Adea
There wasn’t a single breeze in the air, no reprieve from the angry sun as it blared down on us. I could feel beads of sweat forming in places I didn’t want to acknowledge. Of course, Gabe sat unaffected beside me while I was slowly going crazy. My chest still dipped and expanded with each breath. I itched to get up and move, I knew it would only make me sweat more but at least I’d be busy doing something instead of cooking beneath the sun.
We sat in silence as we watched as Zoe squared off with a brown-haired guy from Tier 2. He had a muscular build, although small for a werewolf, he still towered over Zoe. I wondered why Gamma would pair the two. Zoe was a Tier above him and I was curious who was being tested here; Zoe or him? Was it strength versus agility?
Her opponent’s proved to have speed and there was the strength behind his punches. I questioned whether she would be able to avoid him for long. Zoe was quick and blocked each of her opponent’s punches. He looked irritated as he mixed his punches with kicks and she blocked those too.
How long would she be able to block his attacks? She threw a jab that connected with his nose. I could hear the sickening crack as his nose broke. I leaned forward excitedly, she got a hit in him. She stepped back while he grabbed his nose.
Zoe stood there until he looked up at her. The look in his eye showed he was taking it personally and he was ready to continue. Her face gave away nothing as she stared at him. She didn’t taunt him and didn’t show any reaction to his anger. She just stared at him as she waited. I blinked and he moved.
He moved quickly as he shot towards her, he cut the distance between them and she was unable to block as he hunched down and threw an uppercut into her gut. He moved with a speed he hadn’t shown earlier. Her eyes widened as surprise spread across her features. She doubled over and he straightened. The roles were reversed now as he stared down at her.
She was a Tier above him but he clearly held the advantage at this point. He leaned in until his lips were an inch from her ear, he whispered something, and the cruel smile told me it wasn’t something nice. She lifted her head and the woman I’d seen last week was nowhere in sight; you know, the one who remained expressionless while she fought.
Time stood still as she locked eyes with her opponent. The look in her hazel eyes was crazed and a small smile pulled up at the corners of her lips. Brown-haired must not have been expecting her reaction because he hesitated for a second. That second was all she needed, the speed she showed meant she’d been holding back. I don’t know what he said but was about to go down.
She moved then, punches flying. Because he faltered, he was caught off guard and took a jab to the chest, a punch to the shoulder, and she jumped as she aimed for the side of his head. He blocked that one but was on the receiving end of her fury.
All he could do was attempt to block from her attacks as they rained on him. He wasn’t able to do anything else, there was no opening for him to fight back. Even as he blocked severe hits, he wasn’t able to block all of them, and he was beginning to tire. Every other hit made contact and I was in awe at her speed.
He focused on blocking his face and head but she was landing punches to his gut, his ribs, and his body. It was hard to keep up with her moves and I was entranced, too afraid to blink and miss something.
Zoe punched him in the stomach and he groaned as his arms lowered; leaving his face and broken nose open. I would have hesitated but she didn’t, she socked him straight in the nose. There was no sound, no movement from him as his eyes rolled back in his head. His body fell back until he hit the ground.
Her opponent was out cold. My eyes darted around to see if anyone else near her had witnessed her fight. A couple of people who had finished were watching with wide eyes. Gamma stood with her arms crossed and a smile on her lips. She’d been testing Zoe and she passed.
Gabe whistled beside me and my eyes found Zoe again as she stood above him. Her leg twitched like she was fighting the urge to kick him while he was down. My mouth still hung open as I watched her. She spat beside him before rubbing her stomach absentmindedly. I read her lips as she murmured ‘Prick’.
Feeling my gaze, she looked up and our eyes met. My shoulders tensed The crazed look was gone and her hazel eyes squinted as she gave me a smile. Automatically, I returned it nervously before she turned away.
“She’s… a badass,” Gabe said quietly.
“Right? Remind me never to get on Zoe’s bad side,” I murmured. “I hope I’m never paired with her. I doubt she’d go easy on me because I’m her Luna.”
“I think she was okay in the beginning. It wasn’t until sleeping boy wonder gave her lip that she lost it.” Gabe tsked as he leaned back on his hands. “It’s always the quiet ones that are crazy.”
“Mm-hmm… let’s not call her crazy, yeah?” I laughed. I glanced at Zoe as she spoke with Gamma.
“You’re right,” Gabe said as he closed his mouth and pretended to zip it and unzip it. “She was speedy though! I’m not going to lie, I thought he had her in the first half, I thought she was a goner.”