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“That wasn’t part of the rules, young lady,” Nikolas, one of the members of the governing council, said from above. “You aren’t supposed to kill her, only to knock her out.”
“She isn’t dead. I loaded the syringe with a mild tranquilizer and hit her in a muscle. I’d been practicing that move for weeks now. She’ll wake up with just a slight headache,” Vivien said as she looked up.
“Still, that was dangerous. You could have killed her,” Viktor, another man, said.
“I practiced, sir. Besides, the rules said I could do anything to knock her out completely, bearing in mind that I’d forfeit my life if I took hers. I believe I’ve kept to those rules,” she said, bowing her head.
The men watched her. She knew the men had wanted Khristina to win. They all liked Khristina. She looked at Adrik, her only supporter. His face was void of any emotion, but she had learned to read it still. He was pleased with her. Finally, the council members began to whisper to each other. Vivien sat on the ground and patted Khristina on the head as she awaited their verdict. She waited for two minutes and looked up, wondering what was taking so long. She had thought the decision would be a simple one: she had won, and so, she’d be on the council.
Finally, three more minutes later, the men finished, and Nikolas stepped forward.
“We have decided that both of you will join the council. Congratulations, Vivien. Your progress has been remarkable,” he said.
Vivien was going to protest. If the men were going to allow both of them to enter the council, why had they allowed them to fight? She restrained herself. Living with Adrik had taught her to control her emotions. She allowed a bright smile to illuminate her face; then, she bowed her head.
“Oh my! I’m most honored. Thank you so much. I promise not to disappoint you,” she said.
“We hope you won’t,” Nikolas said as he turned and walked away. The other men followed him, leaving Adrik alone on the gallery. She fixed her eyes on his face as medics came to take Khristina away. The moment all the members of the council were gone, a small smile appeared on his face. Hers brightened all the more.
He whispered to her:
My office. Four PM.
Then he turned away and left. She nodded.
When she got to his office by 4 pm, she knocked on the door.
“Come in,” he said.
When she entered, she found him staring at a large world map on his wall. His back was turned to her. She stood and waited for him to acknowledge her presence. She knew Adrik didn’t like to be taken for granted, so she treated him as a superior while they were at work. Things got very different when they were alone together, though.
He turned to her and smiled as he watched her; then he walked up to her. Kissing her lightly on her lips, he said:
“You disappointed me today, you know?”
Vivien kissed him back too before saying;
“You mean to say I made you proud, don’t you?”
“No. I meant what I said. I expected you to finish Khristina in the first sixty seconds. I can’t believe you let that fight last for ten minutes. I got bored, watching the whole drama,” Adrik said as he went to his seat. He motioned for her to sit down too.
“It’s Khristina we’re talking about here and not some expert martial artist. That girl is a monster. Look at what she used to punch my jaw. My jaw still hurts.”
“And you? What in this universe gave you that idea? I’ve seen people use different weapons, but I’ve never seen anyone go as far as using a syringe.”
“And yet, it’s the most potent weapon. I’d been thinking about all the possible ways this fight would turn out. I came to one conclusion. Khristina wouldn’t pass out unless she was knocked out by a truck.”
“And neither would you, right?”
“Exactly. I needed something to put her out immediately, but I didn’t want to use it until she pulled out those tiger claws against me,” Vivien said as she held where Khristina had wounded her. It had been bandaged. Adrik smiled at her again.
“I’m proud of you,” he said finally. She returned the smile with a pout.
“I knew you were. By the way, I’m surprised you kis
sed me here. Did they take out the cameras?” she said, turning to look at the CCTV mounted at a corner of the wall.
“No. I just wanted them to see it.”
