The next week presented itself with a schedule possible to stretch. Nicoleta practiced day in and day out, she even practiced after hours in the gym. Her studies increased, to the extent that she could only make time for dinner in a day.
Her classes had become more intense, and though she was doing wonderfully, her biggest opponent was Kannika Patel. She was too strong, too experienced, and she had too many black belts.
Against Nicoleta's blue belt, Kannika was a god. She still tried anyway, she was showing improvement everyday, but her biggest challenge- or first challenge of the week was Kannika, and she would do anything to put her on her back.
She lost spar after spar, after try after try, and each loss she took personally like Kannika had attacked her entire bloodline, and she Nicoleta had to take revenge at all cost.
She stayed up all night striking a dummy she got for her room, sweat dripped down her back got stuck to her brow, and some even fell into her eye, but she blinked it away and continued abusing the dummy as if it had done her terrible wrong.
Thursday presented itself with a spar with Kannika Patel, across from Nicoleta on the mat. They both glared at each other.
Searching for any weak points, scanning each other like animals, Nicoleta would have growled if she could.
Kannika didn't give her a chance to think more when she moved.
Before she could counter attack Kannika's foot connected with her ribs. Nicoleta absorbed the blow as best she could, but couldn't regain her strength when Kannika struck her shoulder, then her gut.
Nicoleta was on the floors before she could blink. She groaned in agony as needles Prickled the places she had been hit.
Kannika stared down at her. She gave her time to recover beckoning Nicoleta with her hand to get up.
Recover she did. Nicoleta jumped to her feet, and didn't waste time to blast her flame all around her.
She heard Kannika whimper behind the wall of flame, and it was music to her ears.
She slammed the front of her foot into Kannika's shoulder, a crack could be heard. Nicoleta didn't stop there though. Guilty or not, she had to keep hitting until Kannika was down.
Nicoleta spun around and struck Kannika's waist with the back of her foot, as Kannika jumped into the air, then doubled down.
A thud sounded.
Nicoleta pounced on her on the floor and locked her between her thighs. Kannika groaned, squeezing her legs in a terrible attempt to free herself.
Nicoleta tightened her grip around Kannika's neck.
Tapping made her loosen her grip around Kannika, when she turned to see the source behind the sound it was Evan.
She smirked. "Well done Ms. Ariti- Ms Patel i see you have finally found a worthy candidate" Kannika didn't laugh, she usually would, she laughed at even the jokes that weren't funny.
Instead she glared at Nicoleta, brushing off the nonexistent dust on her A gi.
Evan placed an arm between them, counted to five, and removed himself from the line of fire.
Kannika didn't hold back this time around, she launched at Nicoleta strike after strike, blow after blow.
It was no longer friendly fire, this was a fight.
Kannika struck her hard in the chest, and pushed her back with her telekinesis bringing space between them for her to jump up and aim a foot towards Nicoleta's collar.
Nicoleta risked it all by attempting to grab her foot, hand hot almost to the point of lighting on fire.
Kannika screamed in pain and fell to the floor. But she didn't stay down for long.
Before she could even celebrate not breaking her hand from that move, she was blocking every blow coming at her.
Her arms took so much impact that for a moment she believed the bones in them were broken.
Perhaps they were. But she didn't let the pain inside slow her down, as she grabbed Kannika's arm, redirected her punch, and jammed her hand into her sternum, knocking her back only a little.
Nicoleta struck her in the chest, once twice, spun around and hit her again.
She nicked her arm with her fist, and like Kannika did to her, she pushed her back with her telekinesis.
Nicoleta hit her square in the chest with both feet, fell, then bounced back up and hit her again. This time she stayed down.
Kannika wobbled a little on her feet, getting into a lazy fighting stance once again.
"Don't you give up?" Kannika shook her head, and made to bash her ribs, Nicoleta blocked it, another attempt towards her ribs she blocked, then her gut, she blocked it, then her face she blocked it.
A harsh pining pain took her to the floor, making her wrap her arms around her torso.
She yelped.
Kannika kept her down with her telekinesis.
She climbed on top of Nicoleta and struck her in the face over and over and over.
Nicoleta's flame fought to erupt, she pushed them down, allowing them to only burn a little, hot enough to keep kannika bouncing off of her in a rush for coldness.
