Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Wagner’s brows crossed.

“What are you talking about? I could see that you haven’t recovered from the incident last night,” he said in dismay.

His response tells me he wasn’t ready for another near-death experience.

“Maybe,” I replied.

“Let’s have some breakfast. I cooked something.”

He gleefully led the way out of the master’s bedroom.

When I came out of the room, a gigantic chandelier caught my attention. It was hanging at the center of the living room, which was downstairs. It seems like everything was shining.

The staircase was modern European style, and the railings were shining with gold. The living room set up was colored gray with minimalist designs from the sofa to the carpet.

I walked down the stairs behind him in awe. His place was fancy.

“By the way, How about those gunmen? Where are they?” I asked.

He walked towards the kitchen.

“They’re gone,” he said while setting up the table.

I sat down while looking at him.

“What do you mean they’re gone?”

“I mean, they’re dead.”

“What? You killed them?”

My eyes widened in shock.

“But why? Do you really have to do that?”

He sat down and looked at me.

“Well, it’s not a big deal. I have to do it to save our lives. Stop talking and eat up.”

I didn’t utter another word.

As I was munching the bacon inside my mouth, I couldn’t avoid the thought of what happened last night. I was so afraid of a single gun pointed at my face. I can’t even defend myself. All I did was run and hide. If not because of Wagner, I could’ve been dead.

When I was facing the Changelings, my fears didn’t hinder me from eliminating them. But when I faced actual people, my knees give up.

I don’t know the psychological reason behind all of this. I’m clueless of how I can let go of my cowardliness.

“Do you need a brief explanation of why I killed those men? Well, I can give you some,” Wagner said.

“What made you want to explain it to me?” I said before swallowing a spoonful of rice.

“Because I want you to understand life and death.”

Wagner could be unpredictable sometimes, giving lectures out of nowhere.

“If I didn’t shoot those jerks, they would shoot us without a second thought. It’s their duty to guard my house and eradicate any suspicious person around, it’s mandatory. They wouldn’t keep us alive, especially that you were running away.”

“What if I didn’t run?”

“Then we wouldn’t be in here. If I keep them alive, there’s no point in going here.”

I nodded.

“I’m not afraid to die. I just don’t want to die in your body. Don’t you feel the same way?” he asked.

“The feeling is mutual.”

“Great. Next time, do not hesitate to kill in order to protect yourself. If you keep on showing mercy, you’ll lose before the fight,” he said before devouring a piece of egg white.

Wagner’s body was physically fit and flexible. I could feel that I can do a lot of things. It should be easier for me to deal with my opponents, but that’s not the case.

“I just can’t do it,” I blurted out.

Wagner paused and stared at my blank face.

“What can you not do?” he asked.

“I can’t fight back. I’m always frightened. Killing someone is impossible for me.”

He fixed his eyes on my face for thirty seconds, like he’s analyzing it.

“I guess I know what to do with you,” he said with a serious look on his face.

After breakfast, we went inside a room. There were types of equipment for exercises. It’s a gym built in his house.

“Let’s do some flexing,” he said.

All we did the whole day was exercising. He also took care of my diet like he’s a nutritionist. He said that he was doing all of it for his body to be normal and for me to relieve my stress. His body was perfectly fine. I don’t know what’s his perception of a normal body. For the record, the exercises made my stress even worse.

“I can’t do it any longer,” I said, panting.

“Come on, we need to break that tension in your body. Give me one hundred push-ups.”

I rolled my eyes and forced myself to reach the end of it. I felt like I was in the military.

The next day, we did boxing.

“See this punching bag? Imagine this as Agatha, the girl who clings to her father’s position and abuses other people. Go on, tear her apart.”

I was nervous. Imagining her in front of me was a terrible idea.

I gulped and positioned my hands to strike. At first, I was hesitant, but Wagner assisted me so I could throw my first punch.

“Punch harder! Is that all you’ve got? She deserves more than that,” he shook his head.

As Wagner keeps on motivating me, all my restraints and fear slowly disappeared.

“You became so comfortable in being weak. It’s time to go out of your zone. There’s no growth in comfort. Come on!”

I punched as hard as I could.

“Imagine Jasmine and Rhein. How do they look at you? You are like trash, an easy target. Kylo, redeem yourself from slavery and fucking kill them with one punch.”

I was furious. Crushing them and burying them alive was all I want. I threw multiple punches as sweat dripped from my forehead.

“Now, strengthen your kicks. Remember John and Rafael, those jerks who laughed at you and treated you like a dog. Kick their assholes until they can no longer move!”

My kicks became stronger as minutes went by. I locked my eyes upon the punching bag as I kept on awakening my full strength.

“Now, do a combination of punches and kicks.”

I closed my eyes and breathe in and out.

“Show me your wrath, your thirst for revenge. Show them what they deserve. Inflict to them ten times the pain you’ve felt from their hands.”

