Of Solar And Dark (2018)

14 [S]

Sebestian Knight

Despite what Martha insists on, Ellie forces me and Edward to have a light lunch before returning to our training. Lunch is an affair of keeping my gaze on the plate, shifting my foid awkwardly and trying to ignore how close Edward is when he sits next to me.

I don't like him.

Right?

The moment he started to freak out, I had yelled at Martha to get a medic and raced up the ladder myself to hold him but it was only primary instinct because of what I did to him. Because I felt that overwhelming sweep of guilt rushing across my body and nothing else.

But holding him... feeling him sink against my chest and struggle to hold the ladder but fall into me so easily- was that real?

Whatever.

In a place like this where my main goal was to leave as soon as possible, I couldn't let my emotions cloud my judgement. I had to strip away any form of feelings and face this situation like the king I am- the only way I could tackle this was with logic.

When we return to training, Martha is already ready. This time, we're in the main training room where the large boxing ring is bordered off, controlled by a dashboard and Martha's will.

The room is empty except for our other team members who anticipate the next event excitedly- Kirk is propped against the wall and staring at the boxing room with his eyes shining and Ellie converses with him in a low tone but the thrill in her voice is a salient feature easy to discern.

"They're gonna watch us fight in the ring?" I ask Martha hesitantly, wishing that the ground would swallow me up. Actually, scrape that. I'm six feet under- the ground has swallowed me.

Martha gives me a glance that silences the doubt racing through my mind, "We're a team, Luke. We're all in this together."

"Anyway," Martha continues, "They're not only here to watch. They'll be sparring against you, too."

"This is crazy. I've never fought before." I lie. Martha raises her brows at me in a manner as if she can read the fib on my face.

"I've got a couple of weapons that I think are suited for the two of you but no one ever finds their perfect weapon on the first try. Practise with a couple of others and see which one you're most comfortable with." Martha nods towards the pile of weapons that lie along the corner of the ring. Strolling over, I am already able to see the quality of their weapons from far.

The light that twinkles along the ceiling recoil along the angle of the blades, creating a blinding shine on the well polished steel. Strewn along the knifes are swords- a narrow grip easy for clutching and a rounded pommel, allowing for more friction between the person's grip and the weapon. Blades scattered along the pile, all of them with a sharp curve that poses a danger even as they lie on the ground, staring up at me with a harmless facade.

How many weapons do they have, exactly? This can't be everything- they have to have more in their storage. Even with this amount and quality, there are probably more higher-end weapons stashed elsewhere, along with reserves of solar energy.

Edward slips beside me, his gaze flickering over the stack of weapons.

"We should begin with something small. Once we get used to the weight, we can switch it up for something bigger." He mutters under his breath as he leans down to grab a sharp looking knife with a length that runs across his wrist, to his elbow.

"That's a good idea." I answer, dipping down to grab the closest knife.

"Yeah. My father was a soldier so I guess a few things rubbed off on me." Edward shoots me a sad smile as he slips back into the ring and I nearly slip into the pile of weapons, his words triggering a rush of guilt that consumes my mind, crawls through my skin like an inevitable itch.