Page 72 of Resist

“Go, Mara!” Edith cried, clapping her hands. “Get her!”

Calista rushed me again, coming in hot, her fist flying. But I blocked it. Of course, I didn’t see she was coming in for a one-two combo, and her opposite fist shot out from the left side, hitting my jaw, and sending my body spinning.

Holy mother!

That woman packed a punch! I whipped around, getting ready for the next blow, but I was too late. Calista sent her leg flying, hitting me on the right.

“Mara, watch out!”

I didn’t know who was yelling at me, but I didn’t have time to think. I staggered back, turning to face Calista as she came at me again. But this time, I was ready. I dodged her, flipping behind her and going straight into a jump kick, my foot making contact square in her back, throwing her forward. She staggered, but she didn’t lose her balance. Before I knew what was happening, she whipped around and lunged at me.

Right hook, left punch, jumping roundhouse kick, left hook—it all came in rapid succession. I blocked left, blocked right, kicked back, blocked again, right hook, jump back.

The velocity intensified, wearing me down, until suddenly, I made one fatal flaw. I took my eyes off her. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Edith wide-eyed, jumping, cheering me on, while Jim pumped his fist in the air, howling. I saw Matias, mouth agape, shouting god knows what. And then I saw Wes,arms crossed, stoic mask firmly in place, but his eyes were ablaze, shimmering like liquid gold. And suddenly, Blondie’s foot made contact with my solar plexus, throwing me back with such force, I became airborne. I landed—hard. And this time, the wind left my lungs, leaving me breathless and wheezing.

Move, move, move!My mind screamed at me as I gasped for air. I scrambled to get up, flipping onto my stomach once again, and lifted myself off the ground as fresh air finally found its way into my lungs.

But I was too slow.

Blondie’s hands dug into my hair, pulling back, threatening to rip every strand out of my skull.

“That’s not fair! That’s against the rules!” Someone shouted.

“The enemy doesn’t play by the rules. Let’s go, de la Puente! What do you do?” If my sergeant was trying to be encouraging, he sucked at it.

My hands flew to my scalp, trying to grasp at Calista’s wrists. But all she did was pull me back harder, yanking my head backward and throwing me off balance until my back collided into her chest. She wrapped her free arm around my front, and then quickly let go of my hair, wrapping her other arm around me too, pinning my arms down.

Shit, shit, shit!

I struggled, bending forward, trying to lift her feet off the ground, but she was too tall. She bent forward with me, molding her body to mine, pushing her body down, crushing me, trying to make me collapse under her weight. I tried to twist to the left to use her weight against her. She staggered, but she never loosened her grip. And suddenly, I felt her breath hot and slick in my ear.

She whispered, “Looks like you’re going to lose. Take a hint and go back to the shithole you came from, Telvian. And don’tworry,” she added, her voice sickly sweet and menacing, “I’ll keep Wes warm for you.”

I snapped. I don’t know what came over me, but with a deep yell, I yanked myself forward and then slammed my head backwards.

I felt it.

I felt as my skull made delicious contact with the soft tissue of her face. I heard the crunch as the sheer force collapsed her nose in. Her arms dropped, and she was off me. Without even thinking, acting on pure instinct, I whirled around and sent a spinning side kick right to her chin.

SMACK!

Calista’s head snapped backwards, and she went crashing to the ground on her back. I slipped back into my fighting stance right as the whistle blew.

39: Girl Problems

“That bitch broke my nose!” Calista glowered as she held a blood-soaked towel to her face.

“That Telvian kicked your ass,” the drill sergeant said. “Maybe next time you shouldn’t rely on cheap tricks.” She glared, but kept her mouth shut. “Go on, Haeflinger. Head to the Medical Bay and get your nose cleaned up.” To Blondie’s credit, she stood up tall, wiped the blood as it trickled down, and marched out of the training arena. The sergeant turned back to face me. “Nice work, de la Puente. You just earned yourself and the rest of your team a night off. I suggest you all use the time wisely.” And with that, he left us.

“That was rich!” Edith started, high-fiving me. “I would have paid good money to have recorded that girl fly through the air when you kicked her in the face.”

“Yeah,” I replied half-heartedly, the back of my head pounding from breaking Calista’s nose. I wasn’t sure how I felt about annihilating her the way I did. It just feltwrong.

“Nicely done, de la Puente,” Jim said, patting me on the back. “See you all tomorrow.”

I waved him off and then turned to find Matias right in front of me, causing me to leap back in surprise. He gave a weak laugh. “Sorry about that.”

“It’s okay, you just startled me is all.”

---