Page 23 of Family (Academy of Misfits 3)

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Ford circles me, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he moves. He brings his fist-covered gloves up in front of his face in a defensive position and I watch his biceps flex as he throws some light punches into the space between us.

I remain still, my feet heavy, glued to the floor. For some unknown reason my gloves suddenly feel like two blocks of cement as my arms hang by my side. The anger still eats away at me, but I don’t have the energy to fight. I don’t have the energy to do anything but stand here and watch Ford move stealthily around me. Maybe fucking was the better option after all.

“Don’t do that, Asia. Put your fists up and protect your face,” Ford commands, punching the air, moving closer this time. The loose strands of hair around my head lift up as the force of his movements oscillates the air between us. He keeps bouncing on the balls of his feet, every punch he throws getting closer, until one actually meets my shoulder forcing it backwards with a loud thwack, making me stumble. It hurts.

Motherfucker.

His dark gaze meets mine, his eyes narrowing. Then he throws another punch, hitting me on my other shoulder. The power behind it has me reeling backwards.

And that’s all it takes.

A nuclear bomb of rage detonates inside my chest, ripping violently out of me in a loud scream. I launch at Ford, my fists flying. I don’t think, I just feel. I feel every single drop of anger as it bursts forth like a volcano exploding.

I don’t see Ford.

I see Monk. I imagine the King.

And I lose my shit.

I fucking lose it.

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack.TWHACK.

Some of my punches hit their mark, some don’t. Either way, I don’t care.

I want to kill. I want to rip the world apart with my bare hands.

I feel raw, open, like my heart has beaten its way free from inside my chest, every rib bent backwards, my chest cracked open, blood, muscle and bone torn free and my insides on display for anyone to see.

But it doesn’t stop me.

I avoid a few hits, I take more. But I don’tfeelthem. I don’t feel anything other than the rage.

“Come on, Asia. Is that all you’ve got?!” Ford shouts, angering me further. I hit him square on the jaw, knocking his head backwards.

But it doesn’t stop him from coming back for more, forcing me backwards as he throws punch after punch.

“Let. It. Out!” he roars, and I realise he doesn’t just mean the anger. He wants me to spill all the deepest, most secret parts inside of me. The disappointment, the despair, the pain.

“Shout at me, scream, fucking rage, Asia. Let. It. Out!”

As he stalks towards me, the words come. Words long held inside. With every punch I throw, with every punch I feel them burst free from my lips in a cacophony of pain.

“You. Took. Pink. You. Set. Monk. On. Me. You. Abandoned. Us. You. Killed. My. Mum,” I scream, my chest heaving as I plant my feet firmly on the ground.

Sweat slides down my spine, down my face, between my breasts as I wait for him to make his next move. Inside I’m a frenzy, a fucking whirlwind of emotion but I remain still.

I am the storm and the storm isme.

Ford stops before me. He’s sweating too, his hair plastered to his head and his t-shirt stuck to his chest. He rakes his gaze over me, and I’m vaguely aware of that same electricity that always seems to spark between us crackle and snap.

“Now funnel that pain, that rage, Asia. Draw it back inside you and feed off of it. Let itfuelyou. Let itfocusyou so you can face the enemy with a clear head. Do not let it ruin you. When you feel as though you’re near to the breaking point again, you find me. You fightme. I will take the excess that you can’t contain,” he says fiercely, ripping his gloves off and doing the same to mine. He grips me by the shoulder as I shake violently in his arms.

“He fucking took her from me!” I shout and I’m not just talking about Pink, I’m talking about my mum because even though she might’ve stabbed that needle in her arm, he was the one who killed her by abusing her love. I know that. The King broke my mum and in turn he broke me.

“Eastern will hold you when you need to break butIwill show you how to remain strong. Go to him to fall apart, then come to me when you need to be put back together again. Understand?”

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