The next week presented itself with a schedule impossible to stretch. Nicoleta practiced day in and day out, she even practiced after hours in the gym.
Her studies increased, to the extent that she could only make time for dinner in a day.
Her classes had become more intense, and though she was doing wonderfully, her biggest opponent was Kannika Patel. She was too strong, too experienced, and she had too many black belts.
Against Nicoleta's blue belt, Kannika was a god. She still tried anyway, she was showing improvement everyday, but her biggest challenge of the week was Kannika, and she would do anything to put her on her back.
She lost spar after spar, after try after try, and each loss she took personally like Kannika had attacked her entire bloodline, and she, Nicoleta, had to take revenge at all cost.
She stayed up all night striking a dummy she got for her room, sweat dripped down her back, got stuck to her brow, and some even fell into her eye, but she blinked it away and continued abusing the dummy as if it had done her terribly wrong.
Thursday presented itself with a spar with Kannika Patel, across from Nicoleta on the mat. They both glared at each other.
Searching for any weak points, scanning each other like animals, Nicoleta would have growled if she could.
Kannika didn't give her a chance to think more when she moved.
Before she could counter attack Kannika's foot connected with her ribs. Nicoleta absorbed the blow as best she could, but couldn't regain her strength when Kannika struck her shoulder, then her gut.
Nicoleta was on the floors before she could blink. She groaned in agony as needles Prickled the places she had been hit.
Kannika stared down at her. She gave her time to recover beckoning Nicoleta with her hand to get up.
Recover she did. Nicoleta jumped to her feet, and didn't waste time to blast her flame all around her.
She heard Kannika whimper behind the wall of flame, and it was music to her ears.
She slammed the front of her foot into Kannika's shoulder, a crack could be heard. Nicoleta didn't stop there though. Guilty or not, she had to keep hitting until Kannika was down.
Nicoleta spun around and struck Kannika's waist with the back of her foot, as Kannika jumped into the air, then doubled down.
A thud sounded.
Nicoleta pounced on her on the floor and locked her between her thighs. Kannika groaned, squeezing her legs in a terrible attempt to free herself.
Nicoleta tightened her grip around Kannika's neck.
Tapping made her loosen her grip around Kannika, when she turned to see the source behind the sound it was Evan.
She smirked. "Well done Ms. Ariti- Ms Patel i see you have finally found a worthy candidate" Kannika didn't laugh, she usually would, she laughed at even the jokes that weren't funny.
Instead she glared at Nicoleta, brushing off the nonexistent dust on her A gi.
Evan placed an arm between them, counted to five, and removed himself from the line of fire.
Kannika didn't hold back this time around, she launched at Nicoleta strike after strike, blow after blow.
It was no longer friendly fire, this was a fight.
Kannika struck her hard in the chest, and pushed her back with a foot to the chest, bringing space between them before she jumped up and aimed a foot towards Nicoleta's collar.
Nicoleta risked it all by attempting to grab her foot, hand hot almost to the point of lighting on fire.
Kannika screamed in pain and fell to the floor, but she didn't stay down for long.
Before she could even celebrate not breaking her hand from that move, she was blocking every blow coming at her.
Her arms took so much impact that for a moment she believed the bones in them were broken.
Perhaps they were. But she didn't let the pain inside slow her down, as she grabbed Kannika's arm, redirected her punch, and jammed her hand into her sternum, knocking her back only a little.
Nicoleta struck her in the chest, once twice, spun around and hit her again.
She banged her arm with her fist, and like Kannika did to her, she pushed her back except with her telekinesis.
Nicoleta hit her square in the chest with both feet, fell, then bounced back up and hit her again.
This time she stayed down.
Kannika wobbled a little on her feet, getting into a lazy fighting stance once again.
"Don't you give up?" Kannika shook her head, and made to bash her ribs, Nicoleta blocked it, another attempt towards her ribs she blocked, then her gut, she blocked it, then her face she blocked it.
Kannika spun on her heel and slammed Nicoleta down.
Keeping her down with a foot on the chest.
Nicoleta yelped.
Kannika climbed on top of her and struck her face repeatedly.
Nicoleta's flame fought to erupt, she pushed them down, allowing them to only burn a little, hot enough to keep kannika bouncing off of her in a rush for coldness.
Nicoleta bounced up again, allowing her fire to climb up her arms.
"You will not beat me," she said, her chest vibrating. Kannika grinned tilting her head, "again?" Nicoleta let her flame disappear, then knocked Kannika's arms back with her telekinesis.
She advanced forward, forcing her mind to focus only on keeping Kannika grounded as she threw punch after punch.
She knocked Kannika down, and locked her neck between her thighs again, staring down at her with fire in her eyes.
"Time!" Evan's voice echoed in the hall, Nicoleta loosened her grip on her, which gave Kannika an opportunity to flip her over.
