Helanie:
"Are you going to skip the combat training just like you skipped the therapy sessions?" Norman commented with a scoff, briskly walking ahead of me and towards the deep woods.
I knew what he was trying to imply. Ever since his brother told me last night that he would ask Norman to give me extra classes before the combat started, Norman had been giving me this look. And now that we were finally alone and headed to the woods for our first class, he was sharing his thoughts with me.
"I didn’t think the therapy was working," I muttered under my breath, being unreasonable since I hadn’t even given the therapy a fair chance.
He suddenly stopped, and I bumped into his broad back. I stepped back and rubbed my nose, complaining about it.
"We’re here," he muttered, of course, pretending his sudden stop was not because of my words.
I looked around and then at him. He wore a white shirt with gray shorts and gray sneakers. His hair was fluffy but shiny, as if he had used gel. Yet, the strands were sticking out, with sharp pieces loose on his forehead.
I wore my tracksuit, but with my purple sweater since it was so cold out here.
"Now what?" I asked impatiently, my hands on my waist. Maybe because of our past history, I didn’t expect much from Norman. When it comes to helping me, he does it his own way, a messy way.
"Now you shut up!" he snapped, pointing at me, and then added, "We’ll focus on flexibility first."
As soon as I heard that, I felt like he was just trying to waste my time. So, I shook my head and muttered, "I do it every day. I’m flexible enough."
I noticed his expression hardening, a sign that I needed to shut up and do as he said. So, I positioned myself in a way that didn’t require words, but he knew I was ready.
"Do jumping jacks," he said, and started doing them himself. He was so big and heavy that whenever he landed on the ground, I swear I heard the ground beneath me shaking.
I followed him and started doing what he was doing. In the next hour, we had done several exercises that already had me worn out.
"You need to work on your stamina," he advised, watching me stop and kneel down.
"Why—what—happened—to my stamina? You only—want—to criticize—me," I barely managed to say. That made him raise his brow and purse his lips.
"Now! You need to understand the value of balance in combat. Step with your leading foot first, followed by the rear foot, make sure the distance between your feet stays the same," he instructed, watching me try to balance my weight.
When he was describing it, I thought he was just making things up. But the minute I started following his instructions, I realized it wasn’t just that. It was way harder than it seemed.
We practiced backward and sideways balance movements. However, every time I lost my balance, Norman gave me a harsh look.
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