When I finally made it to the thick wooden posts with seven arms each that spun when you hit them, I chose that as my first exercise and got to work to sweat off every nightmarish memory that was stuck inside my head.
I didn’t hearher approaching, too busy fighting against pieces of wood, trying to do as much damage as I could, to release all this pent-up energy hidden under my skin.
But I saw her while I was spinning to land a hit on the edge of a wooden arm coming for me.
The posts were masterfully done. You hit a lever and it swung with its full strength to come at you from the other side. It was kind of predictable at first, but when I started hitting all seven arms at once, it became chaotic within a minute. My muscles were screaming and I was sweating from head to toe,but I feltgreat.I felt a sense of normalcy, finally. I felt like I was at home—or at least in my own skin after a lifetime.
Then the woman raised a hand and waved to tell me to stop.
I stepped back, breathing hard, and wiped the sweat from my brow. The sun was especially hot as it moved east, preparing to unrise in a few hours. Plenty of light to see the woman—and to know that I’d never seen her before.
Short black hair—easily a Club—clear brown eyes, a pointy chin, and a body made up mostly of pure muscle. She wore a black tank top, which you didn’t see people wearing outside often around here, and it showed the curves of her biceps perfectly. It was tight enough that I literally saw her abs through the fabric, even though she was standing with her arms crossed, a leather holster around her hips full of knives and throwing stars and all kinds of small weapons.
“Who are you?” I asked when I was able to catch my breath. I was so thirsty I could drink an entire river of time.
“Asha Fordes,” the woman said. “I’m supposed to beyourtrainer.”
Oh.
I looked behind her, inside the arena, to the others. They had all stopped, too, and they were looking at us. Elida was standing to the side with two other men, and the rest of the Hands were just…watching.
Luckily, they were too far away to see my face.
“I’m Ora,” I said as my breathing returned to normal.
“I know who you are, Ora.” She raised her brows and nodded at the pieces of wood I’d picked apart. A couple were still spinning around slowly, as if hoping someone would attack and set them in full motion again. I was tempted, but the way the woman was looking at me…
“You’re good, I’ll give you that. But you’re out herefighting dummies, and the other Hands are in there.” She pointed her thumb back over her shoulder. “You’re not going to unwin anything with that attitude, I’m afraid.”
My jaw nearly touched the ground. “None of them wanted to spar with me.” Easier to admit that than to sayIdidn’t want to spar with any of them.
“And you should have waited for me to arrive,” Asha said even before I’d finished speaking.
“Nobody told me?—”
“I’m telling you now. Tomorrow, you wait for me when you get here. For today—dismissed.” She turned around and walked inside the arena, leaving me standing there like a fool with my mouth wide open, thinking,what in Time’s Temper was that?!
They behavedlike I was a disease-ridden creature at breakfast. The sun wouldn’t unrise for another couple hours, and I was exhausted. I’d lain down on the bed for a little while after showering, but my stomach’s protesting had forced me to get out of the room soon. I’d spent a lot of energy, and though it had felt great, I needed food before I collapsed.
So, I went to the eating hall, hoping to find it empty. It wasn’t. Most of the Hands were already there, except Mimi, March, and Cook.
I itched to get out and go find a kitchen somewhere—they had to make all this food in a kitchen. But I smelled the vegetables and the scent of grilled meat, and there was no way I could wait a moment longer.
I sucked it up, kept my chin up, and I went and sat at the end of the table alone.
They whispered my name.
They laughed at me under their breaths.
They openly looked at me—until I looked at them, and then they pretended they were busy with the food on their plates. It was so damn obvious it pissed me off.
That’s why—and onlyafterI finished my food, I said, “If you’re trying to mock me or humiliate me, you should have the balls to do it to my face.”
I stood up, and it was evident that I’d caught them by surprise. Easy to see in the way their mouths fell open.
“But just so you know, I still won’t care,” I said with all the bitterness of the realm coating my tongue as I walked around the table. “Cowards,” I spit lastly, and for whatever fucked up reason, I felt worseafterward. Not better—worse.
Somebody laughed. Somebody said something I didn’t hear, but I didn’t let myself turn. I didn’t want to pick a fight with another Hand—for Time’s sake, we were all in the same position here, weren’t we?
