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  Just as we head off to grab an early lunch, we hear the annoying shrill voice of Nora calling for Daniel’s attention. He cringes but slinks away to join her. “What was that about?” I ask.

  Trey gives an amused smirk. “That was Nora tightening her leash on Daniel,” he laughs.

  “Huh?” I say, the confusion on my face, one and the same as Jacinta’s.

  “Nora has the shits that you guys never showed up for their elitist shopping trip over the weekend and she is taking it out on Daniel because he didn’t try hard enough to make it happen.”

  “What,” Jacinta screeches. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “She really is crazy,” I laugh. “Though, I’m starting to feel sorry for Daniel. It mustn’t be easy being the object of Nora’s affections.”

  “No way. He knew what he was getting into when he started this whole thing, we gave him plenty of warning,” Jacinta says.

  “Nah, I disagree,” Trey says. “I think he is putting on an act and he’s really starting to like her.”

  “What makes you say that?” I ask.

  “Because he comes back from seeing her all giddy and happy like some love sick fool and not to mention, Nora stopped bothering Jacinta months ago yet he is still dating her. It’s only around you guys that he puts on that big act. I think he is falling for her.”

  “Nooooo,” I whine. “But it's Nora.”

  “The she-devil is going to be my sister-in-law,” Jacinta cries as we wrap our arms around each other, making a show of our sadness and paying tribute to our fallen friend.

  “Cut it out,” Trey groans with a roll of his eyes.

  “Fine,” I say. “I’ll be happy for him if he truly is falling for her, hell, I might even try being nice to the witch. But, if this is all still a game to him, then no deal. In fact, I think if he is playing her, then that’s actually kind of mean, stringing her along for months when he doesn’t actually like her… I don’t know, doesn’t seem right.”

  “Hmm… You know Daniel has a big heart,” Jacinta says. “I don’t think he has it in him to actually date someone for months if he didn’t have feelings for the girl,” she sighs, then smirks at me. “It’s just weird seeing him pine for someone that isn’t you.”

  “Hey, he promised me I will always be his favourite girl. So long as that doesn’t change, then I’m all good,” I declare.

  “Seriously? Are we still discussing this?” Trey whines.

  “Of course,” Jacinta defends. “It’s very important that we know what’s going on with our boys.”

  “Why don’t you just ask him?” Trey says as if we were stupid for not having done this already.

  “Like he will actually tell us,” Jacinta scoffs, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  “You’re right, there’s no way in hell he will tell us,” Trey says to Jacinta, then turns his gaze to me. “But you, Bianca. He has always been honest with you, I think he will tell you exactly what’s going on.”

  I’m thoughtful for a moment, thinking back on my relationship with Daniel and I realise Trey is right. Daniel has never lied to me and if I’m curious then all I need to do it ask. But on the other hand, Daniel has always come to me when he needs to get something off his chest, maybe he isn’t ready to share this yet, or maybe things are changing between us and he suddenly feels that he can't.

  “Hmm… You’re right. I’ll have a talk with him,” I say, a little unsure of what that conversation will hold.

  We head into the cafeteria and grab something to eat, taking our lunch out into the sun, to enjoy our last bit of freedom, before the week of excruciatingly hard combat midterms truly begin.

  ----------

  That afternoon, I find myself sitting in a small room off to the side of the shooting range. My legs bounce in nervous anticipation as I wait my turn to be called. I take slow deep breaths as I run over my short speech on gun and weapon safety over and over again, making sure I don’t miss a thing. What feels like an eternity later, Rylan opens the door. “Bianca, you’re up,” he announces.

  I get up from my spot, take one last calming breath and head over to the door that Rylan holds open. I do everything in my power not to touch him as I pass, in fear of forgetting everything I’m here to do. I walk down the long hallway which leads me to the shooting range. “Relax, would you?” Rylan scolds from behind me. “I can feel your nerves radiating out of your body. You’ll do great. You’ve got the best target skills I’ve ever seen,” he encourages.

  An un-lady like snort come flying out of my mouth. “You mean, apart from your target skills, of course?” I ask.

