Night School: Legacy

‘I know what went wrong, too.’ She didn’t meet his eyes. ‘I couldn’t do a really simple move. It was pretty obvious. I just … failed.’


He ignored her self-pity. ‘Zoe is very good but she is young. She’s never taught anybody before. She was showing you the right things but she missed some details. Your hands were in the right place but your feet were wrong every time. If your feet are not right it will not work. I can teach you. If you let me.’

She studied him out of the corner of her eye. She couldn’t see any sign that he was making fun of her – his voice was steady and calm. And there was something about him that made her feel comforted. Maybe he could help. She couldn’t bear another nightmare session like the one she’d just had.

As she hesitated, though, one thought nagged at her the most.

Carter wouldn’t like this …

But Carter wasn’t here. And she had to practise.

‘OK,’ she said. ‘We can try. But be aware: I totally suck at this.’

His smile was confident. ‘I promise you can do it.’

He led her to a nearby clearing where the pine needles lay thick enough on the ground to make a springy mattress.

After kicking stones and fallen branches out of the way, he turned to her.

‘Now, stand as if you were about to attack me,’ he said.

Allie crouched down and tried to look tough, her arms bent at her side, hands curled into fists. Amusement flickered in his eyes; he struggled to contain a laugh. ‘OK, that is all wrong.’ He walked closer to her. ‘Look, you’re a runner, so your strength is in your legs. Stand up straight.’

Over the next few minutes he explained to her how to arrange her body into the correct posture – legs straight but knees soft, arms loose at her side, feet shoulder-width apart. But something still wasn’t right.

‘Turn your feet this way,’ he said, demonstrating. When she tried to emulate him, he shook his head. ‘No, that’s not quite right.’

Crouching down beside her, he reached out for her leg. Instinctively, she flinched away from his touch.

He stopped, his hands still outstretched. He looked up at her, moonlight turning the blue of his eyes to glitter.

‘May I?’ he asked.

Allie’s stomach tightened. It would be stupid not to let him touch her ankle. He was being helpful.

‘Yes,’ she said. Her voice sounded small and she cleared her throat, watching as he carefully took her ankle in his hands to reposition her foot. His hands were warm against her skin.

If he noticed her anxiety, he didn’t show it. When she was in position, he demonstrated how she should grab him. Again, he asked permission before touching her. This time, though, she said ‘yes’ with more confidence.

His body pressed lightly against hers as he moved one of her hands to his shoulder, and the other to his elbow – sliding her fingers gently into place. She stood stiffly but his light touch spread goosebumps across her skin.

I’m trying to throw him violently to the ground, she told herself. Surely that’s OK, even after everything that happened?

Stepping back, he demonstrated how to shift her weight when she made her move. After she’d practised a few times they decided to do it for real.

‘OK, so … Now I will run at you,’ he said. ‘Just do what you practised and it will work perfectly.’

‘I’m ready,’ she said with false confidence.

I’m going to screw this up. I’m going to screw this up. I’m going to …

Then Sylvain ran at her and the circular thoughts stopped. Her mind went still. Grabbing his arm, she shifted her weight as he’d taught her.

He landed on his back at her feet.

She gave a small cheer and waited for him to tell her how brilliantly she’d done, but he said nothing. In fact, he didn’t move. He lay still on the ground, his eyes closed.

‘Sylvain?’ Her heart thudded with sudden panic as she dropped to the ground beside him. She couldn’t tell if he was breathing. ‘Sylvain? Are you OK? Have I killed you?’

Then she noticed his body shaking with laughter. His eyes flew open. ‘I knew you could do it,’ he said.

‘Don’t do that!’ Allie chided him, but his laughter was infectious and she jumped to her feet. ‘I did it! I did it!’ Dancing through the trees, she clasped her hands above her head in a pose of victory.

Suddenly she stopped in front of him. ‘Hang on a minute. Sylvain, did you actually play a joke on me? Like, an actual joke? Or did I just dream that?’

‘What are you talking about?’ He feigned surprise. ‘I have a very good sense of humour.’

‘Uh-huh.’

‘OK … Seriously.’ He led the way back to the clearing. ‘You did very well. I would make a few small adjustments but it was good.’

‘Teach me.’ She could hear the fierceness in her own voice. ‘I want to learn it all.’