The Girl in the Middle

So this is Zac

When Tom returns he isn't alone. There is a guy that looked to be around my age walking next to him. He was even taller than Tom and a bit more broad over the chest. His hair is dark and wavy and he has a heavy stubble. He had The Stars tattoo on his neck.

"Amber this is Zac, he is Kress second in command and my friend". Tom introduce him. "And he is the very best at training others in hand to hand combat".

When I have heard people talk about Zac, and I have heard his name mentioned quite a lot, they had always described him as a younger version of Kress. Like he was a younger brother Kress had taken under his wings. He isn't at all what I expected.

"You don't look like Kress at all". It just fly out of my mouth when Zac enters the ring and shake my hand. My hand almost disappearing in his.

"Thank you". Zac has a firm handshake and warm hazel eyes, they kind of reminded me of something or someone. "I choose to take that as a compliment. Even though I don't know where my genes come from, at least I know they are better looking than his".

"It wasn't what I meant, it..". I hadn't meant that Kress is ugly or that Zac is attractive. Kress is handsome enough I guess, for his age and in a rugged kind of way. But he don't have Ben's striking features or Tom's handsome charm. Zac on the other hand is actually very good looking, but like Tom he looked to be very aware of his own assets.

"Of course it is". Zac sends me an overbearing smile. "So should we get going on teaching you how to defend yourself ?" He place himself in from of me. "Remember you got elbows and knees". He tap lightly on them as he mention them. "Not only your hands. That gives you six potential weapons and with that six things for your opponent to worry about".

"And six things for me to focus on and get tangled up in". I point out.

"When we get to that, yes". Zac answers. "But the idea in starting out against friends and allies, is, that we won't try to hit you back before you are ready. We don't want to mess up that pretty face". Are we friends ? I have never met Zac before and from what I know about Kress I am not thinking friends here. "So if we pretend for a moment that I actually wants to spend the time I is going to use on my own training to teach you, because Tom suddenly forgot how to do it, could we then also pretend that you actually want to hit me ?"

I take a deep breath. "Well kind of me actually want to hit you". I mumble, his overly confident attitude kind of annoys me.

"Good, use that. Come on, don't be such a little girl, hit me with your best shot". He say grinning, Holding out his arms.

I am still hesitant, which makes Zac step towards me, looking rather threatening as he is looming over me. "See I promised not to try and hit you, but I said nothing about not trying to kiss you". His eyes has a hard look to them and when I still hesitates, kind of confused by his behaviour, his hand grabs around my neck and pull my face towards his.

Then suddenly it is Zombie's face I see in front of me and without thinking I put both my hands on his chest. I am pushing him of me with all the force I can munster, while I aim for his crotch with my knee. Zac blocks me fast and easily, but he lets go of me, his eyes telling me that he won't hesitate to try again given the chance, so I keep trying to hit him repeatedly, wanting him at a distance.

I am never even close to actually hitting him. No matter what I try he just block me of like it is second nature to him or move before I can reach my target. It seeme effortless and way to easy for him which annoys me.

It isn't before I see Tom in front of the ring, watching us intently, that I realised I am forgetting the dancing. I forget to move. I forget to read Zac's movements and move with him, not against him. I am way to stiff in my body not following his lead.

I focus, forget the anger and uses my energy on reading him, following him, mirroring his movements. I let my body flow instead of tensing up. And suddenly I feel my hand connecting with something hard. It's his abs, and frankly I think it hurts me more than it hurts him, but it feels exhilarating that I actually hit him.

"You said that you don't know where Your genes comes from, does that mean that you don't you know who your parents are ?" I ask Zac when we have stopped the training and he holds the ropes apart for me. Can it really be, that I am not the only one without a past here.

"The underworld is were all the unwanted citizens ends up". Zac say. "Some of us is unwanted from the moment we were born". He say it like it is nothing. Like it doesn't matter that he was unwanted.

I look at him, and I realise there is much more facade to him than anyone else I have met here. It is like I'm for some reason are able to see the pain hiding right under the pretty surface. I take his hand. "I am sorry to hear that".

"It's..". He stops himself from brushing it of, looking at my hand holding his, his lips pursing. "Thank you".