Not Human

Chapter 7 - The Friendly Spar

"So, today we need to work on building muscle, stamina, and agility." Blade pointed at the gym equipment. "We will start pretty easy. But we will be doing the same routine workouts, is that understood?"

"Yes, Blade!" Everyone nodded.

"Can't wait to show off." Jax flexed.

"Oh, you cocky bastard." Zane scoffed. "Can't wait to see you all sweaty man." He gleamed.

"Oh, I bet you'll be the sweaty bastard. I work out all the time." He mocked in return.

"Yeah, and I don't. I bet you fifty bucks you break first." Zane growls, their faces so close now. They're both scowling.

"Oh, you guys are more friendly today, eh?" Cherry grins.

"Cherry stay out of it," Jax warns.

"Hey, I was only trying to ease the atmosphere." She frowns.

"Man, this is why I stick with talking to the girls besides Blade," Nixon said.

"Aye, right?" Andy pokes at him. "Yeah, you know you like talking to us."

"I might have to think about that." He shrugged.

Everyone waited for further instructions from Blade. He was checking out all the equipment making sure it all functions properly. It was hotter today, the sun didn't have any mercy. Everybody wiped the sweat from their brows.

"Hah, sweaty-ass!" Zane laughed, pointing at Jax.

"You are one to talk," Angelica said, looking at his face covered in perspiration.

"Uh..." He ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey, do we get any water?" Cherry looks at Blade.

"We haven't even started," Lily tells her.

"We will but first everyone needs to run five laps."

"Five laps?" Cherry's eyes widened.

"Yep, around this whole circle." He smiled.

"But that's a mile long." She whined.

"It's a start if you get tired just walk it." He smirked. He knew they'd be surprised by the end of it. Working out wasn't all they'd be doing today.

Everyone ran five laps which equaled 4 to 5 miles. Then, the torment didn't end there he made everyone do jumping jacks, high knees, lunges, squats, and all the s**t you'd do at the gym.

"What is this s**t, football practice?" Cherry complained.

"This is a lot more than that." Blade laughed, easily doing the workouts like he'd done it his whole life.

Cherry started the next thing: jump rope. She stopped after a minute of it, then rested on her hands and knees. Blade told her no breaks, she got back up, and started doing jumping lunges, then heaved curling the five-pound weight while side-squatting. Her thighs burned, and she groaned again. "Are we done yet?" He shook his head no which made her cry out, "Are you shitting me?"

"Uh...please spare me, Blade. Can't I just study instead?" Nixon crouched down breathing hard. He'd just finished doing ten push-ups.

"Pff...Are you a girl? Only ten pushups?" Jax snorted. Nixon ignored him.

"Don't worry, Nixon." Blade assured him. "It is only the beginning."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see." He walked away.

"That isn't comforting at all," He huffed out, falling to his knees looking like he'd been through hell drenched in sweat. His eyesight was good now, clearer. Blade replaced his old glasses yesterday.

Everyone hated the workout but got through it. Andy, however, was spouting motivational things like, 'Don't give up yet, you can do it, we are almost there, keep working team!' Just like she was some sort of "coach" or "inspirational speaker" Nixon kept laughing here and there at her.

Lily finished with satisfaction, feeling exhausted but oddly happy. She'd never done so much work before. It made her proud. "Can't wait for what's next!" She shouted, over-enthusiastic, too soon. Blade looked at her smiling to himself.

"Oh," Lily said, her shoulders sagging. She saw the next thing on Blade's list and was anxious to her core.

"You can't be serious?" Cherry drank another bottle of water. "This just isn't fair at all!"She stomped her foot, crossed.

"I can't do this," Angelica said, nervously stepping back. "I'm not experienced."

"That's why you need to get some experience," Zane told her. "Come on, it's only a friendly spar."

"But why am I fighting you?" Her eyes said it all, she was afraid.

"So, that's what the ring is used for." Jax mused. "But what is with this match-up? I wanted to fight that prick!" He was outraged, glaring at Angelica. "She won't last a second. Just look at her tiny frame."

"I guess it isn't fair, but it's not supposed to be fair, is it?" Blade turned to everyone's face of disapproval. "I'm sorry guys. But this was randomized. I put your names in this bucket and pulled two names out. It just happened to be Zane Lycan and Angelica Leen." He said their full names, shrugging it off like he couldn't do a thing. But he knew he could, he just wanted them to get a taste of "real life", the cruel reality. They'd get nowhere if he was soft on them.

The size difference was massive. Zane stood at 6tf and weighed 169lbs while poor Angelica stood at 5ft and weighed 107lbs. She was the smallest, and not the luckiest to be facing Zane, the scariest dude here.

"Okay, on the count of 1...2...3...fight!" Blade announced. "Don't forget it's practice, just friendly, alright? So, don't kill each other."

The wind picked up as Zane circled Angelic, his eyes steady on hers, his knuckles raised at eye-level. His stance was good. However, Angelica's stance was the opposite of his, bad. She was shaking in her legs and didn't hide it at all. She wanted to run away from it all. "...please...d-don't hurt me..." She croaked, tears streaming down her red cheeks.

"Poor, Angelica." Cherry watched as her friend cried, fearful for herself.

"Oh, now you're making me look like the bad guy here." He whispered to her, smirking playfully. Zane didn't plan on doing much. All he had to do was take her down and it should be over quick. He frowned upon her teary eyes. Why did she have to make it so hard?

Okay, let's get this over with. He sprang up, startling her by knocking her off her feet. She landed hard on the platform and he took that chance to take her into submission, a headlock. He pinned her down, got under her, clenching his hold around her neck. She tapped his arm frantically, giving up.

"Wow, awesome takedown. That was easy and quick, nicely done, Zane." Blade praised, his face showing relief that it was over with.