  He gives me a small laugh and a smile which doesn’t reach his eyes. “A few months ago, I would have agreed with you, until I shot you,” he deadpans, reaching out to rub his thumb over the small, raised scar that remains on my upper arm.

  His comment is ridiculous and I express my thoughts with yet another snort. “Don’t be stupid, you saved my life that day and besides, I’d take that bullet a million times over if it means getting the special treatment I received in the infirmary afterward.”

  He rolls his eyes in exasperation, leans in and gives me the gentlest kiss on the lips which is over as quickly as it started. “You ready?” he asks.

  I give a nod and watch as he turns and leads me down the rest of the hallway.

  “By the way,” I smirk, as he begins thumbing in the code for the door. “My scar is total badass.”

  He glances down at me, raises his hand and rubs his thumb over my scar once again, which over the last few months, he must have done at least a hundred times. “That, it is,” he says, pausing at the door. “Head in the game, Bianca.”

  “Always,” I say as he pushes the door open.

  On the other side of the door, I find three older men, all dressed impeccably well with The Guard’s emblem on their suit jackets, letting me know these are The Guard officials. I step deeper into the room, sensing Rylan following behind, he finds an empty space on the wall to prop himself against which gives him the best view of my impending doom, though, I wouldn’t have expected anything else.

  The three men before me all stand at my advance, whether they are just being chivalrous or if this is the just standard procedure, who will ever know? One short, one fat and one bald. Shorty takes a step in my direction, holding his hand for me to take, I give it a quick but firm shake and hold his gaze. “You must be Bianca,” he starts “We have heard some wonderful things about you.”

  “Indeed, we have,” Baldy says, cutting Shorty off. “And we hope you can live up to that expectation,” he says in a manner which makes me think anything less than perfect will not be acceptable. I give him a firm nod, agreeing with him, not for their benefit of course but for my own peace of mind.

  “Right,” Fatty says with a scowl. “Enough chitter chatter, let’s gets this started,” he demands, clearly not the friendly one of the bunch.

  Shorty, Baldy, and Fatty all take their seats. “Ok Bianca,” Baldy starts. “Please describe to us your knowledge of gun safety and the procedure you would use to prepare your firearm, then proceed with the same explanation on daggers,” he demands. My heart beats rapidly in my chest but I don’t allow myself to be intimidated by these officials, officials who were rude enough not to offer their names. I take a deep breath. Fix them all with a look of pure confidence and finally let the speech which has been locked up in my mind free.

  Twenty minutes later, Rylan hits a button which returns my last target sheet for the examination. He releases the sheet and takes it straight to a table which holds six more of my target sheets from the various exercises I’ve had to perform. The three officials gather around the targets and in hushed whispers, discuss their findings. Another 10 minutes later they all turn in my direction, I stand straight as they prepare to give me my accuracy reading. Rylan pushes off the wall and takes a step in my direction, sure enough to hear the results first hand.

  Fatty lets out a low huff and meets my gaze. “Congrat
ulations Miss Bianca Moore,” he says in a flat tone. “You have now completed the target skills element of your physical midterm examinations. You have received a pass mark with an accuracy rating of 98%.” I hear Rylan suck in a breath beside me and I quickly shoot my eyes in his direction to see nothing but pure pride. I aim my gaze back at the officials and plaster on a pleasant smile.

  “Thank you for your time,” I say ever so politely. Doing my best to hold in the grin that is begging to escape.

  “It was our pleasure,” Shorty says. “You have certainly demonstrated a fierce knowledge and understanding of the brief in which you were provided. So far you have shown a lot of dedication to honing your skills. Let’s just hope you have put the same efforts into the other aspects of your training,” he says.

  They each fix me with a nod, dismissing me from the room. I turn and head for the door, as Rylan breaks away from my side to begin setting up the target sheets for the next student. I catch his eye and receive a nod, this one kind and encouraging. He follows this up with a discreet smile that sends a million different message, though the main one being ‘you killed it!’

