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I watched Odessa and Rowan from afar while they trained in the groove. I saw obvious improvement in the way Rowan moved but Odessa was still more advanced than him. Near the end, Odessa lashes out, going towards his abdomen which he immediately goes to block, getting distracted and allowing her to go for the real move and use his arm, twist it around, and flip him over onto his back.
He groans as his back hits the hard ground. "Nice one," he smiles up at her and accepts her hand. Odessa smirks and wipes away the little dribble of blood by his temple. As they concluded their session, I noticed movement in the shadow casted by the nearby trees.
Squinting, I saw the frame of a body. Was someone watching them? Planning an attack? Odessa seemed to have seen it too, her head moving towards the figure while Rowan talked about something. She only nodded and turned her attention back to Rowan.
I narrowed my eyes. She knows there's someone there and doesn't do anything? Usually, I'd leave it alone, already coming to the conclusion that she did things for a reason but not knowing her reason for obviously ignoring someone watching them left a bad feeling in his gut.
Odessa and Rowan walked away but he could still see the figure there, lurking, as if it was waiting for something. After a few seconds, there were little flickers of light. I stiffened, realizing whatever or whoever it was knew I was there and staring. Was he waiting for me to come over? It could be a trap.
Are you just going to stand there and stare? A voice said in my head. The words looped around my brain and tightened, making me wince. I grunted and walked over to the trees, crossing his arms. "Who are you?" I demanded. There was nothing but the wind making the tree leaves rustle.
"Odessa knows you were watching," I said. "Which means she knows who you are, correct?"
"Incorrect," a scratchy voice responded. "Odessa doesn't know who I am,"
I scowled. "How do you know Odessa?"
"The same way you know her," he said. "By watching over her,"
My figure tightened. In all of my years of checking up on Odessa, not once had I noticed another man watching over her. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Unlike you, Alexander," the mention of my name made me even more cautious. "I have been here since Odessa was born, I watched over her and protected her as if she was my own,"
"Really? But she doesn't even know who you are?"
"No, but she will, when the time comes,"
"And the rest of us? You can't just stalk her and expect us not to want to know exactly who you are," I spoke in a lower tone, stepping closer towards the trees.
"Odessa will know my name and my face and if she chooses to tell you my name, then so be it,"
