Chapter Eight
At Farrun Hall, Evie trailed behind a few students who entered ahead of her. The building proved to be the perfect setting for Evie’s next class, Suojata, a combat and defense training program. The building housed a large indoor gymnasium, a free weight and cardio room encased in glass, and separate dressing rooms on either side of the entrance. The main workout area, a wide open room, ran the length of the building, its cathedral ceilings three stories high.
Students already lined the gym walls, waiting on instruction. At least thirty people, human and Surmata, stood around in smaller groups, talking amongst themselves. Not spotting anyone she wanted to socialize with, she leaned against the cinder block wall, crossed her arms, and waited patiently for class to start.
Evie passed the time by covertly watching each group, playing a guessing game with herself as she tried to distinguish human from Surmata. With most of the human men at or above six feet tall, it proved difficult with their backs turned, forcing her to focus on body language. The Surmata moved gracefully, precise and lithesome in motion, whereas humans, clunky creatures, almost bulldozed their way through obstacles, no elegance or beauty in their movements.
More people filed into the room. Attendance in this class was at least double that of her history class. Many new faces Evie didn’t recognize strolled about, talking in small clusters, familiar with one another. Evie assumed the forty-three from her group, well, forty-two since Max failed to make an appearance, would all participate. Evie tensed when Dominick entered the gym, but he sauntered past her without giving her a single glance.
Hands clapped together to grab everyone’s attention. A Surmata male stood in front of the class. Average in height for a Surmata, barely over six feet tall, he had a runner’s body of lean muscles, narrow at the waist and hips. His eyes, a dark-brown mahogany, accentuated his serious face. The change in outfit, enough to throw Evie off, almost made her not recognize him as the guard from the bus. The same guard who made Evie’s heart warm by his protective display.
Excited to see him again, Evie almost failed to question his change in appearance. On the bus, Evie believed him to be human, but now his eyes shown with the inner brilliance only the Surmata had. The information she’d been taught at camp was incomplete. Maybe, they could change their appearance at will. This gave credence to what some researchers theorized about the Surmata having more than one form. That their eyes offered a hint at their true appearance.
“Alright, class. Let’s get started. My name is Soturi Xander, and I will be your primary self-defense instructor. To the right of me are two of my advanced students. They will assist me with your training. When I’m not here, they’re in charge.” Soturi Xander gestured to the men beside him. “Now, the big brute on the end with the horrendous beard is Soturi Brant.”
Evie glanced at the man Soturi Xander referred to. Huge, almost seven feet tall, with a barrel-shaped chest and muscles on his arms bigger than the circumference of Evie’s body. His eyes, kind and warm with inviting yellow-orange irises, contradicted his size. He reminded Evie of an overgrown teddy bear. With all eyes on him, he seemed ill at ease, uncomfortable with the attention.
“The shorter, scrawny one next to me is Soturi Lyon. And, I will warn you now his bark is not worse than his bite.” Soturi Xander laughed, amused by his own joke. A loud growl emitted from Soturi Lyon’s chest. Not scrawny by any means, Lyon glared at the class, daring them to laugh at the quip; none did. Both Surmata males were about the same height, but while Soturi Xander was lithe, Soturi Lyon was stocky. Of course, anyone next to Soturi Brant’s giant frame would appear small.
“You will be divided into three groups. Each group will be assigned an instructor. We will each call out names. If you hear yours, step behind the person who called it. Once we have the groups assigned, we will give you five minutes to change into more appropriate attire.”
It didn’t take long for them to go through the names. Evie ended up in Soturi Xander’s group and almost jumped with joy when Dominick ended up with Soturi Brant.
As she ran to the locker room to change, the dull ache in her side returned, becoming a painful throb. Not strong enough, the pills she took earlier were wearing off. The soreness from where Dominick punched her slowly built back up. When she breathed in, the pain intensified, giving evidence to a possible bruised rib, maybe even more than one. She changed carefully, hoping nothing too strenuous would be required in today’s class, and followed her classmates back out to the gym.
“Okay. We are going to go over some of the basics. Once we get a feel for what level you’re at, we will place you in a class with your peers.” Soturi Xander paced in front of the three groups. “Today, there will be a series of endurance and strength tests. Please perform them to your fullest potential, because once I place you in a class, you will not be allowed to change.”
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An hour later, exhausted from repeated push-ups, sit-ups, and sprints, Evie wished the class would end soon. She performed well, but made sure to stay in the middle of the group; she didn’t want to call attention to her uniqueness, not here. Over the last year, her increased training schedule allowed her to become stronger and faster than her counterparts at camp. Her increased endurance kept her on her feet while the others in her group sprawled out on the floor, their chests heaving as they caught their breath.
