Page 62 of The Broken Aztec Princesses

I groggily got up, changed into the workout clothes I’d ordered online and braided my hair. I sat back on the bed and waited for Chris, only to be jolted awake by a snort.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” he asked, trying to hide his laughter.

“What? Yeah, of course! I was waiting for you! Let’s go!” I answered, standing up and stretching.

“You were snoring sitting up.” He chuckled.

“I don’t snore!” How dare he? I was brought up a lady!

“Must have been breathing exercises then. Deep, loud breathing exercises with your eyes closed and a little bit of drool just there on the corner.” He pointed to the corner of my mouth and I wiped at it furiously, my face heating up with embarrassment.

He laughed, opening the door to my room to lead me out. He was different at night, I’d noticed. More relaxed and friendly. More talkative.

Once the warm-up was over, I felt wide awake again. He was teaching me the basics to start. Self-defense moves that I appreciated more than he could understand.

For the last year, all I’d felt was fear and helplessness, and he was slowly helping dissipate that state of mind. I still couldn’t win in a fight against anyone, mind you, but there was a tiny part inside of me that was beginning to feel I might be able to one day.

I always liked to joke I was the runt of the litter. Even the baby of the family, Areli, was taller and she had a fighting spirit. I was shorter and slimmer. My personality never lent itself to fighting. Even my power was passive. Defensive.

But that was who I was, not who I needed to become. It was something I was beginning to accept. I would never again be who I was before I was kidnapped. There was no reset buttonon trauma. But, I could keep some parts of who that woman had been, if I was willing to become something different. I could keep some remnants of my life this way. I would become stronger.

Nickolas would not win. I couldn’t keep being the victim that reminded my family of what he’d taken from them.

We were getting close to the end of the workout, when the door opened and three women walked in. One of them had come in a few nights ago, and noticed us working out. They’ve shown up twice since, trying to catch Chris’ attention. Too bad for them. Chris was so dedicated that he didn’t even bat an eye their way.

“Hey Chris, if you’re done with your training, can you help us with a move we’ve been struggling with?” One of the women asked.

Chris looked over at me.

“Do you mind waiting a moment?” he asked.

“Not at all. I’ll wait by the door,” I said, smiling, though inside I was filling with jealousy. Especially seeing the wide grins and tiny giggles the girls were having while Chris’ back was turned.

I stood there waiting for about five minutes, watching them throw themselves at him while he tried to show them how to pull the move. Even I could tell, with my limited knowledge, that they were purposely doing it wrong to keep him around.

I shouldn’t feel jealous. Chris wasn’t mine and he would probably be happier with one of them, even if he was looking slightly annoyed right now. Unable to continue watching, I decided to wait outside the door and try to use the fresh night air to cool down.

It wasn’t long before I started hearing a weird sound coming from the forest behind the training grounds. It sounded really similar to a nasally baby crying.

What the hell is that?I asked Nenetl.

I don’t know.

Could it be an actual baby?

I hope not. I don’t think so? Unless the baby’s got like the flu or something. It’s a little too weird to be a baby, I think.

Should we check it out?

Maybe we should tell Chris.

I opened the door to the training grounds, but Chris was on the floor with one of the girls straddling him. I gritted my teeth and closed it.

The man is busy. If it’s a baby, we have to help.

But...she paused and took a deep breath.I got your back.

I walked to the edge of the woods slowly and took a deep breath that mimicked Nenetl’s. With a quick look toward the door, I stepped through the trees, following the sounds. Less than a hundred feet later, there was a rustling sound ahead, and the distressed sounds increased in frequency.

---