  Chapter 4

  Tuesday and Wednesday fly by in an excited blur of fights and training. I’ve finally made it to Thursday afternoon and am currently preparing for my last fight, against Trey of all people. I’m almost certain they have left the two strongest contenders for the very last fight, just to make sure The Guards entertainment goes out with a bang.

  So far, I have won eight out of nine fights and I am ecstatic with my results. I know there is no way I would have made it this far without Rylan as my mentor. He has been my saving grace. I strut down to the oval which has been set up as some kind of stadium as I work on keeping my nerves calm. The noise coming from the stadium blows me away. Each day of these trials has been magnificent! I think there have been close to two thousand people each day, today being no exception. The stands are full and overflowing, while people stand around the edges, not even bothering to find a seat.

  I glance over to the designated family section and find Mum, Millie, and Jacinta next to Treys' parents and other family members of my classmates. I give them a smile and a quick wave. I get a tight, nervous smile from Mum, who I know is absolutely hating seeing me in action, Millie doesn’t even notice me as she zones her attention in on a few boys I don’t know and I make a mental note to drill her on that after the fight.

  Jacinta gives a nervous wave back as her eyes scan the oval, most likely searching for Trey. She has been a mess all day. Since Trey has also won all his fights and is now down to this moment, the deciding factor. There can only be one winner. Though, the ranking will also depend on our other test results, so even if Trey beats me today, there is still a chance that I might come out on top. That’s assuming I kick Rylan or Ben’s ass tomorrow in the weaponry skills fight.

  I weave through the crowd which is currently cheering for two of my other classmates, who by the sound of it are coming close to calling it. I push through the last of the crowd and get a glimpse of Daniel fighting Alex. Daniel has him down on the ground and delivers one last sequence that puts Alex of out commission. Daniel gets to his feet with a grin plastered on his face. I cheer as loudly as possible but my voice is drowned out by the hundreds of screaming people surrounding me. The crowd erupts into laughter as he makes a show of taking a bow and finally heads out of the ring.

  I walk around the perimeter of the ring to where Rylan and Ben stand to check over both Daniel and Alex for any injuries. Alex scowls at me as I approach while Daniel sends a beaming smile my way. “Did you see me kick this losers ass?” he asks, hooking his thumb in Alex’s direction.

  “I sure did,” I smile, reaching up and delivering Daniel with an award winning high five.

  “You ready?” he asks, fixing me with a serious look.

  “Please,” I scoff. “I could do this in my sleep,” I say in an attempt to mask my nerves. Daniel laughs away my comment, however, Rylan, who has been intently listening in on our conversation, scoffs as he sends me a look that suggests he can see right through my bullshit.

  “Hey man, nice fight,” Trey says from behind me, coming up to Daniel to give him one of those bro hug, clap on the shoulder things. “So…,” he says in a tone one could only guess belonged to a crazy murderer, as he turns his attention to me. “You ready to do this?” he smirks.

  I fix him with a menacing look. “Oh, I was born for this. It’s you I'm worried about, we better keep the first aid kit on hand for when I whoop your ass,” I say smugly.

  He scoffs at me and takes a step in my direction, throwing his arm over my shoulder and turning us away from the piercing stares from the small group around us. “Seriously though, no hard feelings alright? We both have a lot riding on this so don’t hold back okay,” he says

  “Trey, of course. You’re one of my best friends. And besides, you know I would never hold back and I expect the same from you. If I leave myself wide open I expect that you would take that opportunity, just as I would do to you. Though, you should know, I don’t make mistakes. Your ass is mine,” I laugh.

  “Please,” he laughs, “I could take you with my hands tied behind my back. You’ve got nothing on me, B,” he says with an evil smirk.

  “I guess we're about to find out,” Rylan says, cutting off my retort, suddenly behind us. I poke my tongue out at Trey who pretends to dig through his pocket, to pull his hand back out with his middle finger raised high and proud. I give him one last smirk as Rylan steps between us. “Alright, we don’t have time for this shit,” he says. “Trey, you’ve got 2 minutes with Ben and then it’s time to take to the ring,” Trey gives a simple nod and disappears.

