Catalyst (13 page)

             
“
I guess they do. So, your turn. Stab me.”

             
She took a deep breath and got into
the cutest ‘staking’ position, t
rying to look serious and tou
gh. She turned and twisted to co
me around get me from behind, I stopped her. I started thinking maybe this wasn’t so fair. I’d been in the military,
had lots of hand to hand, she’d
had none
. Wa
s it better to let her get some hits in? Or make her work for it
so she understands how hard it
would be in real life?

             
If this had been a man, I wouldn’t have thought twice ab
out it. I decided to not cheat her out of the experience
. It wou
ld be better for her that way, s
afer for her to not get too excited and cocky. Plus, she’d probably know I let her and be upset with me.

             
She tried again and again with the same results. I tried to assure her
that
it took time, that she hadn’t been to that many sessions and she’d get better. She got me in the arm once but that was out of sheer hysteria. She was so mad and frustrated she just started swinging just to hit anything.

             
I eventually just g
rabbed her, turned her and muzzl
ed her neck playfully to tease her and hopefully calm her. She giggled and squirmed.

             
Then I told her the hit didn’t count. She agreed and we started again.

             
When we were taking a breather, Sherry moseyed over.

             
“Hey. You guys look...tired.”

             
“And sweaty. I don’t think I’ve ever been
this sweaty. Except on the tennis
team,” L said fixing her ponytail.

             
“You played tennis
?” I asked, surprised.

             
Most preppy dance squad girls
I knew weren’t into other sports.

             
“Yes. And the track
team
and golf and debate
. I was a busy girl all year round my four years of high school.”

             
“Huh.”

             
L in a tennis skirt...
I cleared my throat.

             
“So, where’s Danny and Celeste? His lazy butt shouldn’t get out of this. I
’m surprised Merrick hasn’t gone
to get him yet, actually,” Sherry said and bit her lip, thinking.

             
What? Merrick didn’t tell her about Margo?

             
“Sherry, Danny is with Celeste.”

             
“I figured that,” she said with a ‘duh’ face.

             
“No, Celeste is...grieving. Danny is with her.”

             
She made an ‘o’ with her mouth, but no sound came out.

             
“Margo. I’d forgotten. How selfish of me,” she whispered with obvious distress.

             
“It’s not selfish. You went through a lot.”

             
“Merrick didn’t tell me. I wonder why. I would’ve-”

             
“And that right there is why Merrick didn’t tell you. You’re no good to anybody if you’re not well. You can’t be everywhere and do everything. Danny had been with her, she’s handling it. Get Merrick to tell you the story later. It’s actually pretty amazing.”

             
“Yeah,
I will.” She looked pained
,
but put on a smile and turned to L. “So, how’s the training coming? Cain isn’t letting you win is he?”

             
“No. He’s whipping me at every turn and thoroughly enjoying it, I think,” L said and poked me in the ribs.

             
“Hey! I’m taking it easy on you. I could be slamming
your cute butt to the floor, you
know.”

             
“You wouldn’t,
”
she rebutted.

             
“Oh, I would,” I said and winked at her.

             
She blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear making me smile.

             
The day I can
’t make her do that anymore would
be a sad, sad day.

             
“Well, you looked good,” Sherry said. “As Miguel would say ‘nice follow through’,” she said with a deep accent.

             
L laughed at her.

             
“Thanks. Cain’s a pretty good teacher.”

             
“I bet. Well, I’m gonna go check on Celeste. I feel terrible that I haven’t gone to see her yet.”

             
“You were unconscious. I think you have an excuse,” I said sarcastically.

             
“Funny,” she said and smiled. “And I wasn’t unconscious. Well, not for all of it.”

             
“Still. It’s a pretty good excuse. Besides, Danny has been with her every second, like I said,” I said.

             
“Ok. I’ll let you two get back to beating the crap out of each other.”

             
“Uh, you mean a one sided beat down. I’m not exactly connecting hits here,” Lillian said sullenly.

             
Sherry laughed and walked away, waving.

             
“Baby,” I said sweetly, p
laying on her good side. “You are doing awesome. It just takes time. I was in the military for four y
ears. You’ve only been at this…
oh,” I looked at my non-
existent watch, “forty three minutes.”

             
“Ok. Ok, I get it. I’m being a
baby.”

