The wanderer, p.17
The Wanderer, page 17
“No!” Angus yelled back.
“Then I’ll pick someone else who has the balls.” Phillip gave him a quick but firm shove. “Get back in line.”
“Whateva,” Angus muttered. He turned back to the lineup but in a split second he pivoted and hurled a blow right at Phillip’s face. Phillip caught his fist, twisted it, then flipped the huge Scot over on his back in one fluid motion. A loud thud rebounded around the field. Angus let out a rattling gasp from the ground.
“One-to-one combat.” Phillip brushed himself off. “That’s what you’ll be doing today.”
They were spaced out around the field practicing shallow standing squats. The sun warmed Lizzy’s back and the grass under her boots smelled sweet. She noticed the juxtaposition of peaceful serenity and aggressive attitude as they threw pretend punches in the air.
“Your thumb should be outside your fist,” Phillip instructed as he walked around them checking their hands. “If it’s on the inside, upon hitting your target your thumb will break. If you’re punching a pressure point, I recommend you keep the knuckles of your index and middle fingers out a little to drive them farther into your opponent.” He took his time aligning their shoulders and wrists.
“Many people think you punch with your fist straight.” In slow motion Phillip demonstrated. “The truth is, you aim to punch with the first two knuckles.” His hands looked strong and powerful and Lizzy forgot her footing as she watched him.
“Lizzy, are you with us?”
“Yes, first two knuckles.” She repeated his instructions and he gave her a sly smile. Lizzy noticed Susanna glaring.
“You’ll be temped to throw the biggest, heaviest punch you can, because you’ll naturally want to finish off your attacker as fast as you can. But this is a bad idea. Instead, do the jab-cross.” He demonstrated and Lizzy was impressed by his force and speed, but then she recalled the night of Kim’s party. This was nothing compared to what he was capable of.
“You want your heels shoulder-width apart, your dominant foot ahead slightly on a forty-five degree angle and the other pointing directly away from us. If you punch straight, your shoulder will rise automatically and help to protect the chin. Throw out the jab but don’t throw it too hard—it’s a range finder, not a missile.”
After working on the basic punch, easy targets and self-defense hacks, Phillip taught them how to take their opponent to the floor.
“The trick is to capitalize on the force of the opponent’s attack and use it against him. Like this. Angus, could you—”
Angus vigorously shook his head. “There’s no way I’m bein’ yer volunteer again. I’m still recoverin’ from havin’ da wind knocked outta me. Pick on someone else.”
Phillip accepted his reluctance with a light laugh and selected Paul instead, probably, as he was closest to Phillip in height.
“When someone is attacking you, use the forward momentum of their attack to pull them toward you and to the ground. It takes practice. Grab the person by the arm or shirt as they punch, pull hard and use your leg to trip them. They’ll go down with mostly their own momentum.” Phillip illustrated these moves with Paul. “You can also sweep your attacker off their feet and onto their back using a combination of a trip and a push.” In a flash Phillip had Paul to the ground, who stared into the sky with shock at the swiftness of the move. Phillip gave him a hand up and told the others they were to get into pairs to practice.
“Roy and Paul you go together. I’ll go with Greg. Susanna and Elizabeth, you pair up.” Lizzy turned to face Susanna and she narrowed her eyes to slits.
“Who am I with?” Angus asked.
“You’ll be partnered with Li Jing,” Phillip answered casually.
“Are you insane? Look, I know I said I was recoverin’ but pairin’ me up with the little china doll ain’t fair.”
Phillip shrugged, “It will be good practice.”
Li Jing tightened up her boots and took her stance on the mat in stoic silence.
“Jesus, look at the wee thing. I’m scared I’m gonna break ’er.” Double her width and three heads taller, Angus took his position and laughed. “I’m sorry, but I can’t attack her, even if it is pretend—”
Suddenly, Li Jing shuffled back and leapt into the air. Her legs corkscrewed around and she double kicked Angus in the face. He swayed from the confusion, which distracted him long enough for Li Jing to foot-trip him. He was on his back in seconds.
