The Glow

Chapter 2

Dr. Treviño swept her arm across the table in frustrated anger, sending beakers and test tubes careening toward the hard floor to shatter. She covered her face with her hands, cursing her inability to re-create the original event. Was it the water? The flowers? The rock formations?

Marisol carefully wrapped her hands in the gauzy practice material, protecting the bones in her knuckles and hand. She had learned her lesson from the constant combat practice over the last 18 months to wrap her knuckles or she would bruise them on her opponent's body. The first time Marisol had punched her opponent, she had cried over the bruises. Marisol smiled at the memory and flexed her fingers, carefully testing her handiwork.

Ariel called to Marisol from the practice ring where she was leaning on the elastic side.

"When do i get to give you some bruises to match the one from earlier?" Ariel teased.

"In your dreams, tiny woman." Marisol shot back. She gracefully leapt the side of the ring and clasped Ariel's hand in a practiced moment of sportsmanship. Both young women fell into fighting stance, legs slightly bent and fists raised. Marisol saw the forward jab coming and swept Ariel's manicured fist to the side, sweeping her other arm forward in an elbow jab to the face. Ariel ducked quickly, her feathery black hair falling into one eye. Marisol brought her knee up and Ariel gripped it firmly, pulling and twisting to get Marisol off-balance. Marisol brought her right elbow down between Ariel's shoulder blades at the base of her neck, bringing the petite asian coughing to the floor with her as she fell. Marisol wrapped her leg around Ariel's waist and threw her arms around her neck, not even needing to stretch across her back to pin Ariel down in a choke.

Ariel tapped the mat twice, signaling she needed to breathe. Marisol released her friend immediately, helping her to a sitting position. A husky voice came from the side of the practice ring.

"I told you the sexy latina would win this one."

"And I'll happily tell you again that I'd bet on my little asian beauty any day."

Ariel blushed as she caught her breath. Marisol pulled her to her feet and nodded to the two attractive lab techs standing next to the practice ring.

Nigel and Minden made a habit of watching as many of Marisol and Ariel's matches as possible. Minden winked one ocean-colored eye at Ariel, making the ordinarily confident and amorous girl blush even harder. Marisol took the towels Nigel offered her and handed one to her tomato-colored friend. Ariel bashfully wiped the sheen of sweat from the shaved and tattooed left side of her head, the shiftTatt illustrating strings of ivy waved, as if in the wind, as she rubbed the towel over it. Marisol's own shiftTatt of her star sign on her neck, twinkled like real stars in response to the rubbing.

"How are our favorite fighters doing today?" Nigel grinned, leaning on the side of the practice ring. Marisol wiped her face on the towel before draping it around her neck.

"Bruised," She replied stretching her arms over her head. Ariel's punch earlier was her only bruise, but her friend's neck was blossoming light purple. Nigel smiled flirtatiously at Marisol.

"Only makes you look that much cooler, my little warrior princess." Marisol rolled her eyes, but the ghost of a smile flit across her lips.

"I'm not your anything, Nigel."

"For now." Nigel's wink broke both of them, their laughter ringing around the room. Minden looked on, an amused smile curling her full, glossed lips. Ariel's golden gaze drifted over Minden, drinking in her high cheekbones, jaw-length silver hair, and eyes the color of the ocean in the moonlight. Minden glanced over and met her gaze. The tension built between them stopped abruptly when Marisol threw her arm over Ariel's shoulders, pulling toward the locker room.

"Bye Nigel!"

"Bye Marisol!"

Minden smiled and waved as Ariel looked back at her over her shoulder. Marisol pulled her into the locker room and the door swung quietly shut behind them, hiding the ghost of a smile blooming on Ariel's lips.

***
Above is Ariel