Violet Path (25 page)

“What happened?” he asked, but I didn’t look at him.

“What do you mean?” I responded, trying to sound casual.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. What happened between breakfast and now that you won’t even look at me?”

My heart shattered. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I didn’t have an answer. David was in my mind, telling me to shut up and to run away. I tried to ignore it but couldn’t. I felt pathetic as my eyes formed tears of confusion, but I held them in. He put his warm hand against my back and leaned toward me, making me feel protected as he gave into my stubborn silence.

“You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to,” he sang sweetly.

I was frustrated. I didn’t understand why I loved him. I knew him fairly well, but he kept so much to himself, I wasn’t sure if I truly understood him and his motives. I couldn’t comprehend my puppy loyalty and trust in him when he was overly kind to me for no reason. I didn’t like how he treated me like a child.

“Why are you so nice to me?” I asked out of pure irritation.

“Because I don’t have a reason not to be.” His answer was simple, but it did not satisfy my annoyance. “Why do you ask?” He seemed muddled by the question, and I couldn’t blame him.

“Forget it,” I said as I faked a smile.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”

“Well, it should be.”

“But it’s not.” He laughed. “Well, maybe it should be.”

I looked at him in surprise, staring into his aquatic eyes. They were deep with no end; empty, but full of thought. I swallowed, unable to speak. His warm palm gently grabbed my hand.

“The tournament is about to start!” David burst through the door. I jumped up only to receive his icy glare. Maxime stood and announced that we should run off.

I avoided David’s eyes as I walked through the door, but that didn’t protect me from the stinging scowl that slithered down my back.

“Andrew, we need to talk.” David stopped Maxime from exiting. I kept walking and heard the door slam shut. I tried to forget everything that had just happened with David, but that was impossible. It had lit an eternal spark.

I headed to the long tables alone. When I got there, Nick waved me over.

“No more scar? You know the girls would have liked it.” Nick nudged me.

I grinned. “So how does the tournament work?” I asked, changing the topic.

“It’s really simple. You’ll be paired up with someone and fight him. As long as you win, you move up to the next round, which determines your level of combat. You should do very well.”

“Thanks, you too. Do we get any breaks or anything?”

“Not that I know of until you lose. The tournament also tests your stamina.”

“Okay. And we only fight one person at a time?”

“Normally, yes.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because we are such a big group, some rules might have to change.”

I turned to Ryan. “Are you participating?” I feared the answer.

“No,” he whined.

“Why are you disappointed?” Nick asked.

“Because I want to be like Alex and Andrew. I want to fight!”

“You should think that over,” Nick responded amicably.

“Alex!” Maxime said as he walked up behind me. “We need to talk, now.” He avoided eye contact. I looked at Nick, who wrapped his arm around Ryan and led him away.

“What’s wrong?” I asked Maxime.

“Many things, but only one is important right now. There won’t be any more night classes.” His voice was grave.

“Why?”

“Because they’re dangerous.” His eyes wouldn’t meet mine.

“How?” I completely disagreed. He had been teaching me so I could defend myself.

“You could get hurt.”

I stared at him, puzzled. Something had changed his thoughts. Everything was dangerous and numerous scars had already accumulated, but he had another reason for canceling the lessons. Besides, he was the one person I felt safe around.

“I could hurt you, okay?”

“You wouldn’t,” I smiled.

“Maybe not intentionally, but I could. You don’t understand!”

“Then explain.”

“It’s complicated!” He was starting to get really irritated.

“Everything is complicated.”

“If I can’t control my anger, I will kill you!” His eyes suddenly turned black.

I took a step back. For the first time since I’d met him, I felt afraid of him. But I couldn’t believe him; I wouldn’t believe him. He would never hurt me.

“You don’t get mad,” I said quietly.

“You’re too innocent. I try not to, but the next time I lose my temper, you could lose your life.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” I was confused.

“Because of tomorrow.” His black eyes faded to gray.

“Your explanation isn’t very clear.”

“I’m sorry; just stay away from me.”

