Chapter 28 The training ground
Naomi
So early on a Saturday morning, I took off to school. He had given me a location just close to our normal training group, but it was hidden. No one came to this area, so it was going to be just the two of us. I wasn't comfortable about it, but I had no choice other than to join him.
I made my way to the open field. It was surrounded by trees, with a small loch in the corner.
"I thought you were going to take an eternity." He approached me with a smile on his face like he was actually happy to see me.
I walked over to meet him with a smile of my own, though it didn't quite reach my eyes. He was my teacher, and I didn't want any kind of familiarity with him. It was a student-teacher relationship, and it was supposed to remain that way no matter what.
"I was lost looking for this place. I've never been here before." My eyes scanned the already beautiful environment.
The cold air on this side hit my body, causing goosebumps to grow on the parts of my skin that were exposed.
"I see. Sorry for the trouble. I wanted to go somewhere else, but that would be for another time."
He looked over my body. He gave a satisfied nod and pointed his finger at a black mat in front of the loch.
"Stand there and tell me why you want this, so that I can know exactly what to give you."
He stood with his hands behind his back, waiting for me to give him an answer. I didn't know he was going to ask this. I just wanted to do this and be over with it. It wasn't something I wanted to share. I just wanted to get the physical strength I needed for self-defense.
"You don't have much time, Naomi." He warned, his eyes narrowing down to my shaky hands. I tried so hard to hide them away from him, but it didn't work as he already saw them.
"There is no need to be this shaky as it's just us here. And if you don't tell me why, then I will have to..."
I didn't let him finish as I rushed to give him the reason. He couldn't leave, not just when we were getting started.
"I want to be able to defend myself. Protect myself." There was a bitter edge laced in my voice as the words left my mouth.
"Does it have something to do with the injury you sustained on your head the day you came to my office?"
I nodded. That was it. I want to be able to deal with Calix and her crew and every other person who stood in my way.
"Great. It therefore means that, you are going to need more than this." He goes to take something from the bag that was on the floor. He returned with two sharp pointed objects in his hands. It looked like sticks that had been sharpened into that form.
"You would have to go harder if you wish to fight those who stand in your way." He throws one of the objects to me, and it fell to the floor. He shook his head in disappointment.
"You should be able to catch that. That's one of the things we used to train where I..."
He didn't finish his sentence and proceeded with his lectures.
He taught me how to swing and aim at a target. He taught me a few boxing tricks as well. I couldn't help but be amazed at how strong he was. He didn't even show this side of him while we gathered at the general training.
We were done in two hours, and our next session was on Monday after school.
I stood in an awkward position as he changed his sweaty t-shirt into a clean one.
I had never been faced with anyone like this, let alone a man. Well-built like he was going to war.
"Like what you see, Naomi? Want to touch it?" He teased, walking towards me with a food pack in his hand. I wanted to tell him that this wasn't appropriate, but I bit my tongue.
Nothing came out of my mouth. He went to sit on the mat. He motioned for me to join him, which I did with no restraint. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't do this. But I didn't understand what it was with him. I just kept agreeing to everything he said or wanted. There was a strange sensation around him that I couldn't fathom, especially with the way I always felt when my hand came in contact with any parts of him.
"How did the werewolf catch go for you last time you were on it?" He placed a cup of some brown liquid in front of me and two donuts.
I shrugged, picking up the donuts first. "We were attacked, but we managed to get one werewolf. It was taken to the lab at Xylos. But I later heard at school that the werewolf disappeared without a trace." I wasn't directly looking at him, but I saw from the corner of my eye how he paused from taking the cup to his mouth.
Maybe he was surprised by the news.
"I wonder how that happened, given that no werewolf has ever been to that place and wouldn't even know the escape route, if there was one at all."
"Do you know why the werewolf would be taken there? Instead of killing it?"
There was something in his voice. Something more than curiosity, but I couldn't pin a finger on it.
"Perhaps to lure other werewolves or use it for an experiment. I have no idea."
"Hmm." The sound came out of his mouth as he drank the liquid.
"So, what about you? How would you treat a werewolf if you caught one?"
I didn't have to think about an answer.
"Use the last part of my being to kill it. They deserve it."
Something cracked beside me. I turned to see that he had crumpled up the plastic cup with his hand. He tossed it aside and stood up, a stoic expression on his face.
My heart thumped in my chest, thinking that I might have said or done something I shouldn't have.
I couldn't afford to irritate him in any way. So, I went ahead to apologize for something I might have done.
"I'm sorry if I said anything to anger you."
He turned to me with a sly smile on his face. He took a step forward and stood in front of me.
His hand reached under my chin. He gently rubbed circles under it. A familiar feeling crowded me. There was a tickle between my legs, like I was about to explode down there.
I took a step backward, but he held my chin in place.
"You haven't done anything wrong. Look..." He pointed at the sky above us.
"It's getting cloudy and dark. It would rain soon, so we have to leave."
He let go.
I followed behind him, feeling a wetness between my thighs. I didn't know what it was as I had never done anything down there.
"Working today?" He asked when we stopped a few meters away from Dean's Dinner because I asked him to drop me there.
"Yes. I have the shift tonight."
He nodded, looking straight ahead of him.
"What kind of work does your grandmother do?"
It was my turn to look at him with narrowed brows.
How did he know I have a grandmother? And why would he ask me that kind of question?