The next few days consisted of basically the same events. After warm up exercises in the basement and breakfast, Camila and Rav would go up to either his or her room to work on our plan of entry into Zavlon Academia, I made several additions, subtractions and modifications to my weapon designs while Landon connected with more people who could hook him up with the needed materials.

   For Dorian, he seemed to disappear altogether. Immediately our first meal of the day ended, he left the motel to go to God knows where. Rav told me that he had no idea where Dorian went to everyday, but I wouldn't be surprised if Dorian swore him to secrecy.

   Although I was tempted to worry about the chances of him being discovered and caught by the Yunies, I also knew that Dorian wasn't stupid. Wherever he went to had to be safe since he kept going back.

   This morning, however, there was a little change in routine. After spending the previous days doing these warm-up exercises, Landon decided that our bodies should be in somewhat good shape to commence with the combat skills training we were going to need against the Yunies.

   We were currently converged in the basement, with Dorian, Rav, Camila and I seated in a horizontal line on the many old yoga mats combined to ease the hardness of the floor.

"Before we begin," Landon, facing the rest of us in the opposite direction and clad in a tight fitting black long sleeved shirt and grey sweatpants, said, "I know I mentioned the self-defense summer classes in Germany I took and offered to share them with y'all, but I realised I never really bothered to ask if any of you have some experience with fighting."

"I was actually going to bring this up when you started teaching," Camila replied. "But Rav, Dorian, do you guys remember those month long martial arts classes Zavlon Academia makes every first year take?"

"How could I not?" Rav laughed. "Olga Romanoff shoved me to the floor so hard I could have sworn it was into another dimension..."

   But I had to do a double take when he let out a wistful, rather than a depressed sigh.

"Hands down the hottest thing that has ever happened to me to this day," he carried on with a big smile spread across his face. "I should've gone for it with her."

"Anyway..." Cami turned her wide eyes away from Rav to say. "I was able to talk my parents into hiring the Sensei that taught us part time this academic year."

   Without saying another word, she stood up from the mat into an upright position. Before my eyes could register, Camila's legs followed each other up and down as she gave merciless kicks to the air. Just as my mind was only now coming to terms with what was happening, her kicks were suddenly merged with a series of jumps.

   And since that wasn't impressive at all, she just had to turn her last jumpy kick into a backflip.

   Because anything else would've just been pure garbage, right?

   I didn't have to look over to the others to know their faces were going to be nearly in unison with my wide eyed and mouthed reaction.

   No seriously, how could you not look and feel like a total idiot who should jump off a cliff for being so incompetent after seeing that?! I mean... seriously!

"Well," A gulp escaped Rav (like I can blame the guy) right before he continued, "The AI aerobics class Dorian and I attend used to introduce some mild self-defense moves almost every session. But it was just like a dance fighting manner. But just for fun. We didn't have to actually test it out on each other or anything. But Dorian and I have a couple of times."

"What about you, Beth?" Camila asked.

   It was then, with all eyes on me, that I realised that my jaw was still dropped. But one brain consuming question was taking away my ability to feel humiliation.

   How wasn't she out of breath?

   I was starting to consider the possibility of this girl being an alien.

"Beth." Landon's call brought my mind to the room.

"Right!" I nodded. "Fighting experience! Do I have that..."

   Did having to constantly find innovative ways to escape Tali's uncalled for tackles and shoves in my bedroom due to her paranoia that I could get jumped on my way home from school in my Zavolonian uniform count?

"Um, yeah, I do."

"You're sure about that?" Every word that came out of Landon spelt nothing but disbelief.

   I made sure to avoid his penetrating gaze before responding, "Yes."

   Talise's actions counted to me. But no one had to know that.

"Then we can begin," Dorian said, giving me a look similar to the one Landon had on.

   If Dorian believed I was going to chicken out, he had another think coming.

"Yes." I never broke eye contact with him as my lips pressed into a line. "We can."

   I think I speak for everyone when I say that we were over the moon for not being partnered up with Camila. She herself decided it was best to sit this one out, returning to her bedroom to continue with what she described as the 'plan beyond human ken.'

   I don't know what that meant either so no, you're not an airhead.

   Her gesture proved to be a blessing in disguise, seeing as now the four of us didn't have trouble pairing up. After demonstrating to Dorian and Aarav basic attack and defence techniques, Landon suggested they try on each other as partners, he did the same for me right before we began.

   I'd be lying if I said I had a problem with Landon as my partner. Having someone you could trust was exactly what I needed to get through this.

"Where's your head at?" Landon grunted the question as his arms continued to ward off the fisted hands that I swung his way with light hits that forced my hands down to my sides until I was ready to come at him again. "I get that your cut arm's still healing and all, but I still feel you could let your other arm use more force to make up for it. And your agility keeps declining."

"Sorry." I grimaced, diverting from my thoughts to focus more on delivering better punches.

"Are you ready to switch roles again or something? I attack, you defend?"

"No," I applied more effort as my hands swung in his direction. "I'm good."

   Without warning, Landon stopped my next punches by catching my fists just in time.

"Well, you seem to be getting the hang of this so how about we try another technique?" He asked, not letting go as he stared down at me.

"Really?" I frowned. He'd just roasted my skills, but okay. "If you're sure, I'm down. What are you thinking, Landon?"

"Something more..." I shot him a narrowed gaze while he paused, releasing his hold on me to step aside and kick his sneakers off his feet. "hands on... for the both of us."

"What were we doing before?"