My heart shattered at those words, and Maxime ran off. I was lost. He had been my refuge and made me feel at home. He was the only thing I cared about in this lonely world. I walked to the tables alone, wishing more than anything for Maxime to stand beside me.

Then his words sunk in. What was happening tomorrow? What was he talking about?

“Nick,” I said as I trotted up to him. “What’s happening tomorrow?”

His forehead crinkled in deep thought. Then he said, “It’s Andrew’s birthday.”

I was even more confused. What was so terrible about Maxime’s birthday?

“Attention!” David yelled, catching everyone off guard. The crowd immediately fell silent.

Maxime stood up on one of the long tables. “The tournament is starting. Line up in rows of ten, and you will be partnered up with someone unfamiliar. Then, as a pair, you will go to the tournament grounds that are located by the lake. Sign up there and start the combat. Please be honest and follow the basic combat rules. If there is a problem, find a leader. Register your loss or victory where you signed up and receive further instructions there. Line up!”

We all lined up. Ryan left with David, so I stood by Nick. David called out names, and people stepped forward and walked off in groups of two.

I spent more than an hour waiting for my name to be called. Finally, David pointed at me, and I was paired up with Luke Cook. We introduced ourselves briefly. We were both in the same group, but he was twice my age. He had dark brown hair and hazel eyes with a tint of green. He was thinly built, and I felt like I wouldn’t have a problem defeating him.

Luke and I signed up, then went to the first open terrain we could find by the lake. The water was calm and reflected the clear sky. We couldn’t see the other side, but majestic pines surrounded ours. A beaver dam ran down the middle of the lake.

Ryan ran over, full of excitement. My heart melted when Luke picked Ryan up. It was obvious that they knew each other. I sat on the cold ground, away from them so they could have some privacy. I loved Ryan’s radiant smile as he talked to Luke. When they were finished, they approached me.

“Can I watch, Alex?” Ryan asked.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Thank you so much!” He jumped into my arms and gave me a hug.

Luke and I got into our fighting positions, and Ryan called out for us to start. Luke didn’t hesitate—he was strong, balanced, fast, and agile. His kicks were very steady and powerful, and his fists were steel, but his footwork was unstable. As we moved around quickly, his feet got lost, and I pinned him to the frozen soil. I felt bad for having hurt him, but he took his loss with pride as we recorded the score.

I was immediately paired up with someone else, and Ryan followed Luke. The fight was easy again, as well as the few hundred that followed. I was tiring slowly and enjoying myself at the same time. I was pleased to see that Nick had over two hundred victories. As I won more, the fights became more challenging, and the lack of food, water, and rest didn’t improve my situation. I had missed lunch, but I wasn’t the only one. We were all exhausted, but we kept going.

I was in the middle of fighting a tall, dark-skinned man with a comforting smile when David announced that we were down to fifty undefeated soldiers. My heart let out a scream of relief that I was almost done.

It was very dark, and I was very sore when my competition started to get challenging. The ones who had lost gathered around the fights, cheering and encouraging us.

My next opponent was an old man. He was in his late sixties with a silver beard and white hair. He looked fit, but I was sure the fight would be easy. A large crowd surrounded us, pushing us toward the water. The man shook my hand, and the fight started.

He kicked me in the ribs before I could even react. I caught my balance and my breath just in time to block a punch. I kicked his foot, he lost his balance, and then I elbowed him. We backed off each other for a couple of seconds, catching our breath. Then he charged at me, spun around, jumped, and kicked my chest. I fell on my back and he tried to punch me, but I blocked. He tried to trip me but failed. Without realizing it, he had backed me up into the water, and a tingling sensation rode up my spine. The cold water soaked my clothes and cut my ankles. I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him in. He pushed me under the water, and all of my muscles contracted in the frozen water.

The crowd enclosed around us, cheering louder than ever. The man tried to tackle my knees, but I jumped above him. Then he kicked my jaw, and I fell backward into the frozen lake. I tried to get up, but my soaked clothes were weighing me down.

