A fist headed straight for my neck, but I blocked it with my elbow, grasping the hand punching my opponent underneath his arm, right below his ribs. He grunted, but his smile grew as he kicked my legs, causing me to buckle. I took it as an opportunity to roll away from his body and ended up right behind him, taking his neck underneath my elbow, feeling the protruding veins throb against my bare arm, my other hand pressed to a pressure point right between his bare collarbone and shoulders, my much shorter legs wrapped around his waist since it was the only way I could reach my arms around his frame.

I smirked. "Please tell me you're going easy on me."

Oliver's chest vibrated underneath my hold as he laughed. "A little cocky, aren't we?"

Abruptly, he used his incredible upper body strength to pull me over his body; I saw it coming. Instead of falling, I landed on my feet in front of him, kicking his stomach, placed a hand on his chest, my elbow headed straight for his chin, a move that would've knocked any man out with impact. I stopped just before my arm made contact with his face, watching his eyes widening, glistening with pride.

"Not bad," he nodded as I lowered my arm, giving him a high-five. "Glad you haven't lost your touch, but I totally would've won that one."

I laughed and took the two towels that were on the railing, tossed one to Oliver, and began wiping away the sweat that had formed after constant combat training. Fighting with him was always my favorite, mainly because he never went easy on me. He knew how much I could take, and just what I was capable of.

I grunted as I took a sip from a bottle of water. "Mhm, look who's cocky now."

My eyes scanned the dimly lit room, grazing over Lucy and Thomas working out nearby, weights in their hands as their bodies glistened with sweat. Thomas had been watching me fight Oliver, and his hungry stare was getting on my nerves, especially the way that it would linger on my bare abdomen and legs. Lucas was missing from the scene, and finally, my eyes landed on Silas, who'd been sitting nearby, watching engrossed in our training session, his eyes comically wide.

We'd found a gym in the basement of the complex, one that seemed like nobody ever used. It was nearly abandoned, but there was still equipment laying around. Oliver flew in early this morning after managing to cash in a favor with a friend who owned a jet. Maya still hadn't been in touch, but we trusted that she'd contact us if she found anything.

I hadn't spoken much to Silas since the night before. There wasn't much to say, though I noticed the way that he'd try to approach me, but I skillfully avoided him. Suppressing a sigh, I redid the ponytail that had begun to fall out, and stepped back, stretching my shoulders back as I prepared myself for another round. This time, with someone else.

"Silas," I started indifferently, nodding him over to the spot in front of me, "Your turn."

The blood drained from his face and he shook his head rapidly, looking like he wanted nothing more than to run away. He put his hands out in front of his chest. "What? No, no way. I can't do that what you guys just did. You'll kill me."

Oliver and I shared a look, stifling our laughter. As much as I wanted to be serious, I couldn't.

"You can either use your legs," Oliver took a step towards him, "Or I can pick you up and carry you here."

Silas gulped and stood up to his feet nervously, his fingers tugging at the hem of his shirt. He stepped in front of me, avoiding my gaze with such determination. Oliver stayed behind him, studying his form, humor dancing in his eyes.

Though he constantly picked on Silas, and still called him Simon, I couldn't help but feel that Oliver genuinely liked him. He was never an open person, but with Silas, he was playful. At ease.

"Show us what you got, kiddo." Oliver crossed his arms across his chest. I felt Thomas still watching me out of the corner of my eye, even though he should've been focusing on his own training.

"Hit me." My expression was serious. I took a step closer to him, watching beads of sweat form on his forehead. I brought my arms up, leaving my entire body vulnerable. The nervousness disappeared from his features and he shook his head.

"No way," he said, stepping away. I reciprocated by stepping closer again, closing the distance between us.

Placing a hand on his chest, I took a deep breath, feeling his heart thump against the taut skin of my palm. "It's okay. You need to know how to fight if you want to come with us."

His jaw clenched and his eyes finally met mine, dark with the thoughts I yearned to know about. Again, he shook his head. "I'm not going to hit you, Zara."

