Chapter 11: Training
Allison's Point of View
I closed my mouth when I saw Zein on the sofa. I thought I would be the one to wake her up from her deep sleep, but it seemed she had already woken up before me.
I went to the kitchen first to drink some milk. I found Tita Mira there, chopping vegetables.
She avoided my gaze, so I just shook my head.
After drinking, I returned to the living room. Zein was still in the same position, clearly lost in deep thought. I smiled to myself, feeling good about the day ahead.
I moved in front of her, and just as I expected, she didn't notice me. She seemed so absorbed in his thoughts that she didn't even sense my presence.
I cleared my throat to steal her attention. My mouth dropped open when I saw her raise an eyebrow, clearly annoyed that I had interrupted her thoughts.
"Ready?" I asked.
She nodded and went out first. Now I planned to take her to our training place, where everyone who wanted to learn self-defense came. They also taught proper gun handling and how to use it there.
I thought she would protest when I brought out my motorbike, but she silently hopped on behind me.
Now I was curious. What happened?
"Wha—"
"Don't talk to me."
I flinched at her glare. She was serious, staring off into the distance as if a thousand thoughts were running through her mind. Damn! Quiet, yet dangerous.
My motorbike was at max speed, and everything on the sides was almost a blur, but I didn't hear any reaction from Zein.
UGH! This is boring…
When we reached the training place, she only glanced around briefly before heading inside as if she were completely familiar with it. I had brought him here before, but that was a long time ago, back when she was still in high school with her friends.
I found her stopped at the entrance, poker-faced as she stared down the guard who tried to stop her from going inside. I swallowed hard, worried about what this woman might do.
So much has happened. I no longer fully know her, and I have no idea how far she's capable of going. She came from Hell University! She was part of the ones who brought that "hell" down, the mission I refused.
It's not that I'm scared, but I don't want to be trapped in that place like I was during that task I had to do. I'd have to enter that hell as a student. I hate being bored! I could even make that place explode in a snap. UGH! But that wasn't what they wanted to happen, so I refused.
"Let me in," Zein said coldly.
I stepped between them. I just nodded at the guard since he already knew me. He rolled his eyes but laughed at Zein.
Oh no…
I closed my eyes as Zein kicked the guard's table, flipping it over. I grabbed Zein's trembling hand and pulled her away from the scene.
I didn't know what had happened, why Zein was like this, but I knew it was all because of one man. I couldn't help but marvel at that man who had made Zein fall in love. Zein, for whom love was just a game.
We passed by those who were training. Each of them had an instructor. It was just self-defense practice.
I knew Zein didn't really need this, but I still wanted to watch him.
"Zein, want to try?" I offered.
I called over a man and told him to attack Zein, but Zein just kept a poker face. UGH! I couldn't get excited at all. Psh.
The man acted like he was going to attack, but Zein just turned his back and walked away. The trainer scratched his head at Zein's behavior, and even I couldn't help but laugh at how stubborn she was.
I ran after Zein, who was staring intently at a room made entirely of transparent glass. Inside, people were training on how to handle firearms. We couldn't hear the gunshots because the room was soundproof, and on top of that, the entire room was bulletproof. No bullet could penetrate the glass, long-range weapons included.
I think I understood what Zein wanted based on how intently she was watching them. She already knew how to handle a gun, but since she seemed genuinely interested, I let her go inside.
Once we entered, we were greeted by an open field. Now, we could hear the gunfire and the explosions of bombs clearly. A medical team was stationed around for emergencies.
"Ally? Whoa! You're training too?" asked the smiling guy, Jazz Clarkson.
I rolled my eyes. Do I look like I need training? I don't. I'm already the best at this.
"Nope… my sister," I smirked at Zein, who was just watching the new trainees.
I wanted to laugh as I saw her get bored watching the bullets miss the targets.
"Your twin?"
"Nah…" I replied, giving him a pointed look. "Why do you have so many questions?" I asked irritably.
He laughed, making me roll my eyes. I swear, I could see the guy I wanted to shoot in him. UGH! If only his eyes could turn red like that. I smirked at the thought.
"Try her…"
Jazz nodded at me and approached my brother. Zein raised an eyebrow, clearly unwilling to talk to him. Jazz laughed at his expression, which seemed to annoy Zein, whose face immediately grew serious.
