Water splashed on her face, making her gasp. She jolted awake, only to see Sibby standing with an empty glass in her hand, grinning as she looked at her.
"What the hell, Sibby?" Gwen exclaimed, frustrated as she wiped her wet face with her hands.
"No time to talk. Its dawn, which means that its time to train," Sibby went to Gwen's armoire to get out her blue uniform.
Gwen looked outside the window, "The sun didn't even rise yet!"
"I dont see why that should be a problem," Sibby raised her eyebrow.
"But—"
"No talking back to your teacher, Gwen."
Gwen groaned, falling back on the mattress, her eyes drooping again as she slowly relaxed herself on the soft surface.
But of course Sibby would simply not allow her to be at peace.
The black-haired girl pulled Gwen's leg, dragging her to the edge of the bed, making her recoil.
"Just five more minutes!" Gwen protested as Sibby pulled her out of bed.
Sibby rolled her eyes, grabbing Gwen's uniform and tossing it at her. "No time for laziness, Gwenny. Combat lessons don't wait."
Gwen grumbled, "Thorndyke would never—" she widened her eyes, stopping herself before she could say more. From where the hell did that thought come from? She must have been high on sleep.
She rolled her eyes as she saw Sibby's mischievous grin widen.
"Thorndyke would never what? Wake you up so early?" she teased, probably enjoying the redness on the girl's cheeks, "Did you really bring up Damian Thorndyke in defense?"
"Combat lessons, it is," Gwen grumbled, ignoring Sibby's laugh as she took her uniform with her to the tiny bathroom located in the other side of their dorm.
She came back to the room, clad in her uniform with her hair braided down.
Sibby hummed in approval as Gwen reached her, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you were dreaming about Damian," she grinned, and Gwen was ready to revolt before she cut her off again, "Don't look so gloomy! Show me your battle face."
Gwen scowled at her.
"I'm quaking in my boots," Sibby's tone was sarcastic.
Gwen rolled her eyes, the annoyance clear in her expression. Despite that, she tried to look menacing and fierce. She tensed her face, furrowing her eyebrows and narrowed her eyes. It was almost comical.
Sibby grinned, putting one hand on her hip and the other on her cheek, exaggerating her reaction. She began to fake a look of horror as she spoke with a mocking voice, "Ooh, I'm trembling. You look so dangerous! Like a little bunny rabbit. A very angry bunny rabbit..."
Gwen groaned in frustration when Sibby clapped, chuckling, "There! That's my intimidating warrior girl. Now, go out there and make me proud."
Gwen stood there, arms crossed, and a frown on her face.
"You're so insufferable," she muttered.
Sibby chuckled, completely unfazed by Gwen's words. She gave her a light push, leading her towards the door.
"Come on, soldier. The battlefield is waiting for us."
———
A couple of hours later, Gwen was sweaty and panting from the intense combat lessons of the morning. She was sore all over, and her muscles ached from the rigorous training.
Sibby, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed, as if sparring for hours this early in the morning was nothing.
"Come on, Gwen," Sibby prodded. "Again."
Gwen groaned in frustration, but she knew better than to argue or protest.
"Alright, alright," she huffed as she positioned herself.
She took a deep breath, trying to focus her mind despite her body's exhaustion. She raised her arms, prepared to fight.
Sibby grinned, her eyes filled with sadistic glee. Gwen could tell that the girl was enjoying this far too much.
"That's the spirit," she purred. "You look determined to get your ass kicked again."
She lunged forward, launching a swift punch towards Gwen's torso. The younger girl managed to swiftly dodge it, avoiding the blow.
"Nice job dodging that one," Sibby widened her eye, a smile playing on her lips. "Looks like the big bad Damian Thorndyke taught you something useful."
She launched another series of attacks, testing Gwen's reflexes and defenses.
Gwen gritted her teeth, grunting with effort, as she dodged and blocked Sibby's strikes, trying to catch the older girl off guard and land a hit of her own. However, Sibby easily blocked her attempts and countered with her own flurry of hits.
"Is that all you got?" Sibby taunted, her voice filled with fake disappointment.
Gwen grunted in frustration, trying her best to keep up with Sibby's relentless attacks. Despite every effort, it seemed as though she was always one step behind her teacher.
"No," Gwen ground out, her voice filled with determination, "I can do more."
Although she appeared to be out of breath, sweat trickling down her face, she continued to hold her ground. Despite the fatigue kicking in, she wasn't ready to give in just yet.
Sibby chuckled, looking at Gwen with a glint in her eyes, "Damian was right. You are stubborn."
Gwen paused for a moment, her concentration slipping as a mixture of surprise and anger washed over her face.
"Wait, what did you say?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. "What do you mean, 'Damian was right'? When did you talk to him about me?"
Sibby chuckled, enjoying the reaction she had caused.
"Oh, don't look so surprised," she stated casually. "Damian and I talk quite often."
Gwen tensed even more, her expression now bordering on disbelief, "You and Thorndyke talk... often?" She repeated, her tone growing more guarded.
All of a sudden, Sibby launched a punch at Gwen's ribs, making her fall backwards on the ground. She groaned at the pain.
"That's... cheating," she managed to croak out.
But Sibby just hummed in thought, looking down at her while crossing her arms, "Your defenses are quite good. I assume Damian taught you those in the past month?"
She nodded when she saw the frustrated scowl on Gwen's face, "But we need to work on your attacks. And you shouldn't get distracted at all costs."
Sibby turned, standing in position, "Come on. Chop chop. We still have an hour before the combat class."
Groaning, Gwen pushed herself up again.