OWEN was dead set on getting the punishment. It was not military punishment but Sparta. She looked at her classmates limped on the floorboard. Her twin head bowed with hands on his knee. The only one barely able standing straight was her. Her chest heaved high and low. Both her hands on her waist.
That devil was only sitting there looking bored and angry at the same time.
"This class performance is not balanced at all. I don't know how are you guys going to perform on your Grand Assessment, I sure know it's going to be bad. So, what're you gonna do class? One of your classmates is no worthy of this program and some of you are no better than her. Your magic circle's horrible, your imagining out of the window and your stamina is not up to the par. You're wasting my time."
Jacq gritted her teeth. "We're not soldiers for you to train us like that," she replied.
Her classmates were giving glanced at her for her boldness. She does not care at all. She was tired and fed up with his moody teenager mod.
"Like it or not, you're in my class Wisdoms. Take it or leave it."
"You think I'm scared of your threat? I don't give a shit!" Her whole body was shaking with anger. This man had made her body raked with an uncontrollable desire of wanting to shred him to pieces!
"Watch your mouth," he warned her.
Jacq could sense that her brother's body had straightened, Citra's expression wary and Donne has passed out. She realized when they were running a lap around the gym for the 45th time, his legs had shaken and his barely able to drag his body to finish the run. It was one punishment after another. One mistake after another and Owen's teaching method does not give mercy for people like Donne or Stella. He's the worst.
"I'm so done with you and your bullshit," she huffed. Grand assessment can go to hell!
She turned and walked away from him. Just like he said it was a waste of her time to keep on arguing when she got the feeling that he was like this because of her. Her classmates and brother were victims of his stupid moody. It's a shame that she cannot see his gentle side anymore although it was just one time, she would feel envious of them after this.
"Where are you going?" he called out to her.
"Changing my instructor!"
Fortunately, there was another instructor for this class though she would feel a bit uncomfortable since the instructor was one of the 'prince faction' fans. Not that she was complaining but if the instructor was a female and one that does not so wishy-washy around her. Maybe she could consider revealing her true self to that male instructor so that he can move on.
Her walk stopped abruptly when a tall figure loomed in front of her. Not that he was so tall that she cannot see his face when their differences were only 5 centimeters apart. It was his aura that she felt that Owen was taller than she expected.
She drew back her steps a little. Owen had used quick step magic to reach her in long distances in such a short amount of time.
"You're not going to him."
"Not my problem," she brushed him off. It must have been her feeling and she tried to continue her walk yet was obstructed by him again.
"What is wrong with you?!"
"I won't let you go to that perverted Joel," he whispered.
His face was so near that she could hear his breathing and felt his breathing on her skin. His face was so near that if she moved just a little, she could kiss his lips viciously until he could no longer stand on his own and she could walk away victoriously. She pinched her tight and closed her eyes. She whispered a spell in her heart as she prepared herself to be rid of Owen's presence.
"I. Don't. Care!" She stomped her right foot hard. When her right foot touched the cement wooden floor, the earth rumbled and shook the gym, startling the poor hearted Donne from his faint.
Jill was fast enough to cover Citra, Donne and himself with shield spell from any debris that might fall caused by the earth rumbled.
The earth stopped rumbling and the shakes died down. She was able to manage the radius of the rumble yet Owen was quick on his feet to avoid any misfortune. To be honest, she just aiming for his left foot, it's just that having distance between them was great enough.
"Now, if you'll excuse me," she excused herself politely.
A sudden shot of a small fireball passed through her left side of the cheek and singed a few strands of her short hair made her stop. Her eyes went wide with shock later changed to enrage. "What was that for?!"
"I'm not gonna let you go that easily," he challenged her.
"Oh, you're so dead."
She enchanted her spell and a long whip appeared on her right hand. It was made out tree soft tree roots winded with thorns. The hilt was raw without any cover because why did she need to do so when she likes it raw.
She whipped the floor once. Twice. Thrice. Slowly charged forward towards her opponent.
"Class, since you are so eager to see a real lesson, watch properly and learn," Owen explained calmly. His eyes never waver, straight her face, expecting her and calculating her. It unnerved her because he was looking at her properly. Really looking at her.
She took her first strike on his left. He dodged it as she was predicted. She took another swig. Then another. The whip was long and heavy, as it was made of a tree root. She has been practicing using that whip ever since she was in primary school. Thus, the heaviness did not bother her at all.
"Is that all you can do, Wisdoms? I don't see an effort at all," he provoked her.
"Shut up," she retorted.
That kind of cheap provocation did not faze her at all. She was waiting for an opening.
"Jill, what do you think your twin is doing right now? Any analysis?" he asked his class. He did not sound exhausted at all.
Jacq could imagine what kind of expression Jill was making at that time, not including whatever kind of bad words his brother had spat. She was grateful that her twin did not go blindly attacking Owen in his fit of anger. Compared to this man, something was bothering him that he was so moody and it involved her.
"Citra? Any opinion? Whoop–" He swiftly avoided to his left, a bumped that he did not see coming which Jacq had planted secretly when she swung her whip that the first time.
At that moment she took her chance when he was jumping to his left that her strike would follow him which would be great if he was hit by her whip. He might have predicted it cannot possibly see her fist was fast approaching his right cheek.
It felt so great that she abled to land a fist on that moody face but what took her surprise was when he grabbed her fist and they landed on the floor rolling together. Her double who made up of clay which she had switched position when he was busy doing his class, fell apart because she could no longer hold her spell longer due to the shock.
"Argh." She did not see that coming. She might have look down on his defense since he looked calm and underestimating her.
"Jackie!" she heard her brother shout slightly uncharacteristic of him whatnot with his not so deep voice. He must' have too distracted for him to realize that his spells were wearing off. Poor Citra and Donne to heard that. They must be feeling vertigo at the moment.
"I'm okay," she assured him. Carefully she picked up her body off Owen's body, who had cushioned their fall. It was a rough roll since the power she had put in her fist was equal to her whole body furthermore they were airborne at that time.
She looked at the bruised cheek. It must have stung a lot. The colour has started to change reddishly purple too.
"Are you okay, sir?" She felt guilty. She tried to touch his face but she was afraid it would add to his pain.
"Ergh," he grumbled.
"Mr. Jefferson? Ahh!" Their position switched when he sneakily pulled her hand that had been supporting her body from crashing his body.
She looked at Owen's face with disbelief. "You cheater!"
She lightly punched his gut.
"Okay, I'm sorry," he smirked.
That froze her still.
She cannot believe her eyes and her ears. It was just a mere second but it managed to strike hard to her heart.
He got up and dust off his pants and back shirt. He wore his moody expression back.
"Has anyone has any question? If no, class dismiss," he said and walked out.
She heard her brother's steps approaching her. "Can you get up, sister?" he whispered.
She pushed herself up. Many kinds of emotions were swirling inside of her. She wanted to run away from here, dig a hole and hide in there for millennia. In the end, it was Owen who won this fight. He was the one who got to get out of here even though with a black eye, the damage he had done to her was a lot more severe than that.
She'll be going days remembering that smirk, that little laughed he made at the end, that cute sound he produced...
"Oh my god, Jilly!" she whined. She hugged him as tight as she could.
"What's the matter with you, silly."
"I hate him. I hate him. I HATE HIM!"
"..."
"..."
"Weirdo."
She smacked his brother's head. Insensitive jerk!