unbroken (unexpected series)

Chapter 17

Everything she was doing for me would – will be for nothing if I don’t have a will to live… exactly, I know you have problems and you are angry but you can use all those reasons inside that are just festering to get prepared, get trained and learn what these people are trying to teach you, Byrdie said, I nodded. Stopping after the second bob, now I’m answering the voices with physical gestures. Perfect.

“Now I want you to understand that I’m not in real danger here, but I am in pain. That’s another thing I need you to understand, an attacker isn’t going to stop attacking you because you’re hurt Oakley,” I nodded understanding, “they will have two incentives and they may overlap. Either to kidnap, hurt and then kill you, or just wanting to kill you pointblank.”

“I understand,” and I did, it made sense and Chelsea continued, “right now we will train you, but we won’t break your bones or do anything that will hurt you to that extent, not at all, but when you shift, we need to teach you to be able to fight off an attacker with your full shifter potential.”

“Is – is it hard?” I asked shyly.

“What?” Jack asked, but I’m sure Chelsea saw my thoughts, “Well say I’m fighting someone human, is it hard to control that strength? So far I haven’t really used it, or well I don’t think that I’ve used it…” my mind went into sifting through my memories checking, while I explained better, “What I mean is that is there a difference, say I’m in a regular fight with a human person, they aren’t trying to kill me just beat me up, will I be able to defend myself and not kill them?”

“It-”

“Oak-” Both Jack and Chelsea started speaking, but he let Chelsea finish instead, “I don’t know – we are – okay right now, just standing with you Oakley, I can feel a few things coming off you, things that you don’t… you aren’t even aware of it. It’s so secondary to you that I think it’s a part of who you are. The two I’m most worried about, your anger and the down side, your low self-worth which I’d bet fuels that anger…” I didn’t know what to say, I bit my lip, just feeling bare, naked and on display.

“I – I don’t feel the anger,” I said swallowing.

“Well I don’t feel angry?” it was supposed to be a statement but it surely didn’t sound that way, not to my own ears.

She shrugged, “Okay…” she wasn’t convinced but she dropped it.

“Just watch,” Chelsea said intensely, her voice matching her eyes, she focused on me completely; Jack, Casey and Jamie stepped away from her as she just stared at me, until she closed her eyes. Her body seemed to deflate, my heart was in my stomach, or felt that way, how could she be closing her eyes? My anxiety sky rocketed when I saw Jamie and Jack, heading for her, running hard. Their advance was filled with complete strength, the dirt beneath their feet flying behind them, and Chelsea still had her eyes closed. I felt someone come up from behind me, but I couldn’t pull my attention from Chelsea, but Julia, Ben and Uncle Grants scent was stronger when it wasn’t before. I knew it was them behind me.

It was fast, when each person was less than one foot away from her; ready to rip into her, Chelsea opened her eyes, but moved, kicking Jack with her left leg, the force behind it sent him stumbling back and her right hand deals Jamie a blow to his chest. Jamie recovered quickly, he held onto her hand turning her body, and while doing so he hit her right near her upper right rib. She took it, but didn’t shout or scream, just continued on, turning swiftly, and kicking Jamie right near his knee to the side, and he went down, grunting, but first I heard the moment that popped.