Evie leaned against the wall, trying to not let her agony show.
During the tests, it steadily increased, getting progressively worse as the hour went by. It became difficult for her to mask how much pain vibrated through her body as the throbbing ache disappeared, only to be replaced with a stabbing pain that made her breath catch if she inhaled too deeply.
“Alright, everyone. This will be the last exercise. We will pair you up and watch how you spar.”
Soturi Xander methodically chose each partnership. He evaluated each person visually, pairing him or her with someone with roughly the same physical build, or as close as possible. Evie, on the short side, was more lean muscle with a curvy waist. All the other girls were taller and heavier.
Soturi Xander paired Evie with a girl at least five inches taller in height who easily outweighed her by forty pounds or more. The girl looked vaguely familiar; Evie had seen her around the camp. Her name was Shannon, and she was part of the flock of girls who swarmed around Dominick and his friends, always trying to attract their attention.
Shannon regarded Evie with contempt, her hate on open display, and Evie knew she wouldn’t hold back. Shannon planned to inflict as much pain on her as possible. Evie sighed. Nothing had changed since leaving the camp. She’d really expected her life to improve upon arriving at the school.
Now, she knew better.
“When I blow the whistle, you will each have a go at each other. All hits must be to the torso area only. Keep it clean. I want fair fighting.” Soturi Xander paused to make sure everyone understood the rules. “We will be walking around, looking at your individual maneuvers, and grading you on what we see. Fight dirty and points will be deducted from your overall score, and you’ll start in the beginner’s class with all the other newbies.”
Soturi Xander held a clipboard. As he spoke, he jotted notes down; his forehead creased in a frown. An urge to reach out and smooth the wrinkle from his skin hit her full force. She wanted his eyes smiling, not darkened in frustration. Evie shuddered as the desire became almost overwhelming. She fisted her hands together to resist the compulsion. Not understanding where the impulse came from, she played it safe and backed away until she skirted the outer edge of the group. By putting space between them, she hoped the desire would diminish.
Did the Surmata emit a pheromone human women found attractive, almost irresistible? She peered around at the hungry gazes centered on the three Surmata instructors. Maybe, they did. She would ask the question in class next week.
Evie dismissed her thoughts and moved into position. The girl, Shannon, did the same. They mirrored each other’s stance, each cataloging the other’s strengths and weaknesses. When the whistle sounded, Shannon rushed forward, trying to catch Evie off guard. Evie, the faster one, reacted quickly and glided out of the way, bringing her knee up at the last second. Shannon exhaled a harrumph, then bent forward, clutching her stomach. Evie backed off, giving the other girl a chance to recover. After all, Evie didn’t want to seriously injure her.
Soturi Xander watched them from the corner of his eye. Evie wanted to put on a good enough show to ensure she would be placed in the advanced class, but not well enough to be in the top ranks.
Shannon straightened and shook out her shoulders and arms to lessen the pain. With exaggerated movements, Shannon tried to act like her injuries pained her in an attempt to garner sympathy from the Surmata. Evie rolled her eyes; she hadn’t hit her hard. She got herself back in the ready position, alert. Shannon might take a dirty shot once Soturi Xander’s back turned.
The other girl rushed her, and Evie blocked her easily. Using her momentum against her, Evie’s left arm crossed her body, grasped Shannon’s shoulder, and with a quick turn of her hip, Shannon’s back impacted the floor.
When the blond girl stood, her eyes shot daggers at Evie, enraged at being bested. Shannon might believe her age and experience gave her an edge over Evie, but Evie methodically proved her wrong. She was determined not to lose this fight. She may have to be careful and travel the middle road in order to not be noticed, but that didn’t mean she had to take shit from people who liked to cause pain to make themselves feel superior or to impress a guy.
The other groups sparred around them. A shout from the two beside them distracted Evie for a split second, and Shannon made her next move. She used Evie’s inattention and stepped forward. Evie leaned in a half second too late, allowing Shannon past her defenses. The unexpected strike drove into the same place Dominick had hit her last night.
Pain erupted down Evie’s side, and her breath came out in short gasps. The pain escalated and darkness crept into her vision. Her breathing became labored, and she struggled to gulp air into her uncooperative lungs.
Shannon saw her opportunity, and instead of backing off into the ready position, her foot lashed out, catching Evie directly on the chest.
Blackness seeped in, and unconsciousness took Evie before she hit the mats.