Nicoleta bounced up again, allowing her fire to climb up her arms.
"You will not beat me" she said, her chested vibrated. Kannika grinned, "again?" Nicoleta let her flame disappear, then knocked Kannika's arms back with her telekinesis.
She advanced forward, forcing her mind to focus only on keeping Kannika grounded as she threw punch after punch.
She knocked Kannika down, and locked her neck between her thighs again, staring down at her with fire in her eyes.
"Time!" Evan's voice echoed in the hall, Nicoleta loosened her grip on her, which gave Kannika an opportunity to flip her over.
Evan was the one to stop her. Nicoleta let out a sigh of great relief, as she stared at Kannika's fist hovering over her face.
"Accepting defeat makes you a greater fighter than winning" he pulled her away from Nicoleta, and helped Nicoleta get up on her feet.
"Good job, Ms. Ariti" Nicoleta was more than happy to hear that, but her anxiety about their fight shoved the joy down.
"Thank you"
Kannika didn't even bat an eye at her after class, Kannika who was so friendly that she helped Nicoleta tie her dobok properly during her first day in class when they were but strangers, wouldn't even breathe the same air as her.
If this is how she acted after losing once, then Nicoleta was severely under reacting when she lost all her spars at some point in the class.
She should have burned down sector 2 a long time ago.
Nicoleta trained until her bones felt sore. She took a break on Saturday, and on Sunday she anxiously made her way to the training hall, heart in her throat.
Her steps were slow. Her eyes darting from side to side, up and down. She burned with anticipation.
She fought to keep her powers from bursting out of nervousness.
Her skin was so hot an uninformed person would think she was sick near death.
She scratched at the skin around her nails, hissing whenever she hit flesh.
The crowd meant nothing to her now, bodies colliding felt like feathers to her now. Fighting against Kannika had taught her more than she expected.
One. Being able to take hits was more important that hitting first.
Two. Pain was absolutely necessary, and being able to feel it and accept it and use it to your advantage was a must
And three. Kannika was a stupidly tough opponent to beat, and that would remain until probably forever, Nicoleta got lucky. There was no way she actually beat a four time black belt.
And there was no way she would beat, an all black belt martial artist.
When she arrived by the class doors, she stared restlessly at Evan who was meditating inside, he looked like he did the first time they met.
Shirtless, relaxed, eluding a type of aura that suggested that everything was to fear him and not the other way around.
She Inhaled a long breath, and exhaled an even longer one.
Her nervousness disappeared, overcome with a sudden assured confidence.
She pushed the doors open, and walked inside, shoulders straight, head held up high.
Evan's eyes shot open, his blue-green eyes pierce through hers, they exchanged a quick conversation, and reached one understanding.
She bowed, he bowed as well. She went lower, then sprung up as straight as an arrow.
They nodded to one another. They both silently walked to the middle of the training hall, there was no table carrying tea there.
Nicoleta swallowed saliva, bowed again.
They stalked each other, she searched for anywhere his guard wasn't quite focused on, but he was locked.
His leg was protected, arm protected, head protected, how could he even manage that?
They stalked each other. He looked over every part of her body, marking Nicoleta was sure about a hundred weak spots.
She was tempted to switch her fighting stance, but decided to stay confident.
Evan narrowed his eyes on her, then. For a split second his eyes darted to her leg.
She moved out of the way of his flame, only to get caught in a nasty kick to the shin.
Her knees would have buckled if it was a week ago Nicoleta.
Now she simply hissed, and went to hit his jaw but he caught her fist, and twisted it.
Nicoleta pushed him away with her flame to which he countered effortlessly with his own flame.
Her skin stung with icy cold heat. She groaned and allowed her scarlet flame to burn through instead.
Evan stepped back, they both retracted their fires.
She hadn't hit him. Yet. But she could if she confused him, even if it was for a second.
Nicoleta locked eyes with him, and glanced down to his foot, then his temple.
She advanced towards him, and bashed his knee. He didn't so much as hiss at the pain when he grabbed her foot and threw her back with one hand.
Nicoleta watched as he cracked his knee back into place.
He smirked down at her. "Kapu Kuʻialua" he said.
