and time consuming, using up every bit of my energy, so much so that I was napping when Mack got back. The evening was spent watching a couple of Netflix movies on our laptops and then we turned in. Monday was going to be a big day.
I was up early the next morning. I showered and washed for the first time in several days, the henna ink dry enough to resist the water. Mack looked at me like I was an alien as I rousted him for survival class. That look became increasingly speculative as I dressed in black cargo pants, combat boots, and a black Krav Maga t-shirt from Levi’s school. Just before we went down, I popped my aunt’s last charm and applied it to my ribs. They were only slightly sore, but the charm would maybe protect them from further abuse.
Sleepy heads swiveled to take me in as we entered the gym. Delwood and friends came in, loud as usual, but did a double take when they saw me. I stared directly at the giant wolf kid, trusting in werewolf psychology to do my work for me.
He stared back, my challenge making him increasingly angry. By the time Jenks got there, Delwood was just about boiling mad. Jenks was surprised to see me and took in my combative clothing choices and the direct stare I gave him as well. When he called us to get in lines for warmup exercises, I made sure to stand right next to Delwood. My intent was blatant, obvious to everyone in the class. Caeco asked me several times just what I was doing, but I couldn’t answer, my jaw still too sore.
I sweated out the warmup, pushing just enough power into the combat glyphs to give me strength and dull my pain sensors to get me through the workout.
Jenks and Caeco handed out eskrima sticks, both eyeing me sideways as I swung mine around in big circles. I accidentally hit Delwood with my right one twice. The third time was the charm. Turning, he swung his own stick straight at me, choosing a moment when both Caeco and Jenks were looking away.
I blocked it with my left hand stick, the resulting thunk loud enough to capture everyone’s attention. Delwood stared at my unmoving stick, thoroughly pissed off but also slightly surprised. My right hand stick snapped around and hit him in the hand, hard enough to make him drop the stick.
Jenks and Caeco both headed for us, Delwood dropped to the ground to pick up his stick, and I fully activated all my glyphs. Time slowed, my heart pumped, and my nerves and muscles almost sang with energy.
Delwood was turning his squat into a leg sweep, an artfully executed reverse spin that would normally have taken me off my feet. I jumped over his leg, landing on my left foot, and kicked into his helpfully exposed groin with my right foot, as his foot swung on past. His hands and sticks came down to block, but the horse was out the barn so to speak and the damage was done. It made me happy though because now I could hit him in that massive head with both sticks, causing his too-slow block to reverse itself. My right foot was on the ground, close to his body, too close, but he was preoccupied with my strikes and as his hands moved up to guard his head, I dropped one stick, grabbed the other by both ends, and jammed it crossways into his throat as hard as I could.
The combat glyphs on my arms, chest, back, butt, and legs gave me power and speed I’d never felt before, maybe not on full par with a werewolf, but close. My strike crushed his throat and his chin snapped down, his eyes disbelieving as he tried to suck air that had nowhere to go.
A hand grabbed my arm and I was suddenly flying backward. Time was still slow and I calmly executed a breakfall. Bouncing back up, I saw Jenks turn to block me from Delwood. Caeco was already there, trying to get a look at his throat.
“He may need a tracheotomy,” she said to Jenks.
He spun back around and looked at Delwood, who was on hands and knees, choking.
“He needs to Change. Everybody get back, now,” he commanded, glancing at my classmates and giving me a baleful look as he bent down and started speaking quietly into Delwood’s ear. The big kid fastened his