Evan was the one to stop her. Nicoleta let out a sigh of great relief, as she stared at Kannika's fist hovering over her face.
"Accepting defeat makes you a greater fighter than winning" he pulled her away from Nicoleta, and helped Nicoleta get up on her feet.
"Good job, Ms. Ariti" Nicoleta was more than happy to hear that, but her anxiety about their fight shoved the joy down.
"Thank you"
Kannika didn't even bat an eye at her after class, Kannika who was so friendly that she helped Nicoleta tie her dobok properly during her first day in class when they were but strangers, wouldn't even breathe the same air as her.
If this is how she acted after losing once, then Nicoleta was severely under reacting when she lost all her spars at some point in the class.
She should have burned down sector 2 a long time ago.
Nicoleta trained until her bones felt sore. She took a break on Saturday, and on Sunday she made her way to the training hall, heart in her throat.
Her steps were slow, eyes darting from side to side, and up and down. burning with anticipation.
She fought to keep her powers from bursting out.
Her skin was so hot an uninformed person would think she was sick near death.
She scratched at the skin around her nails, hissing whenever she hit flesh.
The crowd meant nothing to her now, bodies colliding felt like feathers to her now. Fighting against Kannika had taught her more than she expected.
One. Being able to take hits was more important than hitting first.
Two. Pain was absolutely necessary, and being able to feel it and accept it and use it to your advantage was a must And three. Kannika was a stupidly tough opponent to beat, and that would remain until probably forever, Nicoleta got lucky.
There was no way she actually beat a four time black belt.
And there was no way she would beat an all black belt martial artist.
When she arrived by the class doors, she stared restlessly at Evan who was meditating inside, he looked like he did the first time they met.
Shirtless, relaxed, eluding a type of aura that suggested that everything was to fear him and not the other way around.
She inhaled a long breath, and exhaled an even longer one.
Her nervousness disappeared, overcome with a sudden assured confidence.
She pushed the doors open, and walked inside, shoulders straight, head held up high.
Evan's eyes shot open, his blue-green eyes pierced through hers, they exchanged a quick conversation, and reached one understanding.
She bowed, he bowed as well. She went lower, then sprung up as straight as an arrow.
They nodded to one another.
They both silently walked to the middle of the training hall, there was no table carrying tea there.
Nicoleta swallowed saliva, bowed again.
Evan placed one arm behind his back, Nicoleta furrowed her brows, "I set five minutes exactly" he said, his voice calm. "during this time I will give you the opportunity to hit me, if you fail I will set another five minutes"
The timer began the same moment her anxiety settled back in, Evan didn't move, he stayed still, eyes fixed on her, composure never wavering, he didn't seem to be in a fight. He looked like how he would in a regular class.
Nicoleta launched forward, she spun on her heel and lifted her leg up high, but before she could complete the kick she was thrown back where she started. Evan hadn't so much as moved his free arm.
"Try again," she fell to her fighting stance, exhaling a deep breath. She needed to stay calm, she could win this, all she needed to do was stay calm, and be calculated.
but how was she supposed to calculate when he wasn't even moving?
Again she went forward propelling upward before flying through a gap in the flame where Evan was supposed to be standing. She looked back and forth and found him walking to where she was previously.
Not running, not quickly moving away from her attack, walking. Nicoleta fell on her face and groaned.
"Get up Ms. Ariti, the competitions will not give you leeway" she stood up on her feet, massaging her temple.
"Three minutes left" she threw her flame towards him, and followed up with a high kick, her foot connected with the air, and her spine vibrated as she was struck down.
She groaned, squirming and holding onto her back, "up Ms. Ariti, the competitions don't give you one minute to recover" she pulled herself up, groaning with each movement.
"If this were the competitions you would have lost" the flame bubbled angrily. "I get it, okay!" his expression twisted for a hot second.
Nicoleta forced herself into her stance ignoring the stabbing back pain.
The flame travelled up her arms, her eyes only saw red as she advanced forward, throwing yellow flame after yellow flame to disorient him as she struck his palmer.
Nicoleta barely had time to register what had happened before she was pushed back, icy hot flame rushing through her veins.
"Time!" he raised a brow, "surely you could do better than that, Ms. Ariti? this is what you are taking to the competitions?" His voice was so calm, yet so menacing, the victorious look in his eyes made it worse, he didn't have an ounce of belief in her.
Evan started the timer again. Nicoleta ran whirling her flame in a circle as she slid beneath him. Evan had jumped before she could tackle him, and he kept her locked in place with his telekinesis landing right above her.
Legs planted on either side of her head.
"Get up" she squirmed beneath him, face scrunching as she tried and failed to break the invisible telekinetic force field. The pressure increased, "resist" she groaned, the flame shot out and merely reached him before dying back, searing her uniform.
