Free Sky Ghosts: Marco (Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure) (Sky Ghosts Series Book 1.5) by Alexandra Engellmann

anyway.
    “You’re good, that’s right. But if you want to be the best, you gotta be ready to fight in any condition. You may be fast, but you’re a skinny little thing. One good blow is enough to break your arm or leg. If you’re able to fight after that, one day it might save lives, including yours.”
    He gave her a serious look to emphasize his words. Her black eyes were full of weary arrogance as she stared back at him dully.
    “And?” was all she said, and it sounded like it took an enormous effort to force out this one syllable.
    “Well, I can’t fight yet, but I can show you how to do it,” he said with a shrug and took another bite.
    “Why should I believe that you know what you’re talking about?” she enquired in a sharp tone, and he knew instantly where this was going. “Who trained you, Marco?”
    Her face betrayed no emotion, but the question was too intense to be random. For the first time Marco was the one to look away, wondering how much she knew.
    “It doesn’t matter. Take it or leave it, I won’t offer twice,” he answered, then added after a moment’s thought, “The training hall is empty this time of day.”
    She raised an eyebrow, and he knew he had struck a chord. Of course, she wouldn’t want anyone to see her practice with him after what had happened. But he was sure she was interested. There was just no way she could have forgotten a fight so intense the moment she stepped (or was dragged) out of the training hall.
    She took a long, deep breath, and then something flickered in her eyes, something entirely different: laughing and mischievous. It was gone in a second, and she leaned on the table, looking him straight in the eyes.
    “Okay. On one condition. If I fall down and break my other arm, you’ll be the one responsible, Mister Know-It-All.”
    He opened his mouth to reply, but she silenced him with a raised finger.
    “You will pick up my laundry, do the cleaning, ironing, whatever I need,” she ticked each task off on her fingers as Marco’s eyes grew bigger and bigger, “for a whole month.”
    She finished talking, and Marco stared at her, speechless. He would have assumed she was kidding if he hadn’t already known how insane she was and how she loved pranks. Somewhere in the back of his mind he even wondered if she was actually crazy enough to break her arm on purpose, so she could spend a whole month gloating as she watched him cleaning and ironing.
    “You don’t seem so sure of your methods, huh?” she noted, watching him hesitate, her lips curved in a sly smile.
    “Deal,” he suddenly said, startling himself.
    Her eyes widened, but she quickly recomposed her expression.
    “You do know that if you break this promise, I’ll have to hunt you down and kill you,” she teased, “I don’t need my hands for that, after all.”
    His face twisted with annoyance.
    “Oh, cut it out, woman. Now, move your ass. I’m a busy man, you know.”
    Then he got up and jerked his head toward the doors.
    “Yeah, right,” she snorted, letting him pick up her tray, since he was the one with two working arms, “What’s on your agenda, busy man? Watching a Simpsons marathon?”
    “What??” Marco huffed, appalled, as they shuffled to the exit. “How do you know??”
    “Oh, chill,” she said, waving him off, “I’ve heard it coming from your room far more than once.”
    “My room?? The hell were you doing there?” he grumbled, and she snapped a response, but it was lost in the commotion near the doors.
     
    *
     
    Skull watched them go and shook his head. He would have to check the training hall later, and probably knock them out again so he could deliver them to Doc. Or maybe not, he thought idly as he chewed his chicken, Maybe this time they won’t try to kill each other.
    He sat in the canteen longer than necessary before he emptied his tray into the trash can and left the room. Betsy the Cook gave him a creepy smile, making him shudder. It was bad enough that