Their mouths hung open, astonished by this tiny girl being such a force of nature.
“Okay …” Angus wheezed on the ground, “I’m pulling out.”
Li Jing stood over him and giggled. They were all laughing, except Susanna. Lizzy saw her at the end of the mat, staring at her.
“What’s the problem, Susanna?”
She didn’t say anything, but dropped into a shallow squat. Unexpectedly, she bolted at Lizzy with pumping fists.
“Whoa!” Lizzy pivoted to the side and dodged her, but she came at her again like an aggressive shadow. “Hey, what the hell have I done?” The fury in her eyes told Lizzy she was pissed her off. Susanna continued aiming for her head. Lizzy blocked her punches as best as she could but her force was sincere and wearing her down. “Jeez! This is meant to be practice Susanna, not Fight Club.”
She didn’t stop. Lizzy needed to retaliate. She thought about Phillip’s instruction and as she was close to taking another hit, Lizzy grabbed her arm and carried Susanna along by her own momentum. She dashed to the ground and Lizzy was surprised it worked.
“Okay, enough!” Lizzy yelled. Susanna rolled over and continued eyeing her.
“You’ve been a bitch to me from day one. What have I done to piss you off?” Susanna didn’t reply and something told Lizzy she just poked the bear.
“Gaah!” Suddenly Susanna leapt up, tackled Lizzy to the mat and straddled her. Lizzy punched her right in the abdomen. With a gasp, Susanna dropped her guard and Lizzy pushed her down. They were rolling around, brawling each other.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Lizzy screamed in her face as she had her pinned. Suanna gave a chilling grin and Lizzy tugged her blonde ponytail.
“Oww!”
With as much force as she could muster, Lizzy yanked it again. Susanna rolled off her and Lizzy followed until she was over her, holding her wrists tight at bay.
“You think you’re so special, don’t you?” Susanna barked up at Lizzy. “You think he’ll keep all this attention up? We’ve finally found our last Time Keeper,” she mimicked. “Well guess what? He’ll move on, Elizabeth … he always does.” She spat in her face and in reflex Lizzy struck her across the cheek. Her blue eyes burned with rage. Suddenly Susanna laughed wildly.
“Oh, so you’re falling for him.” She pouted her lip in mockery. “Let me guess, he’s already taken you to the observatory?”
Lizzy’s gut fell. How did she know? She pathetically tried to conceal her feelings but Susanna’s savage laugher told Lizzy she didn’t hide it well enough. Susanna had to be messing with her. Lizzy recounted all the horrible things Susanna had done. Her scornful comments, screwing with Joe and now this was the final straw. Lizzy seized her scalp and dashed Susanna’s head against the mat. Once … twice …
Suddenly, arms pulled Lizzy up and away. She violently clawed her hands to get back at Susanna.
“Calm down, Elizabeth,” Phillip commanded. But Lizzy was angry with her. With him.
“Get off me!” She twisted her shoulders to release his grip. Lizzy met Susanna’s eyes that read “just you wait.” Everyone had crowded around them and Lizzy felt a mixture of rage and humiliation. She wiped Susanna’s spit from her face and headed back to the house.
“Where are you going?” Phillip yelled.
“I’m done.”
Lizzy was in bed, avoiding the world. Even when she heard her name being called for lunch, she skipped it. The thought of being in the same room as Susanna made her grind her teeth.
There wasn’t much to do in her simple bedroom so Lizzy started reading the book of Time Keepers. Her hand glided over the familiar cover and she traced the symbol with her fingertips. She flipped through the pages, skipping the stories about Time Keepers who had met unfortunate endings and turned to a copy of a painting of Pro Praeteritis Manor. Established in the United Kingdom, 1795. The depiction of the newly built house was beautiful and six people stood in front of the building. They ranged in age and the three men to the side looked particularly proud. A young girl sat on the ground beside them, along with two young adults, a male and female. The artist’s time and skill dedicated to the small artwork told Lizzy that it was a special moment: the day the Manor opened and the Time Keepers finally had a place to call their own, a home and a refuge.
