Chapter 106 Guns and Grit
\[Lilia\]
I woke up before the sun's rays touched the ground. Aya provided me with some balm to apply for my bruises, and also gave me some medicines to take for my aching muscles, both of which worked wonders. The wound didn’t hurt that much. Though it was still brightly visible, I couldn’t quite care about my looks. In fact, I like my scarred self. That way, I could piss Kael more.
He wants his possession flawless, but this is my body, and he doesn’t own an ounce of my soul. I am still the one who gets to decide what I want to do in my life in this wretched place.
Today I will be learning how to fire a gun, and I am excited all about it. I barely even slept last night, thinking about everything I learned yesterday: Sasha being an assassin and so much mystery as to those men running after me.
I was staring outside my window, admiring the panoramic view of the wide stretch of lawn and into the forestland behind as the sun started to cast its summer rays into the earth, when I heard the door creak open, and I didn’t have to turn around and see who it was.
“You’re up early,” Aya’s soft voice resounded in the background, followed by the sound of the table cart being pushed inside my room.
She’s bringing me my breakfast, just like the usual.
“I barely even sleep,” I replied, turning away my attention from the window and moving towards the couch just as she laid my food on the table.
Silence stretched between us, and I felt Aya’s eyes darting toward me curiously. Her lips pressed into a thin line, but I sensed her heavy gaze staring at my face until she could no longer hold her tongue and spoke.
“Is something bothering you?” She finally inquired, taking the spot right in front of me.
I hold the smile from showing on my face and shake my head gently, picking up the fork and taking a piece of pancake from the plate before responding to her question.
“No, it’s just…I’m excited about my training today,” I said, shoving the food into my mouth and moaning as the sweet taste of maple syrup burst into my tongue. There are a lot of things going through my thoughts right now, and I don't want to bother Aya with the details of all of them. She had already reached her limit with regard to everything that was going on in my life. It is in her best interest if I keep certain things to myself so that she can avoid potential danger.
Another stretch of silence blanketed between us, and she just stared at me pigging down my breakfast, which mainly consisted of a triple layer of plate-sized pancakes with butter and maple syrup on top, strawberries, apples, and a glass of warm milk.
“It’s good to see you having progress. Training and everything, you’re getting tougher, far from the Lilia I used to know,” she blurted, out of nowhere, bringing my attention to her face while my mouth was still stuffed with food.
What she said caught me off guard. Was I really that different? Yes, I do know now a thing or two, and after Kael broke me into pieces, I learned to pick myself up and mend it together.
I swallowed everything I was chewing and lifted my brows in bemusement. “Was that a good thing?”
Aya looked at me with the same perplexed expression mimicking mine, standing from her seat and tossing her hands in the air artistically. “Why, of course, it is, and I am proud of you,” she exclaimed, moving to my side and wrapping her arms around my shoulder.
I don’t know, but her hug somehow lifted something heavy inside my heart, and I just feel warm and secure to think that I have someone I could lean upon despite being in this shit hole.
“Thank you, Aya,” I softly said, leaning further into her embrace.
“Fill your energy now. Finish everything I prepared for you. You need it,” she said, gently removing her arms around me.
I went to take another chunk of pancake and offered it to her, asking, “Have you eaten already?”
Aya simply gave me a dismissive shake of the head and replied, “No, but I’ll eat in the kitchen.”
“Okay,” I nodded, shoving the pancake into my mouth.
Now that those bullies were gone—may their souls be in peace, whatever Kael had done to them. Aya said that the other maids were avoiding her after the conflict. It was quite a blessing in disguise on her part as they left her alone. I told her just to mind her own business and avoid getting her path crossed with that Sabina witch. I don’t know what’s running inside her mind, and if she knows how Aya and I are close to each other, she might do something with her. Kael might not even be there to interfere.
I could not let that happen.
Soon after our little chat, Aya eventually left me to finish my breakfast while she ran for her morning errands. She told me to leave the dishes on the cart, and she would collect them later. Said that I should be ready for my training and head for the range.
I didn’t protest, as she insisted, and Val showed up in my room right as I was ready to leave. We are threading the expansive lawn, skirting the forestland, and riding a mini-golf car. None of us said anything about yesterday, and neither did he ask me if I was indeed eavesdropping on his conversation over the phone. The only thing he asked me about was my bruises as he saw them prominently visible on my face and inquired if I was in any pain. I said I was fine and that he had nothing to worry about.
We arrived at the firing range after a little over ten minutes, and my eyes immediately scanned the surroundings, noting the targets layering into the field.
“Right this way, sweet cake,” Val was the first to leap off the golf cart and jogged to my side, offering his hand to assist me. I gladly took it and climbed off the mini-vehicle and followed him toward the small house, or it does look like one to me.
“I’ll teach you all kinds of guns, their parts, their advantages, and everything. Are you ready to learn all that?” Val said as we walked down the narrow, cobbled path towards the house.
“You’re seriously asking me that?” I gaped at him, rolling my eyes, and then pumped myself up. “Hell, yeah!”
“I like your enthusiasm,” Val grinned down at me, patting my head.
“I’m getting feisty, yeah?” I moved closer to him while we were both laughing out loud, and flashed him a wink.
“You’ve been told, huh?”
“Hmm.” I nodded enthusiastically, grinning broadly.