I gasped, instinctively leaning forward and gripping the edge of the bench as Noah groaned and veered a roundhouse kick toward Drake. With a swift swipe, he caught Drake right in the side of the head. “Drake!” I cried out, leaping to my feet. The fight had only just begun, and yet it seemed as tho
Hannah I burst out into the cool morning air, gasping for breath and clutching my stomach. The image of Drake and Noah pounding each other into a pulp was seared into my mind, both terrifying and sickening all at once. All I wanted was to learn how to fight again—how to protect myself and my bab
“I’m going to let both of you train me,” I replied coldly, turning on my heel to make my way back to the training center. “Separately, because you’re clearly both too childish to work together.” With that, I brushed past them and stormed off. As we stepped back into the training center, Noah grumb
Hannah It was another early morning, but unlike the last one, it was particularly cold and rainy—the first signs of a long and very wet spring. It took all of my willpower to roll out of bed that morning, and just about all of my energy to pull my hair back into a ponytail and put on my training c
“Not bad,” he said, catching his breath for a moment before standing and holding his hand out to me. “I think we can call it a day now.” Nodding, I took his hand—he hauled me to my feet with little effort, practically lifting me off the ground entirely as he did so. “Thanks. That was…” I paused, w
Hannah The water was so hot it almost scalded my skin as I stepped into the shower, but I didn’t mind; if anything, it soothed my sore muscles and tender flesh. I let out a sigh as I slid the glass door shut behind me, inhaling the steam and the scent of echinacea. I shut my eyes as I ran my hai
But still, I couldn’t help myself. Without even really thinking about it, I raised myself up onto my tiptoes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Really,” I murmured. “Thank you.” Noah’s face reddened into a ripe tomato. I went to pull back, still holding the box in my hands, but suddenly his own han
Hannah The sleek gray facade of the youth center stood stark against the bright blue sky, its barred windows almost looking like big, empty eyes staring at nothing. I shuddered as I looked up at it. “Is this really what our local youth center looks like?” I murmured, glancing over at Sophia, the