Labyrinth: A Jeremiah Valeska Story *COMPLETED*

Chapter 27: The Lesson

I woke before Jeremiah the following morning, and I quietly got dressed in leggings and a blue shirt before wandering downstairs to get myself some tea. When I reached the kitchen I saw Ecco there, a book in her hand. "Good morning." I greeted and she smiled in response. "You seem to be feeling better." She stated as I began steeping my tea over the stove. "I was helpless yesterday... I don't want to feel that way again." I decided and she looked up from her book, intrigued. "Can you teach me how to fight? If there's one thing I learned from yesterday it is that I am tired of running. I want to be able to defend myself." I said and she set her book down. "I'll teach you, if you'd like." She responded as I poured my tea into a mug from the black pantry. "Thank you." I said, taking a seat next to her and we sat in silence for a second before I spoke up. "So how did you and Jeremiah meet?" I asked, unsure of the origin of her employment. "I grew up in a family of Russian soldiers. I learned to fight before I could talk and when I got older it only felt natural to become a bodyguard. I was working for a man at Meyer & Hayes when I met Jeremiah. He had heard about my work and offered double the pay so I jumped." She said and I nodded. Jeremiah truly stopped at no lengths when it came to safety. It was interesting learning about Ecco, she could be very fun but also reclusive at the same time. She then stood up, motioning for me to follow her. "Where are we going?" I asked as she lead me through a hallway of what I had thought to be fake doors but she walked up to one and placed her finger on a keypad by the door. A red beam scanned her fingerprint and then the door clicked unlocked. She walked inside and turned on the light and I walked inside amazed. It was a full on gym equip with large equipment, mats, and weights. I supposed that explained Jeremiah's muscle definition but I was surprised that he never told me about this place. Oh what I would give to watch him work out in here. Stay focused. I reminded myself as Ecco guided me to the middle of the room. "Have you ever fought anyone before?" She asked. "I fought someone over dumpster food once." I replied, recalling my parents asking me to go out and steal some food. I instead searched the dumpsters of all the major restaurants and I found the perfect meal when another street rat tried to take it from me. I had left them scratched and bruised but I was so hungry I was basically an animal at that point. "Okay we can work with that." She nodded and then she put up her fists and I mimicked her. She swung her fist and punched me in the jaw. "Hey!" I complained, holding my now sore jaw. "First lesson, blocking and dodging." She said as she showed me the correct form for blocking someone's attack. Over the next hour Ecco taught me the basics of fighting and I was able to effectively block her attempts to hit me and was even able to land a few punches of my own. Fighting was quite the workout and both Ecco and I were sweating up a storm as we trained. "So there you are..." I heard Jeremiah's voice in the doorframe, knowing he was referring to me. I could feel Jeremiah's eyes watching me as I practiced with Ecco. No pressure. I looked over to register him and Ecco took the opportunity to tackle me. "Never. Loose. Focus." She said seriously and I groaned, picking myself back up of the mat. "Why don't you give it a go Jeremiah?" Ecco suggested, gesturing to me. I was slightly relieved as I'm sure anyone would be easier to fight than her. Jeremiah smirked as he approached me, having gotten dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans and I had to tell myself to not get distracted by his attractiveness. But damn it was hard. "Don't think I'll go easy on you. Ecco trained me herself." He smirked and I felt my cheeks get hot with anger at the thought of them training like this. There was something intimate about it. He saw the look on my face as he got into a fighting stance. "Aw, are you jealous?" He jested and I lunged for him taking the first swing which he effortlessly dodged. He chuckled and I took the opportunity to punch him with my other hand. He was taken aback that I had actually hit him and then a devious smile spread across his face as he readjusted his glasses. He made a move to hit me and I blocked him. He succeeded in pushing me backwards and we eventually settled into a pattern of push and pull. He was showing no mercy, and the longer we fought the quicker I was getting my butt whooped. He had successfully broke my defense so I brought my leg up in a desperate attempt to kick him, but he grabbed my leg and threw me on the ground. I sighed frustratedly. "You can't fight with your first instinct, you have to be smart about it. Your opponent will always anticipate your attack." He scolded and he held his hand out to help me up. I rejected it and got up on my own, frustrated with myself for not picking this up quicker. "I can't do this!" I exasperated. "Yes you can, you just need more practice. You can come over twice a week and Ecco can continue teaching you." Jeremiah said. "Don't be too hard on yourself, this was only your first lesson. You did good." Ecco chimed in but I still wasn't convinced. I had a long way to go.