Come In

Chapter Fourteen

Victor looked at me expectantly as I sat in silence. Did he expect a reply? Was I being rude? I was dog tired, and completely unable to be a human in that moment- the last hour was still burying me in a pile of darkness, so all of my etiquette had been thrown out of the window.

"I understand that you've been through a lot, dear... but there is one thing I must ask of you." He said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. My eyes refocused and my consciousness returned to the here-and-now.
"Yes, of course. What do you need?" I asked, trying to sound as polite as I could. From the wry smile on Victor's face, I just seemed silly.
"Well, I can't really train you in the condition that I'm in now- but there is something to be done about that." He nodded toward his briefcase, which he'd left by the door.
"Would you be a dear, and go into my bag. There should be a small red stone in there. I'll need you to take it out and hand it to me." He instructed. I nodded, and walked over to the bag.

Upon opening it, I realised that this briefcase must've been his home. There were clothes, a wallet, a toothbrush, a pill box and other tidbits. I spied the small red stone. It was smooth and perfectly round. It looked like a glass ball with red fire swimming around in murky brown water. It shimmered and moved, the red light glistening, even in the shadow. I reached down, and grabbed it, but as soon as I touched it, energy slammed into me like a truck.

I fell to the ground, wheezing at the force of whatever came out of that stone. I felt like I was on fire, and, looking down at myself, I noticed a dull red glow sitting just under my skin. Soon, the weight of the pain lifted, and was replaced by a surge of force and energy. I felt stronger- a lot stronger. And I felt like I could run several marathons without tiring (and win them). Everything in sight came into incredible focus. I noticed that I could hear the leaves of the trees rustling outside.

I looked up at Victor, and noticed that he'd changed too. His posture was better, his skin held more colour and he looked healthier- younger. His eyes had brightened, and it seemed that life had poured itself into him, and rejuvenated him. He smiled at me, and shrugged as if to say that's just what happens when you touch magic rocks!

I walked back over to his bag and grabbed the stone. It was pure black now, no glistening or movement. In fact, it seemed like a black hole- void of any substance or life. I shrugged and handed it to Victor. He took it, and placed it carefully on the table.

"That is the Bellum Stone. It holds the power of the Slayers. It's what gives you the strength and skill needed to defeat vampires- or more specifically, Pardo's. You'll notice other things beginning to make themselves known- so far, you've got the strength and the senses. Within the next few days, you'll get the speed and the reflexes. I'm here to mould all of that into a brilliant fighter." He explained, his eyes still focussed on the stone. I was still revelling in the euphoric feeling of strength and power surging in my veins.
"Do you get any powers?" I asked. He smiled and looked up at me.

"Nothing as effective as you. I get a knowledge of all things mystical. All of the rules, all of the different creatures. How best to defeat them. That's pivotal to your training." He said.

I suddenly remembered how tired I was. It was weird- I felt strong and powerful; physically, I was wired. But my body felt like lead, and my bones ached.

I noticed that Victor also looked tired.

"Hey, would you want to stay here tonight? Unless you have somewhere else to go." I said.

"I suppose I should stay here. You haven't been trained yet, so you'll need protection. Besides, this means that we can start your training as early as tomorrow." Victor said. I nodded, smiling.

"Well, you can sleep in the guest room- it's just up here" I said, gesturing for him to follow me up the stairs. He grabbed his belongings and followed me.

"Shower's just at the end of the hall up there, and there are extra sheets in the closet in your room."

"Thank you, Anna. This is very kind of you." He said. I smiled, shrugging.

"It's the least I could do." I replied, slightly embarrassed by his sincerity.

"Well, I think I shall turn in for the night. Good night, Anna. We'll start your training first thing in the morning." I rolled my eyes.

"Brilliant. I'm so looking forward to it." I joked. Victor chuckled at my obvious sarcasm, and walked into the room. I walked off down to my room and began to prepare for bed. I wondered when I'd have to return to school. I figured that I'd just have to deal with that problem when it came. Besides, Cam was my priority right now. But I did feel slightly guilty that I hadn't even spoken to Libby since that night. I decided to call her tomorrow, when we were done with training. I hoped that I hadn't left it too long.

I fell asleep quickly, longing for a dream that starred Cam. I needed to feel his touch and see his face, even if it was in my own mind.