Even though I knew she was feeling rubbish, I had decided I couldn't ignore her indiscretions from before.
“Eliza?"
She looked up at me questioningly.
“Remember before speaking to Kas, you were extremely rude to me and I can't condone that again. I'm not going to discipline you now, but, if you ever speak to me like that again, there will be consequences.”
I spoke sternly, hoping that would be enough to put her off trying that again in a hurry. I doubted it would be enough though, she felt things too strongly not to react impulsively. That would probably take years of training and discipline to achieve.
She sighed and actually looked remorseful.
“I know; I'm sorry Zack. I know you're only doing your job. I didn't mean to shout at you. I know I'm not a perfect recruit.”
She looked down hearted. I couldn't let her feel like that after she'd done such a good job and had to put her boyfriend through misery for our mission.
“Maybe not perfect Eliza, but damn promising! You're one of the most naturally gifted Sensorians I have ever seen. You learn quickly, are able to make on the spot decisions and read people's body language plus manipulate your own so easily, and that with the little training you've had. You will be amazing." I said, hoping she would believe me and start believing in herself.
“Thanks for your vote of confidence Zack. I hope I'll deserve it one day.”
She smiled a bit. I moved a strand of hair out of her face tenderly.
“You'd better believe it, girl. Off to bed now I think. Self-defence lessons tomorrow, plus we need to factor some time in for your revision as well."
She grunted with the prospect of that.
“I don't know if I can concentrate on that, as well as everything else!" she sighed.
“You'll just have to, Eliza. No grumbling. Bed. Now.”
I woke up energised the following day, feeling optimistic about the day ahead. Eliza seemed to be in a good mood too. No residual bad feelings from yesterday by the looks of it. She must have been able to compartmentalise any negative experiences and put them away. That was a promising sign for her to be able to deal with those, building her resilience. It improved my mood even more.
Zaphire and Eliza had the best self-defence session ever, with Eliza putting into practise some skills she learned straight away. I always loved seeing my sister fight, she moved like a leopard, so gracefully. Moreover, the chemistry between the two of them was a sight to behold. Zaphire woke me from my musings and challenged me to attack Eliza.
“Don't hold back Eliza!" Zaphire shouted.
“Remember what I taught you; think about a man's weak spots.”
That gave me enough warning to dodge a swift kick between my legs, but I hadn't accounted for Eliza then taking advantage of the imbalance I got myself into and she nearly managed to floor me. She fought dirty. I had to use all my strength to pin her down to the floor, but she was feisty, and kept twisting and turning, digging her fucking fingers and nails in my face and nearly escaping me again. My pride got the better of me and I sat on top of her with my full weight, until she begged for mercy, laughing.
“Wow, Eliza. Yet another thing you seem to take to like a duck to water!" I said admiringly as I let her go from underneath me.
She kept on surprising me as she hadn't stricken me as a physically apt person at all. The way she fought wasn't gainly or fair but certainly effective! My face still burned from her fucking scratches, the cheeky bitch!
“That'll be my amazing teaching I’ll have you know." Zaphire boasted proudly.
“In self-defence it's all about being clever and aiming for weak spots. You can floor any man with a well aimed kick or prod!" she laughed.
“Good to know." Eliza said wickedly as she winked at me.
“Don't you get any ideas young lady." I warned her.
She shrugged her shoulders and laughed, giving Zaphire a hug to say thanks for the lesson. I saw her take a deep breath in just before she got close to Zaphy, showing she wasn't quite trusting herself being so close up to her yet.
Our meeting with Markus was looming after lunch, and my mood took a dive. I had a sense of foreboding about this one and the feeling wouldn't go away. It didn't help Zaphire wishing me luck, which only made my suspicion grow stronger that she knew more about what was coming than she was letting on. I decided to forewarn Eliza about my worries about the meeting, so she knew what to expect at least a little bit.
“First of all, Markus will want an update as to how you're getting on so he can work out where you're at. He also may have some information about your father. Then I expect him to have some plans for you that I get the feeling I may not agree with." I admitted.
“Okay."
She paused a few seconds.
“How come you have that feeling?"
“I'm picking up a vibe from Zaphire. She isn't telling me something that she knows, which worries me. Markus must have ordered her not to say anything, because she would've done otherwise. And it must have been serious as Zaphire doesn't shy away from breaking the rules occasionally. No doubt we will find out soon, whether we like it or not.”
CHAPTER 25
I felt nervous about our meeting with the big boss. I had encountered him several times and he always seemed perfectly calm and reasonable, but the way Zack spoke about him made me feel on edge. He was a big deal in this community and in my previous meetings I hadn't quite realised his power and standing, which made me nervous whereas before I didn't have that burden. However, I was still eager to find out what had been found out about my father.
