Twisted Thorns

Chapter Six: Masters Orders

Lizzie was feeling scared. The thought of being alone with him while he had a gun in his hand made her uncomfortable... Before she could make up any more scenarios in her head, the door swung open. Alucard stood in the door way, looming above her.

"Come on. I have to push two weeks' worth of lessons into a few hours. Then you need to get ready. Another reason you shouldn't be coming. Come in." He stepped aside for her. She hadn't noticed up stairs, but he looked different. Instead of being waist length, his hair was shoulder length, and wild and curly, like he'd been running his fingers through it. He had a moustache, and had a slight shadow of hair on his cheeks and chin. He had left his hat and red coat somewhere, and he had loosened his cravat. His shirt hung in disarray. He was so... handsome. Not that he wasn't handsome before, he was, but there was just something about him that seemed so appealing. Without his glasses and the rest of his red get up, his face was accentuated. His bone structure was strong, his nose and cheeks prominent. He had lips that looked like they belonged to a marble statue, chiselled and shaped perfectly. He had a strong, squared chin. But the most prominent feature was the eyes. Now a deep, rich velvety colour, Lizzie lost her train of thought. She didn't even realised he was pulling her into the room, so when she did, she tripped. Right into his chest. Lizzie blushed bright red. Her hand brushed from his pectoral to his stomach. This wasn't like her. Now that she had broken eye contact, she could think clearly. But as quickly as the clear came, she felt a massive sense of nostalgia. Deja vu. In her head, she pictured the smell of fresh air, food and wine, the sound of rustling fabrics, the feeling of cool lips on her hand.

Shaking her head and using his chest to push herself off of him, she straightened the clothes out. "Where is it you said you were from?" Lizzie asked, her voice sounding more strained than it was meant to.

"I'm from Transylvania, in Romania, but I've not been there for many years." he said quietly. "It's beautiful this time of year." he said, his voice trailing off.

"Isn't that where Vlad the Impaler lived, too?" she laughed, jokingly poking at him.

"Yes, it is. Funny, isn't it?" he said, only a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "Come, stand at that table." He pointed to the inside range, where there was three separate boxed off segments for a single person to stand in. She walked over to the one in the middle, picking up the gun off of the table. Alucard was already at her shoulder.

"I'll be showing you how to use a semi-automatic gun today. Revolvers aren't that great. When holding a handgun, hold it downwards. Always check if it's loaded. If it's empty, with the thumb of your dominant hand, press the magazine release, which is this," he said, taking her hand and rubbing it against a small button on the left hand side of the gun, just behind the trigger. "This model's empty clip will drop out. You would then replace it with a loaded clip by pushing it in until you hear the click." He stooped over her, his arms guiding hers while she held the gun. His scent invaded her thoughts, making it difficult for her to focus.

"No! Don't put your thumb on the back of the slide. Give it space. Don't touch the sides of the slide either, it could give you a nasty burn." he fussed around her. Lizzie, if she was thinking straight, would have resented this contact. But now, she was leaning back into him, her body crushing into his. Alucard shifted uncomfortably, he would have relished this attention at any other point, but not while he was teaching her to protect herself. "Steady the gun with your other hand. Good, you're doing well. Non dominant hand supporting the dominant hand." He arranged her hands for her, so they sat safely. "Look down the barrel of the gun, keep one eye closed. Then, breath easily. Slower. Now stay very still, and pull the trigger by the time I count to three. I'll protect your ears." He put a hand over each of her ears to block out the loud sound. She squeezed the trigger, and the shot hit straight through the paper chest of the target on the right side. Alucard took his hands away from her ears.