"Squats." Ichigo announced.

I was standing behind Ichigo, who was in a half-crouch, her legs spread and knees bent in front of an intimidating-looking rack loaded with weight plates.

Albert was next to me huffing from the previous set, his cheeks were still pink, and his forehead was glistening with sweat.

"S-Sorry?" I stammered. I felt a bit overwhelmed and confused.

"The king of all exercises," she said, "The most effective and efficient exercise there is. If you've only got time for one, you make it this. Nothing is better for making you stronger in a practical way."

"O-Oh," I replied, feeling a little nervous and overwhelmed. "But I can barely even do ten reps on a pair of ten-pound weights on the bench press."

"Come on. You'll do fine. Just do a set with us, we can show you how."

I stared at the bar loaded with a single medium-sized plate on each side as Ichigo pushed her head underneath and rested it against the back of her shoulders.

"That looks so heavy..." I whispered, feeling nervous.

"We've all gotta start somewhere. It's just a hundred pounds," Ichigo said with a shrug. "Just enough to get your legs strong enough to kick down some doors."

I felt my cheeks turn red. "Kick down doors?"

"Yup. When we do the thing. You know, sparkle sparkle magic sparkle," she teased. She winked at me, her eyes glinting. "It's just a joke. Come on, just give it a shot."

Ichigo moved to take off the plates from the bar and set them aside, then she adjusted the bar position and the hooks so that it was at just about eye level.

"There we go. You'll do just the bar first, that way you won't have any extra weight to worry about," she said. "It's about forty-five pounds or so, and if you can't go all the way down we'll figure out something to put under your heels, and it won't be as hard. Now, get under the bar. We'll show you how it's done."

I moved to sit underneath the bar. Ichiigo came over and helped guide me to the right spot.

"Lift your head so that you're looking ahead. Grab the bar at 45 degrees and tuck your elbows back to tighten up your chest. Keep your eyes straight ahead at all times. Keep your head up, don't let it droop or look down."

I did so, and the bar felt cold in my hands.

"Put the weight on your heels. Push back and brace with your core," she continued.

I took a breath.

"Okay, and push up."

I did so, and the bar lifted. The bar was cold and hard on my shoulders, and I felt my knees buckle as I pushed up. My arms wobbled as I stood, and I felt like I was about to collapse. Ichigo and Albert quickly moved to help me.

"Good. Now, turn your knees slightly outward, and go as low as you can," Ichigo instructed, and Albert helped guide me into position. I felt my knees shake as I lowered my body into the squat, and I struggled to keep my balance. As I got to the halfway point, I lost balance, and fell forward.

Albert reacted instantly, and I heard him shout.

"Sienna!" he said, his arms wrapped around my waist. He pulled me up and kept me steady. My heart was pounding. My legs were weak, and I felt like my entire body was shaking. I looked around and several pairs of eyes were turned on me.

"Easy there..." Al whispered as he helped me regain my balance, picking the bar off my neck. I felt myself blush. I looked up and he smiled, but I felt like he was pitying me. I looked around in mortification and felt my cheeks turn hot.

"I-I'm fine. I just... need to catch my breath. Sorry." I said, my voice shaky. I stepped back from him. My legs felt weak. It felt like the eyes of all the people around us were on me.

And then, someone in a black muscle shirt and athletic shorts shouted.

"POWER!" he screamed, his arms raised.

All the eyes that had been turned on me snapped to him, and I followed their movements. For a moment, I swore he was staring straight at me, but then he jerked up, and practically flipped a barbell packed with plates overhead, before dropping it back down.

The boy who shouted "POWER" had olive skin and a very defined, chiseled physique. His eyes were sharp, focused and fierce, and looked Asian to me, but his brown hair was wavy and his face looked a little mixed-race. He looked about 5'11 or so. They were perpendicular to us at another part of the weight room.

He was surrounded by a group of kids I recognized from my run-in with the Power Fitness Club with Albert a few days ago, all in workout gear. They were a diverse bunch, some were big and bulky and muscular, while others looked smaller and thinner and weaker, and a few of the girls were even quite petite and thin, but all of them seemed happy and enjoying themselves.

I blinked at the sight. A tall blond boy I recognized as Blake made eye contact with me and winked, before he turned back to his crew.

I flushed.

"Oh boy," Ichigo giggled. "We got some Power Fitness guys here today."

