Page 41 of Ava: Part One

There was no volunteering. It was obvious that this was preplanned. There was so much coldness in the girl’s green gaze that she wondered if this was just about what she said at lunchtime.

The whistle blew, and she didn’t even have a chance to move. Claire had her on her back instantly with a spear she felt through her whole body. She heard a crack, and it hurt so much that she knew something was broken. She could do nothing but try to protect her head when the punches started.

The coach didn’t even try to stop the match, even when she tapped, even when she screamed. He was punishing her to appease his ego. Her classmates cheered every blow.

With tears in her eyes, she saw Ezekiel leave the room.

She didn’t know why that made her angry, but the rage built up in her core. It was as if it had a life of its own inside her, and all she had to do was let it out to stop the girl who was decorating the mat with her blood. It washed through her, so familiar that she felt tingles through her body. Claire’s blows didn’t even hurt anymore, possibly because of shock. The rage gave her confidence as she looked the girl in the eye and snarled.

She snarled.

Claire stopped the punches and snarled back. Then she raised her fist again.

“Human scum,” Claire spat out as she caught the side of her head.

And then everything went dark.

Chapter 29

Screams. Blood. The crunching sounds. Screams. Blood. The crunching sounds. Ava sat up in bed with her heart in her mouth. She expected the same excruciating pain she had every time she moved her body so roughly, but there was nothing.

Not even a headache from the insane girl’s punches.

Her heart was still pounding when she looked around, and she realised she was in a hospital bed. The curtains were drawn around her, but she could hear beeping machines not too far away. They must have brought her to the infirmary when Claireknocked her out. That was a first. Usually, they just made sure she came to and then left her on the mat in the training hall to go about the rest of her day.

Whatever magic they did to her at the infirmary was excellent because she felt better than she had in a long time. Why hadn’t she thought to come here last week? It would have saved her a lot of energy. Being in constant pain was mentally draining.

The medication they had given her made her feel like she could take on the world. A smile stretched her lips as she lifted her arm and moved the shoulder that Claire had dislocated. It was as good as new.

Someone had undressed her and put her in a hospital gown. Lifting it, she felt around her ribs for any tenderness, but there was nothing.

Someone pulled her curtain open without warning, startling her and making her heart slam against her chest. A tall, thin man walked in, not caring about her privacy. She could tell he was a vampire by his pale skin and the ring on his finger. Some witches had discovered how to make these charmed rings decades ago, and now vampires could walk in the sun among them. Not all vampires followed the Council, as far as she was aware. There were still some out there who lived by their own rules and preyed on humans, coming out only in the darkness.

“You’re awake. Good,” the vampire said as he picked up a chart at the foot of her bed.

He wore a doctor’s coat and a stethoscope around his neck. He looked very young, not much older than she was, but Goddess knew how old he was!

“Everything looks good; you’re free to go,” the doctor announced.

He was about to walk out when she stopped him.

“What about my ribs? What did you give me?”

“Your ribs?” the doctor questioned.

“They were broken. Do I have to do anything for aftercare?”

The doctor frowned at her and picked the folder up again.

“You were knocked out at training and brought in for a possible concussion, but a body scan showed nothing. You just needed rest, probably. First Years tend to come in a lot from mid-semester because of that, but humans tire quicker,” the doctor said as he returned the folder. “Your clothes are on the chair. I can’t give you a note to skip school today because there’s nothing wrong with you, so you better get moving if you don’t want to be late.”

What?

She’d felt the pain! She’d heard the sound of her ribs breaking. How could the doctor say there had been nothing wrong with her? Was Jared’s cream still doing its magic on her body? How strong was the witch who had made it to heal broken bones like that?

A frown marred her face as she recalled her match with Claire. That wolf hadn’t shown any mercy. Something had broken. Or had she imagined it? She got off the bed and picked up her clothes from where the doctor indicated, wrinkling her nose as she shook her training kit. It was covered in her blood and smelled awful. If she’d had real friends at the academy, someone would have brought her a change of clothes. Instead, she was forced to wear the ruined kit.

Sighing, she put it on and then found her trainers.

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