Concentration
“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.”
― The Devil and Miss Prym
Luz loves fall. She loves the brisk air, all the baked pumpkin treats, and the flamboyant leaves.
“When winter comes, it will be your first year with snow won’t it?” Gus says, noticing how his friend seems enthralled by the change of seasons.
“It will actually be my first time in snow ever! I can’t wait to make snow griffins, and igloo castles, and….GAWH I’m so excited! Even now just seeing the trees actually morph into beautiful yellows and reds feels almost magical, it’s like…. like....a promise of new beginnings.”
Willow responds, “Technically, it’s just trees shedding their leaves to get ready for the reduction of light that occurs in winter. I can never grow new plants in this time of year...”
“But….it’s just…. so gorgeous.” She steps on one, as they walk along the path to the martial arts room. The brown leaf crumbles with a satisfying crunch, and she leaps to another one. Willow and Gus gaze on at her antics, sufficiently amused.
After coming in through the metal door, they slip off their shoes and begin to warm up. Luz is especially energetic because of her good mood today. She speeds through a bunch of jumping jacks and tries to convince her friends to spar with her.
But a booming voice pipes up: “Today, we will be working on kicks. I’ve noticed during practices, your form, all of yours, has gotten sloppy, you look like you’re kicking dwarves! Get out the bags, get with a partner. You each will do one hundred front kicks. Fifty on each side. Make your partner move!”
Amity’s voice has a little bit of an acidic bite to it, but Luz remembers how vulnerable she was in the library, how quick she changed her demeanor, how quick she was to learn and grow.
Her redemption arc is going well!
Luz has been happy with her progress over the last month. They aren’t quite friends, but they wave to each other in between classes, occasionally have causal conversations in the classes they share, and work together well at the library.
“Luz, what are you doing? Everyone else has already partnered up.” Amity shocks her by appearing at her side and dispelling her train of thought.
“Uh...oops, just got lost in thought I guess. Wanna practice together?”
Amity rolls her eyes, “Yes, but next time be more alert.”
As she puts her hair up in a hodge-podge ponytail, the club officer throws the red punching bag at Luz. She straps it unto her forearm like a shield.
“Get ready new girl” Amity jumps into a stance.
“Hey, I’m not new anym--” Luz gets knocked off her feet at the moment of impact, stumbling back onto the mat.
“I wasn’t read--”
“Be faster, focus on your feet instead of my words.”
The attacker switches her stance, the punching bag gets up and braces herself for impact.
Luz prepared herself better for the second kick, but still gets pushed back a couple of inches. Amity smiles playfully.
How did I let that happen!? Next time I need to push my heels down even harder...
“Let’s alternate after every two, your turn.”
They exchange the bag.
Luz breathes deeply, gearing up for the hardest kick of her life. She exhales, snapping out her leg and pulling it back quickly, but to no avail. Her partner has not budged.
The next kick ends with the same result.
After a few more rounds of being pushed without returning the favor, Luz becomes disheartened.
I don’t want her to think I’m a bad fighter, or that I’m lazy or something. Ugh, this is why I prefer dodging.
“I think your problem is lack of focus…”
“You already said that earlier...next time I will--”
“No, I mean with your foot. Work on striking a specific spot and put less emphasis on your speed. Point your foot, while pulling back your toes. That way, you can hit with the ball of the foot.”
Luz senses no malice in Amity’s gaze. Unlike their first meeting, her eyes hold no anger, no sign of being threatened. Instead, she looks at Luz as a blacksmith would look at raw ore, as something with raw potential to be wrought out.
Wow, she is actually trying to help me.
“Okay! Let’s try this again…”
Luz stares with a laser-beam like gaze into the center of the bag. This time, she puts all of her force into that one point in space-time.
Then, Luz feels the bag move back as Amity staggers.
After a moment of surprise, the green-haired girl chuckles.
I’m surprised she’s not mad, she would have been at the beginning.
When practice ends, Luz listens to Gus complaining about his short legs as she ties her shoes. Her good mood still persists, but she quietly listens to Gus instead of releasing the flood of thoughts running through her head.
Just before she follows Willow and Gus out over the threshold, someone taps her shoulder.
“Hey, I don’t suppose you’d still let me borrow Azura Book 5, would you? I think I have time to binge read it this weekend?” Amity smiles.
“Oh yes of course! You will love it, there’s a showdown with a goblin horde, and a shapeshifting demon, and well...no spoilers but--”
“Luz come on! We are waiting for you!” Gus shouts from outside.
Amity waves goodbye silently, Luz returns the gesture as she leaves.
She’ll make a great friend.