A crowd of fit-looking students crowded around the boy in the black shirt. Most of them were looking at him in confusion, but then a tall, beefy-looking boy with dark skin looked my way, and the others quickly followed suit.

"POWER!" they all shouted, some more hesitantly than the others. They all threw their fists in the air.

I was stunned.

"P-P-POWER!" a girl with a build like Ichigo's screamed. She had light skin, a short pixie-cut of red hair and freckles, and looked very athletic. Her arms were packed with lean muscle. Her eyes were shining and her face was bright red.

"POWER!" she shouted again. Her arms shook as she lifted the bar above her head. Her arms shook as she dropped it back down.

"WOOO! GO JESS! KICK ITS ASS! BE STRONG LIKE YOU MEAN IT!" Blake shouted.

"Woo!" another, more petite girl cheered, clapping her hands. "Wooo!"

"POWER!" shouted the first guy. "COME ON, EVERYONE! SEBASTIAN, YOU'RE UP!"

I stared at them, and the first boy, the one with the wavy brown hair and light olive skin, winked at me, then he grinned, his eyes shining.

"Alright fellas! Let's show them what power is!" he announced, his voice loud and clear. "You ready?"

The crowd cheered as he looked away from me.

Wait, did he start this to distract people away from my extremely visible failure?

No, why would he?

But still... I couldn't help but wonder as they kept chanting and cheering and yelling, drawing everyone's attention. It was a bit ridiculous and definitely embarrassing.

The whole situation was surreal, and I felt a little out of place, like an outsider.

The boy who winked at me looked at me and grinned, then he looked back to the crowd and shouted again, "Come on! Let's get this show on the road!"

"That's... that's something," Albert commented, watching them, then he looked at me. "You okay? You look tired, Sienna."

I nodded slowly. "I-I'm fine... just... just catching my breath. What did I do wrong?"

Ichigo smiled and patted my back. "You're not keeping your core tight and bracing, so your lower back is flexing instead of staying straight."

"What?" I said.

"Suck in a breath, then sharply exhale and push out like you're trying to push through a belt around your waist. Then brace like that," Ichigo explained. "Like when you lift, you don't wanna do that when the weight is on your shoulders, you have to do that before. Here, lemme show you."

She got into a similar stance as me and demonstrated. She got underneath the bar, grabbed it, pushed her head through the space between the bar and the rack and looked straight ahead, then she took in a sharp breath and exhaled, pushing out her midsection like it was a balloon and then she lifted.

"See, now it's tight, and I'm keeping that tension while I squat, then when I rack it, I release."

"Oh..."

"Yeah. Don't sweat it. It's your first day," Ichigo encouraged. She gestured for me to get under the bar. I hesitated. The embarrassment of nearly falling on my face earlier still stung.

"It's alright. We've got you if anything happens!" Ichigo encouraged me. Albert smiled.

"I-I'm fine..." I muttered, feeling like a complete and total idiot. "I just..."

Albert reached out to pat my shoulder. "Hey, don't be nervous."

"I'm not."

He smiled. "Come on, Sienna. That's a lie. But no matter how many times you fall, I'll be right there to pick you up. So just give it a go and do the thing."

I looked down. "You promise you won't laugh?"

He grinned. "Never. You know me. Always and ever, right?"

"Okay..."

He gave my shoulder another squeeze, his fingers gentle and reassuring, before he pulled away and gave me space. He always had unusually warm hands. It was nice.

I got under the bar, taking a deep breath and trying not to feel so embarrassed.

"You can do it," Ichigo whispered encouragingly, giving me a little nudge.

This time I did what she did and sucked in a breath. It was hard to really feel my abs and core and stuff — mine were almost non-existent, unlike hers or Stella's, or even Albert's.

"Come on. You can do this."

I slowly exhaled and pushed out like she showed me, trying to keep the tension in my stomach as the weight on my shoulders slowly got heavier and heavier.

It wasn't easy. I could feel my legs wobble as I lowered my body and tried to go down as low as I could without falling. It felt like an eternity, but I managed to go down to just below my knees. My muscles screamed at me as I tried to keep going. My balance wavered. I struggled to keep the bar from slipping out of my grip.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

But I did it.

I pushed up as hard as I could. I could hear the others cheer and clap as I finally stood up.

"That's it! You've got this! Keep going!" Ichigo encouraged. "Think about shoving your knees out after you unlock them, though. You've gotta think about activating that booty until it's a habit."

I sucked in another breath. The bar felt cold against my skin.

