Lilacs
I woke to the sound of my alarm, the ringing piercing painfully through the blissful fog of unconsciousness that had enveloped me. An exhausted groan poured from me as I sat up, turning off the alarm.
As always, I went into the bathroom and followed my usual routine, washing my face and brushing my teeth. When I finished, I noticed the house was still eerily silent. “Nana?”
No response came, save for the gentle creaking of the house. The storm the night before had been awful; I surmised she stayed at the hospital with my father.
I made myself a bowl of oatmeal, filling it with fruit and eating alone at the table. It felt strange to have the house all to myself. As I ate, my thoughts took control, running haywire through my head.
“I don’t want her here…” That’s what my father said. I realized that it didn’t matter how good I was, how hard I worked, my father would never love me. The thought hit me like a landside, and I pushed my breakfast away, my head spinning.
Everything felt strange, off kilter, as if my entire world had been flipped upside down in less than twenty-four hours.
Slowly, I returned to my room, wincing in pain as I changed into my training gear. The padded shirt did little to help the pain that radiated across my back. As I tied the laces of my shoes, I had already begun to sweat, moisture accumulating at the nape of my neck.
My fingers trembled violently as a flash of heat coursed through me, the force of it making me dizzy and leaving me breathless. “Nana…” I groaned, knowing she wouldn’t hear me; couldn’t come to my aid.
For a while, I remained crouched on the floor, waiting out the discomfort. When it finally passed, I sighed, wiping sweat from my skin before I finished getting ready for training.
When I arrived at the ring, everyone fell silent, shooting me looks that ranged from curiosity to irritation. “Woodrow, how are you feeling?” Norrix asked, standing on the edge of the training ring.
“Fine,” I replied, forcing a tight smile.
“You sure?” he prodded. I gave him a stiff nod. I wasn’t going to let anyone know I was still in pain. It was bad enough to be latent; showing weakness would only worsen my standing within the pack.
“Alright. Since things got out of hand last time, I think it’s only right that you and Haven have a rematch.” he stated. I could feel the blood draining from my face, but I forced an expression of neutrality. Was he trying to torture me? Would I be punished forever for simply standing up for myself.
“Sure…” I replied with a shrug, pretending I was unaffected by his command.
“Everyone else… pair up!” Norrix commanded. Within a minute, everyone in the ring had a sparring partner.
“Do you need me to go easy on you?” Riley asked me with a smirk, his voice light and teasing. It didn’t matter how he acted after my lashing, I wasn’t going to forget the disgusting things he had said to me.
“Absolute not, Haven. I kicked your ass before, and I’ll do it again.” I growled at him, taking position. His smile widened into a feral grin.
We went through all the normal exercises, practicing blows and blocking. Then the bell on the training grounds dinged and people stared their taking their turns at full combat. I watch each match with numb detachment, that strange heat beginning to course through me again. I can feel sweat prickling along my skin, despite the cool day.
When it’s finally our turn, I move mechanically, entering the ring and taking my usual spot. Riley swung first and I recoiled from his flow, twisting around and punching him in the side. I could tell I hadn’t hurt him. He let out a winded puff and whipped around to face me.
When he knocked me onto the ground, I bit down on my lip, suppressing a sharp cry as white-hot agony shot across my back. Fuck, it hurt like hell. For a moment, I couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Norrix took a step toward the edge of the ring, opening his mouth to declare Riley the winner of the match, but I refused to yield, forcing myself up out of the dirt.
I was already dripping sweat, glaring at him as we continued to fight, occasionally catching blows from one another. When I lost my footing and stumbled forward, Riley took advantage of the moment, wrapping his arms around me, his grip suffocating.
Suddenly, Riley went rigid, completely motionless. “What are you wearing?” he asked suddenly. What the fuck is he talking about?
“What—”
Without warning, Riley nuzzled my neck, pressing his nose to the skin behind my ear. “You smell different… Like lilacs…” he breathed against my ear. I shuddered with revulsion, trying to break free of his hold.
“Riley—”
“Shh… Don’t move…” he whispered. When I felt his tongue against my neck, I nearly gagged, my entire body shaking. “Fuck, Tyranni… I’m so fucking hard right—”
“Enough!” Norrix shouted, his command radiating through the ring. Riley’s hands released me immediately and I scrambled away from him. “What the fuck was that, Haven?” Norrix demanded, crossing the ring looking completely pissed.
He gripped the neckline of my shirt and dragged me back toward Riley. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on between you two, and I don’t fucking care. If either of you disrupts a training session again, you’ll both face what Woodrow endured last week. Is that understood?”
“Yes,” I replied without hesitation. Riley glanced at me for a single second before his eyes darted back to Norrix and he nodded.
“Get the fuck out of my ring!” Norrix commanded, releasing me with a shove that nearly sent me stumbling backward. He stilled for a moment, flexing his hand in a strange way, and then turned to shout at the next pair of combatants.