Class

When I wake up the next morning, I'm relieved to see that I'm still alone. I guess he was too angry to come back last night and in a way, I'm grateful. Maybe this will be a recurring thing! I quickly get up and get dressed in the bathroom so no one can walk in on me changing. Today is going to be a better day!

When I come out of the bathroom, I jump and nearly fall on my ass when I see Thane. He turns to look at me, shirtless and all... and normally I would be enjoying this wonderous view but the look he was currently giving me caused my buttcheeks to clench.

I use every ounce of willpower I have to keep my eyes up and away from his... four.. six pack? Abort! I clear my throat and look down at the ground as I say "I'm really sorry about... yesterday. I really didn't mean to... I was.. choking."

When everything remains silent, I slowly look up to see him still glaring at me. I nervously look around the room before looking back at him. Thane slowly walks up to me, causing me to back up into the wall behind me.

He stops before me and says "I know you're new and young but this is not school. It's life or death here and I can tell by the look in your eyes that you'd never seen death." I blink at him in surprise and suddenly understand that he's just trying to warn me.

But he's incorrect... I have seen death but maybe not in the same way he has. I nod my head and say "You're right... sorry." Thane's eyes narrow on me for a split second before nodding and walking away. I slowly deflate a little and mentally thank the gods for sparing me.

I quickly put my shoes on and go to leave but when I see Thane's shoes by the door, I grab them both and place them next to him. Thane looks down at the shoes then back up to me with an unreadable expression on his face but I don't stay around to figure it out. I hightail it out of the room like my ass is on fire and don't look back.

If I'm gonna have to live with the guy, I better get on his good side. Rules of survival for the weak! When I make it to my first official class, I'm happy to see that it's about simple math and calculations. I was always good at learning.

At lunch, I run into a familiar face. Conner waves excitedly at me before bouncing over to me with a wide smile on his face. "Hey! How's your first day so far?" I give him a large smile and thumbs up as I say "It's pretty easy actually. I feel like I was worried about nothing."

Conner slightly frowns and scratches the back of his head before shrugging and saying "Well, it wasn't easy for me but I guess you're like one of those really smart kids. Just wait for the combat training. Everybody sucks at that at first."

My fork pauses halfway to my mouth as 'Combat Training' echos around in my head in an ominous-sounding voice. My food falls off the fork as I start thinking about how to survive the combat training. I mean... I knew this would be a part of it but now that it's happening... I'm getting a little nervous.

I nodded my head and half-listened to everything Conner was saying as we finished our lunch but when we both head to the combat training, I stopped and asked "Why are you coming too?" He looks at me with a confused smile and says "Did you not just hear me? I said earlier that all years train together."

My heart kicks up another gear when I think about the older, more experienced fighters that will be there. I thought I would be fighting with guys my age!? And with the same amount of experience!! When Conner sees my look of horror, he throws his arm around my shoulders and says "Don't worry! You can partner up with me and I'll take it easy on you."

I give him a grateful look but the fear still twirls around in my stomach and mixes with my freshly eaten lunch, instantly making me nauseous. It's fine... I'll partner up with Conner and survive. It shouldn't be so bad.

I take a deep breath and release it with a small smile. I've got this... When I look up to the sign over the door leading into the large gym, I see the word 'PURGATORY'. My smile cracks a bit as Conner drags me into the large gym. It's a joke... right?

All the students gather around one area so after pushing our way through, I see a large middle-aged man with a large scar going down the left side of his face. Upon closer inspection, I see that he's actually blind in his left eye!

"Welcome new students! It's good to see fresh blood! My name is Titus and over the next few weeks, you will be beaten to a pulp, put back together, and beaten again. This will continue until you learn to fight and survive. It's the fastest way to learn, believe me! First years! You'll pair up with a senior! Seniors, show these brats how to survive."

Conner tugs me over to a mat of our own as I ask "That's it? That's the special training!? To get our asses kicked??" Conner chuckles and says "I thought the same thing you did but it really does help. You'll have training classes that will break down technics but fighting like this really does toughen you up and give you experience."

True to his word, Conner takes it easy on me and as he's explaining some basic footwork, Titus walks over and says "Thane!! Get over here and show this first year how to take a beating. Conner! Get your ass over here."

Conner gives me a half-ass smile and follows after Titus but when I turn back and see Thane stepping up onto the mat, I feel my buttcheeks clench again. Why does it have to be him!?? As if reading my mind, Thane cracks his neck and says "Titus pairs up power users with other power users. Conner has strength but he doesn't have powers."