I took a deep breath, dove under water, and quickly stood up behind him, but he had anticipated my move and kicked my abdomen. I tried to anticipate his moves, but he was unpredictable, always changing his kicks and punches before I could register the change. I was getting extremely frustrated.

I tried to punch him, but he twisted my arm back and plunged my head into the water. Water seeped into my lungs, and I thrashed in the icy water. When he let me go, I shot up, sucked in air, then quickly kicked his abdomen and punched his kidneys. I hooked my foot around his neck and pushed his face into the water. I allowed him to get up and catch his breath.

The rules stated that we had to pin our opponent to the ground for ten seconds to win, but I wasn’t going to drown him. He came at me and wrapped his fingers around my neck. I couldn’t breathe. I tried to pull his hand from my throat, but I couldn’t push him away or think of any pressure points. My head was spinning. He let me go, and I fell into the water. A cold shock slapped my head, and I thrashed in the water, gasping for air. I had lost.

I emerged from the water, admitting defeat. I followed the man back to the shore, and as soon as my feet hit the ground, I bent over, trying to catch my breath. My lungs hurt, my limbs were sore, and my head was spinning. I closed my eyes and felt someone’s large hand rest on my back. I shot up quickly, always on alert.

“Great job! You’re the most competition I’ve had in years,” the old man said with a smile.

“Thanks,” I muttered, panting.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” His voice was warm and parental, like a father or protector.

“Alex,” I answered with the little pride I had left.

“And how old are you, Alex?”

“Sixteen.”

“Well, I am immensely impressed.”

“Thank you. You’ve taught me a lot in just a couple of minutes. That was fun.”

“How do you feel? You took quite a beating and probably drank more than your stomach can handle,” he laughed.

“I’m fine, thanks. You?”

“Well, the age doesn’t help, but I’ll survive. It was an honor to fight you.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name either.”

“I’m Anton,” he answered, then left.

Nick ran up to me. “You’re shivering! Come, let’s get you dry clothes.” He put his arm around me and led me back toward the camp. All he talked about was my last fight, how intense it had been, how impressed he was, and how he couldn’t believe that I had lost. I remained silent; I didn’t want to hear it.

We went to his cabin, and he gave me dry clothes. I was truly frozen. I could tell that he was expecting me to change, because he kept talking but didn’t lead me out.

“Nick,” Maxime called from outside the cabin. “I need to talk to you.”

“Be right back,” Nick said as he darted out the door.

I quickly got changed, knowing that Maxime was distracting Nick.

I bolted out the door, thanked Nick in a hurry, and followed Maxime to camp. I had too many questions. The camp was deserted as I chased him. I called his name, but he ignored me. I sprinted in front of him, but he looked away.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, panic lacing my voice. I couldn’t lose him, not now.

“Stay away from me.”

“I don’t understand,” I said. “What’s so bad about your birthday?”

He froze in his tracks. He turned to me. His eyes were black.

“Go away,” he gritted.

Tears filled my eyes. “No,” I said, standing my ground.

“Go away, or you’ll get hurt.” His hand with the black cloth formed a fist.

Despite his anger, I didn’t feel threatened. I took his hand, but he jerked it away. He fell to his knees, his hands clutching his head, moaning in pain. His eyes were shut, his jaw clenched. He was fighting something internally. I knelt beside him, but he yelled, “Go away and stay away! I don’t want to hurt you!”

I was confused, and it hurt to see him in pain.

“Let me help you,” I said as I knelt beside him.

He clutched his heart with his right hand. His veins protruded from his neck. He was struggling to speak and move, as if he had no control over his actions. He slammed his fist against the frozen ground, the sharp twigs cutting into his skin and drawing blood. It didn’t seem real. Maxime was always in total control, but it appeared as if he had completely lost his mind. He twisted in anguish, like he was possessed by a demon.

“Alex! Get away from him!” David yelled as he ran toward us.

I tried to explain that Maxime needed help, but David only ordered me to step back.

“What did you say?” David asked as he knelt beside his brother.

“I don’t know. I—”

“What were you talking about?” David screamed. “The date? Family? Matthew?”