The Beautiful Boy with a Brand New Toy

The weeks went by, and it dawned on me that Hunter was trying the best she could. She continously struggled with perfected her Majik skills and used up all her anger and frustrations when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Just watching her, I knew that she would be a tough opponent when it came down to it; she was stronger than anyone realized.

Unfortunately, I had also noticed that since I had got angry with her for catching her asleep, she had stopped talking to me, and gave me the cold shoulder. Even her friends ignored me which bothered me when it shouldn't have. Jake told me after he had talked to them, that she was pissed beyond belief and that I took it a little too far. Of couse, I disagreed 100%.

Watching every train, I started to realize how strong everyone had become in only a few weeks. My friends had always been strong, but even Hunter's friends had grown as well. Sophie, for as small and delicate looking as she was, was a hard woman to beat when it came to hand-to-hand combat. Hunter held the advantage of everyone for her mental abilities. Having been her trainer, I knew that her combat skills would never be as good as her mental skills. When the time came, she would be the one to stand aside and use her gifts to protect or to attack while the rest of us used our brute strength and agility.

Rising from my crouch, I waved everyone over and folded my arms. Hunter was panting heavily, though no sweat showed. I could see the agony in her eyes, but she needed to be able to handle it for when the time came. There would be no rests in a real fight.

"Alright, just to see how well we've all trained I'm going to pair all of you up with someone I think is equal in strength," I said and watched the others grin in anticipation. I began ticking off the names, pairing our friends up together until it was down to Hunter, and she glared back at me while I smiled.

"This will be your chance to take out all your frustrations on me. Show me what you've got," I said with a maniac grin and began stepping away to create a space between us in which we would fight. The others had lost interest in their own fights and hovered around by the back wall to watch and murmur amongst each other. I didn't care; this whole fight was about Hunter anyway and I needed to know that she could beat me, or even give me a run for my money because Giovanni was just as strong as I was. All leaders were strong, they had no choice.

I watched in surpised fascination as her eyes brewed like a storm, changing from their natural color to that of raging waters. I was too stunned to realize that she was moving fluidly, conjuring water through her pale skin to hover in the air. She worked fast. The tiny droplets crashed together instantly to create a large sphere of rippling water and just as quickly lengthed out to transform into a whip with a powerful crack. It split in two and just as quickly, she held one in both hands.

I fought from her trance that her eyes had captured me in, and I realized that through the past weeks I had hardly paid any attention to her while training. I never noticed that her eyes changed, giving away what element she was about to use. In truth, it wasn't as bad as I thought because the effect captured the user and rendered him unable to move. It was a weakness that turned into a positive when used the right way.

I crouched down, ready for her attack as she reeled back and cracked a whip towards me. What I wasn't ready for was the lightening speed in which it moved. It was faster than me! Before I had time to register where she was aiming, it cracked against the floor next to me, cracking right through the concrete flooring of the Hall. I stared down at it in shock, but managed to dodge the other one she sent my way just in time. As I twisted out of the way, I watched small tendrils of my hair fall before my eyes to the floor. I stared back at her with suspicion.

Where is all this strength and speed coming from? She was never this fast!

All I saw was her smile before she opened her palms and the water disappeared, only to be replaced with her hands glowing with wildfire. Before my brain had time to react that she was going into combat mode, she had disappeared and just as quickly, I was sent flying forward and smashed into the wall opposite of our on-lookers. Whistles and comments greeted my ears through the ringing that nearly deafened me as I shook the concrete dust from my hair and looked up to see Hunter smiling at her friends knowingly. It was then I knew she had played me for a fool. She was definitely stronger than I thought, and it pissed me off.

While she was grinning at her friends, I launched toward her, catching her around the waist and jumped up onto the cieling, holding her there by her neck. She had yet to learn that my family had learned to defy gravity. Her eyes were wide with surprise as they darted down below where the others watched curiously, wanting to see how this turned out.

"Why did you lie to me?" I hissed dangerously, my nose almost touching hers. Her eyes narrowed and she struggled slightly, but I held her tight and firm with a warning growl. "Why!"

"I was saving it to use against you, you insufferable asshole!" Her eyes violently flamed with fire and instantly I felt the unbearable heat against my flesh and I cringed away from it. It caused extruciating pain. She twisted in my hold and managed to release her arm and in the next second I felt a fiery blow to the side of my head that made me release her altogether. I shook away the pain and watched as she landed gracefully, the fire receeding as she glared up at me heatedly. The fire was just like her temper; it suited her much to my dismay.

Working quickly, she hurled rocks towards me mentally by simply moving her hands and I jumped down beside her and reached. Her hair slipped through my fingers as she whirled about and the next thing I knew, I was blinded by a white light and pain I thought I would never feel washed over my flesh and a ringing sounded my ears, threatening to split my head open.

It was when it stopped did I realize that I was screaming.