Path to Secrecy

Departures

"About damn time." I sighed to myself, with a much needed breath of relief.

With several black gymnasium mat sets aligned over the floorboard of the hall and no weapon except for our bodies in view, I was rather thrilled and excited in the moment than the everlasting grunts of running through drills involving mudslides and barbed wire in the past week. To speak of it, I began to consider that my hair had more trouble with it than my body with the whole hooking, tugging and tearing procedures. I was glad to gain a gap between becoming bald by the time my training had ended over the years.

"Sparring mats. The fastest and safest method of teaching you self-defence without the use of a hazardous weapon. There's a pile of colour-coded cards being distributed. Blue and red." Bernard announced, with his hands entwined in front of his torso covered by the average clean white muscle top he was famous for. With a pair of heavy, brown boots and army service pants, he looked just about as scary as the first time I had met him. Adding the clean trimmed moustache and impeccably angular jaw, he famed the role of a Commander.

All bare footed cadets were aligned beside the beginners mat, watching the colour-coded cards being handed down in the lane. While I stood beside Azalea, who stood beside Rahul, who stood beside Angus, I was more so sure that the four of us would be paired with one another. If not, then there was definitely going to be a period of heavy sparring and bruises all over our bodies due the stranger sets. I accepted the cold stack, swiping a plain red laminated cards from the deck. It was basic, except for my reflection in the lamination. The bruising over my cheekbone dimmed to a shade of light purple, where the slit in my lip was healed into a reddish raw scab. It was painful when accidently bitten on or stretched but otherwise, it was enough to provide me pride of the situation it came from. Passing it on to Azalea, I watched as she swiped a blue card, grunting in disappointment to not be paired with me. I snickered, looking forward as Bernard continued to speak.

"Everyone's been handed a card?"

"Yes sir." The crowd replied in sync, standing in the respectful stance.

"Good. At the back of each card in your hand, there is a number." He nodded. I twisted the card in my hand, the number '4' neatly drawn with a black permanent marker. "To find your partner, you must find the same number on the opposite coloured card to yours. For example, Cadet step forth."

Bare foot and muscly, a Cadet whose name I remember as Reilly raised his eyebrows when Commander Bernard pointed at him. He treaded onto the mat with a blue card in his rough hand. His face was chiselled, his stubble short and dark, lining against edge his jaw and upper lip. His hair was spiked up front, the slightest bit of light blonde highlighting the top. His eyes were the faintest colour of aqua and clearly, he was just as attractive as every guy I had met at this Amy camp. He faced the crowd and lifted up his card, the number 6 drawn on it with the same cursive handwriting. "Six." He muttered in a deep gravel voice while eyeing everybody down the line.

I heard a soft curse beside me and frowned. I craned my neck as discretely as possible to find Azalea with eyes as wide as golf balls and skin the colour of bleeding beetroot. "Shit." She cussed again, grabbing my hand with an eagle grip and a desperate claw to exchange cards. I squeezed my lips until they turned white, zipping my eyes close. Grabbing her hand - before she could pluck my card and exchange – I lifted it high in the air and she gasped, burning into the shade of danger before quickly choking on air.

"Ah Miss Bentick. Pair up." Commander Bernard announced before looking back at the crowd. "You gain three rounds with each opponent and may spar at whatever speed you feel most comfortable in. Though I recommend you all push yourselves to a faster limit each time a new round begins. The rules are simple. No eye gouging, no biting and definitely, no use of weapons. Your weapons are your bodies and only your bodies. Now associate, find your opponent and space yourselves out on the mats before being commenced."