Chelle," Anne's friend offered to her sister. The certainty in his voice tripped something in the back of Anne's mind. How was he so sure she hadn't hurt herself?
She grabbed his hand, and he hoisted her to her feet with an ease that took her breath away. She was shocked - as always - with just how strong her big friend actually was. He always pulled his punches, at least a little. There was something there, something in his past that he'd never told her. She was as sure of that as he seemed to be about her health.
Even as the thoughts flashed through her mind, Avi, their Krav Maga instructor and the nominal owner of the studio poked his mop of curly, blue-black hair out of the office.
"What was up with that, Anne? You haven't taken a fall like that since you started training." He crooked a bushy eyebrow at her. He'd often claimed to be a political refugee from Haifa, but Anne knew for a fact he'd grown up on Staten Island. Avi had a preternatural ability to know when one of his students screwed something up.
"I'm - I'm not sure," Anne said. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she'd seen. Or thought she'd seen. Her stomach muscles quivered with a tension whose source she didn't understand. Well, that wasn't true: she knew where it came from. She just didn't know why she'd seen the vision.
If she wasn't just seeing things. Her disturbing vision happened before she landed, and the fall didn't hurt her head any. She didn't drink anything but water when she and Chelley went clubbing, so hallucinogens were out.
"It-" Mike paused, cocked his head in thought, "-looked like you got distracted."
"It looked like you got overconfident," Chelle piped up.
Anne scowled at her sister, but couldn't argue against the veracity of the supposition. She had gotten overconfident. She hadn't thought so, but the results spoke for themselves. Instead of playing a long game and making Mike tire himself out, she'd gone inside his range for the quick kill. Not good against someone who knew what he was doing.
"Why don't you go a few rounds with the man mountain," Anne growled instead, pride still a bit stung.
"I don't need to: that's what I have you for." Chelle flashed a smile that warmed Anne through. That sweet smile had disappeared for years. Anne said a silent prayer of thanks for Mike, for Avi and for Father Kurt, for men who knew about Chelle's past, and didn't care. Men whose bluff, good nature convinced first Anne, then Chelle that life could be safe again.
"And I have Mike and Avi for when you try to kill me for impudence," Chelle added, sticking her tongue out. She danced away when Anne made a mock grab for her. The little ball on her tongue-stud winked golden in the studio lights.
Instantly, Anne saw her vision, seeing the dark figures reach for Chelle, trapped behind the mirror. It was as though someone had dumped ice-water down her spine. The smile fell off her face and she shuddered. Chelle, still spinning and laughing, missed it. Mike didn't.
"What?" Mike's gaze sharpened.
"Have, have you ever thought you'd seen - something?" Anne asked, picking her words with care. She'd spent more than enough time with shrinks, first getting free of her mother, and then getting Chelle the help she needed, that she was fully aware of what telling the full story of her vision could mean. "Something that seemed, well, impossible?"
It was difficult to tell - for the average person, it would have been impossible - but Anne had been sparring with Mike for the better part of a year. The skin around his eyes and mouth tightened, just a bit. His shorn scalp smoothed down over his skull until it gleamed in the studio lights. His weight shifted slightly forward. Mike was scared. And angry.
For a split second, Anne felt herself mirror his reactions. Just as quickly, she backed off, as she realized Mike hadn't reacted to her. He'd reacted to what she'd said. His expression turned inward, and his eyes went a little glassy. It was a long,
She grabbed his hand, and he hoisted her to her feet with an ease that took her breath away. She was shocked - as always - with just how strong her big friend actually was. He always pulled his punches, at least a little. There was something there, something in his past that he'd never told her. She was as sure of that as he seemed to be about her health.
Even as the thoughts flashed through her mind, Avi, their Krav Maga instructor and the nominal owner of the studio poked his mop of curly, blue-black hair out of the office.
"What was up with that, Anne? You haven't taken a fall like that since you started training." He crooked a bushy eyebrow at her. He'd often claimed to be a political refugee from Haifa, but Anne knew for a fact he'd grown up on Staten Island. Avi had a preternatural ability to know when one of his students screwed something up.
"I'm - I'm not sure," Anne said. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she'd seen. Or thought she'd seen. Her stomach muscles quivered with a tension whose source she didn't understand. Well, that wasn't true: she knew where it came from. She just didn't know why she'd seen the vision.
If she wasn't just seeing things. Her disturbing vision happened before she landed, and the fall didn't hurt her head any. She didn't drink anything but water when she and Chelley went clubbing, so hallucinogens were out.
"It-" Mike paused, cocked his head in thought, "-looked like you got distracted."
"It looked like you got overconfident," Chelle piped up.
Anne scowled at her sister, but couldn't argue against the veracity of the supposition. She had gotten overconfident. She hadn't thought so, but the results spoke for themselves. Instead of playing a long game and making Mike tire himself out, she'd gone inside his range for the quick kill. Not good against someone who knew what he was doing.
"Why don't you go a few rounds with the man mountain," Anne growled instead, pride still a bit stung.
"I don't need to: that's what I have you for." Chelle flashed a smile that warmed Anne through. That sweet smile had disappeared for years. Anne said a silent prayer of thanks for Mike, for Avi and for Father Kurt, for men who knew about Chelle's past, and didn't care. Men whose bluff, good nature convinced first Anne, then Chelle that life could be safe again.
"And I have Mike and Avi for when you try to kill me for impudence," Chelle added, sticking her tongue out. She danced away when Anne made a mock grab for her. The little ball on her tongue-stud winked golden in the studio lights.
Instantly, Anne saw her vision, seeing the dark figures reach for Chelle, trapped behind the mirror. It was as though someone had dumped ice-water down her spine. The smile fell off her face and she shuddered. Chelle, still spinning and laughing, missed it. Mike didn't.
"What?" Mike's gaze sharpened.
"Have, have you ever thought you'd seen - something?" Anne asked, picking her words with care. She'd spent more than enough time with shrinks, first getting free of her mother, and then getting Chelle the help she needed, that she was fully aware of what telling the full story of her vision could mean. "Something that seemed, well, impossible?"
It was difficult to tell - for the average person, it would have been impossible - but Anne had been sparring with Mike for the better part of a year. The skin around his eyes and mouth tightened, just a bit. His shorn scalp smoothed down over his skull until it gleamed in the studio lights. His weight shifted slightly forward. Mike was scared. And angry.
For a split second, Anne felt herself mirror his reactions. Just as quickly, she backed off, as she realized Mike hadn't reacted to her. He'd reacted to what she'd said. His expression turned inward, and his eyes went a little glassy. It was a long,
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