Page 22 of Chasing Luna
“I’m exhausted, Eliza. I’m so tired.” My lower lip trembles, sobs threatening to fly out of my mouth.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Mistress,” she consoles, closing the door behind her.
“What can I do to help?” She follows up with a shaky breath, putting a soothing hand on my back. I shake my head and cry into my pillow some more. After a few minutes, Eliza stands. “I’ll prepare food for you. Isabela, you still need to eat.” Throwing formalities aside, she leaves the room without another word.
I need some air. I will myself to get up from my bed and head straight to the training room. A couple of sentinels are inside, chatting after what looks like a rigorous exercise session with knives. “Leave,” I order, staring at all of them. They wordlessly let go of their throwing knives and head out, bowing as they pass me by.
Securing some wraps on my hands, I walk toward the lone punching bag in the center of the room. I give it a few jabs before unleashing a flurry of combos. The image of my sister flashes behind my eyes, and every time my fist comes in contact with the heavy material, I give it a bit more power than the last punch.
“I promise,” I repeat out loud what I had said to Katya.I promise. I grit my teeth, and combine kicking in my combos.I promise.My left wrist buckles from my own strength, but I don’t think of the pain.I promise, Katya.Hit after hit, I repeat her last words to me.I promise, even if it’s the last thing I do.
My attacks keep getting faster, stronger. Sand seeps through the sides, but I don’t stop my assault on the already ruined punching bag. “I’ll make sure they rot in hell.” One kick after the other only rips through the bag even more. “Even if I have to drag them down there myself.”
I feel heat trickle through my face, and the combination of punches, kicks, and quick grabs quicken the beat of my heart. I struggle to catch my breath, hands already warm from the workout and from my own blood dripping from my knuckles.
In anger, I let out a yell and with it, a powerful swing of my fingers, slicing the bag in half.A new power, perhaps? Or maybe it’s just my own bloodlust growing stronger?I think to myself. A gasp reaches my ear as sand collects beneath my feet. Blinded by rage, I quickly grab a small knife and throw it toward the sound.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“What the hell!” Eliza cries out in surprise. The knife sticks to the wall beside her.
“I like how when you’re surprised, all formalities go out the window. No, ‘Hello, Mistress’ this time?” I snicker.
She rolls her eyes. “You could have killed me!” Eliza exclaims, trying to take out the knife from the wall unsuccessfully.
“Honestly, I didn’t know it was you,” I say, walking over to her and pulling the thing out in one go. I wipe off the sweat and blood and put the knife back in its tray.
“I’ve seen you kill a sparrow with perfect aim just by listening to it fly away. How can younotknow it was me?” she emphasizes, staring daggers at me.
“I’m not lying! I was too… engrossed in training. And, I wouldn’t intentionally kill someone without reason; I was really aiming for the wall.” I smile at her, taking off the wraps from my hands.
Blood splatters on the floor, mixing with grains of sand and polyester from the punching bag. “Did you… do this?” Eliza steps forward, eagerly examining the wreck, walking in front of me.
“Yeah, I got too carried away.”
“But how did you rip the synthetic apart?” She looks at me with wide eyes.
“No idea.”Quite literally. Should I tell Eliza? Will she get in trouble?I look at Eliza, undecided if I should let her in my little secret. “Eliza, I, um,” I stutter and she fixes her gaze at me expectantly. “Well, let’s say if I—”
“There you are Isabela!” Katarina’s voice interrupts my supposed monologue and startles us both. “I was looking for you. Do you want to have lunch together?” she speaks cautiously, eyes roaming around the sorry state of the training room. “Did… did you attack the whole room? What the hell has gotten into you?” She stares at the red-stained sand in between my feet.
“I was imagining Katya’s killer.” I deadpan. “Thinking about all the things I’ll do to the bastard. How I’ll torture that shit. How I’ll wring that shit’s neck in between my fingers. How I’ll make sure the bastard regrets ever crossing paths with me.” I throw away the bandages in a nearby bin. Eliza clears her throat, clearly uncomfortable at my sudden threat. I feel my pulse quicken, anger rising slowly in my veins.Calm down,I think to myself as I take a few deep, slow breaths.
“Right,” Katarina mentions after a beat of silence, eyeing me up and down. “How about we, uh, take a walk? After lunch? Clear our heads and grieve in… healthier ways.” I sigh and nod in agreement.
“Alright, what’s for lunch?” I walk away with Katarina, Eliza following behind us.
“You can ask the chef to make your favorite. I know your comfort food is tomato and chicken pasta. You can ask him to make it extra savory.” She wiggles her eyebrows in anticipation. Something about how natural she acts irritates me. I swiftly turn and face Katarina.
“How can you act this normal? Like someone wasn’t killed insideourhome? Like we didn’t see our sister die helplessly?”
Katarina’s smile drops almost immediately. “I’m just as angry and confused as you. But the thing about being the firstborn is,” she reaches out and pats my head lovingly, “you have to make sure that everyone else’s needs are met before yours. That everyone you care about won’t crumble at the slightest touch. That’s my responsibility; I have to make sure everything stays intact in this family.” She grips my shoulder. “I’m trying to act strong so you can go around destroying rooms inside the estate, aside from the training room, of course.” She grins and I shake off her hand.
“Shut up. I panicked because the door was locked from the outside.”
“Right, you panicked so naturally, you completely destroyed the locks? You’re currently missing a doorknob, by the way.” She chuckles as she drapes her arm on my shoulders.
I didn’t tell anyone that. “Huh. Must’ve not noticed it. I sprinted out of the room as soon as I opened it,” I say nonchalantly.