Strains

Chapter 32

Matthew and I have been training underground for a few days now. We don't even go to his house anymore and instead invest all of our class time here. But with the rogue Spark still prowling the campus at night, I'm grateful for the intensive study. There hasn't been any progress made in finding out who the guy is, and that's even after Matthew has spent every night working alongside the enforcers.

I can see his exhaustion weighing him down and getting worse with every day that goes by. Still, even though he's been tired, I haven't laid a mark on him, but I've gotten better at telling where he is. I get a lot less dirty this way.

Matthew stops outside the entrance into the catacombs and looks over to me. "I'll be meeting with the council a lot next week due to midterms. So, I'll be too busy to give you one for this class."

Sweet.

"I am totally fine with that."

"That is to say, today is your midterm," he says with a dark grin.

My heart stops. Why did he wait to tell me this now? I thought this was a remedial class, I didn't know I would be getting a test. Matthew signals me to follow him.

"Don't panic. You're a fast learner, I thought it'd take a lot longer for you to get to this point. Just make sure to come at me with everything you got today, alright?" Matthew says as we walk into the darkness.

"Of course, Teacher."

When he shuts the heavy door and extinguishes the candlelight, I'm not nervous. I remove the cap from my marker. Today, I'll hit him for sure.

I hear him run forward and I step to the side. I can feel the disturbed air brush against my face. My senses are much more acute now, to a point where I'd like to consider myself superhuman. I know it's not true. I slash backward. Nothing. I know other students are much more capable than I am.

He strikes from my left, and it barely misses me. He's more aggressive today. This is the toughest he's been. He comes forward, and I sense him extending his arm towards my right side. There's nothing cutting the air though. Crap, he must've switched hands. And it's too late, I can't avoid it. He hits my left hand, and pain briefly rushes up my arm.

"Wait, that isn't a marker!" I yell at him.

"No, it's not. But it doesn't change anything." He comes forward again, pushes me back with his elbow, and slaps the marker from my hand. The sound of it hitting stone echoes in the chamber.

"Don't let fear paralyze you. My ability doesn't affect your own. Now pay attention or you'll end up dead!"

He's not giving me time to breathe, or even to find my marker. I won't resort to slapping him like I did last week. No. This time I'm going to beat him. But where did it land? It could have rolled a good distance on these floors. I might never find it. Matthew comes forward again and I feel his blade slice into my cheek. I hop backward and rush to my left. I hit the wall, duck to escape Matthew's cuts, and feel around with my feet.

Please be nearby.

Matthew is moving too fast for me to form cohesive thoughts anymore. My body is reacting off instinct. I don't want to get hit. I don't want him to kill me.

"Defend yourself!" His yell echoes off the walls surrounding us. I sidestep as he lunges forward and strikes the wall. The blade clinks against what must be the door to the exit. Wait. I throw myself at his side, using my body weight to throw him off balance. There. I slide forward, and brush past him, pulling his marker from his pocket. I knew he'd have it with him.

He slides his foot under mine, and I swing my arm upwards as I fall. Damn him. How is he so quick? He holds his knife to my neck.

"We're done today," he says.