I tried not to laugh, but I could feel the corners of my mouth twitching. "Okay..."

"Alright, now do it again," Ichigo said.

I looked up, and she grinned.

"Again?" I asked.

She nodded, her grin wide. "Again."

"O-Okay."

My legs wobbled and my heart raced. My hands felt clammy and sweaty.

I lowered my body and pushed down, and then I felt the weight on my back push me forward, my arms buckling and my legs giving out. But I steadied myself. I wasn't going to give up. Not when I had Albert and Ichigo watching, cheering me on. The thought of embarrassing myself again, especially in front of them, made me push through.

I shoved my knees out and pushed as hard as I could. It was hard. Really, really hard.

But one rep came after another, until finally, I'd finished seven.

My body was shaking. I could feel my heart beating. My legs felt weak.

"Great job," Ichigo said as she spotted me and helped guide me into racking the bar. I panted, sweat pouring from my face. I couldn't feel my hands.

"I did it..." I gasped. My chest burned. I was panting and gasping for air, and I felt a bit embarrassed that it took me so much energy and concentration just to finish one set with the empty bar.

I looked at the boy from the Power Fitness club. He was staring at me with a big smile. He flashed me a smile and a thumbs up, before turning to his friends. There about eight or nine of them, including Blake and the redhead, Jessica. The boy who had started the whole thing - he looked around eighteen. He had sharp, olive-skinned features and bright brown eyes, with an intense look on his face. He looked at the other members and smiled, giving them high-fives and fist-bumps as he cheered them on and encouraged them to go harder. They seemed like they were having a lot of fun, despite how awkward the outburst was.

I turned my attention back to the barbell, feeling calmer than earlier. I took another deep breath and tightened my core.

"Two more sets," Ichigo encouraged. "Just do it."

I sucked in a breath, then pushed out and lifted. I did another rep. And another. Somehow, it was easier this time. Maybe I was just getting used to the weight.

I finished the second set and the third. And by the end of the third, I felt like I was going to die.

"Good stuff!" Ichigo said. "You're doing great, Sienna."

I stepped away, feeling drained. My legs were shaking, my arms were trembling. I felt like I could barely stand, let alone lift any more weights. But I did it. I did it.

"What now?" I asked.

"We rest and move on," Ichigo said with a grin. "I don't want to push you too hard on your first day, but we should do some light back work and some mobility work, too."

"O-Oh... Alright," I said, panting and feeling my arms shake.

Ichigo smiled and patted me on the shoulder. "You'll get there, girlie. We just have to keep working on it."

"Lightweight!" a girl's voice shouted.

"Lightweight!" a male voice echoed, both of them sounding cheerful and encouraging.

I looked, and saw half the Power Fitness Club crowding around Suguru and Stella by the bench press. Suguru was lying on his back, gripping a bar loaded with two of the large plates and several smaller plates. I didn't know how much the bar on the bench was supposed to weigh, but I could see at least two hundred pounds of weight plates on it.

Stella had a hand on her chin and was watching, looking a little concerned. Suguru, meanwhile, was trying to hold up the weight, and was straining to do so, his arms shaking.

"Come on, Suguru!" Blake shouted. He had a big, goofy grin on his face as he cheered Suguru on. "You've got this! Come on, man!"

Suguru's arms were shaking, and he looked like he was about to collapse. A tall, stoic-looking musclebound boy with dark skin stood at the ready, palms up behind him.

I guessed he was the spotter, and it looked like he might be needed to bail Suguru out if he couldn't keep the weight up. A petite, pale, blonde-haired girl in a pink t-shirt, pink athletic shorts and a pair of black running leggings was standing next to him, her hands clasped as she beamed at Suguru.

The boy with the brown wavy hair with the olive skin was standing off to the side, watching and smiling, but he had an intense expression on his face, and his gaze was fixed on the barbell.

Suguru lowered the barbell to his chest and pushed. His arms shook, his face red. He pushed again, his arms shaking.

I slowly walked over, feeling my muscles ache and burn, but I was curious to see what they were doing. I'd never seen anyone lift that much before, and I wanted to see if he could do it. I was amazed that he was even able to hold it up.

"Oh hey!" a soft, friendly voice chirped.

I looked and saw a familiar boy with pale skin and black hair pulled back into a small topknot with side bangs walking up to me.

