if I can’t follow a single instruction, why would they make me a warrior” my voice is barely a whisper at the end. Hanna knows how hard I worked and how much I want this.

“Hey, relax, I think you’re overthinking things again. You will become a warrior today, Snow. They would be fools not to let someone with your skill in. I mean you knock out an experienced warrior without even trying” she tries to reassure me. It helps a little, and she’s right, I’m one of the best trainees, if not the best. So what if I knock out the bulldoze? It just shows off my strength.

“You know you can talk to me right, ever since Alec it feels like you don’t trust yourself. Like you don’t want to take any risks, because you’re scared something bad will happen” Hanna said in a soft voice.

My heart ached at the sound of his name. I can feel Reign retreat further back in my head. I know she means well, but now is not the time.

“Something bad did happen Hanna, and how am I supposed to fix it if I don’t get selected today? I need to fix it” I started off strong but, in the end, my voice cracked a little.

“First off all…” she starts.

“Don’t, I know what you are gonna say… if we had proper security other than patrol, we would have had a warning before they attacked. There are a lot of what-ifs about that day Hanna, and I don’t want to get into it right now. Just stop telling me not to blame myself, because you’re doing the same thing. You have been pushing the IT/Engineering Team ever since the attack. You’re just trying to stop history from repeating, but so am I. We just have different ways of doing that. I will support your way, so please just sit here and support mine” I pleaded.

“Ok, I’m sorry. You want to listen to some music while we wait?” she asked pointing to her phone and handing me a coreless earbud. I put it in my ear while Hanna pushes play. Fall Out Boy’s Centuries plays. We sit and listen for a few minutes when I see the assessors approach. My heart feels as if it is in my throat, am I still breathing?

“Yes, my neurotic little human, you are breathing.” Reign chuckles at me.  I feel Hanna squeezing my hand.  

“Listen up” Colton commands, “If your name is on the list, congratulations, you are now a warrior. If not, the next assessment is in 3 months.” He pins the list on the board next to the gym entrance, and I instantly move forward.

“Miss St James, follow me. The assessors and leadership would like a word” Colton’s voice stops me. I look at him and swallow hard. I nod to him and start walking towards him. Colton leads me to the back of the gym, where the EAS office is. My heart is beating erratically. This can’t be about Bulldozer, can it?