Genesis

Chapter 22

Everyone dispersed and went back to whatever they were doing, and I walked over to Lilith who was on the ground catching her breath. "Good job, fighter" I said looking down, with a smile.

She chuckled and said "Yeah right. He was taking it easy. He can't actually fight us, but it's good for training. Ugh, I need to be stronger" "You looked pretty damn strong to me. You wanna take a break from training?" I asked. She hopped up and took a deep breath. "Nah, it's okay. Come on, I'll make today a good one" She said with a smile.

David came by and put his arm over Toro's shoulder "Hey hey! Morning fuckers. I'm gonna steal our friend here for a bit, hope yah don't mid. Later losers!" He said  as he pulled Toro away "Wait, where are going!?" he asked while being dragged away. David just laughed kinda creepily as they passed through the doors to outside. I didn't get a chance to say bye. That's alright, I'll see him later.

Today's training was nice. I sparred with Lilith, and she taught me the basics for an arm bar, submissions, chokeholds. I can see why she was a champion, she's incredibly skilled.

Something felt a bit off, though. Like someone was watching me. I looked around for a moment and saw Jay, here much earlier than usual, with his friends, and looking right at me. At least I think he is.

No, he's gotta be looking at Lilith. Right? He walked over and Lilith excitedly called out to him "Jay baby! Couldn't wait on me, huh?" She said with arms wide open, expecting a hug. He walked right past her, and stood towering over me. His eyes were locked with mine, and I could feel an uneasy air surrounding him.

Lilith angrily called out to him "What the hell? You ignoring me now?" Jay, without taking his eyes off of me, replied "I'm not here for you, right now. I'll walk you home after, Lily pad" She responded "Was that so hard? Sheesh"

"Wait, why are you giving up so easy? He's scaring the shit out of me, right now. Say something!" I thought to myself.

Finally he spoke to me, saying "From the moment I met you, something bothered me about you. You were out there for five years, walked all the way from California to Virginia, but here you are, so damn weak." Lilith cut in "What the hell, Jay? Don't be a dick" "Be quiet, Lilith" it wasn't loud, but it was stern, and easy to tell he meant it.

Everyone was watching us, now. The room was silent as he went on. "So there's only a few options here. You lied, or you're a lot stronger than you're letting on. But David's already vouched for you, so I know it's real, because like it or not, when it comes to people, he isn't wrong. So what is it? Why are you holding back so much?"

I was getting nervous, and honestly I didn't have an answer. I could feel my heart racing as I stood there "You remember it, don't you? The first time you killed someone. What about the first time you stabbed someone to death, and watched the life leave their eyes? You ever choked someone till you felt their last breath slip through their lips?"

As he talked, I got flashes of my time outside. The many people I killed. How I did it. It was nerve racking. I suppressed the memories, without even realizing it, and now it's all flooding back in.

"I can tell you what happened. The moment you walked through those front gates, you felt relief. You felt at ease. Safe. And every last sense of survival you had left your body. So this is what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna kick you hard enough to take your fucking head off. Block, dodge, I don't care, but if you do, you better do something"

Lilith tried to interject "Jay, that's too far!" But his leg was already in the air, a roundhouse kick aimed straight for me.  I was panicking, no idea what to do. Without even thinking about it, my body moved on its own. I raised my arm, blocking him, the pain was intense, but I managed to send a straight kick back to him, right in his torso, sending him back.

He fell on his back, and I was even more scared. I just knew he was gonna actually kill me, now. He looked up at me and had a smile on his face. "You train with me, starting tomorrow. This beginner class shit is useless to you" He got himself up, and chuckled to a bit. "Right again, you asshole" He said, seemingly to himself, before walking off with his friends.

My legs gave out on me and I fell back, right into someone's arms. I looked up and was staring right at Ana. When did she get over here? She stood me back up and said "Hey. Good job. Thought I was gonna have to save your ass. I'm impressed.... slightly"

That last part was kinda unnecessary, but okay. Lilith came over and frantically asked "Are you alright? I'm so sorry about him." I was finally managing to calm myself down and to my own surprise, I was smiling. I felt kinda excited, in a way. What's that about?

"No, it's okay. Really. I uh, I feel good. I think he was right. I didn't really realize it, but I have been too relaxed since I've been here." Ana spoke up and said "Bout time. I was wondering when you'd get out that shell" as she stretched like she was tired "What? Why didn't you say anything if you saw it, too?" I asked

"Eh, figured you'd figure it out yourself, yah know. And look at that, yah did" "Yeah, after the threat of death!" I called out  She shrugged and started to walk off "Make sure you get plenty of rest. Jay's no slouch." She said and waved before heading out, leaving us behind.

   Lilith sighed and spoke up "I used to wonder how the hell Jay and Ana were friends, but they're two sides of the same coin, I swear" She said while rubbing her forehead out of frustration.

    Her saying that reminded me of a thought I had. "How well do they know each other? It always seems so tense between them. Like they're one word away from trying to take each others eyes out" I took a temporary seat on the floor, crossing my legs, as Lilith sat beside me.

"Pssh. Yeah right. They're best friends. They grew up together, damn near inseparable. But I'll let Jay or Ana tell you about that. It's their story, not mine, yah know. How are you feeling, though?" I could feel the wave of excitement wash over me, thinking about the events again.

Lilith and I sat together for about an hour before we went our separate ways, and I headed back home. The walk was nice. The breeze accompanied warm night air, creating a nice mix. It was perfect. After making my way home, I took a shower, and plopped down on my bed. Didn't ever bother putting on pajamas.

"Fuck it, I haven't slept naked in literally over half a decade. These girls deserve a night to breathe" I said as I cupped my own chest "Sexy bitch" It was in that moment that I realized even more just how much of myself was missing. When was the last time I joked with myself like this? It's a small step, but a step none the less.

And I guess I have Jay to thank for that. Funny. Well for now I'm gonna take my ass to bed. Another day in the books. Hopefully tomorrow isn't too bad, I've got a feeling Jay isn't gonna be taking it too easy.