  And just like that. Shit gets real.

  Nerves begin to flutter through me. After all, Trey was right, there is a lot riding on this. Rylan notices my sudden change and places his hands on my shoulders, making sure to keep the rest of his body away from mine. I instantly relax and he smirks at the effect he has on me. “I didn’t think you’d need a pep talk today,” he questions.

  I let out my last shaky breath and mentally get my shit together. I’ve got this. I have literally done everything possible to prepare myself for this moment. I look up into Rylan’s eyes. “I’m good,” I declare, he raises his eyebrows in question. “Really, I am,” I say.

  “Okay,” he says with a slight nod, glancing down at his watch. “It’s time,” he says, indicating towards the ring. “Go and give The Guard a crowd-pleasing show.”

  I give him one last look and take a step towards the ring, Rylan following right beside me. “You know, I would never have gotten this far without you,” I tell him.

  “Ugh,” he groans. “This is no time for your girly shit. Go and be the badass I know you are, you can tell me how amazing I am when you’re done.”

  “Deal,” I smile as we wait at the side of the ring for my name to be announced, which not 10 seconds later happens. He squeezes my shoulder and raises the ropes for me to climb through to our makeshift ring. The crowd roars my name from the stands. Apparently being the only girl, who I might add, has so far kicked all the guys’ butts, I have become somewhat of a celebrity around here. I glance up to the family and friends area once more and find Mum and Jacinta on the verge of passing out, while Millie looks so excited she could burst. I give them a reassuring, cheesy grin and turn to Trey, who seems to be doing exactly the same thing.

  An instructor from the junior campus, who I can’t for the life of me remember his name, steps between Trey and I, speaking into a microphone, going over the rules and regulations of the fight. He revs up the crowd by reminding them that so far Trey and I are both undefeated and what is at stake. Once he is done with his little spiel, he fixes both of us with a nod to confirm we are ready, which we both respond with a firm yes. He nods off to some Guard official at the edge of the ring and begins his countdown, holding his arm out between us “In three… Two… One,” he drops his arm, the crowd roars and sudde
nly it’s on.

  Trey flies at me, his arm outstretched to deliver the first blow, but there is no way I am letting that happen. Not today. I dodge his advance and bring my fist up in an uppercut to his stomach. My fist connects and he bounces back, lessening the blow. I leap forward and bring my leg up to his rib to get him before he has too much time to recover. The crowd roars again at the first sign of action.

  I leap back out of his space and bounce on my toes preparing for his next advance, he feints to the left and I adjust to block whatever is coming. He double steps back to the right and takes the slightest of opportunities to throw his own leg out. He connects hard with my chest, the air rushes to escape my lungs as my body is flown backward. I watch in slow motion as Trey advances on me once again. I hit the ropes on the side of the ring and use the momentum from my hit to rebound off the ropes and propel myself forward into Trey. I come at him with my fists raised, hopefully looking like some exotic warrior princess in the process. I throw my fist out and deliver a game-changing blow to his upper chest which in return has him flying back.

  A worried look crosses his face for the briefest of moments before he fixes it with confidence. Clearly giving himself a mental pep talk. Our fight continues for the next few minutes, each of us cancelling out the other’s strengths, Treys' brute strength, and size to my agility and small frame. I hear Rylan and Ben’s encouragement from the sidelines which spurs me on. I deliver a quick, one, two punch and follow it up with a knee to his stomach. I drop to the floor and sweep my leg out. Trey stumbles and begins to fall, he throws his body weight in my direction and falls into me, we tumble down together, arms and legs flying everywhere.

  He pins me for a slight moment before easing up on top of me. A grin on his face as he knows the likelihood of me getting out of this is basically next to none, all he needs is one good punch and I’m out. He looks down at me, his fist rising behind him. I wait for the last possible moment and use my size against him. I throw myself up and across, just in time to see his fist flying past my ear and hitting hard into the ground. He lets out a low moan, but I don’t let that faze me.