Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

I put the stone in my sneaker for now and try to forget that it exists. I clean the entire apartment and start preparing dinner. I turn on T's old radio and find a station to listen to as I continue to chop up vegetables. A slower song comes on and I listen to it half-heartedly. My mind keeps flashing back to the crystal I created in my sleep along with straining to remember the dream that caused it. A feel as if a fog is circling my brain and it's very frustrating.

"I'm home, Zana!" T calls out happily before walking into the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" T asks me and I mumble that I'm fine.

T rests a hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up from my work. The concern she is feeling is so strong in her eyes that I am immediately stricken with guilt. Glancing away from her and back at the food in front of me, tears blur my vision and I put the knife down.

"Zana, what is wrong?" T asks me again.

Before I can respond, a sob cuts through me and my body starts to tremor. Emotion fills my chest making it harder to breathe and my throat aches from the internal pain. T pulls me close as I continue to cry.

I was always thankful that T continually let me stay at the shelter because it eased the burden of wondering where I was going to sleep every night, and where I would get my next meal from. When T asked me to move in with her with, I don't think that I understood what it would mean for me. I'm not used to having to share such a confined space with someone or having to 'report' to someone all the time. I was such a no-mad for three years that living with another human being in such a personal setting has become strange.

"I'm sorry for everything," I mumble into her shirt.

"Zana, you didn't do anything wrong?" T says softly but I can hear the question in her voice.

"I haven't been very good at keeping you in the loop and as my legal guardian and sister I should be making a better effort to talk to you about things," I say pulling away.

"Zana, I know it isn't easy for you to let people in, you lived alone for a long time. Now can you tell me what's going on?" T asks softly.

"Well do you want to start with the normal thing or the supernatural part?"

"Ease me into it," she says sitting down at the table.

"I applied to a culinary school," I say.

"Okay, and?" She asks me confused.

"It's a really expensive school and its currently my favorite," I say leaning against the counter.

"Well if it's still on your mind obviously this is important if it isn't completely out of the question in terms of budget," T says.

"I need to cover about ten thousand more with all of the supplies and tuition costs. I just applied for a performance scholarship; it was more of a cooking test. That scholarship could potentially cover the whole thing but that would have required me to blow the judges out of the water which I don't think I did," I say.

"Well we will just have to wait and see what they thought and evaluate the decision later on," T says seriously.

"I want to go to culinary school," I say seriously.

"I wish you could have figured out that earlier, but you can always take a gap year and work," T says. It is too late to apply to schools anymore.

"That might not be a bad idea..."

"Now what supernatural nonsense have you gotten yourself involved in?"

"Follow me," I say walking into the living room.

Grabbing my shoe from under the coffee table, I fish the stone out of it and the sensation of motion hits me instantly. I can feel T giving me a strange look, so I hand her the smooth stone. She rolls it around in her hands for a few moments before giving me a perplexed look.

"What is it?" She asks me confused.

"It's some of my crystals from the palm of my hand that I condensed, you don't feel what I feel, do you?" I ask her.

"What should I be feeling?"

"Whenever I hold it, I feel this strange sensation of movement, like it is connected to the shards embedded into Viro's skin," I say.

"Oh boy," T says handing it back to me.

"I think I can track him," I say seriously, and T rubs her eyes.

"I had a feeling you were going to say that; How would you restrain him? You can't use normal handcuffs. Also, not to rub salt in your wounds dear, but haven't you lost every fight with him?" She asks me softly.

"It's because I let him get into my head. He makes me question what I'm doing and more importantly why am I doing it. I don't have a real reason as to why I do it, it just feels right," I say honestly.

"Then don't let that piece of shit get into that beautiful mind of yours. He's winning when you do and I know you are stronger than that Zana," T says.

"I'm going to keep training with Mason, I stood a bit of a chance in my last fight. I want to get stronger and become a better fighter," I tell T.

"Then maybe it's time to find a new sparring partner?"

"Why?"

"Because if you always fight the same person then you are never going to learn how to read different people and get better. Mason is an amazing teacher and I am sure he will teach you so much more, but I think you need to start fighting other people," T says with a smirk.

"You obviously have someone in mind," I say.

"I have a few friends coming into town," T says with a big smile.

"Who?"

"Do you remember Cathleen?"

"Of course, she's pretty hard to forget," I reply remembering the stunningly powerful woman who walked into our tiny living room.

"Well her and her business partner Alexander are coming into town and I might be able to arrange something," T says with a twinkle in her eye.

"I am going to get my ass handed to me, aren't I?"

"Not with that kind of attitude," T says before going to finish dinner.

Days trickle by and I check my portal constantly, waiting for the results to come out. Anxiety is slowly consuming me, and I just continue to try to ignore it. I start sparring four days a week, and Mason takes off all of the brakes. I'm appreciative of it considering I have this impending fight with who even knows. Mason also brings one of his old sparring buddies in one day and we duke it out. I fair pretty well, and I am proud of all of the progress I am making.