Nicoleta jumped back on her feet.
Whatever that was, it was insane.
She stalked him, though he simply remained relaxed, a sly smile on his lips.
She wanted to wipe that grin off his face. Nicoleta ran up to him, made to lock him down with her thighs, but switched it when she saw how his eyes lit up with familiarity.
She blew her flame around, propelling her upward.
She aimed for his head when she began falling, but Evan had moved out of the way, and he countered by pushing her backward with his telekinesis.
Nicoleta hit the wall with a terrible thud.
She hoped her spine wasn't broken as she stood up, and rushed at him.
She aimed for a different attempt, something she hadn't learned in Taekwondo. Nicoleta slid down midway, Evan retracted his flame, and prepared himself to counter attack.
She didn't stay down however, instead Nicoleta propelled herself upward again, and spun herself halfway down, and kicked him down.
Evan didn't even waste a miller second. He caught her ankles and threw her across the room.
Nicoleta stopped herself from landing harshly with her flame. She turned around to blue flame rushing at her.
She managed to block it away from her, but she couldn't stop Evan's attack on her ribs.
He went once, twice, thrice, and then used her own move against her by striking her in the chest with both feet.
He bounced up and threw a punch, which Nicoleta caught and countered by nailing him in the ribs, twice, then his gut, then she brought his arm down, and couldn't finish her plan when he wrapped his arms around her neck and flipped her over his head.
They both landed on the floor with a thud, Nicoleta facing the worst hit.
She wrapped her thighs around his neck, and pulled on him.
Evan planted a straight hand into her waist, completely loosening her up.
Nicoleta hissed, "no more of that it's cheating!" She protested.
"You never said not to use it" she didn't stop her flame from rushing at him.
"I didn't know you could do that!" She yelled before forcing herself to get up.
She rushed at him, blood boiling, eyes burning.
She struck his sternum, his chest, his nose, his stomach, his abdomen.
She spun around and nailed him in the temple with the back of her foot.
She blew her flame at him, and jumped on his shoulders, before nailing him in the head.
Evan grabbed her waist, and threw them both to the floor.
Nicoleta hardly recovered before she felt the sting of ice and fire through her skin, she groaned.
Evan stood up, and kept her down with his telekinesis.
Nicoleta fought, her flame was Raging, trying to penetrate through the force of his powers.
Evan stepped away from her pitiful form, and beckoned for her to stand.
Nicoleta obeyed.
She narrowed her eyes at him, he did the same.
He attacked first. Striking her in the back of her head, Nicoleta absorbed it, he hit her again and again in the ribs, she countered managing some blows to his face, and one to the knee again, though this time it didn't crack.
Evan's attacks were so fast she couldn't even see them any more to counter, she could only take them hit by hit, and wonder when it would stop.
She had been spun around without knowing, and before she could react her spin received a nasty kick causing her to fall, and cough out blood.
Nicoleta wiped her mouth, breathing heavily. Her eyes burned, her blood burned.
Her arms gave out on her at the same time the clock rang out. When she looked up to see if she had even lasted at least five minutes Nicoleta was beyond shocked to see Two hours on the clock.
"Good job Ms. Ariti" Evan panted out. She didn't feel good about his praise, she couldn't feel good about being able to take so many of his blows for two hours.
She was shattered. No sparring competitions. Home had never felt anymore farther, not even when she was in sector eight did it feel so hopeless.
Nicoleta pushed herself up, and painfully walked out of the training hall, whilst clutching her ribs.
That night she skipped dinner, she didn't feel hungry, not after her loss.
The shower she took stung more than it relaxed, all her bruises and wounds acquired from the fight earlier were slowly beginning to really hurt.
She laid down idly in her bed, thinking about every wrong move, every missed opportunity she should have taken.
Nicoleta stared aimlessly at her ceiling for hours, ignoring the noise her stomach was making every two minutes.
After curfew alarms rang, she heard a small knocking on her door.
Nicoleta wobbled over to her door, and opened it. May smiled at her from the other side, she didn't only have takeout in one hand but a sleeping back tugged under her armpit in the other.
"Heyyy" Nicoleta didn't say a word as she let her inside.
She was hoping to see them when she lost, but she didn't know where either Charlotte or May's room was.