Sighing in frustration, I stepped back, watching Oliver take my place instead. He put his hands on Silas's shoulders, pushing them back so that they were straight. "First, work on your posture. Roll your shoulders back, it'll give you more force when you're punching."

Silas complied, taking a deep breath and standing straight. He was only a few inches shorter than Oliver, but the difference between the two was alarming.

"Secondly, be prepared for anything, at any time."

Oliver didn't give Silas time to react; he'd barely had time to process his words before Oliver punched Silas lightly in his gut and took his head under his arm, holding next to his chest, his forearm pressed against his neck.

Silas groaned, trying to grasp Oliver's arms away. "I...wasn't...ready...for...that," he gasped out, clawing at Oliver's arm, who remained indifferent.

"That's the point. Now stop struggling," Oliver said slowly, his voice gentle, "Take a deep breath. Trust your instincts, bro."

Silas complied, and squeezed his eyes shut momentarily, before he met mine, his greens set ablaze, golden flames of fire dancing within. I watched in anticipation as he elbowed Oliver's ribs roughly, sending him stumbling a few feet away, his face riddled with pride. Silas smiled in satisfaction and stood still, rubbing his reddened neck with his hands.

"Good!" Oliver yelled, charging towards him again, "But you don't have time to breathe. Keep moving."

Silas dodged him, stumbling away from his path. Oliver was quick; he spoke as he strode towards the shorter boy. "Since we need to work on your offense, your priority is defense. Your goal is to stay alive."

The curly-headed boy flinched as Oliver neared him, but Oliver merely laughed. "Relax, I'm not trying to hurt you." He brought his hand up to Silas's neck. "Protect your neck," his hand moved to his chest, "and your chest. They're the weaker points in your body."

Silas nodded, keeping his arms up in fists by his side, following Oliver's advice to always remain ready, listening intently to each word that left his trainer's mouth. His body was alive was a confidence I hadn't seen before, and I found myself immersed in the training session, leaning my shoulder onto a metal pole that went up to the ceiling.

I was so engrossed in watching Oliver teach Silas how to fight, that I wouldn't have noticed someone come up behind me if it wasn't for the instincts I'd trained for years to perfect.

Feeling a draft of wind behind me, I trusted my body as I ducked, just in time to dodge a fist that was headed for my back.

Spinning on my heels, I came face-to-face with a shirtless Thomas, towering above me, his leg headed for my abdomen, making impact with the side of my stomach, causing me to grunt. Confusion, rage, and so much more built up inside me, leaving my body in the form of a sneer.

I stumbled back, clutching my waist in pain. Thomas's eyes were dark and hungry for what seemed to be blood.

Oliver and Silas, hearing the commotion, ran towards me, both of their faces flashing with identical looks of anger. Lucy was nowhere to be seen. Oliver's fists were clenched by his side, his expression a type of deathly I'd only seen a few times before. And Silas looked just as pissed, his face pale with rage, as he stepped forward, charging towards my attacker. Oliver, though he seemed hesitant, placed an arm in front of Silas.

"Let her handle it," he said, his voice deeper than usual, his body ready to fight, but holding back. He saw me glance at him and nodded, his eyes saying that he was ready, but only if I needed him.

"What the fuck are you doing, Thomas?" I hissed through gritted teeth, straightening my back as a venomous anger surged through my body. He'd been testing his limits for days now, but this was unexpected.

Thomas laughed darkly, clenching and unclenching his large fists. "Just a little friendly combat. Let's see how good the great Zara Dubois really is," he mocked, enjoying the attention he'd grasped. The air in the room was thick with tension as we stood facing one another.

"You idiot," Oliver muttered under his breath. He didn't seem concerned for me, but for Thomas. The anger refused to fade from Silas's face as he tried to step forward again, but was held back by Oliver's arm.

Thomas, ignoring Oliver's statement, cracked his knuckles, then his neck.

My body experienced a type of rage I hadn't felt many times before, one so dangerous that it overcame any sign of rationality and mercy. A monster began to awaken within me, but I urged it to remain dormant. Whatever Thomas's vendetta against me was, it was personal. He wasn't looking for friendly combat; he was looking to hurt me.

