It Follows

Part 10

After a few days of wallowing in pain, Alina finally felt ready to face the world again. The fight with Kirigan had been shattering but there was only so long she could stay holed up in her room, hiding from him and the world. Everyone was looking to her to be their salvation and she knew how important it was for her to live up to that role. She felt a grave sense of responsibility to destroy the fold, to make lives easier for the Grisha and the other Ravkans, and indulging in self-pity wasn't going to help accomplish any of that.

"Again!" Botkin commanded.

Anna, her sparring partner for the morning, threw a punch in Alina's direction but Alina blocked the move, grabbing her by the wrist.

"Again!"

By the time combat training ended, Alina was exhausted. Her lessons with Baghra were typically scheduled in the afternoons but they'd been cancelled today due to Baghra's illness. She didn't mind, relieved that she wouldn't be taunted by the loathsome woman. She was sitting on a bench, recuperating, when Botkin approached her a few minutes later.

"Your defense is getting better but your attack moves are still weak. Embarrassingly weak."

"Thanks," she muttered sarcastically.

"You need to focus."

"I don't think that's going to help me get stronger."

"Neither will self-pity or laziness."

Alina shot him an irritated glance. "I'm not lazy."

Just then two women from the Queen's entourage walked past them, staring and snickering at Botkin and her.

"Ignore them."

Botkin's voice brought her out of her reverie. "Easier said than done."

"You don't think I know what it's like?"

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She was such a fool. Of course Botkin, another Shu living amongst Ravkans, had experienced the same hatred she had over the years. "Sorry. I just... every once in a while it gets to me."

He sat down next to her. "A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of sheep."

Alina smiled. "Am I supposed to be the lion?"

"You are. As am I."

"I'm a lion who doesn't know how to throw a proper punch," she reminded him.

"That's true, but you'll learn." He stood up, gesturing for her to come at him. "Hit me."

She shot him a look of disbelief. "I don't think so. You're going to pull some kind of move and I'll end up on the ground."

"Yes, but when you do that enough times you'll finally start to anticipate my moves and attack accordingly." He wiggled his finger again. "Don't make me say it again. Hit me."

Reluctantly she stood up and braced herself to get hurt.

An hour later she was still in the midst of a private lesson when she spotted Kirigan watching her. He was standing a few feet away, studying her intently, his beautiful face free of any emotions. Her heart squeezed with ache. It was so much easier when he wasn't around and a part of her resented him for not going away like he usually did.

"You're getting distracted again," Botkin warned.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Determined to ignore Kirigan, she refocused here attention back onto the lessons.