Cobra placed his hands on Eliana's body again to assess her stance. He adjusted her hips and arms, then crouched down to move her legs and feet into position. Eliana still felt a little uncomfortable with his touch, but now that she knew he didn't have any ulterior motives, it wasn't as bad. She was sick of the men in this place making unwanted advances on her, and at least Cobra seemed different.
Once satisfied, he stood in front of her again. "Like this, you won't get knocked on your ass so easily. You can move and react better too. Keep your arms or hands in front of your face at all times. You're not good enough to hit back or counter yet, so for now, you'll let your opponent hit you while you block. Wait for an opening—it'll come when they think you're weakened and drop their guard. Then, strike."
It made sense, but something still bothered her. "So I have to let someone beat me up until they think they've won? That's the only way I can win?" She requested his help in the first place so she won't get beaten up anymore but right that seemed to be his plan for her.
"For now, yes. Unless you have some hidden skill that'll help you overpower them?" he asked with a raised brow and directly looked at her. How did he know where she stood? She shifted slightly, testing him—his eyes followed her. Creepy. Despite being blind, he tracked her movements precisely.
"No, I don't," she admitted. "That's why your plan won't work either. I wouldn't know how to spot or use an opening."
He nodded and stepped closer. "Exactly. That's what we'll train first. You need to learn how to punch properly, because that earlier attempt was pathetic."
She frowned but couldn't argue. "And how will we train that?"
Cobra lifted his hand, his palm scarred from old wounds. Until now, everyone at the academy looked flawless. At first glance, he appeared that way too—tall, striking, intimidating. But up close, she saw it: he was scarred, hurt, and maybe even broken.
"Aim for the center of my palm. Hit with all your strength, but remember technique."
His deep voice snapped her from her thoughts. She stared at his palm and braced herself. No more hesitation. It was time for action. Determined, she pulled her arm back and swung—but missed. Her fist flew past his hand, she lost her balance, and her face slammed right into his palm.
"I meant punch with your fist, not your face."
She glared up at him, cheeks burning. What she saw shocked her.
He was smirking.
A small, amused smile curled on his lips—the first real, genuine smile she'd seen since she got to this hellhole. The other smiles she saw till now were always cruel, mocking. Somehow, that made her smile too.
"That was what I tried to do. I misaimed," she muttered.
His smirk widened, and her smile grew with it. "You misaimed from this distance? God, you're a hopeless case."
"Then if you manage to train me, wouldn't that only prove how good you are? If I were you, I wouldn't back down from that challenge."
Her voice was lighter than it had been in weeks.
"Let's see. I'll try for now, but if you don't improve after a few days, I'm dropping you."
His tone was blunt, but it was the kindest thing anyone had done for her since she got here.
"Deal," she said with a grin, and they spent the rest of the night working on her punches.
At three in the morning, Cobra sent her back to her room so she could get a few hours of sleep. She didn't make much physical progress tonight, but mentally and emotionally, she took a huge step forward. That was the first step not only to surviving this place, but to fighting against it.
Today, she realized not everyone here was completely bad. She had already suspected it, but until now, she'd been too deep in fear and anger to acknowledge it. Dane, for instance, had helped her several times and never hurt her. And now there was Cobra, who was actually training her.
Despite being blind, Cobra moved with such precision and strength, it was easy to forget his condition. On first impression, he was the scariest one—silent, massive, unreadable. Who would have guessed she'd end up working with him?
But this place still held monsters like Keith, Kilian, and Damon. She couldn't afford to let her guard down. Still, it felt like she'd finally achieved something.
Eliana collapsed onto her bed, her body aching from the session. But it was a good ache. It reminded her of the effort she'd put in.
Then there was the map. She pulled it from under her hoodie and unfolded it. It was hard to see in the dark, but she tried to make out what she could. Notes were scribbled on it. Hidden passages and rooms she hadn't seen on the blueprint.
She wanted to explore it right away, but she was too exhausted. That would have to wait.
She hid the map again and, for the first time since she was kidnapped, fell into a peaceful sleep.