"Back down Thomas," I warned, my body shaking with adrenaline, "I'm offering you a final chance. We don't need this right now."

Thomas rolled his eyes and charged towards me, his eyes glistening with hatred. "You may not, but I do."

His fast came flying for my neck, but I ducked beneath it, watching him fly forward with force and punch the air. He growled and turned to face me once again.

"Thomas, stop. I don't want to hurt you."

"Do you know how many times we get compared to you? Do you have any idea how annoying it is?"

He spoke as he charged towards me again, his movements sloppy as he punched me in my bare abdomen, his fist sinking into my body, sending jolts of pain throughout it.

"I just wanna see for myself how strong you are."

Screw this. I unleashed the monster that had been clawing to escape, the one I'd allowed to remain dormant for far too long.

While Thomas watched me with a pleased snarl, he stepped towards me once again, swinging for my stomach, but missing when I used the pole next to me to launch myself into the air and land behind him.

My legs carried me towards his large body and I kicked his back, sending him stumbling forward. He spun around to face me, and swept his sweaty hair aside, throwing a fist, this time, directly at my face. Though Thomas was strong, he wasn't skilled.

I blocked his punch with my arm and in return hooked in jaw with my elbow, watching him stumble back as blood began to trickle from his busted lip and onto his chin. He ran his fingers over the crimson liquid, smiling sickeningly at the sight of it. "That's more like it."

Ignoring his comments, I let my body do what it was trained to; I let it become the killing machine it ached to be, giving in to its addiction. I jumped and kicked Thomas in his stomach, causing him to buckle over. Taking it as my chance, I brought my elbow behind his head and knocked the neck of his neck, just hard enough that he landed down on his knees.

Weaving my fingers into his wet hair, I brought his head back and punched his jaw once again, causing his eyes to roll back, more blood to spill, this time on my knuckles as well. He remained on his knees and tried to dodge my blows while I spun around and brought my leg up, kicking the side of his head so that his entire body was on the ground, gasping for air from the hit he'd just taken.

I should've stopped.

Jumping onto his body, I straddled his waist as I punched his jaw once again, my body ignited on fire each time my fist made contact with his face.

"Alright..." he spoke through pain, holding his hands in the air beside him, eyes struggling to remain open. "I—I'm sorry."

My ears were buzzing; I was hearing his words, but they meant nothing; I was possessed with a demon that had become my acquaintance. Keeping my hand in his hair, I punched him again, this time in his ribs. He screamed in agony.

"Zara, that's enough. He's down," Oliver's voice rang in my ears, but I brought my bloodied fist back again, drawing it back as I prepared for a blow that would probably do some permanent damage. Right as I was about to bring it down, Silas's voice rang through the air.

"Zara, stop!"

And for some reason, my arm fell limp to my side. I relaxed, watching Thomas's terrified eyes study me, his face covered with blood, anticipating more pain. My heartbeats slowed down, the buzzing in my ears fading. Regret pooled in my stomach as the anger began to subside. I leaned down so that my nose was almost brushing Thomas's.

"Try something again, and I won't spare your life."

I got off of him and felt my body drain of adrenaline, glancing at the two boys who'd been watching the fight. Oliver didn't look too affected; he was staring down at Thomas's body in disgust, no remorse in his features as he crouched down next to him.

"And you'll have more than just her to deal with," he spat before coming to my side, taking my bloody fists into his hands. I buried my face into his chest, unable to contain the overwhelming emotions that hit me in waves like a tsunami. I didn't cry; I just remained in his embrace until my heartbeat returned to something that could be considered normal.

This was the part of me I'd tried so hard to fight, yet it took over my body much too easily. I was disappointed in myself for losing control, and when I looked back up, I saw that Thomas was gone.

As was Silas.

(A/N)

here's a side of Zara you haven't seen yet, but probably expected to see :)

there's a lot going down in the next few chapters so STAY TUNED!

thank you for reading, don't forget to VOTE! <3