Chapter 31 – Serene Violence
Thursday, July 9, 2308
When it was Ashley's turn to spar, there was already a buzz in the air. Her rebellious performance the day before was on everyone's mind. She couldn't be faulted for nonparticipation, but her style threatened to unbalance the ranking structure. In Ashley's desire not to break her own hands on someone else's face, she mastered lesson number two without even encountering lesson number one.
Ashley's match was called. They all stared. She was the alien. She wasn't playing by their rules.
Ash had no intention of allowing anyone to break her nose, spit her lip, or blacken one of her eyes. And since there was no requirement to hit anyone else, she didn't feel she was doing anything wrong.
This time she was up against an experienced boy, Jason. He stretched, bounced and shadowboxed in his corner. For one so young, his musculature was already sharply defined. Ashley knew that if he hit her, he would make her bleed. He couldn't be allowed to hit her.
Sihing Cleary was refereeing the match, and when he blew the whistle, half the heads in the hall turned to watch.
Jason unloaded his prepared arsenal of combinations, jab, jab, hook, low kick, jab, high kick, hook, elbow, knee.
Ashley dodged the first few strikes and realized Jason was a robot. He was programmed into formulas of strikes and kicks. Her father would have called him an automaton. It was also how Becca danced, mechanically. Jason was more dangerous than Becca but just as predictable.
Ash stepped back far enough to exaggerate his flawed operation, he continued to chop and punch and kick at the empty air, two jabs, a hook, a roundhouse kick, a spinning kick and a front kick. Everyone could see how ridiculous it was, but he didn't stop. Ashley stood across the ring, waiting as he punched toward her.
Frustrated and embarrassed, Jason charged. Ash spun past him, through him. He couldn't touch her. When he moved, she moved first. She was a matador and his bull was getting tired.
Ashley walked to the edge of the circle and lowered her gloves.
Jason recognized the arrogant gesture for the taunt it was and growled behind his mouthpiece.
He charged again, swinging wildly.
Ashley danced along the edge of the circle, and he kept coming, infuriated. She let him charge past her, out of bounds.
Cleary blew the whistle and gestured for them to come back to the ring. Jason bounced with energy, stomping back to the center.
Ashley walked slowly, taking forever to get into position, infuriating Jason. As Cleary prepared to blow the whistle, Ashley raised her hand and stepped away from the center, turning her back to them.
She adjusted her shirt, rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck.
The other matches had ended; the whole room was watching her. She took her time, not gloating or taunting, but making Jason furious just the same.
Ash turned back to Cleary and Jason, who growled.
Ashley laughed.
He cocked a fist to swing at her, but caught himself and waited for Cleary to blow the whistle.
Cleary was content to let Ashley dig her own grave, and he waited for her to get settled.
Ash smiled and nodded.
Cleary turned to Jason, who nodded. He blew the whistle and Jason leapt at Ashley, throwing his whole body into the air.
There was nowhere for Ashley to go, it was too late; she was caught. She collapsed under her attacker's assault.
Jason, however, was not prepared to catch his prey so easily, and discovered himself falling with the girl under him. He wasn't going to hurt her as much as both of them and not deliberately or honorably, but stupidly.
Ashley held Jason's upper arms as her butt hit the mat. Her feet came up from nowhere, and she caught his weight at his midsection. Ash transferred Jason's momentum as softly as if he were a baby and tossed him across the room.
Ash watched him sail, ass over teakettle, through the hall. With his head down and his feet toward the ceiling, he flew through the air. People slid out of his way. He overshot the mat and crashed in a tangled heap on the hard gymnasium floor.
Ashley got up before Jason even came to a complete stop. Yet relatively unhurt, suddenly he was back on his feet and sprinting toward her.
No whistle had blown to stop him, as Cleary, fascinated by the action, had failed to blow it.
Ash stepped forward as Jason reached her.
She pinned his foot to the mat and turned to the side.
Jason whip-lashed into the ground. The impact was so crisp and sharp that the entire room was rendered silent in its wake.
Cleary found and blew the whistle.
He gestured for Lopez and Shou to help and the three of them knelt beside Jason. Ashley stepped away from the action. Everyone was focused on the unconscious student.
Ash drifted further away.
Cleary saw her and led her back to the ring. He gestured for her to kneel, facing away from where Lopez and Shou worked on reviving the unconscious Jason.
It took almost ten minutes for Jason to open his eyes, and another ten to get him walking and talking again.
Finally, Shou decided he was well enough to return to the ring, where the match was called in Ashley's favor.
Ashley's legs were sore and blood-deprived from kneeling. She thought it ironic, that both she and Jason limped from the hall, although separately.
No one congratulated her. No one talked to her.
Ashley told herself that it didn't matter. What did she expect?
Her distaste for violent culture, combined with her superior skills, had shown up instructors and students alike.
Of course, they were quiet. It felt just as awkward for her.