Lessons

by Tessira

They stepped off the trolley, turned and headed for the pavilion-shaped building a few blocks away. The building stood inconspicuously among a crowd of skyscrapers. Tucked away in its own little corner of the city, it stood virtually unnoticed by the rest of the world.

He followed the sound of her voice chattering happily and endlessly, rising above the tumultous murmuring of the crowds. Several heads taller than she was, he had some trouble darting through the gaps that occasionally appeared between people. During the five-block promenade, they were frequently stared at by groups of men in gray suits, a twenty-five-year-old man following an eleven-year-old girl. She seemed to be uneffected, but it caused him great discomfort.

They reached the large red doors. “Willa’s Pavilion”, it proclaimed above them. Lily flung them open excitedly, unintimidated by their grandeur. Grabbing his hand, she giggled and pulled him along the hall. Stopping at a set of doors, she frowned, then pushed him in. “I’ve never been to the boy’s locker room before,” she admitted rather bashfully, “but they should be the same as the girl’s one. There’s supposed to be a box on the side with extra clothes and gear.” She smiled. “Make sure you’re prepared, okay? Because Willa doesn’t like it when people go into the gym without gear on. She says it wastes time.” She patted his arm, then trotted off to the opposite room.

Somewhat dubiously, he entered and looked around. There was indeed a box on the right side of the room. Looking inside, he noticed the neat piles of white clothing on one side and the bulky-looking black gear on the other. He picked out a set that seemed to fit him, and changed quickly into the white shirt and pants, noticing how light and loose they were. They felt almost non-existant. Turning to the gear, he frowned blankly. It was shapeless, not crafted for any particular part of the body. He realized, after staring for a few more moments, that he didn’t know how to put any of it on.

He sighed in annoyance and stuck his head back into the hall, looking for Lily. As he had predicted, she wasn’t there, and he returned inside. Recalling the girl’s warning about Willa, he punched the wall with one fist. Ignoring the rush of pain, he decided to risk Willa’s anger. After all, what could the woman do to him? He was a man of extremes, after all. He believed that if threatened, he could hold anyone off and fight to the death if he had to. This Willa taught Lily, a little girl. One didn’t need to possess too many skills to teach a child.

He stepped out gingerly, still holding the gear in his throbbing hand. This was another feature of himself that he was very proud of: his ability to withstand and ignore pain. He knew that if one could disregard all physical distractions, one would be invincible to all.

Looking around, he spotted Lily standing on the other side, chatting animatedly with a tall, blonde-haired woman. Upon noticing him, the girl waved. “Luke! Come on over!” Then, “Luke! You don’t have your gear on!”

The woman turned to look at him. Holding his head high and determined to make a good, prideful impression, he smiled at her confidently and held out his hand.

She ignored the gesture of goodwill and studied him with cold eyes while Lily tugged on her arm and looked from him to her and then back.

Willa was tall and slim, with long, braided blonde-hair and striking blue eyes. She was definitely strong and muscular, but in a demure, deceptive way, the same way Lily was. She was clad in all black, a simple black tunic over black shorts, all composed of the same light material that the white clothes he wore were. Willa would have definitely been attractive to him if not for her ice-blue eyes. She seemed to regard him with a certain air of disapproval, as if she saw through him and knew all the evil things he had ever done. He marveled that Lily looked up to this stern, austere woman so much.

“So you’re Luke.” Willa nodded dismissively and turned to the black-haired little girl that stood at her side. “Go, Lily. Warmup. You know the drill. And after that, a turn or two on the hoop, and then report for today’s exercise.”

Nodding dutifully, Lily grinned and waved at Luke, then set off at the quick, brisk jog around the gym.

Now that she had assigned Lily to what she was to do, Luke stepped up, expecting her to give him something to do or tell him how to put the gear on. “Excuse me ma’am-”

“Watch her.”

Startled, Luke stepped back. Numbly, he nodded and turned to watch his young friend.

After two laps around the gym and some quick stretching (Lily seemed very flexible for an eleven-year-old, Luke noticed), Lily eyed the hoop with large, soft eyes. It was a large, wheel-like piece of metal that hung from the ceiling of the gym, suspended about ten feet in the air. Several additional metal bars held it firm in a horizontal position. It was covered in the same material that he had seen on balance beams.

Lily walked to the back of the gym, then whirled to face the hoop. Suddenly, she ran forward at lightning speed. Within seconds she had somehow jumped into the air, bridging the distance between the ground and the hoop. She grabbed it, swinging herself several times back and forth to build her momentum, before leaping up and flipping, released hold of the metal. She had flipped several feet in the air, and caught the hoop on her way down effortlessly, swinging once more. This time, she kept swinging until she got her body upside down, arms holding the hoop below her. She stayed in that tense position, then leapt without warning, catching the other side of the hoop. Finally, Lily pulled herself up until she stood on the hoop, hands grabbing only air. Perfectly balanced, she bowed, then flipped forward and landed smoothly on the floor, ten feet below, knees bending slightly to absorb the impact.

