Darke Beginnings

Chapter #5

Lucien slept fitfully, managing only a few moments of solace in between tossing, turning and his mind racing. He relived the evenings events over and over, panic overtaking him momentarily when he thought about the possibility he would have been caught; there was, after all, a witness. The woman he had saved had run away into the night and he wondered what had become of her. Martin didn't seem to be the kind of man who left loose ends and he had stayed behind when Lucien and Andre had gone to dispose of the body. Had Martin paid her off? Perhaps she had been classified as collateral damage, disposed of by someone already adept at what he was destined now to learn.

Shortly after dawn, Andre knocked on Lucien's door. “Rise and shine,” he growled obviously thrilled to be awake at this hour, himself. “Martin is waiting for us in his office.” He slammed the door shut.

Looking at his cell phone for the time, Lucien groaned. 5:15. He'd had about 4 hours of sleep, if he could call it that. He sat up on the bed, pulled on the rumpled trousers that he had worn the day before, ran his fingers through his hair, and stretched. He yawned as he stood up and made his way out of the room, shirtless and barefoot. During his brief stays in Martin's estate, he had become accustomed to the layout of the house, it no longer proving a labyrinth for him, and he made his way easily to Martin's study.

Both Martin and Andre turned to face Lucien as he entered. “Good God, man,” exclaimed Martin, “You need to look respectable. Where's your shirt?”

“Bloodstained,” answered Lucien. “I figured this was better.”

Andre shook his head. “First rule, always be ready for anything. If that means you need to bring extra clothing, then bring extra clothing.”

Martin chuckled, “I took the liberty of gathering some things from your flat while you were gone. You would have found them hanging in the wardrobe in your room, had you looked.”

Lucien raised an eyebrow at him, then remembered that Martin still had a key to his flat, in case of emergencies. “I guess I will head up and change, then,” he shrugged. Taking a key from Andre, he guessed that he should dress casually and comfortably for the day's lessons. “T-shirt and jeans alright?” he asked.

“Dark clothing,” Andre answered as Lucien headed back to his room.

As he headed back upstairs, Lucien's thoughts began to race once again. He wondered what Martin and Andre had been discussing before he entered the room. There had only been a small phrase or word he caught, nothing incriminating. His suspicions were aroused, though. He felt like he needed to be more careful. He trusted Martin implicitly, but had only known Andre for a few hours. Yet, Martin seemed to trust Andre, maybe even more than he trusted Lucien. The seed of doubt had been planted, though.

Lucien slipped out of the trousers and into a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt. He pulled on a pair of black Converse and went back downstairs. “Better?” he asked as he opened the door to the study again.

Andre gave him the once-over. “It passes muster,” he answered sternly, then broke the tension with a big smile.

Sighing in relief, Lucien helped himself to a handful of grapes that were sitting on Martin's bar. “So, Martin,” he wondered, his mouth full, “What happened to the girl?”

“She won't bother us,” Martin answered grimly.

Lucien swallowed his grapes. “Did you have her killed?” He wasn't concerned, more curious.

Martin shook his head. “What kind of a man do you think I am, boy? She was an innocent. I paid her off. She is now set for life, provided she keeps her silence about what happened last night.”