Nicoleta locked her door, and turned to see May getting comfortable on her couch, and setting the food down on the coffee table.
"I noticed you didn't show up for dinner" she sounded too chipper for someone who was supposed to be worried. Which in retrospect was what Nicoleta needed at that moment.
Nicoleta sat down across from May on the floor. "I haven't seen you all week," May said, giving Nicoleta a bowl of rice with chicken.
"I know" was Nicoleta's response. "I've been busy" May was beside her in an instant, she grabbed her bicep, "ohh… training extra hard is it?" Nicoleta smiled a little.
"Yeah" May narrowed her gaze at Oleta. "You're acting weird" Nicoleta sighed.
She told her friend everything, the deal, her training, Kannika, the fight, how she wouldn't be joining the sparring competitions at all.
May's frown might have been sadder than Nicoleta losing. She wasn't sure when she developed it, but suddenly seeing May sad made her feel horrible.
May wrapped her arms around Nicoleta's shoulder, and kissed her shoulder blade.
"It's okay, there's always next year" Nicoleta nodded, they both sat silently and ate.
May fell asleep first, Nicoleta stayed up all night, thinking about her missed opportunity, next year was always around, but knowing that she put so much effort only to fail, just to face a set back, one more year until home.
Nicoleta didn't sleep a wink all night, and half of that was thanks to May snoring obnoxiously loud.
The other half being how much she missed her father, her heart ached. She wanted to touch him again, hug him, kiss him, hold him, and never let go.
She missed home. She turned on her side and closed her eyes. A tear slipped down and fell on her pillow.
Her second shower marked the pain Evan had caused on her body.
It hurt so bad she hissed and groaned the entire time.
When she stepped out of her shower fresh cuts bled, her bottom lip had been split, her head was also aching but in the grand scheme of things, it was minor compared to the terrible back pain she felt.
She had to get a healer on her case asap.
May spotted her injuries, and pulled out a small bag from her sleeping bag.
"Sit down I will batch you up" batch she did, the pain didn't disappear, she was no healer, but there was no doubt in the world that she would be a great nurse if she wanted to.
May left ro get ready for school, and Nicoleta did the same.
The day went by in a blur, when Charlotte found out about Nicoleta's week, and loss, she cheered her up as best she could.
Then she announced that she had won the elections, she was class president.
Nicoleta was happy for her, but her smile was mostly forced.
She walked through a crowd of children who all taunted her by talking about the competitions, about how they had joined, about how the deadlines were that exact day and anyone who wanted to join should hurry up.
Her body ached everywhere, she mostly wobbled to the training hall. She had fought plenty of kids, but Evan was indeed her teacher.
She felt pain in places she was sure he didn't even hit.
The training hall was buzzing with excitement over the competitions. Everyone, everyone, but her was in the sparring competitions.
Kannika was annoyingly loud amongst the chattering competitors in the crowd of students.
"The competition this year is really tough" she said to her friends.
Nicoleta met Evan's eye, and he smiled at her. Her frown only turned upside down when she saw a cut on his lip. She did that.
He might have read her mind, because right in that moment he touched the cut, and winked at her.
She gave him a strange look.
Class went as usual Nicoleta resisted the urge to beg Kannika to heal her despite her body pleading with her to do so.
She bruised her ego instead, by sitting out the spars.
She watched everyone else sparing, marking mistakes and weak spots.
After class she hurried to leave, but Evan stopped her.
"Wait Ms. Ariti I have something for you" she let out a heavy breath and crossed her arms.
It was probably a cheap price for the spar yesterday, a congratulations on being so good it took her some hours to lose.
Nicoleta wanted to walk out when she thought about it, but Evan brought papers to her instead.
She took it and read the contents on the paper.
Her eyes lit up with joy. She had been signed up for the competitions, by him and Mr. And Mrs. Arnold.
She jumped with joy, bouncing back and forth, squealing like a little girl on Christmas morning.
Evan chuckled. Nicoleta jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!" He hugged her back, lifting her up slightly above the floors.
Nicoleta let go off him and stared into his warm eyes.
She was reminded of her stepbrother Liam, he used to look at her that way.
Despite the language barrier between then at the time, she understood immediately that he cared.