"I'm trying" she gritted out, he seemed disappointed as he pushed her back, releasing his telekinetic hold. "stand up," she obeyed.
Her pony tail had come undone, sweat was dripping down her back, she fought back tears, as she fell into her fighting stance again, swaying on her feet.
Nicoleta rushed forward fists burning yellow as she threw punch after punch, Evan countered each blow with his one arm, making her stumble back feeling all kinds of pain in various places.
She didn't let it stop her as she rushed at him, striking over and over, only to be the one inflicted.
Evan caught her wrists and raised her arms above her head, she immediately let the heat of the flame wash over her arms, but he didn't seem so much as disturbed as he countered with ice through her veins and heat rushing in her bloodstream.
He pushed her back, and Nicoleta fell down pitifully, she clutched her stomach, pushing some of her hair from her sweat soaked skin.
Evan cocked his head at her, his smile dropping ever so lightly.
"You see why I said no?" she panted, gulping air like water. "You aren't ready Ms. Ariti- " her chest burned, "you can try again next year" her head ached, he offered a helping hand.
Nicoleta slapped it away and whirled fire toward him. she swung her fisted hands at him rapidly, eyes red, body burning. She rammed his gut, and the surprise in his eyes couldn't be missed neither his attack to the ribs which Nicoleta tried and failed to avoid, she pushed him back enforcing further with her telekinesis.
Nicoleta spun her heel and kicked him, though he swatted her foot away with a hand, she continued the sequence over and over, throwing kick after kick to which he deflected.
He took hold of her foot and threw her across the room. Nicoleta propelled herself up avoiding the floor, and Evan's attack.
His flame was all she could see when she landed, she could barely form a thought before pain erupted in all sides of her body, she yelped, and groaned clutching, and unclutching places after each hit.
Trembling, Nicoleta closed her eyes, and called out to her flame, called onto something deep within the flame, something she couldn't quite distinguish.
She reached into the blue flame with blazing hands and caught his blue burning wrists, she pulled him out of the blue flame, and struck his chest, before she could go in for a third strike he twisted her arm around and flipped her to the floor.
Nicoleta dropped on the floors with a thud, completely immobile.
"Time," Evan said, calmly, he crouched down to her level, a small line drawn on his forehead in thought, "well done."
"I lost," he shook his head. "it's not about that, Ms. Ariti- " he stood up and offered a helping hand. By then she could move, but she refused to take his hand and instead forced herself up, clutching her stomach as she walked out of the training hall.
She didn't feel good about his praise, she couldn't feel good about being able to take so many of his blows.
She was shattered. No sparring competitions.
Home had never felt anymore farther, not even when she was in sector eight did it feel so hopeless.
Nicoleta pushed herself up, and painfully walked out of the training hall, clutching her ribs.
That night she skipped dinner, she didn't feel hungry, not after her loss.
The shower she took stung more than it relaxed, all her bruises and wounds acquired from the fight earlier were slowly beginning to really hurt.
She laid down idly in her bed, thinking about every wrong move, every missed opportunity she should have taken.
Nicoleta stared aimlessly at her ceiling for hours, ignoring the noise her stomach was making every two minutes.
After curfew alarms rang, she heard a small knocking on her door. Nicoleta wobbled over to her door, and opened it.
May smiled at her from the other side, she didn't only have takeout in one hand but a sleeping back tugged under her armpit in the other.
"Heyyy" Nicoleta didn't say a word as she let her inside.
She was hoping to see them when she lost, but she didn't know where either Charlotte or May's room was.
Nicoleta locked her door, and turned to see May getting comfortable on her couch, and setting the food down on the coffee table.
"I noticed you didn't show up for dinner" she sounded too chipper for someone who was supposed to be worried. Which in retrospect was what Nicoleta needed at that moment.
Nicoleta sat down across from May on the floor. "I haven't seen you all week," May said, giving Nicoleta a bowl of rice with chicken.
"I know" was Nicoleta's response. "I've been busy" May was beside her in an instant, she grabbed her bicep, "ohh… training extra hard is it?" Nicoleta smiled a little.
"Yeah" May narrowed her gaze at Oleta. "You're acting weird," Nicoleta sighed.
She told her friend everything, the deal, her training, Kannika, the fight, how she wouldn't be joining the sparring competitions at all.
May's frown might have been sadder than Nicoleta losing. She wasn't sure when she developed it, but suddenly seeing May sad made her feel horrible.
May wrapped her arms around Nicoleta's shoulder, and kissed her shoulder blade.
"It's okay, there's always next year" Nicoleta nodded, placing her hand over May's arm, "I wanted to join this year May, " she squeezed her arm lightly, forking the bowl of food around subconsciously.