   That seemed pretty hands on to me. My eyes darted to the sleeves of his shirt as he rolled them up his arms.

   Should I be worried about whatever he was planning on doing next?

   Seconds went by with my question remaining unanswered, until Landon, still facing me, eventually said, "I want you to pin me to the ground."

   That statement caused a taser-like jolt I didn't see coming to shoot across my nerves. Suddenly, I couldn't predict when the next breath of air was going to be inhaled by my own body. Everything that had to do with me seemed to have frozen.

   Except my eyes that wouldn't stop blinking toward Landon.

   He, however, kept his expression stoic while glancing in my direction.

   This was ridiculous. Why was I letting myself overreact?

"No way." The laugh I forced out was successful in shielding my strained voice.

"Beth, we've spent most of our time on the basics." Landon sighed. "Your half-assed punches clearly show that you're bored. Don't you want to move forward?"

"I do...but isn't what you're asking me to do next, next, next level stuff?"

"You said you could fight, right?" He quirked a questioning brow.

   I was starting to regret not disclosing what exactly my previous statement really meant.

"Landon, I'm not going to pin you down." I shook my head. "Forget about it. Let's just go over what we've been doing so fa–"

"If you don't do it, I will."

"W-what?"

   That was the last word I uttered before Landon, in a semi crouched position charged toward me with the speed of a jungle cat.

   With the blink of an eye, one of his hands swung toward me. Instinct pushed me a few steps back, barely missing his attempted attack. Before the urge to yell at Landon and what the hell he was thinking could even surface, his other hand came at me.

    Then the first one again. Then the other.

   Before I knew it, I found myself applying the defence skills Landon had just been doing and made me practise a few times. My arms didn't relent in warding off the lightning quick hands of Landon as they seemed to reach for every part of my body, looking for any weak spots that he could use to pin me to the floor. Each attempted swing my way kept taking my steps further and further backwards.

"Landon," I said after he showed no signs of ceasing, hating how breath filled my words sounded as my arms continued to fight back. "Stop."

"But Beth," A slow lazy smile merely spread across his face while his hands proceeded toward me with ease. "You're the only one who can stop this. I don't have to remind you already, do I?"

"I'm not..." At the speed at which his hands kept coming, I didn't think I could hold him off much longer. As if on cue, respective aches began to surge through my arms, numbing any hope that I could get out of this. "...pinning you down."

"You know what to do," was Landon's mere reply. "And if you don't in the next ten seconds, my legs are coming in to finish the job."

   Despite the fiery effect of pain that my arms were barely surviving, I was still able to shoot him my harshest glare. Maybe that would be the very thing he needed to make him see how crazy he was acting.

"Dude, lay off!" I heard Rav's voice snap. "In case you didn't notice the pretty obvious bandage on her hand, she's still hurt!"

   From the corner of my eye, I saw and heard Dorian say, "He's not hurting her injury."

"Thank you, Dorian," Landon, still not halting what he was doing, tilted for a second his head to smile at Dorian standing next to Rav.

   Yeah, thanks a lot, asshole— I mean, Dorian. I should've known he of all people would enjoy any signs of me suffering.

   There went my one useful excuse to get Landon to leave me alone.

   Although the pain of admitting it was even bitchier than the hell my upper limbs were going through, Dorian and Landon were both right. Aches could be felt everywhere but my wound.

   But Landon wouldn't have known that if Dorian wasn't such a blabbermouth.

"Rav..." I couldn't mask the strain in my tone as I called out. At this point, my legs were starting to betray me from retreating so much. "Rav...help me. Please."

"Rav, don't." Dorian said.

"Are you crazy?" Rav's voice went a few octaves higher from afar.

"She can handle it."

   My second attempt to curse him out was once again interrupted by Landon whispering, "You should listen to your not-boyfriend."

   That was the last straw.

   This time, my hands didn't defend at his next swing. They grabbed.

   My boiling blood triggered enough adrenaline for me to recall and surprise Landon with one of the moves I'd used on Talise when she sneaked up on me a few times.

   One of my legs, previously a trembling mess, moved with the swiftness of a striking cobra to knock Landon right off his feet. The shock that already engulfed him at my first arm grab gesture froze him in his back flat position on the ground.

   I didn't wait for him to recover. As I got on my knees to straddle his torso, my hands went for his wrists, keeping my grip firm as they pressed him to the floor.

   The silence that overtook the basement made me realise how much my heavy breaths were standing out at the moment. Looking down at Landon, my brows knitted at the boyish grin that dominated his features.

"I've got to say," Landon's words were spoken at a volume only us two could hear. "This position was not my intention, I swear. But... not gonna lie, I could get used to this."

   That brewed a scoff from my end. As soon as I rolled off of him, the aftermath of what just happened did not waste time in taking a torturous, burning toll on every fibre of my being.

   It wasn't successful in exhausting my feelings of rage though.

"Don't you ever do that again, Landon. Do you understand me?" I glared downwards as he, still on the floor, held up one hand for me to pull him up.

   I chose to ignore the amusement swimming within the straight-faced look Landon directed my way as he replied, "Understood."

   Leaving him on the yoga mats, hand still outstretched, I marched toward the basement's exit, desperate for a well-deserved shower and breakfast.

   But not without addressing one more thing.

"Oh and Dorian?" I paused my walk up the stairs that led to the door and turned to him. "I could handle it, you weren't wrong. But that's my choice. So next time someone's willing to put me out of my misery, don't decide on my behalf."

   Idiots.

A/N: This version of Beth though🔥!

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