Zane freed her, allowing her breath. He took notice of their proximity and the heat. He moved, quickly standing up. He scratched his head, debating in his head what to say. "Uh...no hard feelings, right?" He asked, holding his hand out to her. She averted her puffy eyes, hugging herself.

"No hard feelings." She muttered, taking his hand. He hauled her back up onto her feet. She thanked him, her face turned scarlet replaying the whole thing in her head. Why did she cry? It wasn't even that bad. Everyone saw her fail badly. She didn't even try. Maybe next time she'll do better.

"Okay, up next is...drum roll please." Blade snatched two pieces of paper out of the bucket, unfolding them slowly. Everyone watched in anticipation, wondering if it was going to be their turn next. "Andy and Nixon." He read aloud.

"Me?" Nixon pointed at himself, caught off guard.

"Oh, well, then. I'll try my best." Andy smiled, rushing to the front, climbing up the platform.

"You can win this!" Cherry encouraged her.

Andy was thrilled she could test out some of her moves, finally. She'd only been in a few school fights, but she had a lot of guy friends and her father taught her how to fight, just in case anything happened. He'd always tell her if a man treated her wrong to beat him up. She knew how to punch hard, kick hard, and how to block, and dodge. She was fast on her feet. She was 5'7and weighed 120 lbs. She ran track and was athletic.

Another thing her dad taught her was to never let anger control her and to control what she can control. She knew a few MMA moves too. She was obsessed with UFC and her dad showed her what he knew.

Okay, she is just a girl, Nixon, no biggy. Should be easy to win this he conceived. But he underestimated Andy terribly.

"Good luck!" Lily bellowed.

The minute he set a foot on the platform and Blade shouted, "Fight" he was flat on his back, groaning. He didn't even see what happened, it happened too fast.

"Andy wins!" Blade informs, smiling. She smiled victories as she passed him jumping off the ropes.

"But...what the hell just happened?" Jax asked, his mouth agape.

"I want to know too," Cherry spoke up.

"Replay, please," Zane smirked, already aware of what just happened. He kept his eyes on the fight, watching closely. Only the ones experienced could pick up on it.

"I just kicked his weak point, the back of his heel. It was easy." Andy shrugged.

"So, you tripped him?" Lily asked.

"I- well, I guess you can say that. But after knocking him off his feet, I kneed him in the gut. That you should've seen. Plus, he made it too easy. His fighting stance was all wrong, too many openings."

"Well, sorry I don't fight." He shouted, from the arena, still holding his stomach. His face was scarlet after that loss. He went to the back, hiding his face.

"Hey, don't be a sore loser," Andy smirked in his direction. He ignored her.

"Alright, Cherry and Lily you're up," Blade called.

"Oh, well, I'll go easy on you." Cherry jokes, nudging Lily's shoulder. But Lily knew she was going to at least try.

"I won't." She replied.

"Oh, so it's like that is it." Cherry grinned.

They stepped up on the platform both dancing around each other. Lily was determined, Cherry was focused on not getting her hair tangled up. She braided it tightly. "No, pulling hair." She teased Lily.

"I won't need to." She pounced, as soon as she heard "fight"

Now, on top of Cherry she thumped her head, Cherry cried, kicking at Lily. But she blocked the kick. Connecting a fist to her chin, blood spilled. "Sorry," Lily mumbled, feeling guilty.

"Don't be it's a fight stupid." Cherry glared, knocking her off swapping to the top. She bawled her hand into a fist and punched. It barely grazed Lily, who didn't feel a thing from it.

"Is that all?" She laughed, expecting the punch to hurt.

"No." She hissed.

"Okay then..." Lily throws her off, pushing her to the ground. "Nothing personal." She said, frankly. She finished with a foot-lock, which she saw Andy do once in a school fight.

"Lily wins!" Blade says, winking at her mouthing to her, 'I knew you could do it.'

Lily gave him a thumbs up mouthing back 'thank you.'

"Well as you all can presume who is next easily." Blade stood in the spot Cherry lost in, by a submission.

Jax had a cocky grin on his smug features. Blade was at ease, not even in his fighting stance yet, nor were his hands raised yet. "Too easy, this guy isn't even ready." Jax laughed, taking his spot where Lily recently fought. He was confident he'd win, after all, he was bigger than Blade by three inches, and packed twenty more pounds than him.

"Okay, half-brother, ready to lose?" He glowered. Blade stared back, not losing his focus, he told Nixon to count down this time. He simply smiled back at him. Pissing Jax off, with his smile.

"Sorry, but you aren't my family." Blade said, coldly, a dark look on his face. Lily never saw him look so intense before, or sour. Blade was normally friendly, caring, and gentle. This was a whole new side she was seeing of him. What did he mean by, 'not my family?' she questioned.

"Is that so?" Jax smirked, kicking but missing.

"Hey, I didn't say...go yet-" Nixon was cut off by quarreling. Blade and Jax exchange a few words before Jax misses another attack.

Blade was faster and brighter than Jax the-all-muscle-no-brains. He grazed Jax's face and a fresh cut glared back at him. He growled, throwing punches, kicks, and elbows, while Blade was on the defensive, blocking, and dodging them. "Did that hurt your pretty face?" Blade humored him.

"Put a sock in it." Jax spat, pushing him back. It seemed he was done playing. Blade finally decided to fight, he kicked Jax in the face a loud "thwack" sounded in the silence, and everyone gasped as Jax staggered back spitting blood, his body landed with a thump.

"K.O!" Andy intercepted Nixon. "Blade wins by a knockout!" They both said in unison.

"Hey, I'm the referee here," Nixon told her.

"I know, but I had to say it." She beamed.

"Oh, damn." Zane chuckled. "But time somebody knocked that douche bag off his high horse."