He was roughly 5'7 or 5'8, with a slender build and bright smile. His eyes were big and round and a deep brown, with long eyelashes that were almost feminine. He wasn't as much of a mess as when I'd first seen him training with his club out on the grass he other day, with his worn-down sweats. Rather, he was wearing a brand new pair of blue running shorts, a green shirt that framed his narrow shoulders, and a black sweatband on his left wrist.

"Oh, hey, Kaz," I greeted.

"I didn't know you were here!" he said brightly.

"Yeah, I am," I replied. "First time at the gym, even."

He grinned and walked over to me. I noticed that he had a nice smile, and that his teeth were straight and white. His almond-shaped eyes practically sparkled when he smiled, and he had large, expressive eyes. "That's great! We were just starting a group workout. Wanna join us?"

"Uh... Suguru here was actually showing me some exercises before. I'm here with him and his sister," I said, feeling a bit nervous.

"Oh! You know Suguru? Er, your name was Sienna, right?"

"Yeah, that's me."

He smiled. "Nice. Well, good to see you around. If you ever need help with something, come on over and ask us. We're always here."

"Thank you, that's really nice of you to offer," I said. "I don't really know what I'm doing, honestly, I'm just following Suguru's lead. And my friends over there."

I looked back over at the squat... thing. Ichigo was grinning and chatting with Albert. I narrowed my eyes.

He was blushing and grinning sheepishly back at her, and she was standing really close to him.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. He was so easy to tease. My gut instinct was that I could trust Ichigo, but I knew the line between flirty teasing and bullying could sometimes be blurry. But Ichigo gave me the impression that she was nothing like that. I had no reason to be so overprotective of Albert, but I couldn't help it.

"Well, anyway, Suguru isn't part of the club yet but the boys really took to him. And if you guys ever want to hang out with us, we'd be happy to have you. We have a lot of new members who are really friendly and outgoing."

I smiled. "Yeah, that sounds like fun. I'll give it a strong maybe, but I'm a little self-conscious about working out in front of a group. I'm super clumsy and uncoordinated, you see."

He laughed. "Oh, I know. I'm a disaster when it comes to anything physical, too. I'm just glad that Niko and his crew took pity on me."

He gestured to the boy with the olive skin and the wavy brown hair. "He's our president. He's super cool."

Niko was standing with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on the barbell in Suguru's hands. He looked like he was in a trance. His face was intense and serious. I wondered how much he cared about the fitness club, to be so focused on helping someone lift weights.

"It's a long road for me. I've never been the healthiest kid, but they keep me motivated," he said. "And now we have a bunch of people who are all on the same page, and we help each other stay accountable. It's pretty cool, you know?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I'm happy to hear you have that support system."

He smiled. "Well, if you ever need one, I think we'd be a good fit."

I giggled as his eyes practically sparkled in adoration toward Niko. He noticed my giggle and blushed, turning away.

"Anyway. Yeah. Just... think about it. If you wanna hang out with us sometime, we'd be happy to have you."

I looked toward Stella, who caught my eyes and flashed me a smile. It was still surreal to me that I had a long lost sister, but Stella and I had been growing closer and closer since I'd found out, and her smile was so warm it practically lit up the room.

She looked back at Suguru as he slammed the bar back up into its place.

"Alright! Good job, bro," Blake said with a grin, and the others cheered and clapped as Suguru sat up and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand.

Niko, the olive-skinned guy with the wavy brown hair, smiled and gave him a high five. "For real. Good shit, man."

"Thanks," Suguru muttered, panting and sweating. "That's actually a personal best, man. I've never done two hundred and fifty-five pounds for six before."

Niko's eyes lit up. "Oh, dude. That's great! Keep that up, and you'll be a beast in no time."

Sebastian nodded stoically, but didn't say anything.

He was the largest person in their entire group, with massive, broad shoulders and bulging arms, and he looked like a slab of solid muscle. He had a diamond-shaped head, a square jaw, and a wide, thick nose, along with a pair of dark brown eyes.

Kaz whispered to me. "I've been at this for a year now, and I still can't deadlift what he can bench for reps. Dude's a monster. Then again though, I'm the definition of a hard gainer. Weights or cardio."

He turned his head to look at Suguru, who was still sitting there. Suguru flashed us a sheepish grin, and he looked a little embarrassed.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks," Suguru replied. He stood up and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He was looking a bit red from the exertion. His shirt was clinging to his skin. I blushed, and Kaz chuckled at my reaction.

"Any time," Sebastian said. He still didn't smile. "You have potential."