Wagner’s voice was like music to my ears. My adrenaline rushed that I couldn’t control the rage that’s growing within me. My fists were burning and my feet loved the rhythm that the punching bag created every time I hit it.

I was so overwhelmed that the punching bag fell to the floor after my last kick. There was a loud bang when it fell down like an explosion from a ticking bomb. I was bathing myself with sweat as I slumped to the floor while catching my breath.

“You did twenty-nine punches and twenty-six kicks in five minutes, not bad,” Wagner said as he stood in front of me.

“You counted my moves? You’re too sharp.”

He smirked and handed me a bottle of water. I sat down and drank it.

“When I was your age, I could knock it off with twenty-five punches and twenty-three kicks in three minutes,” he said.

I was so exhausted to even think about how he did it.

“It’s not a surprise. I guess you were born a fighter,” I said.

He sat on the floor in front of me.

“I wasn’t born with bravery and strength. It’s just that my situation requires me to have both,” he said as he stared at the ceiling while he reminisced about his past.

“When I was six years old, I escaped the orphanage where my parents left me. I traveled across highways with nowhere else to go. I hang out with street children like me. The only thing we cared about was the food we eat. Every day, we thought of ways on how to survive.”

His voice was calm, but I felt the crushing of his heart as he looked back from where he came from.

“I loved being free and doing what I want. But my freedom fed my hunger for conquering everything that stood in my way. Even the older kids bow to me. Somehow, I became the antagonist. I became an emperor of the kingdom I built with blood and sweat under the streetlights.”

His eyes were flaring like ones with the devil.

“I’ve experienced the harsh side of life where no wimp could withstand. I’ve put the law in my hands. In a place where trashes dominate, be a recyclable one.”

I felt like Wagner waited for someone with whom he can share his story. For someone who has witnessed the murderous aspect of the world, he grew up as an amazing person. If there’s someone who needs to hear his story, it’s me.

“I’m telling you this for you to realize that you have the chance to be brave little by little, everyone has. No one was born strong, neither a heart of stone. It depends on the gravity that the circumstances throw at your face. Only then, you’ll know that being tough is the wisest decision.”

He bitterly smiled at me like a philosopher who’s reincarnated from World War II.

“It’s never too late for a glimpse of self-actualization,” he added.

At that moment, I’ve seen the fragile side of him that he rarely shows to anyone.

Maybe he’s my fairy Godfather, but it doesn’t suit him. He’s more of a goon, perhaps a father? I wonder what my father would say to me when I’m feeling down. Wagner played the role for his sake.

“Now, give me fifty curl-ups,” he said.

“What?” I hissed.

“Just kidding.”

I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

Four days passed by and we did the same routine. He joined me with the exercises. It may sound cliché, but working out became our bonding time. I felt my growth, not just physically, but mentally. It’s nice to have a gym buddy, nutritionist, therapist, and life coach all at the same person.

Having someone by my side makes it easier to deal with my trauma. He’s someone that I can talk to without judgment, even if his sarcasm and bluntness annoy me most of the time. I could tell him things that even my Mom didn’t know.

His words aren’t filtered that if you’re sensitive, you couldn’t take it because the realities of life are hard to swallow. He tells the truth the hard way. His mouth was never been gentle, especially when criticizing my flaws.

His criticisms were like daggers that could break into your emotions and tear you down without lifting a finger. His testimony was stronger than my bullies, but it’s funny how I can tolerate it more than them.

What irritates me about our routine was the skincare part.

“Gently rub the cotton ball with the toner on your face like this,” he said while demonstrating what he meant.

“Like this?”

“No, don’t do that. That will irritate your skin, my skin rather. Let me do it.”

He grabbed the cotton from my hand and did the proper way.

“Then massage 1-2 pumps of serum evenly on the skin after cleansing. Do it carefully.”

“Like this?”

“Yeah, more gentle.”

“The last step, apply 1-2 drops of oil directly on the skin and massage evenly using your fingers.”

“Grapeseed oil? You put oil on your face?” I asked, quite surprised.

“Of course.”

“Can’t you live without a skincare?”

“Well, I can manage. I’m still handsome without it, but I just want my skin to feel fancy,” he said while admiring his skin.

He looked at it like he’s in love with its beauty.

He’s unbelievable. I haven’t even seen my Mom use such products. It’s a waste of time and money.

“Yeah. Whatever. You’ll still grow old. It’s something that no one can stop.”

“I don’t need your opinion, Miss.”

I kept rolling my eyes with his nonsense.

Suddenly, the thought of the adventure came back to me.

“Wagner, do you think I can fight back now? I mean, do you think I can knock someone down after our training?”

He paused.

If we’re going to face monsters on our way, I have to make sure that I’m ready for it. I don’t want to be a burden again and collapse.

“There’s only one way to find out… Fight me.”