May rubbed her shoulder, staring at the food with disinterested eyes. Still she looked up at Nicoleta and encouraged her to eat, "don't think I don't hear your stomach growling" Nicoleta laughed.
They ate mostly in silence.
May fell asleep first, Nicoleta stayed up all night, thinking about her missed opportunity, next year was always around, but knowing that she put so much effort only to fail, just to face a setback, one more year until home.
Nicoleta didn't sleep a wink all night, and half of that was thanks to May snoring obnoxiously loud.
The other half being how much she missed her father, her heart ached. She wanted to touch him again, hug him, kiss him, hold him, and never let go.
She missed home. She turned on her side and closed her eyes. A tear slipped down and fell on her pillow.
Her second shower marked the pain Evan had caused on her body.
It hurt so bad she hissed and groaned the entire time.
When she stepped out of her shower fresh cuts bled, her bottom lip had been split, her head was also aching but in the grand scheme of things, it was minor compared to the terrible back pain she felt.
She had to get a healer on her case asap. May spotted her injuries, and pulled out a small bag from her sleeping bag.
"Sit down I will batch you up" May let Nicoleta sit down on her couch and pulled out rubbing alcohol, and some band aids. She dabbed a cotton swab with some rubbing alcohol and disinfected the cut on her lip, to which Nicoleta jumped away from upon contact.
"Oh, deja de reaccionar exageradamente. - " May's eyes widened lightly, she placed the swab down and gently applied a cold white substance on Nicoleta's lip, "I sounded like my mother a bit there" she said, laughing under her breath.
She disinfected the other cuts, and rubbed the same cold white substance on her bruises, placing a band aid on some and leaving some.
Nicoleta couldn't help smiling down at her May, with her concentrated facial expression, her movements seemed professional but the look on her face. It was simply adorable.
"I'm no healer but I'm sure this- " Nicoleta hugged her friend, hissing through the dull pain of her achy arms, "thank you" May packed up her things and left early to prepare for school.
The day went by in a blur, when Charlotte found out about Nicoleta's week, and loss, she cheered her up as best she could.
Then she announced that she had won the elections, she was class president.
Nicoleta was happy for her, but her smile was mostly forced.
She walked through a crowd of children who all taunted her by talking about the competitions, about how they had joined, about how the deadlines were that exact day and anyone who wanted to join should hurry up.
Her body ached everywhere, she mostly wobbled to the training hall. She had fought plenty of kids, but Evan was indeed her master.
She felt pain in places she was sure he didn't even hit.
The training hall was buzzing with excitement over the competitions. Everyone, everyone, but her was in the sparring competitions.
Kannika was annoyingly loud amongst the chattering competitors in the crowd of students.
"The competition this year is really tough," she said to her friends.
Nicoleta met Evan's eye, and he smiled at her. Her frown only turned upside down when she saw a cut on his lip. She did that.
He might have read her mind, because right in that moment he touched the cut, and winked at her.
She gave him a strange look.
Class went as usual Nicoleta resisted the urge to beg Kannika to heal her despite her body pleading with her to do so.
She bruised her ego instead, by sitting out the spars.
She watched everyone else sparing, marking mistakes and weak spots.
After class she hurried to leave, but Evan stopped her.
"Wait Ms. Ariti I have something for you" she let out a heavy breath and crossed her arms.
It was probably a cheap price for the spar yesterday, a congratulations on being so good it took her some hours to lose.
Nicoleta wanted to walk out when she thought about it, but Evan brought papers to her instead.
She took it and read the contents on the paper. Her eyes lit up with joy. She had been signed up for the competitions, by him and Mr. and Mrs. Arnold.
She jumped with joy, bouncing back and forth, squealing like a little girl on Christmas morning.
Evan chuckled. Nicoleta jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!" He hugged her back, lifting her up slightly above the floors.
Nicoleta let go of him and stared into his warm eyes.
She was reminded of her stepbrother Liam, he used to look at her that way.
Despite the language barrier between them at the time, she understood immediately that he cared.
"Thank you" she whispered. Evan nodded, "of course" she skipped to Mr. and Mrs. Arnold's class, and thanked them the whole class.
Mr. Arnold was so annoyed he threatened to revoke his signature.
Her friends were overjoyed during dinner. They promised to cheer her on.
"You guys better, because I'm going to win."
"Did you pass all your exams?" Nicoleta pulled out the papers to prove it, a huge smile on her face.
It was fifteen minutes from the deadline, all she needed was her father's signature.
Or verbal consent anyway. She had the recorder on the desk.
He pondered on it, about a minute or so, then he sighed, and smiled at his daughter.
"You can join" Nicoleta laughed, she laughed, and thanked him, even kissing him on the screen.
"Just make sure to update me after every fight"
"You're the best, dad!" She sent the recording to mission control as she was told, and she spent the entire night speaking to her father about anything, and everything.