Chapter Six (Part Two)

Taylor

‘Remember, Taylor, this is not a practice duel of any kind. You have to be very careful.’

Taylor nodded patiently at Forbes’ cautioning. It was the fourth time in the last few minutes he had warned her how Matt wasn’t to be treated like a normal dueling opponent, and that she just had to simulate attacking him – not really go all out to attack him.

Because Matt Peters hasn’t found his own powers to play defense yet. Forbes’ words echoed in her head.
What she had to do now was to pretend to fight Matt; shock and push his system into believing that it was under perilous situations, so as to induce the hidden ability out from within.

Forbes was standing with his arms crossed at the side of the dueling square, his eyebrows pulled together into a concerned frown. Meghan, fidgeting anxiously beside Forbes, gave Taylor a small smile when she met her eyes. Taylor knew they were both worried Matt might get hurt, and she wished they had trusted her a little more.

Climbing the small steps leading up to the dueling square, Taylor’s focus landed on Matt – a tall, athletic figure on the opposite side of the arena. He was rubbing his palms anxiously up and down either sides of his pants.

‘Hey, relax a little,’ Taylor called out. ‘I’m not going to kill you, or anything like that.’

Matt smiled back at her – a nervous grin – though the rubbing of palms stopped immediately.

In the right corner on Matt’s side stood Talan, positioned there by Forbes as a safety precaution in case things went wrong. He gave Taylor a thumbs up when he caught her eye.

‘Okay,’ Taylor warned, bunching her hair hastily into a ponytail as she locked eyes with Matt, ‘I’m gonna start now.’

A few meters away, Matt nodded, apprehension and determination scrawled all over his face.

Alright then, Taylor told herself, to begin, something small, and light. Her agile eyes swept the acres of the training room for her first assail object, and they landed upon a broomstick leaning against a dusty corner.
Centering her eyes on the object, she lifted it up easily and arrowed it at Matt’s direction. The broomstick lunged towards Matt’s chest, his blue eyes widening in a moment of astonishment, before he raised both arms out in an attempt to will the broomstick to stop in its tracks.
That didn’t happen, of course.
The wooden rod of the broomstick rammed against his arms, falling to the ground with a hollow clatter.
A grimace spread over Matt’s features.

Uh-oh. Taylor thought. He was worse than she had expected him to be.

‘Matt? You okay?’ Talan asked urgently, approaching him from his own corner.

Opening his eyes, Matt rubbed the sore spot on his right arm where the impact from the broomstick had landed, a crimson blush creeping over his face and neck.

‘Yeah, I’m fine. It was nothing. Just thought for a moment I might be able to do what you can do.’

‘It’s alright, man.’ Talan said gently, clapping Matt a couple of times on his back. ‘I’m sure there’s something unique inside you just waiting to be discovered.’

Matt nodded, taking his position for another try.

Seeing Talan taking his cue to retreat back into the corner, Taylor glanced towards Forbes questioningly. The old mentor nodded, signaling for her to continue.

Alright then, maybe something more realistically intimidating this time.

Her roaming eyes fell instantly upon the daggers hanging on the walls, their sheen blades reflecting under the fluorescent lighting. Picking two up quickly with her focus, she directed the flying blades in Matt’s direction once more.

If he seemed scared before, it was terror flashing through Matt’s eyes now, his frantic gaze leaden upon the approaching blades. He gasp, staggering backwards blindly in face of the whizzing daggers.
Matt didn’t do anything but to stare, his eyebrows scrunched into deep concentration as his pupils lock themselves upon the impending daggers.

From the corners of her eyes, Taylor saw her brother taking a few quick strides forward, his instinct kicking in. Before Talan could raise his hands and interfere however, she narrowed her concentration through the speeding pair of daggers, sending them splitting from their original paths, whisking narrowly past either sides of Matt’s head before dropping to the ground behind him.

Matt’s contorted face instantly relaxed, washed over by a wave of pure disappointment.
‘Guess I hadn’t had your power for telekinesis either, huh? I focused all my concentration on those dagger till my eyes almost popped, but it still didn’t do any good,’ he said to Taylor, trying on a weak laugh to cover over his disappointment. ‘Oh well.’

Talan, however, didn’t quite take things as calmly. ‘That was really dangerous, Taylor!’ he said, eyes shining ominously. ‘Do you know what could have happened if you lost control? You should have known better than that!’
He stared at Taylor harshly, even though Matt Peters was just standing a few feet away from him, perfectly safe and unharmed.

‘I didn’t mean to…’ Taylor retorted, before losing interest in even starting an argument with her brother. ‘Oh just forget it,’ she muttered. Ignoring both Talan and Matt, she strode past them to where the two fallen daggers were lying.

Forbes and Meghan were already making their way up to the dueling square.

‘You did fine,’ Forbes told her quietly when they crossed path. ‘I’m just not sure if Matt’s ready yet.’

‘I didn’t mean to scare him,’ Taylor explained. ‘I had the daggers under control all along, I really did.’

With a small, unreadable smile, Forbes nodded again, patting Taylor on the arm before heading over to Matt.

Honestly speaking, looking at how everybody was all concerned and fussing over Matt Peters sent a jealous streak down Taylor’s blood. She used to be the youngest here; the baby whom everyone fawned and took care of, especially by Forbes.

It so seemed like Matt’s appearance had changed everything. Sighing again, Taylor bent down to retrieve the fallen daggers. Sourness was hoarding all of her thoughts that she hadn’t even noticed the thin layer of ice that now encrusted the silver lengths on both blades.

*
(to be continued)