"Thank you" she whispered. Evan nodded, "of course" she skipped to Mr. And Mrs. Arnold's class, she thanked them the whole class.
Mr. Arnold was so annoyed he threatened to revoke his signature.
Her friends were overjoyed during dinner. They promised to cheer her on.
"You guys better, because I'm going to win."
"Did you pass all your exams?" Nicoleta pulled out the papers to prove it, a huge smile on her face.
It was fifteen minutes from the deadline, all she needed was her father's signature.
Or verbal consent anyway. She had the recorder on the desk.
He pondered on it, about a minute or so, then he sighed, and smiled at his daughter.
"You can join" Nicoleta laughed, she laughed, and thanked him, even kissing him on the screen.
"Just make sure to update me after every fight"
"You're the best, dad!" she sent the recording to mission control as she was told, and she spent the entire night speaking to her father about anything, and everything.
"Considering the fact the everyone in my class is participating in the competitions, and because by law I cannot train you anymore, I've decided to suspend normal lesson, the next two weeks until your trial matches will be entirely dedicated to teaching you all about the competitions, how to spar, and the rules of the game" Nicoleta listened with a small form of anxiety bubbling in her stomach.
What had she gotten herself into? Why did she beg to join the competitions? What if she lost?
Her father's face was a good calm, but it lasted for only a second, then her anxiety settled back in.
She tried not to look down too much, and tried to pay attention as Evan spoke to them.
He smiled to the class and moved out of the way, behind him walking toward them was a tall boy with pitch black hair, and the most beautiful pair of ocean blues Nicoleta had ever seen.
He wore a sector 1 uniform, except his uniform had a red stripe tracing up from his waist and stopped at his hip.
He wore a watch that glowed slightly.
As if he felt her gaze on him the boy locked eyes with Nicoleta, the grin on his lips turning into something curious.
She pushed her flame back, but the heat was very fervid, it was near impossible to control. She was sure she had become tomato red at that point.
Nicoleta looked away the same instant the boy leaned into Evan to whisper something to him.
Evan glanced at Nicoleta, she blushed and looked away again. What was happening to her?
Nicoleta placed her hands on her cheeks and let out a long breath telling her flame that they could burn whatever they wanted if they just calmed down at that moment.
Evan pulled the boy away from the class, and they both disappeared behind blue double doors.
The class murmured in their absence, the girls fawning over the boy, and the boys wondering what must have come up for them to disappear like that. Kannika glanced behind her and met Nicoleta's gaze.
Nicoleta tried to hold her blazing eyes but she couldn't handle the sudden hatred that was pouring from Kannika.
Eventually the two returned to the class, the boy looked somewhat stiff, his gaze lingered on Nicoleta but he would look away whenever she looked back.
Evan seem happier than he already was that day, perhaps he had teased him when they went back?
"Class, I apologize for that interruption. This is my brother Levi" everyone seemed to already know him, Nicoleta wasn't surprised to be yet again out of the loop.
"He has fought in the competitions since they existed, and only retired just last year because his responsibilities had increased in sector 1" Nicoleta got giddy when she heard sector 1.
If she did well, she would be there. If she won- when she won she would be there.
Evan was interrupted by Ximun. "Or maybe because he lost last year" Levi's eyes at last landed on somebody other than Nicoleta.
He looked severely offended by Ximun's statement, a little angry even.
"I didn't- " he began, only to be stopped by his brother. "That could be a factor in his retirement- but I doubt he would quit entirely for losing once" Ximun shrugged.
"I did not lose- I was going easy on Glass" Ximun scoffed, "yeah okay" Evan's brows knitted, Nicoleta had never seen him upset before.
"Enough. We are here to learn not to debate, despite my brother's ego being bigger than himself he's still a good fighter, and he knows more about the competitions than you Mr. Price" Ximun shut up after that, but Levi still seemed offended.
He opened his mouth to speak, when Evan held up a hand, "and not a word from you unless it's about the competitions" he looked at his brother, one brow raised, Levi didn't protest.
Levi sorted the class into four groups the ones competing individually on the left, the duos next to the trios and mixed matches which meant they would be battling with an indefinite amount of opponents, then the ones in group matches on the right.
"How do you go about things usually?" Levi asked his brother, who sat comfortably on a chair in the corner of the hall, observing.