             
“No, y
ou’re not a baby.” I wrapped my arms around her waist. “But you’re my baby,” I crooned
over exaggeratedly
.

             
“That’s th
e sweetest and cheesiest thing you’ve ever
said to me.”

             
“You better get used to it.”

             
“Why? Are you going to
continue to strive for cheesiness?” she said and laughed.

             
“No. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

             
She sobered and closed the small gap between us, wrapping her arms around my neck.

             
“Good,” she whispered. “You are so sweet, Cain. I really-” She sighed. “I’m really glad I met you.”

             
“I’m glad you met me, too. I’d miss you, even if I didn’t know you.”

             
She looked at me with her big blue eyes glistening. I started to apologize but she smiled small, then grinned and shook her head, like she couldn’t believe it. Then she pulled me down and kissed me. He
r
slim fingers on my neck tugged and pulled
. She pressed against me and I forgot where I was.

             
What had I said? What did I do that was so great? I thought back bu
t couldn’t think of it. Girls, I
’d
never understand them. But I didn
’t wan
t to understand girls anymore…
o
nly one.

             
I pulled her tighter to me and heard her murmur her content. Then, I heard someone talking around us. No
,
they were
yelling.

             
“Bloody h-
” Miguel
cut his curse off and looked Lily’s way then back to us. “
I said no smooching
!” he
yelled.

             
“Bite me, Aussie!” Lillian yelled without looking away
from me. I laughed
and she did too. She spoke softly to me and I could feel her breath on my lips. “I think we need to have a talk about your being a gentleman.”

             
I froze. Holy moth
er! How could she do this to me
in the middle of training!

             
“L
, we’re gonna have to talk about the proper times to bring up such things,” I said scowling
,
but she just giggled.

             
“I didn’t say I wanted to jump your bones in the middle of the room with an audience, Cain. I said I wanted to talk about it. Later,” she said clearly amused at my distress.

             
“Still. Not. Cool, L. What are you trying to do to me?”

             
“I’m sorry. Maybe you’re right. Maybe we shouldn’t talk about it at all-”

             
“Oh, we’re gonna talk about it!” I said loudly and she smiled coyly at
me. I knew what she was doing; r
everse
psychology. “Why you little m
inx.”

             
She burst out laughing and
I grabbed her around the waist. A
s we turned we saw Miguel glaring at us.

             
“Ok. Sorry. We’re serious,” I said.

             
“Yes. Serious,” L said laughing.

             
He rolled his eyes and carried on with the lesson.

             
L grabbed my hand and laced our fing
ers.
I rubbed the inside of her wrist with my thumb, feeling the softness there. She really was the softest woman I’d ever felt. I
also
felt her shiver. I turned to look at her and she had goose bumps on her arms. She looked up sheepishly and met my gaze. I smiled at her and she blushed again, tucking her hair behind her ear. I chuckled and tried to keep my eyes on Miguel.

             
Unfortunately, for him, he wasn’t cute enough to keep my attention.

From Here to the bush

Chapter
7
– Lillian

             
That night after a supper of noodle soup, Cain was begged to play guitar
by the entertainment deprived bunch
. I decided to wash some clothes but on my way to my room I saw Ryan and that girl that I sti
ll didn’t know the
name
of
.
I slowed down, listening to the sounds of Cain’s strumming behind me, and watched as the girl sitting right next t
o Ryan stared at the floor
.

             
She was clearly distressed still. She refused to speak
to anyone but Ryan and Billings
because they had saved her. She looked young, maybe seventeen or eighteen.
I knew she was terrified and there was no telling what the Lighters had done to her before we found her. I stopped and knelt down in front of them.

             
“Hey, Ryan.”

             
“Hello, Lil
lian.”

             
“So...h
ow are things going?”

             
He looked down at her and back to me. His face would have been funny had the situation not been like it was. He was at a complete loss. He had no idea what to do with her, what to say, except let her cling to him because that seemed to keep her calm. He eventually shrugged.

             
“I don’t know,” he sighed. He took a deep breath and tried for normal.
“
So, I never got to speak to you about the facility. How was it in there?”

             
“It was...terrible. Daniel told us Sherry was one of the lucky ones.”

             
He made a noise of disgust in the back of his throat and the girl looked up at me.

             
“You were there?” she asked, her voice scratchy from non-use.
“At that place where they had us.”

             
“Yes. I wa
s with the ones who rescued you,
”
I answered.