Willa smiled and walked forward. Tousling Lily’s hair, she turned to Luke, whose mouth was open in amazement. “Lily has trained since she was three years old. From age three to five, she took gymnastic and defense lessons at the Silver Dojo downtown. Then, when she moved, she went to the Center for Martial Arts and took their classes. When she was nine, she started coming here.”

Lily flushed with embarrassment. Willa only smiled, then turned back to Luke. “But of course, you knew all that already, didn’t you?”

Not answering, Luke managed to find his feet and rise. “I...I had no idea...” he managed to stutter. Lily was looking up at him expectantly, her eyes twinkling like dark stars, while Willa seemed to be appraising him icily.

Shaking her head, the blonde-haired woman smiled. “You don’t seem to know the rules in this pavilion, Luke. I might as well explain them before you get too intimidated.” Lily giggled softly, and her mistress turned to her. “Not for you, Lily. You have to practice. It’s going to be all accuracy today. See those little dots?” She pointed to several yellow spots placed on the walls around the gym and Lily nodded. “You have to find a way to hit all of them, perfectly, going at full speed around the gym. Those spots will light up when you hit them. Okay?” Willa gave the girl a friendly pat before sending her off. Then she turned back to Luke. “Well, Luke. I’d like to ask you some things first, if you don’t mind.”

He shook his head. “Not at all, ma’am. Go ahead.”

She smirked. “What are your attitudes and experiences with martial arts, and what do you wish to accomplish at the Pavilion?” Luke shifted. This was a test, he knew. If he passed, the strict mistress might have some respect for him. What was it that she wanted to hear? The only answer he could come up with to this question was honesty. So he spoke.

“I enjoy the martial arts very much. I took them years ago, when I was a boy, but decided to stop because of the amount of self-control that it took. I despise self-control.” His lip unconsciously curled. “Yet, the arts are beautiful to watch.” He was about to continue when he noticed the smirk slowly growing on the woman’s thin lips.

“You despise self-control, do you, Luke?” She laughed. “Go on.”

He frowned, but continued, determined not to fail before her. “I take pride in calling myself a man of extremes. I am normally mild mannered, but if provoked, will fight to the death. I will not restrain myself when I am in a rage.”

Willa nodded, seeming a little bored. “A man of extremes, you say. Go on.”

“I believe that I can hone my skills here at this Pavilion. The warmup that I have just witnessed Lily accomplish confirms this. I wish to learn, but be your equal.” He stopped suddenly as the woman burst into laughter.

“Listen, Luke. This is where I come in. I shall disillusion you. This pavilion does not run itself like the Center for Martial Arts. We do not accept anyone who comes along. To maintain our reputation, we seek competency.

“When someone is admitted into the Pavilion, they are considered the lowest of the low. I have no respect for them. I may insult them, provoke them, even hurt them. The same applies for all of the other, higher level students. The new ones are like worms to a flock of hungry birds. Willa’s Pavilion is balanced by inequality. It is that which prompts the students to succeed.

“I cannot accept you into the Pavilion, Luke, and I shall not say I regret it. You are perhaps the most arrogant, self-centered person I have ever seen enter this building. You believe that you are strong, and that belief makes you weak. A man of extremes is what you call yourself, is it not? You will fight to the death if provoked.” She smirked, seeming to take pleasure in his anger and discomfort. “And you despise self-control. Well, Luke, I must tell you. You are the most foolish person I have ever met.”

Luke rose to his feet in anger, but the ice-blue glare of her eyes silenced him. “I know that you think I treat you like a barbarian, Luke. But even I, the reknowned Willa of Silver Mountain, shall not stoop so low. I shall give you one chance, that I deem you will agree is fair.” Luke sat down.

“What is it?”

The blonde smiled. Turning back to the gym, she watched Lily bound along the walls, hitting the spots on the walls as she did so. Then, she snapped.

Lily froze in midair, then dropped to the ground in a controlled, fluid motion. She trotted up to her teacher and gazed up adoringly with her soft black eyes. “Yes, Willa?”

Willa turned back to Luke. “You shall duel against this girl, Luke, for your one chance at acceptance. If you emerge victorious, I shall assume two things. One, that your statements about yourself are correct, and two, that Lily will be dead.” She smiled and patted Lily’s head.

Luke stood, dumbstruck. “But...”