He shrugged, "do whatever it is you do when you teach- " Levi tilted his head at his brother, "I've never taught a class before" Evan looked at him a bit surprised.
"Really?" Levi nodded, the class turned their heads from each person like dogs. "Well then do whatever comes to you" Levi wasn't satisfied with the answer but he didn't say anything more to him before turning to the class.
"Okay then, since Evan doesn't care I will be teaching you all visually" Kannika was the one to ask the questions this time, "are you gonna make us fight you?" He nodded.
"Starting from you four to the individuals" Nicoleta settled down next to Evan with the rest of the class as the ones fighting the group matches fought with Levi. As he beat them around like ragdolls, he gave them advice.
He swung Esmeralda across the room, and spun around before bashing Laurens to the floor. "You have to work like a team- I'm fighting with individuals not a team" as he finished his sentence, he nailed Chloe in the gut, knocking her down, and swung his hand at Pierce, basically just slapping him.
Before knocking him down with a back kick to the ribs. Nicoleta flinched along with her classmates.
He was a great teacher though, despite his way of teaching in just a matter of minutes the group had become better at fighting him. They switched after twenty five minutes, and he, unlike his brother, beat them till they learned.
When it was time for the individuals to fight him everyone had their money on Kannika, though no one actually bet on her with actual money, they all strongly believed that she could win.
When kannika was knocked down twice after stepping on the mat for only eight minutes, Nicoleta really began to understand how good Levi was.
She knew when he was able to take on a group on his own, when he made three people look like one, and a duo look like nobody, but he was relentless, and watching a one on one, being able to see his movements though they blurred, it just showed her that whoever beat him last year was a beast.
She was trembling by the time she stepped on the mat to fight him.
She could already feel the pain from the places she knew he would hit, her heart was drumming in her chest.
Why did she insist on joining again? Why was she so eager? Couldn't she wait? Couldn't she find another way to impress the recruiters?
She bowed, and Levi did the same.
When they locked eyes, his hardened gaze seemed to gentle, it must have been a trick to make her think that he was going to go easy on her.
Nicoleta got into her fighting stance, and allowed herself to breath, she told herself win or lose, she had to fight.
This spar wasn't even about winning, it was about learning, so she focused on listening, and watching.
Now it was just the two of them. She advanced toward him first, he easily deflected her attack and sent back flying to her. Nicoleta yelped and fell to the ground.
"I left my leg out for you and you didn't even attempt to go for it?" Nicoleta jumped on her feet, "I thought it was a trick" he laughed, and shook his head.
They clashed, or he clashed whilst Nicoleta took every attack, her mind whirling to find something to do.
She let her flame burst out, bringing his attacks to a stop but through the heat she saw something flying at her.
Oh no.
He was a phoenix. She propelled herself up and landed behind him, locking him, and knocking him down with her legs.
She didn't give him time to counter attack as she slammed her elbow into his face, again and again, her arms burning just enough to keep him alive.
She vibrated as a growl shook his chest, then before she knew it, she was launched into the air. Nicoleta broke her fall with her flame, and stood up to meet his gaze again.
"I underestimated you" he said, Nicoleta didn't believe him for a second, but the statement still sent shivers down her spine. If this was him going easy on her? Then?...
He didn't give her time to think, Levi spit fire at her, and jumped through hitting her in the sternum not once, not even twice but four times.
How was he doing that?
Nicoleta deflected a punch, and nailed him in the jaw, but he had the upper hand, he kept his attacks coming without ceasing, he didn't even look tired.
When he knocked her to the floor, he said. "Being able to absorb attacks is just as important as making the first move" she already knew that.
She jumped up with a gust of her fire flying towards him, Levi wasn't affected, he walked through it like it was nothing.
Nicoleta's eyes widened, her mouth hung open, no one had ever been able to just walk through her flame.
She stumbled back, fear sinking into her stomach, "how..?" She stumbled back some more, then she shook her head.
She nailed him in the jaw, then in his ribs, when she went in for a third strike he caught her hand, she expected him to twist it but he only pushed her back.
Nicoleta fell down with a thud, breathing heavily, she clutched her heart, and turned over to catch her breath.
