Fighting by Cat Phoenix Page A

him.  He's too good to beat. 
He hacks and codes and basically does everything for us that requires
computers.  He's also Brooks' nephew."
    "No
shit?" I asked, surprised.
    "Yeah. 
His father left his mother before he was even born and his mother was
struggling to take care of both of them, so Brooks took him in to help out two
years ago.  She visits every now and then.  Ethan is good at everything he
pursues, but most especially fighting.  He's never lost a match since I've
known him."
    "What
about you?" I asked.
    "I
have a knack for impressions."
    "She's
really good at mimicking people.  With the proper preparation, she can fool you
into thinking she's anyone she wants you to believe," Spencer said.
    "Social
engineering," Ollie piped up.
    "You're
a grifter," I said, surprised but impressed.
    "Pretty
much," she said.
    She
was only fourteen and she was already adept at being anyone she wanted?  It's
hard enough figuring out who you are as a teenager anyway.  Must be hard
knowing who she really was , I thought.
    "What
about your family?" I asked.
    "This
is my family," she said simply.
    After
we played for a few hours, I took my mat and made my way up to the fourth
floor, to the empty studio.  I arrived just before sunset and opened the doors
and windows at both ends of the room.  The room sucked air in like a tunnel
with a light evening breeze that was perfect.  I sat down and brought my knees
to my chest to watch the sun sink down behind the trees, listening to the
breeze ruffle the leaves in the distance.  I loved North Carolina, and it was
beautiful everywhere, but there was nothing quite like nature in rural North
Carolina. 
    I
plugged in my music to play my yoga playlist that was filled mostly with
Portishead and sat for a few more minutes before getting up to do a relatively
easy routine, just slipping back into things.  Afterward, I lounged right by
the glass and just watched the tops of the trees swaying against a backdrop of
stars.  I was so relaxed, I almost fell asleep, so I gathered my things and
went to bed. 
    I
spent the next week dropping into this new routine.  I'd wake up for exercise
and combat training with Ross, eat lunch with the others, spend the afternoon
with Brooks when he would give me private lessons, eat supper with the others,
and then read until time for Yoga Alone Time before collapsing into my bed
every night.  I was settling into living at the compound, and it wasn't as hard
as I thought.  Except that there were people everywhere, all the time, and I
wasn't used to that.  The only places I could go for some quiet relief were my
room or the balcony set off from the studio French doors, where I spent a lot
of time reading. 
    And
then there was Ethan.  I was constantly aware of his proximity to me, and where
he was at in the room.  I watched him covertly, trying to embrace that whole know
thy enemy mentality.  After observing his behavior for an entire week in
different situations and around different people, I was thrown off just a
little, because he wasn't the loud, arrogant rock star I'd pegged him as.  I
wasn't usually wrong about people, but I was with Ethan and of course, I found
that grating.  He did carry himself confidently, like I first thought, but he
wasn't cocky.  He never bragged about anything or put anyone else down.  He was
mostly quiet and kept to himself unless he had something interesting or important
to contribute.  I caught him teasing Oliver or Spencer a few times, but it was
so low key I couldn't even really hear what was said to make Oliver laugh or
Spencer scowl playfully. 
    Anytime
we were in a room together, it would always go the same way.  We would make eye
contact.  I'd glare, on principle alone, and he would frown at me before
turning away and we would ignore each other.  I knew we both could have said a
lot of cutting things, but Oliver was almost always around and I didn't want to
upset him and I suspected that Ethan didn't,