Lily walked over and tapped his arm. “It’s okay. I’ll fight.”

Willa nodded contently, looking like a cat who had stolen a bowl of cream. “Then you shall. Luke, you do agree that you two are evenly matched. You are a “man of extremes”, willing to “fight to the death”, and you possess more strength and years than she does. She, however, makes up for what she lacks in strength and age in speed and skill.” She smiled. “Go, you two. Each on one side on the gym. Bow to each other, and the fight shall begin. You will not need protective gear for this fight.” She nodded to Lily, who stepped out of her gear easily and jogged to the other side of the gym.

Luke slowly stepped into his spot, watching the girl. She turned, then eyed him and bowed. He did the same, then moved into what he thought was a proper fighting stance.

A bell sounded from above them. He whipped his head around, looking for the source of the sound. Suddenly, he felt himself on the ground with the wind knocked out of him. Above him, Lily stood with one tiny foot on his chest, staring at him coldly, with hard, iron black eyes.

She removed her foot and stalked back to her spot. He took a minute to catch his breath, then bowed to her. After she did the same, he moved back into his fighting stance and waited for the bell.

This time, the sound did not come. Puzzled, he decided to just attack her. He ran towards her, arm extended. She vaulted over him, ten feet in the air. Her black hair brushed the hoop before she descended. Following her, he punched at her arm as her feet hit the ground, to have the punch blocked. Then, she darted around him and smirked, taunting him with her iron black eyes.

He blinked, stunned. This wasn’t Lily! This couldn’t be the cheerful, bubbly little girl he had known! The little fiendish devil standing in front of him beckoned silently, and he charged.

This time, he swung blindly at her face. She ducked and then spun in the air, sending a kick to his ribs. He lay on the ground, sprawled.

“What happened to a fight to the death, Luke?” Willa’s voice floated over to him from the side. “Can’t you defend yourself against an eleven-year-old girl?”

Suddenly, Luke exploded. He screamed and snarled in anger and rose, his eyes intent on the black-haired girl before him. He swung at her, and she jumped, grabbing the hoop, a foot above his reach. He jumped, and she kicked out, hitting his arm, before landing on the ground and rolling to the side, avoiding his stamping feet easily. Giggling, she then leapt into the air again, smirking. As he made for her, she darted around the gym, hitting the spots placed on the walls. All of them lit, she landed in a corner and ran towards him, changing her dash into a tumbling pass midway. She hit his face with a kick, and he lay on the floor, stunned. Her iron cold eyes laughed at him.

Willa’s scornful chuckle fluttered down to him. “Do you dare call yourself a man of extremes now, Luke, when you have seen what your eleven-year-old friend can do?”

His vision blurred and fogged, and he lay still, unable to move. Finally, he was able to raise himself on one arm.

Lily looked down at him, her eyes clouded in concern. “Luke? Are you okay?”

He watched her. “I’m fine.”

Willa nodded. “You were right, Lily,” she said to the girl. “There are some people in the world who just don’t understand.”

Lily nodded to her teacher and held out her hand to Luke. He took it and used it to pull himself to his feet.Willa threw him his gear, still unused. “Go change back to normal clothes. You don’t deserve to wear ours.”

He slowly entered the locker room, and put on his own shirt and pants. Throwing the white garments in a bin marked “Dirty”, he walked out to meet Lily in the main hall.

The little girl had changed back into a floral-print sundress. She reached up and kissed Willa on the cheek, then took Luke by the hand and pulled him out of the pavilion, waving her goodbyes to her teacher.

He stopped at the corner and bent down to look at her. Making sure that she was Lily and not the black haired devil that he had fought, he spoke to her.

“Why did you take me there? Did you know that Willa would treat me like that?”

Lily shrugged innocently. “Willa treats every newcomer like that, Luke. She did it to me before, but I got her respect real fast because I beat her in a match. Yeah, I knew that Willa would treat you like that. But I thought it would do you some good, too.”

He blinked. “What do you mean?”

Lily smiled. “You’re always bragging about how strong you are, but you never prove it. I thought, if maybe, Willa could see you, she would make you realize that you can’t just be strong, that you have to work at it. I’ve been training for eight years, and I’m still very weak.” She giggled, and then her eyes turned hard and black and iron. “And anyway, I wanted to know just how good you were, behind all that stupid talk.”

The trolley pulled up. Lily walked in, and looked back to signal for Luke to come on, her eyes soft and mysterious. He stayed there, dumbstruck.

Shrugging, Lily smirked and sat down by the window on the opposite side. The trolley left the stop, leaving Luke behind. She smiled brightly and looked ahead with iron eyes, intent on going home.