Kaz snorted, and Sebastian turned his head to look at him. Kaz shrunk back with an exaggerated motion, and Sebastian smirked.

The petite blonde girl, who was shorter than Kaz, looked at us and smiled. She was quite lovely, with a cute, heart-shaped face, and bright blue eyes. She had a pixie-ish look, but was wearing some fairly conservative, form-fitting gym wear.

"Hello!" she greeted, walking over. "My name is Astrid, it's so nice to meet you. Welcome to our little gathering."

"I'm er, Sienna," I said awkwardly. I was feeling a bit out of place here, with so many athletic, fit-looking people around me. "I'm just... I'm a friend of Stella and Suguru's, and I was just..."

"And a new friend for Kaz," Astrid finished. She smiled at Kaz. "Ain't that right?"

"Oh! Uh, well. I guess. I mean, we haven't talked a whole lot, but... yeah. I'd like to be," Kaz replied, his cheeks reddening. He looked away and cleared his throat.

I chuckled a bit at his shyness. It was adorable.

"Hey!" Suguru called. I turned my head and saw him standing with Stella. She looked like she was trying to keep her distance from the Power Fitness clubbers, who were mostly crowding around Suguru, with a few stragglers standing by the bench press.

"Uh, yeah?" I asked. Stella smiled warmly at me, and I couldn't help but smile back.

Suguru waved me over. "Come on over, I've got some more stuff to show you. And uh, Kaz, and uh... Astrid. I'm sorry, I don't know all your guys' names yet."

"Oh!" Kaz said. "Uh, well. Let's fix that. That's Sebastian. He's the big one. The guy with the brown hair there is our president, Niko. The girl with the short red hair is Jessica. She's a little scary. Blake over there is her boyfriend. He's the tall one. Then we have a bunch of others, like the twins, and the girls who joined last week, and uh. Oh, I don't even know all their names. But you'll learn them eventually."

I nodded. There were about seven or eight of them here, and they were all chatting with each other, laughing and smiling. They seemed like a friendly group. Way less than the group I'd seen outside when I first met Kaz, though. Maybe this was just a select group.

"Anyway, how about we swap numbers really quick, Sienna? That way you can hit me up whenever you want," Kaz offered.

"O-Oh, sure. That sounds good. Thanks."

I pulled out my phone and we exchanged contact info, and I saw his phone number and a text message from him on the screen.

"Thanks," I said.

Kaz grinned and gave me a high five. "No problem. Anywho, I'll see you around, Sienna. I'm gonna go grab some weights and hit some more sets. Wanna join me, Astrid?"

"Oh! Uh... sure!" she chirped, smiling. "I'd love to!"

"Great." he said. He turned to look at me and smiled. "See you later, Sienna."

"Bye, Kaz," I replied with a soft smile.

"Bye, Sienna!" Astrid said, waving. "It was nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you, too," I replied. She was a bit forward, but she was sweet and I could tell she meant well.

Kaz and Astrid walked off, and I turned to see Suguru and Stella.

Suguru waved me over again. "Come on. I wanna show you how to deadlift."

Stella shook her head. "Hey Suguru, mind if I borrow her instead, actually?"

Suguru blinked, and shrugged. "Sure. I was going to have us do some light back work, though. Not too much, because I don't want to exhaust her on her first day. What were you thinking?"

Stella smiled and twirled her hair with a finger. "Oh, just some mobility drills. I think some cooldown would be nice for a vibe check. You should probably check in on Ichi though."

Suguru nodded. "Alright, that sounds good. Just don't push her too hard, alright? She's a total beginner."

"I won't. I promise. Figured we'd just hit the yoga mats for a while, get the blood flowing, let her stretch and stuff. She's not ready to fight in tournaments like you and Ichigo, you know."

"Okay." Suguru nodded, satisfied. "See you guys in a bit."

Suguru walked away to join the rest of the Power Fitness club. Stella smiled at me, and we both walked to the side of the weight room.

"Alright, spill the beans," I said as we sat down on a yoga mat.

She snickered. "That obvious, huh?"

"Kinda, yeah."

We hadn't known each other that long, but I'd already learned to read her body language, and her mischievous eyes were a dead giveaway. She was a very expressive person, if you knew where to pay attention.

"Well... how do you feel about super secret ancient magic family kung fu?" she asked, looking a little sheepish.

I raised an eyebrow. "Super secr— are you serious?"

She giggled. "Yup. Serious as cereal."