The following pages set out biographies of the three founding fathers with accompanying portrait sketches. Each man carried a full beard and Lizzy couldn’t help but wonder if they were competing to see who could grow the bushiest. To her, these men were the past, and it was a crazy thought that they were destined to go even further back in time as the Time Keepers of their generation. She continued reading and came to the history of Lachrisha’s family, the Healers. Their dedication to protecting Time Keepers dated from before the Dark Ages. The book didn’t explain how or why the alliance started, but since the beginning Healers had provided medical support, ensuring the Time Keepers were kept safe, whether in the present or the past. As Lizzy read, it dawned on her how sophisticated the community was. How had society never realized its existence? Time Keepers had been walking among everyone all along … had Lizzy brushed shoulders with one? Who would know? Her mind boggled. How did it work if a future Time Keeper came back to the past, which was technically Lizzy’s present? This didn’t make any sense at all. How could I be something I don’t even understand! Lizzy was about to throw the book across the room when she heard a knock at the door.
“Elizabeth? You in there?”
Phillip’s voice was touchingly gentle.
“No.”
“Can I please see you?”
She battled with his tenderness. Knowing he was just on the other side of her door … it was impossible to ignore him.
“Elizabeth is busy at the moment,” she called, “trying to assimilate life right now. Please come back when she figures it out. Which will be never.”
Lizzy thought she could hear muffled laugher, then there was a long pause.
“Can you please ask her if I can be of service in any way? I might be able to help formulate her thoughts.”
I doubt it. You only seem to tangle them further. Lizzy’s stomach growled and she realized he could help.
“You want to help? Get her some food!” Lizzy didn’t even feel bad for demanding.
“Well, if you open the door you’ll see—”
She flipped the bed covers, stomped over to the door and opened it to see him holding a freshly baked cheesecake.
“Are you kidding?”
Phillip shrugged. “I said I’d bake you one.” A roguish smile spread across his face.
“You think you can just waltz on up here and win me over with … is that a salted caramel base!?”
He walked past her and placed the cheesecake on the nightstand beside Lizzy’s bed. Then he took her hands and sat Lizzy on the bed beside him.
“What happened today?”
Lizzy didn’t know what to say and looking at him only made it harder. His brown chestnut hair was perfectly swept to the side and his handsome, well-structured face, now dusted with stubble, made her wonder what he saw in her. But it was his eyes that took his beauty to a whole new level of flawlessness.
“I—I’m sick of Susanna,” she finally answered.
“You’re not the only one.”
Lizzy moved her hands from his clasp. “Really? Because I don’t know what—or who—to believe anymore.”
He reached out to touch her but Lizzy recoiled and stood up. Why did she need space from him?!
“Please don’t.”
He looked at her with a mixture of innocence and confusion.
“What have I done?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know. Nor do I know what this is.” Lizzy gestured between the two of them. “Is this significant for you? Or do you take us all out on dates as some part of your Time Keeper initiation?”
“Where is this coming from?”
“I just don’t get it—you didn’t want anyone to know about us—” then Lizzy realized. “God! I’m such an idiot.” Of course, she wasn’t supposed to say anything. He didn’t want Susanna to find out he was having Lizzy on the side as well as her.
“Lizzy! Please. Tell me what’s going on.”
She let out a sigh and decided to come right out and confront him.
“Is it true you took Susanna to the observatory?”
Phillip shook his head and muttered something under his breath.
“Well, did you?”
“Yes, but it’s not what you think. Look, months ago I mentioned to everyone the importance of investing in a talent—something that can help you get by when you time leap. I suggested astronomy. It’s a universal and time appropriate skill and I said I would be happy to take those interested to the observatory.”
Phillip got up from the bed and came toward Lizzy.
“I took Susanna there for purely educational purposes. But she’s doing what she does best and manipulating you to think it was something else entirely.”
