Page 25 of Ava's Love of the Dragons
"You're welcome to do that, but I'm staying. Where's breakfast, Lilly?"
"Actually, you just need to close your eyes and follow your nose. Can't you smell the cinnamon and warm butter?"
They walked down the hallway and reached the spiral staircase leading to the ground floor. Breakfast was served in a small room that felt more personal than the large, neutral dining hall where they had eaten dinner. Perhaps it was due to the vases of flower arrangements adorning the narrow windows, which seemed so out of place in a combat training facility.
Small round tables with matching chairs and floral seat cushions were scattered about, ready for use. On one side, a long table held clean bowls, plates, and cutlery next to four pots with contents that were kept warm with the help of candles.
No one was in the room, but the trays of used dishes by the kitchen door made it clear that Lilly wasn't the only one who had eaten this morning.
There was oatmeal with butter and cinnamon, along with stewed fruits of choice. Lilly passed on the pears, while Ava took a double portion. For some reason, the fruits gave her a hint of comfort.
No sooner had they sat down than Lynn appeared in the doorway, grinning at the girl. "There's my new student!"
Lilly jutted out her chin. "I didn't survive the last three years to end up in a classroom!"
"Yes, you did. Now come on!" Lynn strode energetically to the table and reached out her hand, yet it didn't diminish her friendly, charming elementary school teacher demeanor.
"I'm eating breakfast!"
"You've already eaten—and plenty at that. We'll take a break in two hours, then you can come back here. Now up you go!"
Ava could hardly believe it. The unbelievable happened: Lilly stood up grumbling, kicked the chair leg, and trudged out of the room next to Lynn. Shaking her head, Ava watched her go, remembering just in time to call out: "Have fun."
Judging by the venomous glare Lilly gave over her shoulder, she should have kept that comment to herself. As soon as the two were outside and out of sight, a laugh escaped her.
Marcus grinned at her as if the laugh was meant for him. "What are we doing today?"
"I already told you, I'm supposed to run."
He furrowed his brow in disbelief. "But surely not all day!"
"If I understood correctly, until I've conquered my inner demons."
Intrigued, he leaned forward and reached for her left hand. "Which are?" His voice sounded warm and persuasive, and in his brown eyes was compassion that Ava didn't want at all. Sheimmediately checked that her inner wall was raised to the max and withdrew her hand.
"That's nobody's business."
The pitying expression that came over his face spoiled her appetite, so she pushed the bowl aside and stood up. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I want to run alone. You keep an eye on Lilly. Knowing her, she'll use the first opportunity to run off. We don't want her leaving the arena out of school anxiety and running into Rob. See you later." With those words, she marched off.
"But you've hardly eaten anything!"
That was probably for the best.
Chapter 12
Ava took off running as soon as she stepped out the door. Not knowing if there was a separate track for beginners, she quickly headed towards the arena. Maybe the other fighters were also doing their laps there, and she could strike up a conversation with them. Ideally, they would tell her what she needed to do to get the running over with. Plus, she'd be on site when Master Clark showed up, and could convince him that she was at peace with herself.
Which she sort of was.
Sure, she was angry at her parents, sure she had felt abandoned, but that was just how it was. Nothing could be changed about that now. And to prevent it from holding her back, she simply didn't think about it. Done. Problem solved.
All five students Ava had encountered so far were in the arena. Judging by their sweat-soaked uniforms and faces, they hadn't just been training for a few minutes.
Tomorrow she would get up earlier too.
Ava nodded to them, and a guy with short blond hair returned the gesture. The other cadets didn't pay her any attention, instead striking wooden frames with their weapons.So she just started doing her laps. The master would show up eventually.
The dimensions of the arena were larger than they appeared at first glance. By the second lap, her pulse was so high that she wondered how long she could keep this up. But if she ran any slower, not even dear Marcus could claim she was running.
