“So will you? Help me?”
She kept her eyes on the road, but I could see the deliberation behind her emerald eyes. “Why not. What else do I have to do?”
So that was how Emma’s class in kickbutt 101 started.
There was a building behind her garage stuffed with workout equipment, dummies, shooting targets, and of course a large weapon stash. It was frightening.
“Welcome to casa de Deen. Where you never lack for protection from the strange and unusual. You name, it’s here somewhere,” Emma said when she saw my jaw drop.
“I’ll say.”
“When you step through that door, I won’t be your friend. I’ll be your instructor; you’ll be my pupil. I want to make that clear first, before we step into the ring. No questions asked, you do as I say. If you can agree to those terms, we begin.”
I knew she took this stuff seriously, but jeesh. Chewing on the inside of my cheek, I thought about her agreement. I could handle the aches and pains, the sore muscles and bruises. It was the following orders no questions asked that raised my hairs. I don’t like to answer to anyone, least of Emma. She had tried to kill me on multiple occasions. And me coming here, on here ground, gave her the means to chop my head off. I prayed that my compulsion stuck. “Fine. I agree.”
Emma was a ruthless teacher, but I had expected nothing less considering where she had learned her mad hunting skills. She had been to the school of hard knocks for demon fighting.
Here’s how my pathetic first day went down:
Emma, left jab: Oooh, that’s gonna leave a mark.
Me, stumbling: Oomph. Ouch! That hurt.
Emma: There’s more where that came from.
Me: Oh, goodie. I can’t wait.
Emma, dancing on her toes: Look alive Morgan. Your sucky attitude is not going to kill demons, but it might drive me to the grave.
Me, baring teeth: Has anyone ever told you that you are the absolute worst teacher?
She came at me wave after wave. There were no weapons that first day, not while I was such a novice. I had really only managed a few pot shots, and they were probably on accident. When my clenched fist finally connected to Emma’s shoulder, it wasn’t exactly the punch of the century, but it was better than hitting air.
“There you go. Channel that rage inside you. It is going to save your life.”
Oh, I was going to channel alright. I swung out at her mouth, and she sidestepped to left. My over exaggerated movements had me spinning around in a circle, following the momentum of my throw.
Emma laughed…and laughed. I think she even snorted. “Man, I almost peed myself. It has been forever since I laughed that hard.” She clung her belly.
“It wasn’t that funny,” I grumbled.
“So here is my assessment of the day. Strength is not your strong suit, but stamina…it might just save your life. You would do better will a lighter weapon—a dagger like this.” She whipped out the one I’d seen before, at school. “You won’t sever any heads with this, but one pierce will get the job done.”
And so the afterschool lessons commenced. Day after day for as long as Chase skipped classes, and he bought the little white lie about my tutoring Emma to catch her up so she could graduate on time.
***
“So it’s just you and me today?” I asked, slipping into Chase’s sleek car and trying not to wince. My body had been pushed to the limit, and there was no part that didn’t ache.
He nodded.
Lexi had stayed home. Again. I was afraid if she missed any more school, she wouldn’t graduate, but no one wanted to push. She hadn’t so much as set a foot outside her bedroom, and a part of me couldn’t blame her. It was tough getting out of bed in the morning, except for me it was because my poor body was stiff. Lexi just wasn’t ready to resume her life. Sierra’s death had hit her hard.
Sighing, I glanced up at the second floor of Winters’ house, feeling sympathy for my best friend. “You don’t have to go to school just for me,” I said, staring down at my hands. I knew how distracted he was, and the last thing on his mind was schoolwork, but he insisted that he’d been gone long enough, which meant my lessons for the time being were suspended. Shockingly, I was actually going to miss sparing with Emma. I was just starting to be able to hold my own for more than thirty seconds. Progress.
“It’s fine. I need to get out of there for a while anyway.” He put the car in reverse, spitting up gravel in the process.
“Have there been any new developments?” I asked, tiptoeing into dangerous territory.
He shook his head. “We know that it was a demon from the kind of wounds her body sustained. She was supposed to be on her way home from town, but the police found her car abandoned on the side of the road not far from our house.”
“Do you think she was coming to warn us?” The thought was shuddering.