"I must say- you're a great fighter" She dry heaved on the floor before lifting herself up.
"Thank you" she bowed, and wobbled over to the benches, she sat next to Kannika, Kannika glanced at her with no glare, no hatred, just friendly Kannika offering to heal her wounds.
Nicoleta happily accepted.
Mr. And Mrs. Arnold's class had become child's play compared to Evan's, but like him, they were suspending normal classes to prepare students for the Sparring Competitions.
Nicoleta wasn't tossed around so much, and so she won eleven out of twelve of her spars.
At dinner she shared the news with her friends. Charlotte congratulated her on being able to join, but more so being able to stand in a fight with The Levi De-Luca. Apparently everyone in sector two, one and three knew him.
It wasn't too surprising anyway, she was only disappointed by how uninformed she was.
Five months still didn't feel like enough in sector 2, there was so much to know, so much she was too busy to pay any mind to.
"Madam president, please convince our teacher to lessen homework for me please?" Charlotte laughed.
Two weeks passed by with a blur, Nicoleta knew she was getting better, but so was Kannika, so she wasn't doing good enough.
Saturday arrived earlier than expected, just the next day would be the start of the trials, just the next day Nicoleta would officially be fighting with some random person probably from sector three or 1, and people were going to watch her win.
She strolled the halls with her friends in tow, when they neared a certain hallway, kids rushed past them towards a bulletin board.
She turned to her friends in question. "They're checking who they are paired to fight with tomorrow" with that, Nicoleta ran with them to check herself.
When she was able to push through the crowd of children, she searched for her name on the board, and when she did, right across from Nicoleta Ariti was Bianca Lanark.
Beneath their names was what sector they resided in.
Bianca was a sector three resident.
When she told her friends this, Charlotte told her that this was the first time she was competing. Nicoleta got some confidence from that.
"How do you know that?" Charlotte showed Nicoleta her tablet, "I'm on the competitions log, gives you videos from former matches, information about the people competing etc" Nicoleta and May glanced at each other and shrugged.
"I'm your info guy now" Charlotte said, winking at Nicoleta, she laughed heartily.
Nicoleta's first match came by quicker than she expected, one minute she was staring at the board the next she was standing in a small box room, being told the rules of the game.
She wasn't wearing the usual sector two uniform, but something too tight, and entirely made out of leather, she stretched her arms and legs in a pathetic attempt to stretch the clothes, it didn't work.
This had to be an experimental attire, there was no way she would be wearing this every time she fought.
A robotic voice told her the rules.
"No deadly moves- no attacks below the belt, no attacks to the breasts. No kicks to the head."
Nicoleta tore one last flesh around her fingernail, hissed, and then the doors cracked open.
She walked out, still trying to stretch out the tight leather sticking to her skin.
She tried not to pay attention to the crowd all around them, she spotted her friends sporting the greatest seats in the house, and waved at them.
They waved back showing her a T-shirt with her face on it, how did they make that so fast?
May held out a giant blue hand with Nicoleta in all caps in the middle of it.
Nicoleta smiled a little as she stepped on the platform.
The crowd cheered lightly as the two faced one another, Nicoleta bowed as she was taught, but the girl didn't reciprocate.
Instead she extended a hand out. Nicoleta shook her hand, and stepped back again.
The robotic voice boomed through the speakers again.
"Round one- Begin!" Nicoleta glanced at the officers at each corner of the deck. Inhaling a slow steady breath, she got into a fighting stance, and narrowed her gaze at her opponent who went low one arm above her head.
The buzzer rang out, and the red line between them on the platform turned green, Bianca didn't waste time.
She was on Nicoleta before she could even think. She deflected as many attacks as she could, but the girl just kept on coming at her.
Nicoleta caught both her arms and kneed her stomach before pushing her back, and slamming her down with a kick to the chest.
The robotic voice boomed again. "Eight Points to Nicoleta Ariti" some of the crowd cheered, Nicoleta could clearly hear her friends then.
Bianca bounced up. She waved her arms around, then Nicoleta was shot back and slammed into the metallic platform, she didn't get a chance to recover before she was in the air being spun around.
When she came crashing down Bianca nailed her in the stomach, then moved out of the way to make her fall down.