"Zana," T calls out from her room.

"What?" I ask while doing homework.

"Go change into your sparring outfit," T says with a wolfish grin.

"Wait, you didn't arrange the fight, did you?" I ask her alarmed.

"Of course, I did! Do you want to take down Viro?" T asks me seriously and I make a face before going and getting changed.

I follow T in my ultra-thick leggings, sports bra, and oversized long sleeve shirt. Wrapping my knuckles along the way, we walk into an unfamiliar gym and I feel a bunch of people staring at me. Looking around I easily spot Cathleen and the man next to her is dressed in gym clothing. His dark brown hair is styled and as I approach, I am slightly intimidated by his stature. He is over six feet tall, but upon closer inspection, he's actually pretty thin, not as muscular as I was expecting.

"Thalia!" Cathleen almost squeals, she runs over and gives T a big hug.

"Hi Cathleen, you told me next time we saw each other I would finally be able to meet that beautiful wife of yours!" T scolds and Cathleen laughs, and the sound is strikingly smooth and soft. How can one person be so elegant?

"Somebody had to hold down our company considering Alexander and I are here," Cathleen says.

"Alexander Caspian?" I ask surprised.

Alexander Caspian, Cathleen Winters, and Aviva Arlington are New York's royalty. Alexander and Cathleen run one of the most successful engineering companies in the world and their success is largely attributed to Aviva's brilliance. Trying to not vomit on the spot I wonder how T knows these people. I know that the Winters's and Caspian's are long-standing family friends, to the point that Cathleen and Alexander jokingly refer to themselves as cousins.

"They're Greyson's friends, and well my childhood friends," T says giving me a knowing smile, but there is something else behind it that she is trying to hide.

"Of course, they are," I say not surprised that she is friends with three of the most powerful people in the city.

"I'm Alexander as you've already heard," Alexander says as he offers me a hand into the ring.

"Zana," I say but the name seems strange.

"So, I heard you are looking for a challenge? The last thing I want to do it hurt you so why don't you set the ground rules," Alexander says ruffling his hair. He seems like a nice person.

"No face or neck shots," I say cracking my knuckles and neck.

"That's it?" He asks alarmed.

"Zana is tougher than she looks," T says, and I shake my head at her, they have no clue.

"Alright then let's begin," Alexander says.

We bow to each other and throw our hands up, tucking my right elbow in slightly tighter. I focus on my breathing as he advances. Throwing his first punch I dodge with ease, blocking the second one I throw a counter punch which he eats easily before knocking me away. Circling each other I go to clear his guard, but he dodges me with ease. Watching his movements, he has a similar grace to Greyson. I need to be lighter on my feet and close in on him.

As we continue to spar, I notice that my hunch is right, he's a better distance fighter. Rushing him I throw an onslaught of punches and eat whatever he hits me back with. Distracting him I manage to sneak one leg behind his and take him to the ground. He easily rolls us over, but in the scuffle, I pull one leg up and use it as leverage to throw him off of me before darting to my feet.

I barely have a moment to recover before he is on top of me, I block as many hits as possible. I see one coming towards my face, probably not intentional and I drop to the ground and smash both of my feet into his shins before rolling away. We square off again and I can feel T's gaze burning into my back. Watching Alexander move, he almost looks bigger.

"Should we end it?" Cathleen asks worried and T laughs.

"Not yet,"

Alexander tries to fake me out a few times and I don't take the bait so as he is trying to move past me, to get behind me. I throw a hard elbow and spin with him, as he tries to take me down, my back hits the ground I keep a leg straight and throw him over me. I hear the wind get knocked out of him as he lands flat on his back.

"That's enough," T's voice says approaching the ring.

Glancing at a stunned Alexander, I walk over and help him off of the ground and he looks me over confused. I can tell he is surprised enough that I was able to flip him like that. Although it was a lot of leg strength, the muscle it took to flip him was probably more than a normal girl my size could do.

"Thalia, where did you find this one?" Alexander asks me, smiling deviously before pulling me into a headlock laughing. I easily undo it but opt out of putting him into an armbar.

"She found me," T says with a big grin.

"You okay?" T asks me and I nod.

"Never better," I say climbing out of the ring and grabbing the water that she has for me.

"We need to get her into the ring with Aviva and Greyson," Alexander says with a devious smile.

"I don't know if I want her in the ring with them," T says pretending to be defensive.

"She kicked my ass," Alexander says with a shrug.

"She really did," Cathleen chimes in, and I chuckle.

"Who taught you to fight like that?" Alexander asks me curiously.

"A friend, he's a third-degree black belt but he also loves judo," I say.

"That's where you got those grappling skills," Alexander says thoughtfully.

"So, we will meet you in an hour for dinner?" T asks and I give her a confused look.

"Perfect," Cathleen says grabbing her things as we all leave.

Okay, Xander will always be one of my favorite characters, he's just a ball of intelligence and wholesomeness. Who's your favorite character so far? Let me know in the comments!!

XX Cc