“So, you and her have never …”
Phillip’s face screwed up. “No!” His strong hands clutched Lizzy’s possessively.
“This is significant to me. You are significant to me.” He let these words sink in. “I just baked you a cheesecake, for goodness sake.”
She laughed into his chest, her heart ascended with relief. His arms hugged around Lizzy and he rested his chin on her head.
“What am I going to do with you, Lizzy?”
“What are we going to do about Susanna?” She replied. “She’s the real issue here.”
“I’m not sure if you noticed, but your altercation put her in her place. You left her in quite a state.”
Lizzy bit her lip, feeling slightly self-conscious about her blowout.
“Is she … okay?”
“Let’s just say she is resting in the lounge with a bag of frozen peas.”
“Am I a bad person for feeling good about that?”
Phillip shook his head. “Not at all. Anyway, enough about her. How’s the reading been coming along?” He picked the book up from the bed and flipped through the pages.
“I’ve been learning about the Healers and the three founding fathers …”
“Ah, the Three Musketeers …” He landed at the page of their sketches. “Henry, William and James. Would you look at how dapper they are.”
“Dapper or … senior looking?”
Phillip looked at Lizzy with wide eyes. “These handsome lads were around my age when these pictures were made. What are you trying to say?”
“They look sixty years old.”
“They were only in their late twenties when they founded Pro Manor. Life took its toll back in the eighteenth century.” He flipped the book shut and tossed it back on the bed.
“So how old are you?” They were to have this conversation.
“I’m six years your senior. But we age not by years, but by stories … and I’m starting to like this one.”
With quick hands he pulled Lizzy around and pushed her onto the bed. She leaned up on her elbows as he edged up to meet her. He placed his hands on either side of her head and the look in his eyes told Lizzy to keep very still, as if any sudden movements would startle him into retreat.
“Tell me what you think of this story.”
His face was inches away from her and she let her fingers find the edge of his white t-shirt and began trailing it up over his hard stomach. Phillip squeezed his eyes shut. He was practically panting. Slowly Lizzy trailed the shirt higher and her hands ran over his lean waist. His skin was warm but riddled with goosebumps. How was she getting away with this?
“Lizzy,” he gasped, “please.”
She stopped and he swallowed hard, regaining composure. He replied in a husky whisper.
“It’s a real page-turner.”
She shuddered in delight, feeling his hot breath in her ear.
“C’mon, let’s get you something to eat. You haven’t had anything since breakfast and it’s late.”
They made their way downstairs with her cheesecake. Sure enough, there was Susanna on the couch, holding a bag of frozen peas to the back of her head. Phillip wandered to the kitchen to cut the cake and Lizzy awkwardly sat on the couch opposite Susanna.
“Hi there. Um, sorry about … before.”
She scowled at Lizzy with her ice blue eyes.
“Would you like me to change your bag of peas? They’re kind of melting.”
Nothing.
“I could turn on the TV for you? Is there a movie you’d like to watch?”
“I don’t watch TV,” she frostily replied.
Finally Phillip came in with a slice of cheesecake in each hand.
“Sorry, Susanna. I didn’t see you there. Would have brought you some.” His comment had a hint of spite. Phillip nestled right up to Lizzy, almost too close.
They dug into their cheesecake and it was absolutely divine, but Lizzy felt Susanna’s eyes watching them the whole time. Without warning, Phillip placed his hand on her knee. It was a subtle action, but Lizzy thought Susanna got the message loud and clear.
He was with her.
Chapter Twelve
The next day Lizzy was a bit reluctant to show her face at training. Most of the others hadn’t seen her since her blowout with Susanna. Would they look at her differently? How could she pretend her mental breakdown never happened? Lizzy supposed a breakdown wouldn’t be completely irrational, given the circumstances. It wasn’t every day you moved in with a bunch of strangers, learned to leap back in time and instigate a relationship with your fake Dean of History … who had also been spying on you. No, a mental breakdown would be perfectly acceptable, thought Lizzy.
