The two jogged in silence, Dante's hand firmly grasping Emma's as they moved through the city streets. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the pavement, and the distant hum of traffic could be heard constantly.

  I don’t see anyone following. The cameras are around now.

  Maybe I was just being paranoid?

  A toddler and its mother at the bus stop. She's paying too much attention to her child to be watching me - fussing with the child's bright yellow jacket while simultaneously checking the transit schedule on her wrist device.

  She looked at me for too long.

  ...

  It’s not subtle at all, which means she isn’t watching me.

  Or she is just is either really bad at it or incredibly really good at misleading.

  Ok, took another corner, but no one here to watch me. If they were using people to watch, then they wouldn’t let me out of their sight like this.

  Then again, if they have access to the cameras…

  Damn it, it’s that training, to always expect the worst and prepare.

  “Uh, Dante, we are almost there and you haven’t said a word.” Emma stared with a worried expression.

  “Huh?”

  That’s right, we are almost there.

  …

  I need to calm down. It was just a hunch anyway, nothing concrete.

  Ok, first an excuse. It was the adrenaline. Yeah, that should work.

  “Sorry, I don’t know what came over me. Are you ok?” Dante stopped moving and asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. I wasn’t scared—I knew you could fight. But what happened back there at the end?”

  “Huh? I’m sorry, the adrenaline of the fight took over me. And thinking on what could have happened to you.” Dante looked down miserably, his voice soft at the end.

  “T-thanks,” Emma responded, rubbing her arm slightly.

  Good, she bought all that. Another day where I don’t have to explain my past.

  Yeah right, I have no doubt she has some doubts, but it doesn’t matter. This isn’t the first time the training came out of me, and like always, she will let it slide.

  Dante looked up at the sleek silver doors in front of him, recently polished and gleaming his reflection. Emma’s school uniform was now ruffled, and her collar had opened up a little at some point, enough to give a taste of skin but nothing more. As for Dante, despite the scuffle, his uniform was still nearly perfect, slightly wrinkled from his movement, yet his tie, and every button, was neat. It was as if the fight from before had never happened.

  “Let’s go in,” Dante said, still holding Emma’s hand as the two walked in.

  In front of them was a deep blue carpet that lit up beneath their steps, casting a soft ripple of light across the white walls, making the entire corridor feel like the bottom of a tranquil sea.

  “Look, Dante, it’s like we’re in your blue eyes,” Emma teased, trying to rid any tension still left in the air.

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  “Yup, now you know exactly what I see everyday. This is my vision, Emma.”

  “Uh huh, sure it is. So do you see fishes in your eyes too?”

  “Sometimes. I do all sorts of fish actually, some you wouldn’t believe.”

  “Oh yeah? What kind of fishes?” Emma asked as the two of them continued their walk through the lobby, now halfway to the reception table.

  “Well, I see a mermaid right next to me,” Dante responded with a wink as he stared at Emma, drawing a giggle from her lips.

  “Dante, you’re getting cornier by the minute.”

  “I think you messed up one of your letters.”

  “Huh, what do you... ok, I’m done with you. Let’s go.”

  “Cause you know you had a C when you should have had an H, cause.”

  “Yeah, yeah, Dante, I get it.”

  They stood in front of the reception table when a holographic image of a woman’s silhouette appeared out of thin air, followed by her soft, soothing voice. “Hello, how can I help you?”

  “No need, my bioscan is set up,” Emma answered as she placed her hand on the hand scanner on the table. The elevator nearby opening up immediately.

  “Thank you very much, please go right ahead,” the hologram said.

  Dante and Emma entered the elevator, each playing on their devices as they waited.

  The elevator door opened, and in front of the duo was a wall covered in plaques and trophies, some old golden and silver, and others new discs that displayed holographic trophies, showing a long history of the gym.

  Dante and Emma took a moment to look at the familiar wall before going around it to see the gym behind.

  The gym was lively and full of men and women training. The room was huge, holding six boxing rings in its center. The sides of the room held all sorts of equipment and tools, from weights, cones, jump ropes, treadmills, and battle ropes to sleds. If it was needed, it was there. The air was thick with the scent of disinfectant, rubber mats, and sweat.

  The room was filled with loud voices and the beating drums of heavy bags being punched. Instead of shadow boxing, some people stood in designated areas, boxing holograms that could do no harm.

  “Ah, there she is,” Emma tugged Dante’s uniform and pointed to one of the rings where Emmy was bobbing and weaving against another woman.

  Emmy’s opponent threw a right hook, which was blocked and countered by Emmy’s quick jab, landing right at the woman’s nose. She quickly reset her stance.

  Her opponent tried to follow with a jab that missed by half an inch as Emmy waved her head to the side, her body following the movement. Emmy then landed a clean hit to her opponent’s ribs, causing the woman to flinch and grasp her side for a moment.

  Emmy moved again like a predator on wounded prey. Her opponent tried to keep her at bay with a swing, but Emmy ducked with fluidly, her body moving like water as she unleashed a jab to the gut that made a muffled thud against the protective gear.

  “Okay, that’s enough,” the coach called from the side, ending the spar.

  “Good work, Emmy. You’ve fixed just about everything I told you last time. You’re less aggressive now and capitalizing on the openings given,” the coach began, walking over to her.

  “But,” he paused, holding his finger up, “you still have a focus problem. There were some openings you missed—maybe you were trying to hold yourself back too much. You’ve learned not to take every risk, but now you need to know which risks are worth taking. Got it? Go on, your sister’s waiting for you again.”

  The coach turned to address the other woman, and Emmy nodded in agreement.

  She turned and smiled at Dante and Emma. “Hey, I’ll go rinse off and get changed. I promise I’ll be quick.”

  “Ok,” Dante and Emma said in unison, then turning at each other immediately with a glare, drawing a laugh from Emmy as she walked away.

  Five minutes had passed.

  “So Dante,” Emma said, finally looking up from her holophone.

  A minute had passed in silence before Dante responded.

  “Yeah? I am waiting for you to finish that sentence, you know.”

  Prompted by Dante’s words, Emma continued. “What’d you think of my sister’s match? You haven’t seen her spar in a few weeks.”

  “Uh, we came in at the end. So, how do you expect me to comment?”

  “Oh, I’m sure you can tell everything from the end of the fight, right?”

  “My sweet, sweet Emma, I’ve thought of this before, but can I have whatever drugs you’re on?”

  “Rude, Dante, rude.”

  “Fine, I’ll tell you what I noticed,” Dante coughed lightly and stared at Emma seriously.

  “She did good and fixed everything her coach told her about last time. She is less aggressive now and...” Dante began repeating what the coach had said, drawing a playful slap on the arm from Emma.

  “Haha, very funny.”

  “Thanks, I’m here every Tuesday.”

  “It’s Friday.”

  “Your point?”

  The two abruptly stopped and went back to their holophones while waiting for Emmy to come back out.