Nicoleta groaned. So she could manipulate air. The element of surprise was gone now.
"six Points to Bianca Lanark" Nicoleta stood up and let her flame climb up her arms, she threw it towards Bianca, and just as predicted she shot upward to avoid the flame, Nicoleta was already waiting for her when she got up, and struck her in the gut, Bianca fell back, and Nicoleta landed steadily on her feet with her flame.
The air pushed her back but she stood her ground, letting her flame make a wall around her as a way to resist. It didn't work, and before she knew it Bianca's foot connected with her chest, knocking her back, Nicoleta took that advantage and grabbed the girl's ankle and twisted her around.
She flew to the floor stopping the wind for a moment, a moment just in time for Nicoleta to keep her down with her foot on her chest.
"Twenty points to Nicoleta Ariti!"
Bianca squirmed beneath her. Nicoleta pinned her arms down, before she could manipulate with the air.
The girl groaned.
The wind around her whirled anyway, and she flew off of her hitting the floor so hard she was sure something had cracked.
Bianca slammed her elbows into Nicoleta's shoulders, and using the wind to keep her down, she bashed her chest.
The flame shot forward pushing Bianca off of her, Nicoleta glared down at her. She didn't give her a chance to fight back when she struck her sternum one, twice, thrice, and finished it off with both feet right above her breasts.
Bianca fell, and slid across the platform hitting the edge with a nasty thudding sound.
"Set point- Nicoleta Ariti. Round one over."
Bianca didn't stand up for round two, for a second Nicoleta thought she had just harmed her more than intended but then the girl groaned and turned over to regain her breath.
"Eight seconds up, the win goes to Nicoleta Ariti" Some small part of the crowd cheered, Nicoleta was bombarded with hugs from her friends.
She hissed as they added pressure to all the places she had been terribly hit.
She hugged them back regardless, a wide smile on her face, as she looked on the board with her face on it, they didn't use the best picture of her. But she had won.
A tall boy walked up to them, and led them away from the platform, Charlotte and May followed Nicoleta as she was taken to the infirmary.
"you two wait outside," said the boy as he led Nicoleta inside a white room.
There were four beds inside, two had curtains dropped across it, two were unoccupied. The boy let Nicoleta lay down.
"I'm going to heal your injuries, just relax, okay?" She nodded. Glancing outside at the slow operating hospital.
Before Nicoleta knew it a warm chill ran through her veins, her head ache disappeared, along with the dull ache in her ribs, and gut.
Her spine seemed to have been set back into place. And the most relaxing of them all, was the short vibration that ran across her entire body.
She opened her eyes, and sunk into the bed, "thanks" she said, drowsy. The boy grinned. "Welcome"
She was discharged after five minutes, she learned later that the boy was named Finnick.
They said goodbye, and by the time she stepped out of the room, the hospital had become busy, no one was severely hurt, but no doubt more matches happened in her absence, and the winners did not go easy on their opponents.
She met her friends in the stands later, and they watched the last four matches of the day.
Competition was indeed tough that year. Each blow was stronger than the first. Every loss was more heavy.
By the last Match Nicoleta could feel the pain of the losers, and the exhilaration of the winners.
"How many healers are there?" Nicoleta asked after the fourth match, the crowd was beginning to disperse, the sun was setting and an orange hew had taken over the sky.
"One thousand three hundred and fifty" Nicoleta and May snapped their eyes to Charlotte.
"How do you know that?" May asked, Charlotte showed them her tablet again.
"They have a log- gives you any information you need"
They settled into a comfortable silence after the crowd completely disappeared, Nicoleta watched the sun set, and was reminded of home.
The next week was a blur of training and competing, she won most of her matches, and lost two. Levi continued to commend her skills, Evan even more so.
Kannika and her had fallen into a friendly feud, they would often be paired together to spar in class.
The week ran by like a speedster.
At the end, Nicoleta rounded up in the halls with May in tow, Charlotte had been caught up in something she would never dare tell.
Competitors ran past her, to the bulletin board.
"What's going on now?" Nicoleta questioned. May told her they were checking whether they had qualified or not.
Nicoleta joined the rush, and made it to the board.
On the bottom was her name, beneath it was her sector, age, then right below that was. Qualified.
She leaped with joy.