Free Minds

Chapter 74.

   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.