I wasn't worried for Jazz, compared to Zein… there was no way she could win.
Jazz Clarkson. I'd consider him one of my fiercest competitors in this field. Whenever he handles a gun, he lights up. Never, ever make him angry when he's holding one.
Zein shook his head, clearly uninterested in what Jazz was offering. Jazz gave a wry grin and looked at me, as if surrendering immediately to Zein.
He bit his lip, pulled the gun from his pocket, and handed it to Zein. Then, almost ceremoniously, he smoothed his hair after giving it. One more thing about Jazz: you can mess with everything about him… just don't touch his hair.
Jazz walked over to the targets to guide Zein, but froze in his tracks when Zein trained the gun on him.
Jazz paled and swallowed hard. I sat back on the bench, watching the scene unfold.
"Fuck!" Jazz cursed as Zein cocked the gun.
He tried to dodge, but the bullet still hit the target dead-on. I gawked at Zein's precision as bullets flew in rapid succession, accompanied by Jazz's sharp curses, narrowly avoiding each shot.
For the first time today… I saw Zein smile. Ghad! I barely recognized her anymore.
Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the girl smiling as she unleashed a barrage of bullets, each one shooting through the air with deadly precision. I could see the shock in their eyes as they stared at Zein.
UGH! She's good… I admit it.
Zein had emptied her ammo, but one last target remained. I thought she would stop, but with a fierce flick of her wrist, she sent the gun flying, hitting the target so hard that it skidded across the training area.
Silence fell over the place. After her final shot, everything froze, the targets were down, and Jazz was sheepishly making his way over to me.
"She's dangerous… you two really are siblings," he muttered, taking a sip of his mineral water.
I couldn't help but grin as an idea popped into my head. I walked over to Jazz and whispered it in his ear. His eyes went wide in disbelief.
"Y-You're serious?!"
I nodded, then glanced back at Zein, who was calmly studying the weapons, the various guns and explosives laid out before her.
"She might get hurt. Yeah, she's good, but—"
"No buts…" I cut him off, my grin widening.
I approached Zein and invited her to come with me. We went into a room that was almost completely dark; the darkness was almost unnerving, and we couldn't see anything.
"Are you serious?" Jazz asked from outside.
"Zein, you can do this," I replied, smiling but with determination in my voice.
We left her inside the dark room. We stepped outside and faced the monitors. We could see Zein inside, seemingly adjusting to the strange environment, there was a faint smile, a hint of hesitation.
I pressed the speaker. "Zein, you can do this," I said, knowing he could hear my voice.
I have to do this. I need to train you. Even if you're already skilled, you need to become even more skilled. I'm preparing you for countless possibilities, so that you won't need me anymore. There will be a lot of challenges that you'll face in the future.
I took a deep breath and pressed a button. The surroundings lit up. I couldn't help but smile as I saw jer eyes widen.
She was inside an illusion. I didn't know exactly what kind of illusion it was, but I knew it wasn't something ordinary.
Zein tightened her grip on her gun.
"You're responsible if anything happens to him," Jazz said anxiously, his gaze serious and fixed on Zein.
Now, show me what you're capable of. I'm ready to press the stop button the moment I see she's gone too far. This is the most dangerous stage of training… the final stage.
She needs to get out of that illusion. The door is right behind her, but since she can't see it, she'll be trapped inside for a while. She's got enemies in there… illusions.
I smiled as Zein unleashed a hail of bullets. I bit my lip as I saw her stumble.
"Stop it!" Jazz shouted, but I didn't comply.
Zein wasn't going to give up easily.
"Sis! Get me out of here!" she yelled.
I shook my head as I watched her run to the other side of the training room. Again, she fired at the illusions.
"You won't like what I do if you don't get me out of here!" she shouted again.
I furrowed my brows. What did she mean by that? My eyes widened and my jaw dropped when I saw what she pulled out from his pocket.
"FUCK!" Jazz yelled.
I couldn't press the stop button. I froze, unable to move. It was too late… The explosion from the bomb Zein carried reverberated.
The monitors were destroyed, and I could hear the shattering of glass and the booming of the surroundings.
Fuck… Just fuck it… FUCK!